Thomas Johnson - Medical Blog

 Pandemic Data and Analytics, better known as Panda, burst onto the scene a year ago with their infamous report the economic consequences of the lockdown would allegedly kill more people than Covid-19.   The media gave them significant coverage but no one questioned their and front man Nick Hudson’s faulty, mischievous assumptions and analysis.   Later when they issued a “study” that questioned epidemiological models predicting Covid deaths could exceed 50,000, and they said deaths would not exceed 20,000, the media still reported them, although with less interest.   But as the pandemic wreaked its heavy toll, Panda fell out of favour and was eventually sidelined.   Recently Daily Maverick’s Nafeez Ahmed and Rebecca Davis took down Panda – “Kung Flu Panda: dodgy analytics or pandemic propaganda”. But like most of the media, they have a short memory. At the time the media never critically examined Panda for what they obviously are: pandemic denialists. Th...

A doctor Suzanne Walter, 47, a palliative care specialist, and her 71-year-old patient, Diethelm Harck are asking the high court in Johannesburg to order the government to enact legislation that would allow physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia . Both are terminally ill, Walter with multiple myeloma and Harck with motor neuron disease. The Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), National Prosecutions Authority (NPA) and government are respondents. One of the grounds of their application is euthanasia is not permitted in a Christian country. This is an interesting case. But I'm not sure it will succeed, not because of religion, but as the law and more importantly public consensus in most countries applies to doctor-assisted euthanasia. Wikipedia lists the few countries and states where euthanasia in some form is legal. Ironically, euthanasia is not permitted in, for example, most US states particularly southern where the death penalty is actively pursued. Ditto abort...