I note the BBC has been misleading people with disingenuous headlines, such as this, which was published just 11 hours before I type this:
As well as using inaccurate terminology, this headline appears to be designed to mislead people into thinking that the variant found in Brazil is "more contagious" than the dominant variant in the UK.
In fairness, the article does go on to say:
But this isn't particularly reassuring and is a huge understatement. This poor quality journalism is typical of the BBC these days.
What the BBC don't admit is that the increased 'transmissibility' of the Brazil variant is due to the N501Y mutation; this mutation independently occurred in both the UK and South African variants (and no doubt in other lesser known or even undetected variants)
There is no evidence the Brazil variant has any advantage in terms of 'transmissibility' compared to the UK variant.
Such headlines do not fool me because I've done my research; I suspect they do fool a lot of people though as not everyone has either the interest, or the time, to find out the facts.
Given the research I've undertaken, I know to treat BBC reporting with extreme caution and absolutely not to trust BBC headlines.
If you want to learn more about variants, there are a couple of good videos below which are great starting points.
Here is a really clear no-nonsense video that explains a lot about variants and their likely impact, concentrating in particular on the situation in the US:
If you want a technical discussion about the meaning of terms such as variants, I doubt you will find anything better than this:
Covid Brazil variant 'may spread more easily'
The first detailed studies of the P.1 variant suggest it may be up to twice as transmissible.
www.bbc.co.uk
Covid Brazil variant 'may spread more easily'
The Brazil coronavirus variant now found in the UK appears more contagious and may evade immunity provided by past infection, scientists say.
Experiences from Manaus - the Amazonian city hit hard by the P.1 variant - suggest it could be up to twice as transmissible as earlier Covid there, the first detailed study suggests.
As well as using inaccurate terminology, this headline appears to be designed to mislead people into thinking that the variant found in Brazil is "more contagious" than the dominant variant in the UK.
In fairness, the article does go on to say:
But experts say this should not be used to predict what may happen in the UK.
Indeed, one of the lead researchers said it was unlikely P.1 would quickly take off in Britain when only six cases had been identified and these were being closely monitored.
But this isn't particularly reassuring and is a huge understatement. This poor quality journalism is typical of the BBC these days.
What the BBC don't admit is that the increased 'transmissibility' of the Brazil variant is due to the N501Y mutation; this mutation independently occurred in both the UK and South African variants (and no doubt in other lesser known or even undetected variants)
There is no evidence the Brazil variant has any advantage in terms of 'transmissibility' compared to the UK variant.
Such headlines do not fool me because I've done my research; I suspect they do fool a lot of people though as not everyone has either the interest, or the time, to find out the facts.
Given the research I've undertaken, I know to treat BBC reporting with extreme caution and absolutely not to trust BBC headlines.
If you want to learn more about variants, there are a couple of good videos below which are great starting points.
Here is a really clear no-nonsense video that explains a lot about variants and their likely impact, concentrating in particular on the situation in the US:
Dr. Seheult illustrates what we know about the coronavirus variants first discovered in California and New York. ~
Will these SARS-CoV-2 variants be more transmissible or cause more severe COVID 19 disease?
Learn what the research and experts say so far about these coronavirus mutations (This video was recorded on February 28, 2021).
Roger Seheult, MD is the co-founder and lead professor at https://www.medcram.com He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Disease, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine and an Associate Professor at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine.
If you want a technical discussion about the meaning of terms such as variants, I doubt you will find anything better than this:
Many virology terms are being used these days by people who do not understand their meaning. Included are journalists, medical doctors, scientists, lawyers, and people from all walks of life. In normal times this word mis-usage would be so rare that it would not matter. However, because we are in a viral pandemic that affects nearly everyone, I will attempt to explain the meaning of virus isolates, variants, and strains.
Last edited: