Perhaps the Chinese Communist Party could have exaggerated the Covid problem for political purposes – as a reaction to the mass protests in Wuhan and Hong Kong that occurred in the summer of 2019.

For decades we have turned a blind eye to the crimes happening in China. Now it has become a powerful and influent nation, impossible to be ignored. How much of a threat is the People’s Republic of China?

We are used to seeing press conferences discussing what measures will be or have been effective at reducing the spread of SARS-CoV-2. The media appears to assert almost axiomatically that if a restriction or mandate will reduce the spread of the virus, it should be implemented and there should be no further debate. Despite – at least in the case of the British Government’s SAGE committee – the dozens of fundamental u-turns on issues such as the safety of schools, efficacy of general mask usage, feasibility of herd immunity, and even Matt Hancock’s alarming uncertainty on the effectiveness of the vaccines, we are told time and time again to “trust the science.” To question their ever-changing gospel is to be “anti-science”, “a dangerous conspiracy theorist” and worthy of censorship, but scientific truth is decided by the universe, not by scientists.