Michael Tomlinson

Away from the mainstream media, controversy continues about the balance of risks and benefits of universal Covid vaccination.

The true status will continue to be in doubt so long as the health authorities keep the relevant information close to their chests instead of releasing it openly to the public.

This makes life difficult for policymakers who have to rely on bureaucratic intermediaries to give them advice, which is politically very difficult for them to disregard. But political advisers need to run their own checks on the available data so that their masters can hold the agency heads accountable.