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Title: | How covid-19 spreads: Narratives, counter narratives, and social dramas |
Authors: | Greenhalgh, T Ozbilgin, M Tomlinson, D |
Keywords: | COVID-19 |
Issue Date: | 31-Aug-2022 |
Publisher: | BMJ Publishing Group |
Citation: | Greenhalgh, T., Ozbilgin, M. and Tomlinson, D. (2022) 'How covid-19 spreads: Narratives, counter narratives, and social dramas', The BMJ, 2022, 378, e069940, pp. 1 - 9, doi: 10.1136/bmj-2022-069940. |
Abstract: | Copyright © 2022 The Authors. This paper offers a critique of UK government policy based on mode of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 (which in turn followed misleading advice from the World Health Organisation) through the lens of policymaking as narrative. Two flawed narratives— “Covid is droplet- not airborne-spread” and “Covid is situationally airborne” (that is, airborne transmission is unusual but may occur during aerosol-generating medical procedures and severe indoor crowding)—quickly became dominant despite no evidence to support them. Two important counter-narratives—“Covid is unequivocally airborne” and “Everyone generates aerosols; everyone is vulnerable”— were sidelined despite strong evidence to support them. Tragic consequences of the flawed policy narrative unfolded as social dramas. For example, droplet precautions became ritualised; care home residents died in their thousands; public masking became a libertarian lightning rod; and healthcare settings became occupational health battlegrounds. In a discussion, we call for bold action to ensure that the science of SARS-CoV-2 transmission is freed from the shackles of historical errors, scientific vested interests, ideological manipulation and policy satisficing. Original article submitted to BMJ Analysis November 2021 (preprint to Authorea). |
URI: | https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/25589 |
DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2022-069940 |
ISSN: | 0959-8138 |
Other Identifiers: | ORCID iDs: Trisha Greenhalgh https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2369-8088; Mustafa Özbilgin https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8672-9534; David Tomlinson https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4417-5502. e069940 |
Appears in Collections: | Brunel Business School Research Papers |
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FullText.pdf | This article is made freely available for personal use in accordance with BMJ's website terms and conditions for the duration of the covid-19 pandemic or until otherwise determined by BMJ. You may download and print the article for any lawful, non-commercial purpose (including text and data mining) provided that all copyright notices and trade marks are retained. https://bmj.com/coronavirus/usage | 1.74 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
FullTextAAM.pdf | Copyright © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. This is the accepted manuscript version of an article which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2022-069940. This version is free to view and download for private research and study only. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ. | 619.62 kB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
APPENDIX.pdf | 282.79 kB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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