OVERVIEW:
This 1 day conference will be the first event to critically evaluate the global response to COVID-19 in a series of open discussions and presentations.
Our goal is to present a series of responsible pandemic exit strategies to ensure that total harms are minimised, without further lockdowns.
This landmark LIVE event will take place in the presence of media, policy makers, professional bodies and will be livestreamed around the world to the public.
WHY WE ARE CROWDFUNDING:
We are crowdfunding to help cover the costs of facilitating and producing the live event.
BACKGROUND:
The response to COVID-19 has without doubt created one of the single largest global catastrophes in modern history. Many countries around the world have been plunged into lockdowns and unorthodox restrictions on an unprecedented scale in an attempt to curb the virus.
However, a growing body of evidence shows that lockdowns and other interventions have not only failed to influence the course of the pandemic, but have prolonged it and created a trail of devastating short-term and long-term collateral damage that now far exceeds the harms caused by the virus:
- UK Hospital waiting lists have reached a record high of 4.7 million people, with almost 390,000 of those waiting for over a year. (Source: NHS)
- Over 3 million people in backlog for cancer screening. (Source: Cancer Research UK)
- UK national debt at record high - >£2 trillion for first time ever. (Source: ONS)
- Over 112 billion days of education lost around the world. (Source: Save the Children)
- COVID-19 to plunge as many as 150 million people into extreme poverty around the world. (Source: The Economist)
The long-established rulebook for managing pandemics was thrown out to tackle COVID-19, and now is the time to review the evidence and ask why.
OUR MISSION:
To critically evaluate the global response to COVID-19 and present a series of responsible pandemic exit strategies to ensure that total harms are minimised.