New Zealand has banned travellers from Japan (!) and orders 14 day isolation (self-quarantine). Starting to get a bit worried about return to Australia. How bad can this get? Italy is really tracking badly and Catalonia seems to be an emerging hotspot especially around Ramon and Maite in Girona. Should call them soon and check in. Sense of something crank...  Read this >>

On the train to York for presentation on COVID. Been raining for weeks and York has been badly affected. Today bright and sunny and miss Kylie and Joanie and the heat. Met Sanjoy and he is very nice indeed. Taxi driver was certain that York, not Leeds, was the capital of Yorkshire. Chatted with Sanjoy about global health and neoliberalism as a virus book ...  Read this >>

Feel like a bit of a prat, but have started warning friends on Whatsapp groups about Covid. Italy seems to be a bad way with creeping infection – seems based around ski resorts? Martin is beginning to feel it in Umbria and is wondering about UK trip. I wrote today “Going to give a talk today at Uni of York on COVID-19. Our first pandemic since...  Read this >>

Messonier states there will now be inevitable “community spread” of the virus in the United States and that “disruption to everyday life might be severe.” Trump is furious. Madness, but not surprising from a vaccine denier. This crisis might be his undoing.  Read this >>

Out of Harvard today: “As of today, the US remains extremely limited in number of COVID19 testing. Only 3 of 100 public health labs have CDC test kits working and CDC is not sharing what went wrong with the kits. How to know if COVID19 is spreading here if we are not looking for it. Test kits not working.  Read this >>

Prisons seem to be horrific in China, they are really just a sentence to get the disease. What a surprise. Chinese really copping a lot of flack on burying crisis but WHO seem enamoured with response. Tedros and co particularly praiseworthy. Maybe they have WHO over a barrel (got Tedros elected). But it is just full on praise. Figures look dire and it see...  Read this >>

Hubei (the province) is now entering into extensive measures and lockdown. Wuhan is isolating people into what is predicted to be really draconian isolation measures – it is 11 million people. It is also getting wider in China with Shanghai going to teach kids online. Some regions limiting traffic to essential vehicles and business suspended until M...  Read this >>

I'm here to help with technical problems, so please feel free to get in touch! Email me!  Read this >>

The more I prepare for York amongst the grant writing madness the more I start to worry that this virus gets into Africa. Ebola has basically shown how shallow health systems are there, and that any outbreak will be catastrophic if the fatality rates are even minimal. They will not be able to cope. So much trade and investment and contact with China, espe...  Read this >>

It seems that there was an early cover up of outbreak in China, as early as December 27th. Posts on WeChat by doctors buried by the local CCP and health officials. Dr Li Wenliang warned of a SARS-like virus. Of course, now looking grim there. Karen Grepin at HKU has like me been in new post since January and is in lockdown, being very funny about toilet p...  Read this >>

Decided to start a diary about coronavirus today. Hello me, hello diary. Been inspired by all the great ethnographic work out there at the moment, and I suppose living alone for this new year at Leeds and new job. Also, received a very nice, warm invite from Sanjoy Bhattacharyato present at his York University, WHO Collaborating Centre on Global Health Hi...  Read this >>