• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
  • Contact us
  • Guest Content
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Elevenses
  • Business
  • Food
  • Travel
  • Property
  • JOBS
  • All
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Sport
    • Tech/Auto
    • Lifestyle
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Set For Life
      • Thunderball
      • EuroMillions
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Herd immunity letter called into question after scores of fake names found among the signatories

I.P. Freely, Dr. Person Fakename and Dr Harold Shipman were among the "medical" signatories.

Jack Peat by Jack Peat
2020-10-09 15:09
in News
FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

Claims that herd immunity is backed by British academics have been called into question after a Sky News investigation found names such as ‘Dr Person Fakename’ and ‘I.P. Freely’ among the signatories of an open letter sent this week.

Academics from across the country were reported to have put their name to the Great Barrington declaration, calling for a herd immunity approach to tackling the Covid-19 pandemic while protecting the most vulnerable populations.

But the validity of the letter has been questioned after homeopaths, therapists and scores of fake names were found among the “medical” signatories.

Dominic Cummings of Durham Univercity

These included Dr. I.P. Freely, Dr. Person Fakename and Dr. Johnny Bananas, who listed himself as a “Dr of Hard Sums”.

One medical professional on the list gives his name as Dr Harold Shipman, a general practitioner in the United Kingdom.

Other famous names included Dominic Cummings, who is described as “PhD Durham Univercity”.

The Great Barrington Declaration claiming to represent over 5,000 medical & public health scientists to promote herd immunity from #COVID19 is a gigantic fraud. Here's how I know. To test it out, *I* signed it pretending to be such a scientist with a Harvard degree. Easy. /1 pic.twitter.com/3Nkti7cWhc

— Dr Nafeez Ahmed (@NafeezAhmed) October 9, 2020

Sky News also found 18 self-declared homeopaths listed on the open letter as medical practitioners, despite the fact that homeopathy has no scientific underpinning or clinical evidence to support its use.

Misrepresenting level of support

Public health experts accused the letter, which has been used as evidence for the idea of a rift in the scientific community, of misrepresenting the level of support for the controversial concept of herd immunity.

Professor Martin McKee, Professor of European Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said it reminded him of “the messaging used to undermine public health policies on harmful substances, such as tobacco”.

RelatedPosts

Gary Lineker says BBC should ‘hold its head in shame’ for not airing Gaza documentary

Donald Trump announces he plans to host UFC fight at the White House

BBC to stop showing ‘high risk’ performances after Bob Vylan Glastonbury controversy

Keir Starmer confirms Rachel Reeves will be Chancellor ‘for a very long time to come’

He added: “Leaving aside the powerful arguments against this declaration on grounds of science and feasibility, we have consistent evidence that a clear majority of the British public support necessary measures to reduce the spread of the virus or would go even further.

“Yet the campaign behind this declaration promotes a completely different picture.”

Adding false names

Professor Bhattacharya, professor of medicine of Stanford University, told Sky News: “We do not have the resources to audit each signature, especially given the incredible interest that the Great Barrington Declaration has drawn. It is unfortunate that some people have abused our trust by adding false names, but I suppose it is inevitable.”

Anyone can sign the declaration by simply ticking a box, as seen below, with seemingly no verification processes in place:

Related: Homeless people in Vancouver were given $7,500 each – the results were “beautifully surprising”

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

SUPPORT

We do not charge or put articles behind a paywall. If you can, please show your appreciation for our free content by donating whatever you think is fair to help keep TLE growing and support real, independent, investigative journalism.

DONATE & SUPPORT

Contact

Editorial enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Commercial enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Address

The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE
Company number 09221879
International House,
24 Holborn Viaduct,
London EC1A 2BN,
United Kingdom

© The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE thelondoneconomic.com - All Rights Reserved. Privacy

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Lottery Results
    • Lotto
    • Set For Life
    • Thunderball
    • EuroMillions
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • JOBS
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE thelondoneconomic.com - All Rights Reserved. Privacy

← Drinker fined £1,000 for going to pub less than half an hour after being told to self-isolate ← Peers slam ‘totally stupid’ Covid rules and blaming public as parts of North may revolt over restrictions
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Lottery Results
    • Lotto
    • Set For Life
    • Thunderball
    • EuroMillions
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • JOBS
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE thelondoneconomic.com - All Rights Reserved. Privacy

-->