Antibody tests, early lockdown advice and European deaths

Are more people are dying of Covid-19 in the UK than all the EU countries put together?

• 28 mins

Quarantine, Test and Trace and BODMAS

Is it true that Covid-19 mostly kills people who would die soon anyway?

• 28 mins

Child Poverty, School Inequality and a Second Wave

As lockdown eases, why hasn't there been a spike in infections?

• 28 mins

Why Did the UK Have Such a Bad Covid-19 Epidemic?

Bad decision-making, bad advice, or bad luck?

• 28 mins

Hawaiian Pizza, Obesity and a Second Wave?

Covid-19 cases are rising in the UK, is it a sign of a second wave of the virus?

• 28 mins

A-level algorithms, poker and buses

We unpick the A-level algoshambles and discover what poker teaches us about statistics.

• 28 mins

Covid plasma therapy

Claims about a Covid-19 treatment, breast cancer screening, and 18th century sex workers.

• 28 mins

Schools and coronavirus, test and trace, maths and reality

Evidence on Covid-19 risks in schools, data on contact tracing, and a philosophical query.

• 28 mins

Covid cases rising, a guide to life’s risks, and racing jelly-fish

How worrying is the UK’s jump in cases? Plus balancing risks and the speed of jelly-fish.

• 28 mins

Covid testing capacity, refugee numbers, and mascara

Confusing claims on lab capacity, the UK’s record on asylum, and the volume of eyelashes.

• 28 mins

Covid curve queried, false positives, and the Queen’s head

How fast are coronavirus cases doubling? Plus testing confusion and a royal face-off.

• 28 mins

'Record' Covid cases, Trump on the death count, and ant pheromones

Case counts in perspective, a suspect stat from the US, and life lessons from insects.

• 28 mins

Spreadsheet snafu, ‘Long Covid’ quantified, and the birth of probability

Missing coronavirus case data, long-term symptoms, and a big mathematical moment.

• 28 mins

How effective is one dose of the vaccine?

Is the first dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine 52% or 90% effective?

• 28 mins

Will the vaccine bring back normal life? GDP and Fishing

If we vaccinate the top four priority groups by February, how much will things change?

• 28 mins

Deaths at Home, Supermarket Infections and the Cobra Effect

Where are people catching Covid-19?

• 28 mins

Teachers, Test & Trace and Butterflies

Are teachers more at risk from Covid-19?

• 28 mins

Brexit exports, cladding and are 1 in 5 disabled?

Are exports to the EU down since Brexit? Plus removing flammable building cladding.

• 28 mins

Comparing death counts, Lock Down drinking and Long Covid

Is the UK’s Covid-19 death count among the worst in the world?

• 28 mins

Wales jab success, Eurovision and living with your parents

How to vaccinate a country quickly, plus the UK’s singing contest woes.

• 28 mins

Bolton vaccines, Yorkshire versus Scotland and the average gamer

Were tens of thousands of people getting their jab in Bolton every single day?

• 28 mins

Third wave fears, smart motorways and bra sizes

Should we worry about Covid-19 cases rising? Plus are smart motorways safe?

• 28 mins

Covid deaths, outdoor swimming and care homes

The global death toll has reached a grim milestone. Plus the UK’s low ranking waters.

• 28 mins

Delta cases, blue tits and that one-in-two cancer claim

Should we worry about the Delta variant? Plus how much do blue tits eat?

• 28 mins

Scotland cases, flood risk and taxing the poor

Covid-19 cases are on the rise in Scotland, plus will your town be under water by 2030?

• 28 mins

The Freedom Day Gamble

Tim Harford and the team try to work out how long Covid cases will continue to rise.

• 28 mins

Covid, HGV driver shortages and protest costs

Has Brexit caused a fall in lorry drivers? Plus policing Extinction Rebellion.

• 28 mins

Vaccine waning, hot dogs and Afghanistan

How worried should we be about antibodies? Plus food that shortens life.

• 28 mins

Death, Tax and Dishwashers

Why is estimating the number of unvaccinated people so tricky? And how deadly is 2021?

• 28 mins

Covid trends, face mask use, and the universal credit cut

Coronavirus checked, mask use measured, and a minister's claim questioned.

• 28 mins