Warning: coronavirus statistics can damage understanding

It was good that the Vallance and Whitty double act was back last week. We should see them every week, writes John Rentoul

Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance arrive at Downing Street to deliver a briefing (Leon Neal/Getty)

There were some alarmist headlines last week – not in The Independent – about the rise in the number of coronavirus cases. Some suggested that the number of new positive daily cases reported in England was as high as it was when the epidemic was at its peak in March and April.  

Fortunately, most of the coverage made clear that this was because many more tests are being carried out now: the vast majority of cases in the spring were not detected because testing capacity was so limited.  

That is why it was good to have Sir Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser, and Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England, back in front of the cameras for a Downing Street briefing on Monday. They were able to set out the evidence clearly: the level of infections is still very low, compared with March and April, but is now rising again.