It's not a light read by any means, and you may not even agree with it - many experts don't - but we figured if you want it, we should provide it: The Doherty Report.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Day in, day out you will have heard it referenced by politicians, by journalists, by the amateur epidemiologists Facebook creates and maybe you've even mentioned it.
So here is the Doherty Modelling Report (revised edition) from August 10, 2021.
The Burnet Institute's Allan Saul has researched infectious diseases for over 40 years. He says the Doherty report is a very difficult document, really hard, with two versions appearing over three weeks.
"I'm still clarifying things about it on a day-to-day basis, so it's not reasonable to expect any politicians would get all the nuance," Mr Saul told Jenna Price in the Canberra Times.
But he's very clear on one thing: "All models are wrong, including the Doherty model. It's useful but it's wrong.
"I'm in awe of what those guys at Doherty did, but my scepticism over the years tells me it is not terribly smart to rely slavishly on what any single model says, least of all mine."
And if that's not enough reading on all things COVID, why not try The Australian COVID-19 Modelling Initiative.
It is a coalition of university research groups curating the best of what they know about COVID-19, to give us multiple models. The aim is to make modelling easy to understand for all of us, including the Prime Minister.
Go forth and read!
Janine Graham
Onetime sports reporter, chief-of-staff, editor and national digital news editor. Email me: janine.graham@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Onetime sports reporter, chief-of-staff, editor and national digital news editor. Email me: janine.graham@austcommunitymedia.com.au
