HKU POP SITE releases a column article casting doubt on some commentators' way of calculating the death rate of atypical pneumoniaBack

The "HKU POP SITE" (http://hkupop.pori.hk) of the Public Opinion Programme (POP) at the University of Hong Kong today releases in its "POP Column" a bilingual article entitled "Playing with figures amidst the SARS epidemic". Written by Jennifer So-Kuen Chan, Lecturer in the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science at HKU, the article cast doubt on some commentators' way of calculating the death rate of atypical pneumonia and urged the general public to stay rational and objective under the calamitous incident.

Chan believed that the method employed by these people in working out the death rate of atypical pneumonia was rather sketchy and slipshod. According to Chan, because of the serious insufficiency of relevant statistics and a limited knowledge about the disease's mode of transmission, the government could in no way make a meaningful prediction or sensible comparison regarding the death rate of SARS. Besides, the article urged the public to stay objective, accept the limitations of the objective situation rationally and avoid being misled by biased figures. On the other hand, the government should enhance its transparency and "strike a right balance between taking disturbing or scaring measures".

The copyright of the column article is entirely open, and anyone can re-print it in whole or in part. Please note that everything carried in the POP Site does not represent the stand of the University of Hong Kong. Dr Robert Ting-Yiu Chung, Director of Public Opinion Programme, is responsible for everything posted in the POP Site, except for column articles which represent the stand of their authors. The authors of the column articles are responsible for their own writings, while the translators are responsible for their own translations.