I partially agree with your 29 Apr 20 - 04:00 AM post Iains, and it is where I differ from Steve: yes, we would love to have the well-defined data so we can accurately cross-compare one country with another reliably: nothing could be better. And, retrospectively it might be possible to do that, though I doubt it because I suspect we are not collecting the additional information we would need to resolve the data sets. Had we stayed in the EU no doubt we could try to agree some reporting standards to apply to future pandemics as one of the 'lessons learned'. But we are in the position where we have to make the best use of the flawed data we have. We would rather not be, but needs must.

But this is where I part company with Iains's post: if we are accepting the data that is '80%' that is what we have to do. We cannot accept bits we like and ignore bits we don't like. So if COBRA is accepting that graph as 'the broad picture' as the COBR in the corner would suggest it is, then the broad picture also says the UK(all settings) is appreciably worse than other countries excluding the US.