I was listening to a talk by Ian Diamond of the Office for National Statistics, about the statistical response to Covid. He showed the results of a survey that was organised spontaneously a year ago by ONS, of the price changes of various “panic goods”. There were 22 product categories on the list, including
- antibacterial surface wipes
- baby food
- toilet rolls
- vitamin C
- tomato puree
- nappies
- paracetamol
- pet food
The choice makes perfect sense. And I found myself imagining showing this list to myself 2 years ago, and being challenged to guess what the theme of the list is…
Common Infirmities 