BBC News, article about the changing nature of Covid, 15th October 2023

Summary of complaint

We have received complaints from readers who believe our article Changing nature of Covid: Is it just a regular winter bug now?  minimised the dangers posed by the virus.


Our response

Our intention was to examine the evidence, compare the data on deaths from flu and Covid, and look at seasonal patterns.

All three professors we interviewed told the BBC there were positive signs about the evolution of Covid.

However, some did express caution and warned that Covid is still dangerous, which we reflected in our reporting. We quoted Prof Paul Hunter who felt Covid was “well on its way” to becoming seasonal; Prof Adam Kucharski who we said “ remains a little more cautious” and Prof Mike Tildesley who said Covid “could still end up causing more deaths than flu this winter.”

A chart in the story showed the recorded winter deaths from Covid and flu between October 2022 and March 2023 where deaths from flu outstripped the Covid death toll.

Some people were unhappy that we did not mention long Covid however this is an issue we have covered previously on the BBC News website.

The BBC also interviewed Sally, a woman who is still heavily impacted by Covid. She expressed her fears about Covid and how it has stopped her from doing things she usually enjoys.

On the 31st October we added a paragraph referring to the risk from respiratory bugs for vulnerable groups and the precautions they are advised to take, and added a note advising readers of this update.