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Are women 32% more likely to die after operations by a male surgeon?

Women reported to be 32% more likely to die after operations by male surgeons, plus Test and Trace costs in Germany and the UK, the Covid death toll and podcast plans.

Are women 32% more likely to die after operation by a male surgeon? Headlines asserting this were shared across social media recently - but the truth is a bit more complicated.

We compare the price and the quality of the UK’s Test and Trace system with that of Germany and check on what’s happening to the Covid death toll during the Omicron wave.

And we investigate the worrying statistic that one in ten people are planning to start a podcast in the coming year.

Available now

28 minutes

Broadcasts

  • Wed 19 Jan 202209:00
  • Fri 21 Jan 202216:30
  • Sun 23 Jan 202220:00

Unlock the history and truth behind the data with The OU

Unlock the history and truth behind the data with The OU

Explore how numbers shape, and sometimes mislead us, with The Open University.

When can you trust statistics?

When can you trust statistics?

BBC Ideas discovers three easy ways to help make sense of statistics.

Download this programme

Download this programme

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