Editor’s note: the following letter mistakenly names Walsh the author of The Guardian news article in question. Earlier today, a group of Egyptian scientists from across the world wrote a letter to the president of the University of Toronto decrying Dr. Isaac Bogoch, a clinical investigator at Toronto General Hospital Research Institute (TGHRI). According to the signatories, Dr. Bogoch has tweeted false claims that the number of coronavirus cases in Egypt is 19,310. In the letter, the signatories, which include renowned Egyptian-American space scientist and geologist Farouk El Baz, accused Bogoch of purposefully “releasing his inaccurate estimate to the public” and causing widespread panic across Egypt. The Egyptian scientists also demanded that the university launch an investigation into the Canadian scholar for scientific misconduct, adding that Bogoch has breached scientific norms when he released these figures. The group criticized The Guardian newspaper for publishing Bogoch’s findings and New York Times correspondent Declan Walsh for tweeting about the figure in a now-deleted tweet. Below is the full text of the letter: Professor Meric S. Gertler, CM FRSC MCIP FAcSS FBA President of the University of Toronto Dear Professor Gertler, As the Covid-19 pandemic escalates…
73 Egyptian Scientists Decry ‘Inaccurate’ Estimate of COVID-19 Cases in Egypt
March 17, 2020
