I’m so dissatisfied by the massive variety of pre-pandemic medical skeptics who’ve now become masks/vaccine skeptics. I largely agreed with a lot of them again within the day. /1
Pre-pandemic they used their expertise and intelligence to rightfully query whether or not, say, a stent needs to be inserted in somebody with secure angina, or an costly most cancers drug with out established medical profit needs to be extensively used. /2
Now they assume that these similar expertise and strategies can and needs to be utilized to necessary public well being questions regarding the pandemic, together with important questions on masks, vaccines, and so on. /3
On the core of this downside is the idea that they’ll apply the identical type of _individual_ danger/profit or value profit evaluation to those questions as they might to a brand new drug for a typical non-infectious illness. /4
After all we should overview the proof with cautious and demanding scrutiny, however the simplistic evaluation of an intervention from the dominant perspective of a person individual, or different single issue like age, race, geography, and so on is extremely short-sighted. /5
All particular person medical issues must be subsumed below a lot bigger public well being issues. The primary lesson, that NEVER will get totally discovered and absorbed from ALL pandemics is that we’re all inevitably, inextricably linked. /6
I’m, and stay, a deep skeptic of the medical system and institution. However the battle of curiosity and self-dealing issues which are pervasive in on a regular basis medical apply are largely not a giant concern for an important pandemic questions. /7
Certain, Pfizer and Moderna and plenty of others are profiting handsomely from the pandemic, however the general course of for vaccines has been higher and extra environment friendly than something I’ve ever seen in drugs. /8
I’m not together with issues relating to distribution, exact timing, boosters, and so on. There are numerous respectable questions right here, however they’re principally (excepting distribution) minor, and will NEVER be used to undermine the overwhelming significance and advantage of vaccines general. /9
For those who suppose you already know extra about viruses and vaccines than Anthony Fauci or extra about public well being than Rochelle Walensky then it is best to actually shut your entice and never promote your stupidity to the world. You’re NOT being useful. /10
After all this doesn’t imply that they’re good, or that they need to by no means be requested exhausting questions, or that there’s no room for debate. However simply throwing extra gasoline on the hearth does no good. /11
It’s fantastic to ask respectable questions, however too typically these so-called “questions” are utilized by irresponsible skeptics who suppose they’re intelligent to help positions that they aren’t prepared to totally suggest or defend. /12
So they only find yourself contributing to the general mess, and so they lend ethical and “mental” armor to the denialists, anti-vaxxers, Ivermectinistas, anti-maskers, and all the opposite crazies on the market. /13
I’ll cease right here. Far more to say. Sorry for the rant. It’s been constructing for a yr and a half now. I’m simply so discouraged by all of the stupidity I see on Twitter by individuals who ought to know so a lot better. The conceitedness and self-regard and lack of self-awareness is beautiful. /finish
