One of the concerns I have about hype like this is what’ll happen when a covid-19 vaccine becomes available. Right now, most media outlets are conveying the impression that it’ll be near-100pct effective.
The reality is likely going to be quite different. For one thing, covid-19 is a respiratory disease, but the vaccine will be injected into muscle. Full immunity will vary from person to person. On a societal level, about a fifth of those surveyed say they won’t get the vaccine and nearly a third aren’t sure, which makes ‘herd immunity’ near-impossible.
What’s the FDA going to say then? Hyping the vaccine as a green light to pre-covid-normal could result in a new wave of infections.
The FDA will remain data driven, which is why I made a politically beneficial overhyped statement about the plasma treatment on the literal eve of the Republican convention. Pure coinkydink (h/t @lizzymom).
An effective vaccine will not be a panacea. It will allow for some level of control that should grow over time.
Flu vaccines are only 40-60% effective each year depending on age/co-morbidity, etc. But, it allows a normalcy and reduced risk. There are substantial deaths each year but we are able to accept some of this risk.
It’s kind of like shutting the barn door after the cows got out, wandered into the newly-minted lack-of-rose garden, ate all the new grass and shit all over the boxwoods.
Believe it or not, health science is conducted within detailed and extensive ethical standards that are meant to rule out even unconscious bias in the findings. Its not perfect, because people are not perfect, but it generally works. Any scientist, found to have actively inserted bias or misinformation is disgraced and generally forced out of the field. Hahn has no excuse, he should be fired.
This is what happens when a President appoints you to a high profile job with good pay, benifits and great exposer, and have no real morals.
It may not be shooting someone on 5th Ave, but it is a hell of alot more serious.
Would it have hurt to point out that Hahn’s claimed mortality reduction rate of 35% was (as I understand it) literally exaggerated by an order of magnitude? A 3.5% reduction in mortality is nice enough, I guess, but it sure as hell isn’t anything to go bragging about just in time for Drumpf’s 4-night disinfomercial.
Another thing that isn’t getting reported is the very real danger caused by the hype and pressure from the administration to the people participating in the vaccine trials. I was looking at some the trials just this morning and they warn of some pretty bad side effects, including catching and possibly dying from COVID. The people who are volunteering (be it for altruistic or monetary reasons, or some combination of both) are risking health and possibly life for the greater good. Pushing these vaccines into human trials before they’ve been properly vetted increases the volunteers’ risk considerably.
Like they say, if you’re going to make an omelette, you’ve got to crack some eggs. Trump doesn’t care how many eggs get cracked as long as he gets his omelette before election day.
On the bright side, at least this treatment isn’t something the MAGA folks can self-experiment with like hydroxychloroquine in some fish-bowl cleaners…
