How about zero doses for anyone who wants zero doses, Dr. Prasad? I, for one, want zero doses. I have yet to see a realistic assessment of vaccine side effects that would allow me to make an informed decision about the risks/benefits, the long-term effects of vaccination are unknown, and it seems likely that all of this has been hijacked for political purposes that few of us understand.
It's time for politicians...and doctors with opinions dependent upon the judgment of their peers (no offense)...to trust the unwashed masses, who are far better informed than they might imagine, to make their own decisions.
Omicron is weak. Therefore, unless one or more far more virulent variants take over soon, the pandemic is over. The End.
I share so many of your Substacks and Tweets! Thank you for analyzing all the latest studies. I assure you that most people — many highly educated — who are my friends and acquaintances have no idea about the state of things. You are covering the health news that main stream media in the United States often fails to cover.
We're 2 years into this, so the time to panic is over and the time to be smart is now. In my province (Alberta, Canada) we've just announced no more vax passport system (businesses, dining, etc). Continued use is at local discretion. So now we have a large million-person city (redneck Calgary) forgoing this measure, and a comparative city (Peoples Republic of Edmonton ;-) ) that is moving to keep it.
A perfect A/B test. OK, not perfect, but it's something.
Also, dissemination of European policies on vaccination/masking of children.
In addition, I think the Ottawa truckers and the growing offshoots are going to curb much of the enthusiasm for onerous restrictions and mandates, when the case numbers rise (and have already contributed to blue-state mask reversals).
What I find odd is the rush to N95 advisories all of a sudden
Germany & Austria have had FFP2 (EU version of N95) mandates for ages, and compliance is extremely high. In Germany, I've been stopped at a train station and told to change my mask (I had a surgical one on). I was refused service at a gas station because I had the wrong mask on.
Furthermore, Germany has what is known as "2g+" which only allows vaccinated OR recovered AND with a negative pcr test to participate in society. Even outdoor christmas markets had uniformed guards who were checking documents and ID
Their pandemic curve is much the same as anywhere else
This has been a 2 year war against SARS-COV-2. We were able to get vaccines out to save many lives, but the virus did what it was always going to do - spread.
While the invention of mRNA vaccines might be a great technical breakthrough, their long term side effects need a lot more study and analyses. So, for the moment, these do not seem appropriate for population use. We do need much more research on what has proved effective in reducing how serious a covid infection becomes. Vitamin D is an obvious measure useful against most respiratory infections. Are there other steps available to ward off infection as mentioned by many of the banned physicians? The various mitigations to avoid infection seem to have worked somewhat but we really can't quantify them well; suitable population assessments should help provide some of those data. Meanwhile the politicians need to take responsibility for their choices. They like to duck noting they relied on quite imperfect science but the economic consequences are theirs alone. They are supposed to balance those various factors.
One fact really stands out, we do the public great disservice by making any of our declarations political. We have quite enough wedge issues and public health ought not to be one of them. I refused to criticize my Governor for what I thought were excessive caution. As time went on the evidence arrived to suggest the polices weren't working, yet the policy continued because it became part of the politics. So blue states have been horribly late in relaxing restrictions and the red states became more open with a recovering economy. This should not have happened and it smacks of politics, not science.
Don’t think those who are calling for the end of masking are “making things up.” The burden is on the proponents, particularly when force/coercion is involved, and they have not met their burden.
Masks don't work! The Danish showed this, and we had 30 or 40 years of studies with influenza showing that MASKS DON'T WORK! WHY CAN'T YOU GET THAT THOUGH YOUR HEADS? MASKS DON'T WORK! MASKS ON KIDS ARE CHILD-ABUSE! ROCHELLE WALENSKY IS A MASS MURDERER OF CHILDREN.
AND NPIs are dubious at best. The studies have been *at best* equivocal. They are utterly unjustifiable when the negatives are considered!
I think the solution is to hang everyone who advocates "Public Health". There is no "Public". It can't be healthy or otherwise. There is only the health of individuals, and "Public Health" had destroyed that in huge numbers.
I’d like your opinion about border closures: were they helpful, economically harmful, to be opened and then travel closed with each relapse? I’m personally sick of paying exorbitantly high PCR tests while traveling and anxiously impacting plans with risks of being forcefully quarantined.
What a failure of our science beaurocrats to not design and implement cluster RCT's on masking. Michael Lewis' critique of CDC in The Premonition spot on. More afraid of failure that can be directly traced yet they fail to truly follow science jointly everyday regarding Covid.
Could you present some data comparing covid risk to other risks we accept (including flu, but isn’t it more contagious than flu)? I wish this was more clearly laid out in messaging.
I’d also love to see a post on recommendations for immunocompromised people. This is a lingering conflict I have, about how responsible we as a society should be to protect vulnerable and disabled folks. Though I understand that if we say we should do things to protect them from covid, then we also have to say we should have been doing them for flu.
How about zero doses for anyone who wants zero doses, Dr. Prasad? I, for one, want zero doses. I have yet to see a realistic assessment of vaccine side effects that would allow me to make an informed decision about the risks/benefits, the long-term effects of vaccination are unknown, and it seems likely that all of this has been hijacked for political purposes that few of us understand.
It's time for politicians...and doctors with opinions dependent upon the judgment of their peers (no offense)...to trust the unwashed masses, who are far better informed than they might imagine, to make their own decisions.
Omicron is weak. Therefore, unless one or more far more virulent variants take over soon, the pandemic is over. The End.
I share so many of your Substacks and Tweets! Thank you for analyzing all the latest studies. I assure you that most people — many highly educated — who are my friends and acquaintances have no idea about the state of things. You are covering the health news that main stream media in the United States often fails to cover.
We're 2 years into this, so the time to panic is over and the time to be smart is now. In my province (Alberta, Canada) we've just announced no more vax passport system (businesses, dining, etc). Continued use is at local discretion. So now we have a large million-person city (redneck Calgary) forgoing this measure, and a comparative city (Peoples Republic of Edmonton ;-) ) that is moving to keep it.
A perfect A/B test. OK, not perfect, but it's something.
Hopefully with increasing natural immunity plus vaccinations, we won’t have another major surge.
Widespread dissemination of "One-way masking" -- such as https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2022/01/does-it-help-wear-mask-if-no-one-else/621177/ -- is a good starting point for responding to panic.
Also, dissemination of European policies on vaccination/masking of children.
In addition, I think the Ottawa truckers and the growing offshoots are going to curb much of the enthusiasm for onerous restrictions and mandates, when the case numbers rise (and have already contributed to blue-state mask reversals).
Finally, NYC Mayor Adams is creating a model for promotion of healthy diets and lifestyles to reduce risk factors for Covid, as well as most diseases: https://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/063-22/mayor-adams-nyc-health-hospitals-expand-access-lifestyle-medicine-services-city-wide?fbclid=IwAR2t4AI7xF6WfJ6cy2z3sqHpScMThfFOtyURQmM7myEWkA4wxFvoixWYURc#/0
Dr V,
What I find odd is the rush to N95 advisories all of a sudden
Germany & Austria have had FFP2 (EU version of N95) mandates for ages, and compliance is extremely high. In Germany, I've been stopped at a train station and told to change my mask (I had a surgical one on). I was refused service at a gas station because I had the wrong mask on.
Furthermore, Germany has what is known as "2g+" which only allows vaccinated OR recovered AND with a negative pcr test to participate in society. Even outdoor christmas markets had uniformed guards who were checking documents and ID
Their pandemic curve is much the same as anywhere else
This has been a 2 year war against SARS-COV-2. We were able to get vaccines out to save many lives, but the virus did what it was always going to do - spread.
Omicron, the Slayer of mandates
While the invention of mRNA vaccines might be a great technical breakthrough, their long term side effects need a lot more study and analyses. So, for the moment, these do not seem appropriate for population use. We do need much more research on what has proved effective in reducing how serious a covid infection becomes. Vitamin D is an obvious measure useful against most respiratory infections. Are there other steps available to ward off infection as mentioned by many of the banned physicians? The various mitigations to avoid infection seem to have worked somewhat but we really can't quantify them well; suitable population assessments should help provide some of those data. Meanwhile the politicians need to take responsibility for their choices. They like to duck noting they relied on quite imperfect science but the economic consequences are theirs alone. They are supposed to balance those various factors.
One fact really stands out, we do the public great disservice by making any of our declarations political. We have quite enough wedge issues and public health ought not to be one of them. I refused to criticize my Governor for what I thought were excessive caution. As time went on the evidence arrived to suggest the polices weren't working, yet the policy continued because it became part of the politics. So blue states have been horribly late in relaxing restrictions and the red states became more open with a recovering economy. This should not have happened and it smacks of politics, not science.
Don’t think those who are calling for the end of masking are “making things up.” The burden is on the proponents, particularly when force/coercion is involved, and they have not met their burden.
Masks don't work! The Danish showed this, and we had 30 or 40 years of studies with influenza showing that MASKS DON'T WORK! WHY CAN'T YOU GET THAT THOUGH YOUR HEADS? MASKS DON'T WORK! MASKS ON KIDS ARE CHILD-ABUSE! ROCHELLE WALENSKY IS A MASS MURDERER OF CHILDREN.
AND NPIs are dubious at best. The studies have been *at best* equivocal. They are utterly unjustifiable when the negatives are considered!
I think the solution is to hang everyone who advocates "Public Health". There is no "Public". It can't be healthy or otherwise. There is only the health of individuals, and "Public Health" had destroyed that in huge numbers.
I’d like your opinion about border closures: were they helpful, economically harmful, to be opened and then travel closed with each relapse? I’m personally sick of paying exorbitantly high PCR tests while traveling and anxiously impacting plans with risks of being forcefully quarantined.
What do you think of the much higher case rates in the boosted compared to unvaccinated in the UK? See the UKHSA weekly reports for the numbers.
It seems a bit strange and if the boosters aren't providing much protection against reinfection, maybe covid will last forever?
What a failure of our science beaurocrats to not design and implement cluster RCT's on masking. Michael Lewis' critique of CDC in The Premonition spot on. More afraid of failure that can be directly traced yet they fail to truly follow science jointly everyday regarding Covid.
Thanks for laying this out so clearly.
Could you present some data comparing covid risk to other risks we accept (including flu, but isn’t it more contagious than flu)? I wish this was more clearly laid out in messaging.
I’d also love to see a post on recommendations for immunocompromised people. This is a lingering conflict I have, about how responsible we as a society should be to protect vulnerable and disabled folks. Though I understand that if we say we should do things to protect them from covid, then we also have to say we should have been doing them for flu.
Your best writing to date.