“I think the message is that, clearly, this is something that is hurting from the standpoint of economics, from the standpoint of things that have nothing to do with the virus,” Fauci said. “But unless we get the virus under control, the real recovery, economically, is not going to happen.”
- Dr Anthony Fauci
“…..(the) four corners of deceit (for reliable information) are: government, academia, science, and the media”
“I call these people the modern-day Rosa Parks — they are protesting against injustice and a loss of liberties,”
-White House Advisor Stephen Moore on the protests
Where are you getting your information?
This is not a new story. As one of my favorite television shows used to say, “All of this has happened before and will happen again.” People will always resist being told what to do by a higher power. It is human nature to feel anxious in dangerous situations that are beyond our control.
In 1918, during the Spanish Flu epidemic, people grew sick of social distancing measures as the summer advanced. There were small groups that protested the need to wear masks. World War I ended and people wanted to celebrate. Some would ignore guidelines and poured into the streets to celebrate. A second wave of the flu started and before it finished more would die from the infection than all of The Great War.
I experienced some of this protest behavior during my many years in private practice. Patients would present with considerable apprehension about their condition. They would be desperate for something to give them control. Sometimes patients would latch on to unproven alternative treatments. They would believe spurious claims of success from charlatans and challenge evidence based medicine as a conspiracy to cause them harm. People who oppose vaccinations for their children are an example of this population.
The behavior is rooted in anxiety about a situation that is beyond their control. It is their need for control that governs their choices. If they meet or hear about others who have similar views they would feel affirmed. This is the danger of the misinformation that is so rampant on the internet.
Colleen pointed out that in the past it was harder to run a successful grass roots movement. It used to take time to make a mailing list, develop a plan, organize workers, and get out the message. It was a huge effort. If you look at the history of the Civil Rights movement The ERA fight, or the early years of the Gay Rights movement you can see how much work was involved.
Social media has changed all of that. Now, with a few strokes of a keyboard you can reach huge numbers of people with limited information. You can manipulate facts easily to shape a message that is built on emotion and falsehoods. Sometimes this ability to mobilize people can be a force for good. The democracy revolution in Hong Kong is an example. However, fringe groups that espouse dangerous ideas can be equally effective. ISIS is a case in point.
I recently watched a story about the Equal Rights Amendment. The goal of the ERA was straightforward. Women wanted to have an equal say in their destiny. At the time, a woman still needed her husband to approve her application for credit.
The bill easily passed congress and headed to the states for ratification. Into this movement walked a woman named Phyllis Schlalfy. Ms Schlalfy was a wealthy, educated, intelligent, and gifted public speaker who came to the conclusion that the ERA would eliminate gender specific privileges that women enjoyed. She was politically ambitious and sensed a wedge issue and an opportunity. So she organized a grass roots resistance to passage of the ERA. How do you say no to something that seemed such a no brainer to pass? You do so by looking for nefarious reasons, “The leaders are not telling you”.
“They want our girls to be drafted and go to war!”, She would shout at rallies. It made for a good poster.
The supporters of the ERA wanted no such thing but the truth did not really matter. Schlafy prevailed and would go on to become a legend in conservative politics. Her real interest was national defense but the ERA issue was a way the “Get in the room where it happens”.
During the recent Ebola outbreak, a virus with a devastating mortality rate, their were protests among locals that the governmant was spreading the infection deliberately. Groups spread misinformation and delayed the ultimate resolution of the epidemic by months.
Something similar has happened with the current protests.
“We can’t buy flags! We can’t buy car seats! We can’t buy garden seeds! It’s un-American!”
These slogans and other complaints about constitutional rights are being shouted.
None of these things are true. Fringe media promotes these distortions. What the restrictions said is we do not want people congregating in large box stores shopping and spreading the infection. You can purchase the items on line and pick them up curbside to maintain social distance. You can get anything you want just not in a way that would spread disease. But, this truth doesn't matter. Slogans gain purchase and what should be a public health issue is blurred with politics.
All of this has happened before and will happen again”
So it is with the current group of protests against the country being closed down. Using social media, three gun advocate groups have been the principle organizers of these outbursts. Even though, in the terms of actual people participating, their numbers are not large, the media and the internet has magnified their message. In fact studies show that the vast majority of the American public does not want to open the economy up too soon and further the infection. The press coverage makes these outbursts seem larger. Now our fearless leader has leaned into them and "Reopen America" have become Republican talking points.
Discord sells.
To be fair, many of the protesters are in a desperate situation. The economy has collapsed and people have bills to pay. There is a good reason for their anxiety. Still, the behavior will likely result in prolonging the epidemic and lengthening to shut down. Some of them believe myths and debunked theories and affirmed by fringe media.
And sadly, our fearless leader pours gasoline on the fire.
As of today Coronavirus cases in the USA are 849,092.
47,684 people have died in the last 10 weeks.
That is more than all of the deaths in the 10 year Vietnam War.
Donald McNeil Jr recently wrote a detailed analysis of Coronavirus in America and what to expect in the year ahead. It is a sobering, informative piece that everyone should read.
We face a difficult journey ahead. He writes that likely what will happen is “A hammer and a dance” for many months to come. The ‘Hammer’ is the current quarantine life we are all enduring. As we know, we self isolate to reduce infection and illness. But then the cases will become less frequent because of these efforts.
‘The Dance’ will then begin. We will open up some things to try to restart the economy. A surge of infections will follow and we will return to “The Hammer”.
On a graph we look like the teeth of a shark; sawtooth in shape. This ‘Hammer and Dance’ will likely continue until there is a vaccine.
There is considerable world wide effort to develop a vaccine right now. Dr Fauci has famously commented it will take at least 1-2 years to develop the treatment. Mr McNeil comments that the fastest immunization in history, the mumps shot, took four years to develop.
He goes on to point out that current manufacturing for immunizations in this country are geared towards childhood therapies. We manufacture around four million shots a year now. In order to immunize the entire United States population we would need over 300 million shots and, if it is a two shot regimen as some treatments are, we would need over 600 million manufactured.
And this is to say nothing about the needs of the entire planet.
We are nowhere near that capacity.
Even in Stephen Soderbergh’s remarkably prescient 2011 thriller “Contagion” the ultimate vaccine took over a year to distribute. Over a year in the magical world of Hollywood is a very long time.
So, in the mean time we try to carry on. We also try to get reliable information so we can make informed choices. We take each day as it comes and we accept that people will protest. They always have and they always will.
All of this has happened before and will happen again.
Each piece of news given to us we face with a cautious review. We try to answer people with facts and dispute misconceptions as they arise.
We remember the words of St Peter-
“….Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…”
-1 Peter 3:15
COVID-19 IS JUST LIKE THE FLU-
Although Covid infection can be mild it is much more virulent than the flu. The W.H.O. reports about 80% of people with Covid have mild symptoms. The fatality rate in some studies is 300% more than the flu.
It is not just like the flu.
However, consider this troubling notion - This Fall, what happens if you get the seasonal Flu AND Covid-19 infection at the same time? This nightmare scenario is a very real possibility.
ONCE YOU GET COVID YOU ARE IMMUNE-
The best studies right now say 'maybe'. The truth is we do not know and we have no antibody testing yet to confirm this belief.
The idea of going to “COVID parties” to get the infection and become immune is unproven and can be lethal.
WE SHOULD KNOW ALL ABOUT COVID BECAUSE THIS IS THE '19th ONE'-
This is a common right wing trope. A White spokesperson even parroted this line. It is not true. It is called COVID-19 because it was discovered during 2019.
CATS AND DOGS SPREAD THE VIRUS-
There was a report that a tiger in a zoom developed the virus. However scientists feel this is not a concern at this time.
Jonathan Ball, Professor of Molecular Virology at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom, says, “We need to find out more, but we don’t need to panic — I doubt it could spread to another dog or a human because of the low levels of the virus. The real driver of the outbreak is humans.”
FACE MASKS PROTECT AGAINST INFECTION -
Yes and no. Professional grade well fitted surgical masks will offer a higher degree of protection. But, these masks are reserved for health care professionals and are difficult to obtain.
Disposable masks are unlikely to provide such protection, and they will not block tiny viral particles. However, a cloth mask can help prevent the spread of droplets.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that all people wear cloth face masks in public places where it is difficult to maintain a 6-foot distance from others. This will help slow the spread of the virus from asymptomatic people and those who do not know that they have contracted the virus.
ANTIBIOTIC KILL CORONAVIRUS -
Antibiotics only kill bacteria; they do not kill viruses.
Furthermore Hydrochoroquine and Zithromax, famously touted by our fearless leader has been shown in studies to increase the risk of death. The National Institutes of Health has issued a recommendation that the medicines not be used.
GARLIC PROTECTS AGAINST CORONAVIRUS-
Some research suggests that garlic might slow the growth of some species of bacteria. However, COVID-19 is caused by a virus, and there is no evidence that garlic can protect people against COVID-19.
THE VIRUS WAS MADE IN A LABORATORY IN CHINA AND THEN RELEASED-
Despite the swathes of internet rumors, there is no evidence that this is the case. In fact, a recent study demonstrates that the virus is a natural product of evolution. Despite this evidence our fearless leader's new National Security Advisor (his 4th) recently again advanced this rumor.
Some researchers believe that COVID-19 may have jumped from pangolins to humans. Others think that it might have passed to us from bats, which was the case for SARS.
5G CELL TOWERS ARE SPREADING THE DISEASE-
No. This is not true. There is no evidence to support this notion despite it’s advocacy by such scientific luminaries as the actor Woody Harrelson.
Wuhan was one of the first cities to trial 5G in China, which helps explain the origin of some of these theories. However, Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou also rolled out 5G at a similar time. It is also worth noting that COVID-19 has significantly impacted countries with very little 5G coverage, such as Iran
THE OUTBREAK BEGAN BECAUSE PEOPLE ATE BAT SOUP-
Although scientists are confident that the virus started in animals, there is no evidence that it came from soup of any kind.
CAN YOU HAVE NO SYMPTOMS AND BE INFECTED AND SPREAD THE VIRUS?-
Studies have reached the conclusion that the answer is yes. In fact, asymptomatic transmission of the virus is one of the most dangerous features of the pandemic.
COVID-19 CAN BE TRANSMITTED BY MOSQUITOS -
There is no evidence to suggest mosquitos are a source of transmission.
WARM WEATHER OR COLD WEATHER WILL KILL THE VIRUS-
We have no evidence to support this claim. The virus is world wide in both warm and cool climates. Ultraviolet phototherapy is not going to work as well.
IT'S ALL HYSTERIA CAUSED BY 'FAKE NEWS' or LUGENPRESSE-
News organizations and journalists in general are highly competitive. If you can find information that another competitor has cheated or told falsehoods it’s news. It would be reported and quickly.
At various points our fearless leader has accused ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, NPR, The Associated Press, CNN, MSNBC, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Boston Globe, The Wall Street Journal, The Drudge Report, and even Fox News of being “Fake” or members of the ‘Lame-stream Media’.
The only thing all of these organizations have in common is that they have run stories that are critical of our fearless leader. Because they are critical stories he labels them “unfair”. He calls the press ‘Disgusting and corrupt’.
Is it a reasonable assumption that ALL of these organization have conspired to sow lies about our fearless leader? All of them? It’s a little like reaching the conclusion that the tens of thousands of people who worked on the moon landing were part of a vast conspiracy to fake the landing for propaganda purposes.
Most historians who study fascists will tell you that one of the first steps taken by the regime is to discredit the media. If you cause your people to be suspicious of their journalists, then they will believe anything you tell them.
All of this has happened before and will happen again.
HAND DRYERS ARE EFFECTIVE IN KILLING THE VIRUS-
No. Hand dryers are not effective in killing the 2019-nCoV. To protect yourself against the new coronavirus, you should frequently clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. Once your hands are cleaned, you should dry them thoroughly by using paper towels or a warm air dryer.
COVID-19 ONLY INFECTS OLD PEOPLE-
It is true older patients are more susceptible to serious consequences of infection than younger ones. Are we supposed to just let them die?
However, COVID-19 can and does infect people of all ages. Furthermore, even if you are younger and have a milder infection, you can still actively transmit the disease.
ARE THERE ANY EFFECTIVE TREATMENTS FOR COVID INFECTION?-
Currently there are no treatments or preventative therapies. Taking vitamins has no value. No currently existing vaccines are effective.
This sad fact may change. There is a global scientific effort to develop treatments. It still will take time, but hopefully will develop fruit soon.
DRINKING ALCOHOL REDUCES YOUR RISK-
I wish this was true but there is no evidence to support it.
THE REASON WE HAVE SO MANY INFECTIONS IS CHINA LIED AND THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (W.H.O.) COVERED IT UP! -
It is clear the evidence is considerable that China did not reveal the complete scope of the infection to the world. When the information was hidden or delayed, it allowed the opprtunity for the virus to spread. To date we have not had a complete accounting of the number of infections in China.
However, there is no evidence the W.H.O. deliberately withheld important information or was complicent with China. To withdraw funding from a global heath network designed to help millions at a time of a global pandemic is very irresponsible.
To the contrary, there is ample documented evidence that the White House was informed about the threat in early January and dismissed the danger. There was almost two months of delay in response. This time allowed the virus to rapidly enter the country. We now have the largest number of infections of any other nation.
Our fearless leader likes to tout his closing of the borders was a brave and significant step. However, his order was full of exceptions. Tens of thousands of people from China still were allowed in after the order.
Furthermore, the best science tells us the infection here in the USA likely came from Europe immigrants and not China. This finding is based on DNA studies of early patients. There was a report today that the first deaths in California occurred in early February weeks before we previously thought.
DRINKING OR INJECTING DISINFECTANT CLEANERS, LIKE BLEACH, WILL HELP -
Then there was this from our fearless leader -
Swallowing or injecting household cleaners like Tide pods, bleach, lysol, or the like are NOT recommended treatments. Not only will they not treat the virus, such agents are highly toxic to the human body and will kill you.
So some will rebel….
The world has changed likely for years to come. What is so anxiety provoking is this pandemic has altered all of our lives We crave simple answers to return to normal. It is unsettling.
It also will not help. We will prolong the course of the pandemic and more people will die. The economy will stay wrecked longer.
This event has nothing to do with “gun laws” or “Constitutional rights”. We are trying to survive a cataclysmic event.
It’s a virus and it has no emotion about your life or politics.
Anxiety is normal. It is expected. There will be more protests. The world is on fire.
We are trying to survive together. Many are suffering terrible economic hardships. There are no easy answers here.
No, we cannot keep the economy closed forever. That is obvious. People have to work to work to feed their families. The choices are not easy and both paths have significant risks. There are those trying to find a way, but we are not there yet and trying to force the door open will only lead to more misery.
I know it is irritating that you can’t go in the store you want or see the latest movie. I want to go out as well.
For now we will have to wait.
I don’t know how long this will last. No one does.
I will continue to look for reliable information to guide me. Despite the persistent misinformation from the White House, there are others working to solve the crisis. I will look to them and help where I can.
Stay well and, for now, stay home.
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