In this long-awaited follow-up to his interview in late March, Dr. John Ioannidis discusses the results of three preliminary studies, (including his latest, which shows a drastically reduced infection fatality rate); the worrisome effects of the lockdown; the Swedish approach; the Italian data; the ups and downs of testing; the feasibility of “contact tracing”, and…
Category: New Normal
Washington Times reports “Scientists long ago exhausted their COVID-19 capital”
Salt, meet grain. Scientists — and that’s “scientists” buttressed between quotation marks — have long ago revealed themselves as factually challenged, devastatingly single-minded, even politically motivated on this whole coronavirus matter. https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/jul/7/scientists-long-ago-exhausted-their-covid-19-capit/
CEBM reports “Global Covid-19 Case Fatality Rates”
Emerging evidence suggests many more people are infected. than tested. In Vo Italy, at the time the first symptomatic case was diagnosed, about 3%, had already been infected – most were completely asymptomatic. We could make a simple estimation of the IFR as 0.28%, based on halving the lowest boundary of the CFR prediction interval. However, the considerable…
The Hill op-ed reports “The data is in — stop the panic and end the total isolation”
The tragedy of the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be entering the containment phase. Tens of thousands of Americans have died, and Americans are now desperate for sensible policymakers who have the courage to ignore the panic and rely on facts. Leaders must examine accumulated data to see what has actually happened, rather than keep emphasizing hypothetical projections;…
Reason reports “The CDC’s New ‘Best Estimate’ Implies a COVID-19 Infection Fatality Rate Below 0.3%”
That rate is much lower than the numbers used in the horrifying projections that shaped the government response to the epidemic. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the current “best estimate” for the fatality rate among Americans with COVID-19 symptoms is 0.4 percent. The CDC also estimates that 35 percent of…
RcReader reports “Masks Don’t Work: A Review of Science Relevant to COVID-19 Social Policy”
Masks and respirators do not work. There have been extensive randomized controlled trial (RCT) studies, and meta-analysis reviews of RCT studies, which all show that masks and respirators do not work to prevent respiratory influenza-like illnesses, or respiratory illnesses believed to be transmitted by droplets and aerosol particles. https://www.rcreader.com/commentary/masks-dont-work-covid-a-review-of-science-relevant-to-covide-19-social-policy
New England Journal of Medicine reports “widespread masking is a reflexive reaction to anxiety over the pandemic.”
We know that wearing a mask outside health care facilities offers little, if any, protection from infection. Public health authorities define a significant exposure to Covid-19 as face-to-face contact within 6 feet with a patient with symptomatic Covid-19 that is sustained for at least a few minutes (and some say more than 10 minutes or…
NY Post reports “Joe Biden says he would sign order forcing Americans to wear masks”
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden would use his federal powers to force Americans to wear masks if elected, he said on Thursday. In an interview with CBS Pittsburgh affiliate KDKA, the former veep said he would sign an executive order and use all the tools in his arsenal to force people to wear face coverings in…
WSJ reports “Agency Chief Spurs Bioterror Research — And Controversy”
As Dr. Fauci Pours NIH Funds Into Makers of Vaccines, Some Say He Oversteps Anthony S. Fauci has hundreds of millions of dollars at his disposal to bet on drug companies, hoping they will come up with the next hit vaccine or medicine. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB113383825463714813