What Herd Immunity actually is (hint: it’s not what you think) and why it’s a good reason to be more careful.
Author: Christin Glorioso, MD PhD
Computational neuroscientist at MIT. I study the genetics and molecular pathways of brain aging and Alzheimer's disease in human cohorts. https://www.linkedin.com/in/christin-glorioso-md-phd-39627719/.
The cruel and dangerous b.s. of this -“only 6% of COVID deaths are from COVID” – conspiracy theory.
The most common false thing that I am hearing from the right these days is that most COVID deaths are not actually from COVID but from other causes. https://www.nbc12.com/2020/08/31/false-covid-claim-retweeted-by-trump-removed-twitter/ This is at best a misconception, and at worst genocidal COVID denialism. Let me explain. The origin of this conspiracy theory, as I am beginning to [...]
How this ends.
Ok so this is not at all agreed upon. The CDC has twenty-one different models forecasting cases and deaths. Those forecasts are only shown on the CDC website to predict what will happen for about the next two weeks- until September 12th. The models are from various universities and teams- MIT has two models, Harvard [...]
How I entered the matrix through the red and blue #fakesciencenews and came out purple.
I have been a life long Democrat with almost 100% alignment with liberal party views. But there has always been a little suspicious voice in my head that has said- how can you totally believe one side of things? There must be some validity to the other side. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, a strange thing happened. I re-engaged with politics with a whole new pair of eyes. For the first time, I was seeing both sides of the political debate and understanding some of why people were feeling the way they do on the right. Underlying all of this, was a single sentiment actually. We don't trust what is being told to us by the media, doctors, and the government because it doesn't add up. And that, I agree with.
More evidence that the US has herd immunity in some states.
I'm just going to keep saying. And saying it. Because it is dangerous not to. The US is at herd immunity levels in many states. Everyone should therefore be MORE careful, wear masks, be a bit happy that the end is in sight but be really careful. Schools should NOT reopen at all, but especially [...]
The five biggest lies about COVID-19 spread by the media. How the #fakesciencenews on both the right and the left is killing Americans.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, I have noticed the incredible misinformation being spread in the lay news. From the New York Times, to CNN, to Fox News, to Donald Trump himself- GIANT, OBVIOUS, LIES and ERRORS have been spread to the public. From Masks don't work, to Hydroxychloroquine is an effective drug, to COVID-19 [...]
Dr. Glorioso guest lectures Boston University’s Medical Ethics Course: COVID-19 and Utilitarianism.
The below link is the full video recording of a class that Brian Moen (Philosophy PhD student at B.U. and friend) and I recorded for the undergraduate medical ethics class he is teaching at Boston University this Summer. https://bostonu.zoom.us/rec/play/u8cqI7qqqmg3E9aT5QSDBvZ7W424fK2s2nAf-fdbxR63WnMBOlCnYbtAarba3ERAyfTCHawYYfNYLpc5?startTime=1596819221000&_x_zm_rtaid=u9ttR53XRrGqhEAWOR3xSA.1597945331122.5cc242a312d02acbdb73b903f323dbdb&_x_zm_rhtaid=527 This was really a lot of fun! We create a framework for choosing the best strategy [...]
All signs point to herd immunity happening in parts of the US. What are the practical implications?
Two days ago I blogged about why I believe that the US has herd immunity in NY, NJ, FL, AZ, and LA. While this is not completely confirmed and I am still getting some pushback from people who think I am promoting recklessness or the Republican agenda (I promise I am about the furthest thing [...]
Why I believe the US has herd immunity in some states and is barreling towards it as a country.
First a disclaimer before everyone yells at me, which keeps happening when I bring up herd immunity: Herd immunity is not a dirty word. It is a scientific phenomenon. Data are what data are, to quote Professor Richard Hume, my college molecular neurobiology professor at Umich. You can blame him as he is the reason [...]
Why a lot more people have died from COVID than is being reported.
Contrary to what Trump has been saying about hospitals inflating their numbers to get more grant money... (at this point I think we just believe the opposite of whatever he says)... a ton more people have died of COVID than is being reported in the databases and the news. According to data tracking by The [...]