A space for scientists to connect with each other and the world.
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 [...]
....Well that is if you are up for home brew vaccines out of either Russia or Harvard Professor George Church's lab. They have only been tested on Putin's daughter and some scientists, respectively. Two days ago Vladimir Putin announced to the world that he had the first registered COVID-19 vaccine. He is tauntingly calling the [...]
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 [...]
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.
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 [...]
Officially, (if you needed official confirmation), as published in the highly regarded medical journal, NEJM, a study finds hydroxychloroquine is completely ineffective in treating COVID. In fact, it could be harmful- some people taking the drug have more heart and liver problems. “Among patients hospitalized with mild-to-moderate Covid-19, the use of hydroxychloroquine, alone or [...]
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 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 [...]
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 [...]
Daily new cases continue to be very high and new deaths are continuing to ascend. Most states daily new cases are now rising, particularly in the south. Click on the maps to link to the hover version. I started tracking the percent of states infected- you can see that in some states, up to 29% [...]