3 ms·

In the last few days several major publications have had articles discussing the grey areas of the covid response in ways that didn't seem acceptable recently.

In the last few days several major publications have had articles discussing the grey areas of the covid response in ways that didn't seem acceptable recently. It feels like we've made a cultural shift from pandemic to endemic, and fear has much receded. HN readers are flagging these topics less heavily too. It's encouraging.

kcplate 5y ago
Let’s hope so, because this quote from the article scares the hell out of me: > Other researchers note the scientific community is uneasy about studying such effects. “Everyone is tiptoeing around it,” Pretorius says. “I’ve talked to a lot of clinicians and researchers at various universities, and they don’t want to touch it.” The minute we are no longer allowed to ask questions either through external censorship or pressure to internally censor, is the day we start declining to our demise as a species.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- mint2 5y ago
  You realize a main reason they are reticent is because anything they say would get grasped upon and misinterpreted and blown up on the internet, And that it would be unbearable for a vaccine researcher to know their words, even if twisted online, caused people to die needlessly. Also the latest cia report on the Havana syndrome was that only a few dozen are unexplainable and could be an attack, all the hundreds of others reporting symptoms later were explainable by preexisting conditions, stress, and anxiety. Whether or not there are actual side effects to the vaccine like the story here, there will be hundreds or thousands of people who are like the ones from the Havana syndrome report. It’s a stressful anxiety filled time. Their symptoms are real, but the cause they attribute them to is misplaced.
  - kcplate 5y ago
    That’s the main reason? Doubt it. Scientists are not afraid of making mistakes, that happens all the time. They are afraid of losing funding and the fastest way in 2022 to lose funding is to suggest something outside the political and social acceptability narrative.
    - mint2 5y ago
      Look, in the article it literally quoted a main reason being any spurious result would be grasped on and lead to death. One is welcome to believe whatever affirms ones narrative regardless of facts, but that doesn’t make the narrative true. > >” Probing possible side effects presents a dilemma to researchers: They risk fomenting rejection of vaccines that are generally safe, effective, and crucial to saving lives. “You have to be very careful” before tying COVID-19 vaccines to complications, Nath cautions. “You can make the wrong conclusion. … The implications are huge.” ”
  - peteradio 5y ago
    They are also reticent because so much money flows from Federal Govt.
    - mint2 5y ago
      That’s your opinion, but in the article there is a quote saying scientist law are literally afraid of making a mistake and it being grasped on by the anti vax crowd and taken for something it is not. >” Probing possible side effects presents a dilemma to researchers: They risk fomenting rejection of vaccines that are generally safe, effective, and crucial to saving lives. “You have to be very careful” before tying COVID-19 vaccines to complications, Nath cautions. “You can make the wrong conclusion. … The implications are huge.” ”
- haswell 5y ago
  While it certainly is concerning, and could indicate something quite serious, our species has survived many such periods. This isn’t to imply acceptance or meant to minimize the seriousness, but some perspective is also required.
Gigachad 5y ago
In Australia there is finally some attention to the police/government response of last year. One man was grabbed from behind by a police officer, lifted and slammed face first in to the ground. This kind of stuff was not politically correct to discus back then because people were panicking but now looking back, this was all too far.
MattPalmer1086 5y ago
Endemic doesn't mean less dangerous though. So I'm not sure why fear should recede in that case.

kcplate 5y ago

Let’s hope so, because this quote from the article scares the hell out of me: > Other researchers note the scientific community is uneasy about studying such effects. “Everyone is tiptoeing around it,” Pretorius says. “I’ve talked to a lot of clinicians and researchers at various universities, and they don’t want to touch it.” The minute we are no longer allowed to ask questions either through external censorship or pressure to internally censor, is the day we start declining to our demise as a species.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
mint2 5y ago
You realize a main reason they are reticent is because anything they say would get grasped upon and misinterpreted and blown up on the internet, And that it would be unbearable for a vaccine researcher to know their words, even if twisted online, caused people to die needlessly. Also the latest cia report on the Havana syndrome was that only a few dozen are unexplainable and could be an attack, all the hundreds of others reporting symptoms later were explainable by preexisting conditions, stress, and anxiety. Whether or not there are actual side effects to the vaccine like the story here, there will be hundreds or thousands of people who are like the ones from the Havana syndrome report. It’s a stressful anxiety filled time. Their symptoms are real, but the cause they attribute them to is misplaced.
- kcplate 5y ago
  That’s the main reason? Doubt it. Scientists are not afraid of making mistakes, that happens all the time. They are afraid of losing funding and the fastest way in 2022 to lose funding is to suggest something outside the political and social acceptability narrative.
  - mint2 5y ago
    Look, in the article it literally quoted a main reason being any spurious result would be grasped on and lead to death. One is welcome to believe whatever affirms ones narrative regardless of facts, but that doesn’t make the narrative true. > >” Probing possible side effects presents a dilemma to researchers: They risk fomenting rejection of vaccines that are generally safe, effective, and crucial to saving lives. “You have to be very careful” before tying COVID-19 vaccines to complications, Nath cautions. “You can make the wrong conclusion. … The implications are huge.” ”
- peteradio 5y ago
  They are also reticent because so much money flows from Federal Govt.
  - mint2 5y ago
    That’s your opinion, but in the article there is a quote saying scientist law are literally afraid of making a mistake and it being grasped on by the anti vax crowd and taken for something it is not. >” Probing possible side effects presents a dilemma to researchers: They risk fomenting rejection of vaccines that are generally safe, effective, and crucial to saving lives. “You have to be very careful” before tying COVID-19 vaccines to complications, Nath cautions. “You can make the wrong conclusion. … The implications are huge.” ”
haswell 5y ago
While it certainly is concerning, and could indicate something quite serious, our species has survived many such periods. This isn’t to imply acceptance or meant to minimize the seriousness, but some perspective is also required.

Gigachad 5y ago

In Australia there is finally some attention to the police/government response of last year. One man was grabbed from behind by a police officer, lifted and slammed face first in to the ground. This kind of stuff was not politically correct to discus back then because people were panicking but now looking back, this was all too far.

MattPalmer1086 5y ago

Endemic doesn't mean less dangerous though. So I'm not sure why fear should recede in that case.