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It is erroneous to suggest that all 2020 excess death can be rolled into "COVID-19 death toll"
The article reeks of a messaging technique called "priming", which prepares ppl to accept forthcoming suggestions as fact.
&, in this case, it's dangerous... https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-covid-19-death-toll-is-even-worse-than-it-looks-11610636840?mod=hp_lead_pos5
The article reeks of a messaging technique called "priming", which prepares ppl to accept forthcoming suggestions as fact.
&, in this case, it's dangerous... https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-covid-19-death-toll-is-even-worse-than-it-looks-11610636840?mod=hp_lead_pos5
It's like this:
A new med to treat flu enters FDA trials
Now imagine that med caused fatal anaphylaxis in a significant # of trial participants.
Then, imagine the FDA labeled those deaths "flu" & not only approved the med but used those deaths to justify the approval
Not good
A new med to treat flu enters FDA trials
Now imagine that med caused fatal anaphylaxis in a significant # of trial participants.
Then, imagine the FDA labeled those deaths "flu" & not only approved the med but used those deaths to justify the approval
Not good
The main reasons we do extensive clinical trials on new drugs are:
1. to ensure effectiveness
2. to ensure safety
We don't have that info for NPIs.
Yet, we are moving forward with the experiment, hurtling toward approval, w/ complete disregard for the deadly side effects...
1. to ensure effectiveness
2. to ensure safety
We don't have that info for NPIs.
Yet, we are moving forward with the experiment, hurtling toward approval, w/ complete disregard for the deadly side effects...
What they do get right is that minorities and socioeconomically compromised people have borne the brunt of these non-COVID deaths.
And it's not difficult to understand why.
The effects of lockdowns are not evenly distributed.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7417923/
And it's not difficult to understand why.
The effects of lockdowns are not evenly distributed.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7417923/
"Well, maybe we just don't know enough about non-Covid causes of death to tell if they're related to NPIs", you say?
We do.
We know that lockdown-induced isolation policies in LTC homes caused excess non-C19 mortality in ppl with Dementia & Alzheimers. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/hidden-covid-19-health-crisis-elderly-people-are-dying-isolation-n1244853
We do.
We know that lockdown-induced isolation policies in LTC homes caused excess non-C19 mortality in ppl with Dementia & Alzheimers. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/hidden-covid-19-health-crisis-elderly-people-are-dying-isolation-n1244853
We also know that the age-stratification of non-Covid excess deaths does not align with known age-dependent C19 mortality rates.
This suggests that those deaths were not, in fact, directly related to COVID-19.
This suggests that those deaths were not, in fact, directly related to COVID-19.
We also know that in Dec, the CDC issues an alert on:
"a concerning acceleration of the increase in drug overdose deaths, w/ the largest increase recorded from March 2020 to May 2020, coinciding w/ the implementation of widespread mitigation measures..."
https://emergency.cdc.gov/han/2020/han00438.asp
"a concerning acceleration of the increase in drug overdose deaths, w/ the largest increase recorded from March 2020 to May 2020, coinciding w/ the implementation of widespread mitigation measures..."
https://emergency.cdc.gov/han/2020/han00438.asp
We do know NPIs are increasing excess mortality.
To suggest all excess deaths are "directly related" to C19 is misleading & erroneous.
Period.
Now, it's clear that there are a lot of egos & special interests invested--lots of ppl who don't want to have been wrong...
To suggest all excess deaths are "directly related" to C19 is misleading & erroneous.
Period.
Now, it's clear that there are a lot of egos & special interests invested--lots of ppl who don't want to have been wrong...
...especially not about supporting policies that may have killed more than 1/2 the number of ppl recorded as having died with the virus.
But priming the public to accept that all excess death is directly related C19 is an unacceptable & deadly double-down...
But priming the public to accept that all excess death is directly related C19 is an unacceptable & deadly double-down...
We are entitled to know the side effects & potential negative outcomes of the medicine we've been forced to swallow.
And this "all deaths = COVID" thinking is particularly perilous given that failure to account for harms from lockdowns/NPIs will result in future repeats...
And this "all deaths = COVID" thinking is particularly perilous given that failure to account for harms from lockdowns/NPIs will result in future repeats...
So what's the fix?
--Transparency
--Good science
--Honest communication (including media)
And we're seeing very little of it.
Whether willful or otherwise--well-intentioned or poor--this kind of slanted narrative does far more harm than good.
--Transparency
--Good science
--Honest communication (including media)
And we're seeing very little of it.
Whether willful or otherwise--well-intentioned or poor--this kind of slanted narrative does far more harm than good.
