The messaging:
After vaccination, nothing changes
You must still (in private) social distance, not meet vaccinated friends, wear mask

Is medically wrong, Sorry to say

& is the next 'nobel lie' in the COViD saga

Nobel lies are poison.

Here is my journey [thread]

Like many, I read the vaccine data closely

It is massively impressive

Folks keep saying 95%, and indeed that is the relative risk reduction, but when it comes to relaxing restrictions, I look at a different percentage

If you make it to day 28 on the vaccine arm, and still don't have symptoms, what is the prob. you remain symptomatic covid free?

The answer is 99.95% pfizer and 99.92% moderna
That's amazing!

There are 2 other strands of evidence I detail in my commentary about the benefit of vaccines

Severe covid went to 0 in moderna, 30 cases in control arm

Asx covid drops 60% on swab at dose 2 and occurs in roughly 1 in 1k people https://www.medpagetoday.com/blogs/vinay-prasad/90764

Vaccination primes the body to make ab which clear passages faster, and neutralize virus, makes you recover faster, and prevents severe disease

AMAZING!

All data strongly suggest this vaccine massively protects the recipient, and others

Finally, all of the restrictions we are talking about, which I follow and are plausible and make some sense in vaccinated people, are not plausible, have no data supporting them, and don't make sense in vaccinate people

That's just the truth https://www.medpagetoday.com/blogs/vinay-prasad/90764

Touching and hugging loved ones, having vaccinated people over for dinner, and taking the mask off in private are all things people also desire

When faced with such a dilemma, it is reasonable to suspend restrictions, as I detail https://www.medpagetoday.com/blogs/vinay-prasad/90764

This message is just fact based, and medicine 101.

Doctors (like me) have counseled immunocompromised patients through these decisions for years

In my case, folks who complete bone marrow transplant

Can they take the risk of hugging a grandchild?

Here the decision is clearer

But many on twitter wish to imagine second order effects of the true message getting out

How will this work? What are the unintended consequences of the messaging? Etc.

Uh oh, I don't think we should play this game again, scientists.

I really don't; we are not good at this

Its not our job to think all possible 'worst case scenario' countermoves, and if we find something we dislike manufacture a 'nobel lie'.

That will lead to massive loss of credibility, which will poison all future messaging.

It is not even science to be honest.

If I say, my message promotes vaccine uptake (you will say what's the data-- good q!) and if you say it leads to a two tier system that can't work ( I will say what's the data? also none)

The tie decided by the gut, not brain

In my piece I exempt businesses, etc, which can set their own policies because that is the reality, but I don't manufacturer a reason for them

In short, the medical answer is after vaccination you can relax restrictions, as I detail in the video (pls watch, we had fun making it)

Now, let me discuss twitter...

Twitter is really poisonous people. First, twitter pushes doctors towards misguided senses of morality. They think the virtuous thing is to still do the restrictions, and display to others that one does them

That sells on twitter, but is wrong

Many also think it is entirely appropriately to name-call me, to avoid my argument entirely, and conclude I am a bad person;

Just extending the virtue to condemn those who disagree

This is all reinforced by likes and RTs

Sad to see from colleagues

In short, after vaccination many people will likely see themselves as returning to normal, and may wish to relax restrictions and their is no medical reason to oppose this, in fact, we should embrace it

Social media is not helping, and noble lies are wrong.

PS after mass vaccination, I suspect there will still be cases, and these may even occur among the vaccinated; however, that does not mean 'we should have kept precautions; -- to prove that you have to prove continued benefit of restrictions, not just that some cases occur

* typo above (missing NON)

Finally, all of the restrictions we are talking about, which I follow and are plausible and make some sense in NON vaccinated people, are not plausible, have no data supporting them, and don't make sense in vaccinate people

That's just the truth

Ask folks on the other side:. If you disagree what specific moment are you waiting for to relax. Don't let them be vague. What criteria? Will it happen? When? Does it make sense?

Another great e.g. of Noble lie is in this recent Wash Post article on whether folks who recovered from covid should get vaccine first

@MartyMakary is right, of course

Noble lies are really not good

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/01/22/people-who-previously-had-covid-19-should-go-back-vaccine-line/