Every day, it seems that there are more and more people in my network who accept the words of our politicians and chief medical officers as definitive facts. I find this perplexing, to say the least.
This is not a condemnation of the public officials’ actions; I would not want to be in their shoes, facing myriad, daunting challenges that come with navigating the current crisis … and some of their messages are indeed factual.
However, it is important to understand that government announcements are very different from what we see when we do our own research and seek the most scientifically sound, valid data on important matters.
Politicians and medical officials have clear objectives, and they must be consistent in their messaging. Their statements are usually intended more to influence the populace than to educate. Whether the objective is your action or your vote, politicians and medical officials say things intended to have you follow the party line … and I am not referring to the conga, although blind support of their song and dance is music to their ears.
Meanwhile, any good scientist knows that the goal posts are constantly moving, and that we are all learning about the effectiveness of COVID vaccines and lockdowns/restrictions.
If you truly know and trust science, you will not say that “the science is settled” on a certain topic, and you will not persecute those who have differing opinions. We are all still learning, including the top scientists.
I am always interested in hearing government announcements, but I will continue to work relentlessly with my team of accomplished scientists at BIG Media to help us understand what is actually going on in this complicated world.
Here are some stories that give you data-backed, logical interpretation of critical issues with context that you simply will not find in government announcements and mainstream media coverage:
Where did the flu go – and do we miss it?
Understanding vaccine effectiveness and breakthrough
Examining the effectiveness of restrictions and the path to COVID eradication
Predicting vaccination rates and outcomes for the Delta variant
COVID calculations – applying statistics to COVID-19 testing
COVID-19 is definitely not the flu
COVID clarification – a tale of two tales
Assessing the relative lethality of COVID-19: a Canadian case study
Face the facts – diving into the science of masks
COVID context – how concerned should we be about dying from this virus?
