(3338,980,1,'','2022-01-14 01:59:03',873,21542,'e94f6564dca6f204da786d7757fcda52244e54c2','{\"id\":980,\"asset_id\":\"1269\",\"title\":\"Analysis Overview: COVID-19 Genetic Vaccine Safety in Children\",\"alias\":\"home-rna-vaccine-inventor-blog-podcasts-speaking-events-newstories-current-page-genetic-vaccination-in-children-patents-and-papers-robert-w-malone-md-analysis-overview-covid-19-genetic-vaccine-safety-in-children-even-as-experts-expressed-concern-about-a-marked-jump-in-hospitalizations-an-increase-more-than-double-that-among-adults-doctors-and-researchers-said-they-were-not-seeing-evidence-that-omi\",\"introtext\":\"<header id=\\\"header\\\" class=\\\"header theme-col--primary\\\" tabindex=\\\"-1\\\" data-test=\\\"header\\\" data-controller=\\\"Header\\\" data-current-styles=\\\"{\\r\\n&quot;layout&quot;: &quot;brandingCenter&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;action&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;href&quot;: &quot;\\/contact&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;buttonText&quot;: &quot;&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;newWindow&quot;: true\\r\\n},\\r\\n&quot;showSocial&quot;: true,\\r\\n&quot;menuOverlayAnimation&quot;: &quot;fade&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;cartStyle&quot;: &quot;cart&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;cartText&quot;: &quot;Cart&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;showButton&quot;: false,\\r\\n&quot;showCart&quot;: false,\\r\\n&quot;showAccountLogin&quot;: true,\\r\\n&quot;headerStyle&quot;: &quot;gradient&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;languagePicker&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;enabled&quot;: false,\\r\\n&quot;iconEnabled&quot;: false\\r\\n},\\r\\n&quot;mobileOptions&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;layout&quot;: &quot;logoLeftNavRight&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;menuIcon&quot;: &quot;doubleLineHamburger&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;menuIconOptions&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;style&quot;: &quot;doubleLineHamburger&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;thickness&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;unit&quot;: &quot;px&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;value&quot;: 1.0\\r\\n}\\r\\n}\\r\\n},\\r\\n&quot;dynamicOptions&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;border&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;enabled&quot;: true,\\r\\n&quot;position&quot;: &quot;top&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;thickness&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;unit&quot;: &quot;px&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;value&quot;: 1.0\\r\\n}\\r\\n}\\r\\n},\\r\\n&quot;solidOptions&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;headerOpacity&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;unit&quot;: &quot;%&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;value&quot;: 100.0\\r\\n},\\r\\n&quot;border&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;enabled&quot;: false,\\r\\n&quot;position&quot;: &quot;allSides&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;thickness&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;unit&quot;: &quot;px&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;value&quot;: 4.0\\r\\n}\\r\\n},\\r\\n&quot;dropShadow&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;enabled&quot;: false,\\r\\n&quot;blur&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;unit&quot;: &quot;px&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;value&quot;: 30.0\\r\\n},\\r\\n&quot;spread&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;unit&quot;: &quot;px&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;value&quot;: 0.0\\r\\n},\\r\\n&quot;distance&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;unit&quot;: &quot;px&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;value&quot;: 0.0\\r\\n}\\r\\n},\\r\\n&quot;blurBackground&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;enabled&quot;: false,\\r\\n&quot;blurRadius&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;unit&quot;: &quot;px&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;value&quot;: 12.0\\r\\n}\\r\\n}\\r\\n},\\r\\n&quot;gradientOptions&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;gradientType&quot;: &quot;faded&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;headerOpacity&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;unit&quot;: &quot;%&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;value&quot;: 100.0\\r\\n},\\r\\n&quot;border&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;enabled&quot;: false,\\r\\n&quot;position&quot;: &quot;allSides&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;thickness&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;unit&quot;: &quot;px&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;value&quot;: 4.0\\r\\n}\\r\\n},\\r\\n&quot;dropShadow&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;enabled&quot;: false,\\r\\n&quot;blur&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;unit&quot;: &quot;px&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;value&quot;: 30.0\\r\\n},\\r\\n&quot;spread&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;unit&quot;: &quot;px&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;value&quot;: 0.0\\r\\n},\\r\\n&quot;distance&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;unit&quot;: &quot;px&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;value&quot;: 0.0\\r\\n}\\r\\n},\\r\\n&quot;blurBackground&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;enabled&quot;: false,\\r\\n&quot;blurRadius&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;unit&quot;: &quot;px&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;value&quot;: 12.0\\r\\n}\\r\\n}\\r\\n},\\r\\n&quot;showPromotedElement&quot;: false\\r\\n}\\\" data-section-id=\\\"header\\\" data-header-theme data-menu-overlay-theme data-header-style=\\\"gradient\\\" data-first-focusable-element data-controllers-bound=\\\"Header\\\">\\r\\n<div class=\\\"header-announcement-bar-wrapper\\\">\\r\\n<div class=\\\"header-inner container--fluid header-mobile-layout-logo-left-nav-right header-layout-branding-center\\\" data-test=\\\"header-inner\\\">\\r\\n<div class=\\\"header-display-desktop\\\" data-content-field=\\\"site-title\\\">\\r\\n<div class=\\\"header-title-nav-wrapper\\\">\\r\\n<div class=\\\"header-nav\\\">\\r\\n<div class=\\\"header-nav-wrapper\\\"><nav class=\\\"header-nav-list\\\">\\r\\n<div class=\\\"header-nav-item header-nav-item--collection header-nav-item--homepage\\\"><span style=\\\"color: #ffffff;\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.rwmalonemd.com\\/\\\" style=\\\"color: #ffffff;\\\" data-animation-role=\\\"header-element\\\">Home<\\/a><\\/span><\\/div>\\r\\n<div class=\\\"header-nav-item header-nav-item--collection\\\"><span style=\\\"color: #ffffff;\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.rwmalonemd.com\\/rna-vaccine-inventor\\\" style=\\\"color: #ffffff;\\\" data-animation-role=\\\"header-element\\\">RNA Vaccine Inventor<\\/a><\\/span><\\/div>\\r\\n<div class=\\\"header-nav-item header-nav-item--collection\\\"><span style=\\\"color: #ffffff;\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.rwmalonemd.com\\/blog\\\" style=\\\"color: #ffffff;\\\" data-animation-role=\\\"header-element\\\">Blog<\\/a><\\/span><\\/div>\\r\\n<div class=\\\"header-nav-item header-nav-item--collection\\\"><span style=\\\"color: #ffffff;\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.rwmalonemd.com\\/podcasts\\\" style=\\\"color: #ffffff;\\\" data-animation-role=\\\"header-element\\\">Podcasts<\\/a><\\/span><\\/div>\\r\\n<div class=\\\"header-nav-item header-nav-item--collection\\\"><span style=\\\"color: #ffffff;\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.rwmalonemd.com\\/speaking-events\\\" style=\\\"color: #ffffff;\\\" data-animation-role=\\\"header-element\\\">Speaking Events<\\/a><\\/span><\\/div>\\r\\n<div class=\\\"header-nav-item header-nav-item--collection\\\"><span style=\\\"color: #ffffff;\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.rwmalonemd.com\\/newstories\\\" style=\\\"color: #ffffff;\\\" data-animation-role=\\\"header-element\\\">Newstories<\\/a><\\/span><\\/div>\\r\\n<div class=\\\"header-nav-item header-nav-item--collection header-nav-item--active\\\"><span style=\\\"color: #ffffff;\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.rwmalonemd.com\\/mrna-vaccination-in-children\\\" style=\\\"color: #ffffff;\\\" data-animation-role=\\\"header-element\\\"><span class=\\\"visually-hidden\\\">Current Page:<\\/span>Genetic Vaccination in Children<\\/a><\\/span><\\/div>\\r\\n<div class=\\\"header-nav-item header-nav-item--collection\\\"><span style=\\\"color: #ffffff;\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.rwmalonemd.com\\/general-4\\\" style=\\\"color: #ffffff;\\\" data-animation-role=\\\"header-element\\\">Patents and Papers<\\/a><\\/span><\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/nav><\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<div class=\\\"header-title\\\" data-animation-role=\\\"header-element\\\">\\r\\n<div class=\\\"header-title-text\\\"><span style=\\\"color: #ffffff;\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.rwmalonemd.com\\/\\\" id=\\\"site-title\\\" style=\\\"color: #ffffff;\\\" data-animation-role=\\\"header-element\\\">Robert W Malone MD<\\/a><\\/span><\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/header>\\r\\n<article id=\\\"sections\\\" class=\\\"sections\\\" data-page-sections=\\\"61cc6ab4e42259095b5074db\\\">\\r\\n<section id=\\\"yui_3_17_2_1_1642085528935_73\\\" class=\\\"page-section layout-engine-section background-width--full-bleed section-height--medium content-width--wide horizontal-alignment--center vertical-alignment--middle\\\" data-test=\\\"page-section\\\" data-section-theme data-section-id=\\\"61cc6b07e916f40dc001dd71\\\" data-controller=\\\"SectionWrapperController\\\" data-current-styles=\\\"{\\r\\n&quot;imageOverlayOpacity&quot;: 0.15,\\r\\n&quot;backgroundWidth&quot;: &quot;background-width--full-bleed&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;sectionHeight&quot;: &quot;section-height--medium&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;customSectionHeight&quot;: 10,\\r\\n&quot;horizontalAlignment&quot;: &quot;horizontal-alignment--center&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;verticalAlignment&quot;: &quot;vertical-alignment--middle&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;contentWidth&quot;: &quot;content-width--wide&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;customContentWidth&quot;: 50,\\r\\n&quot;backgroundColor&quot;: &quot;&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;sectionTheme&quot;: &quot;&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;sectionAnimation&quot;: &quot;none&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;backgroundMode&quot;: &quot;image&quot;\\r\\n}\\\" data-animation=\\\"none\\\" data-controllers-bound=\\\"SectionWrapperController\\\" data-active=\\\"true\\\">\\r\\n<div id=\\\"yui_3_17_2_1_1642085528935_72\\\" class=\\\"content-wrapper\\\">\\r\\n<div id=\\\"yui_3_17_2_1_1642085528935_71\\\" class=\\\"content\\\">\\r\\n<div id=\\\"page-section-61cc6b07e916f40dc001dd71\\\" class=\\\"sqs-layout sqs-grid-12 columns-12\\\" data-type=\\\"page-section\\\">\\r\\n<div id=\\\"yui_3_17_2_1_1642085528935_70\\\" class=\\\"row sqs-row\\\">\\r\\n<div id=\\\"yui_3_17_2_1_1642085528935_69\\\" class=\\\"col sqs-col-12 span-12\\\">\\r\\n<div id=\\\"block-yui_3_17_2_1_1640787207755_2349\\\" class=\\\"sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html\\\" data-block-type=\\\"2\\\">\\r\\n<div class=\\\"sqs-block-content\\\">\\r\\n<p class=\\\"sqsrte-large\\\"><strong>Analysis Overview: COVID-19 Genetic Vaccine Safety in Children<\\/strong><\\/p>\\r\\n<blockquote>\\r\\n<p class=\\\"sqsrte-large\\\" style=\\\"text-align: justify;\\\">\\u201cEven as experts expressed concern about a marked jump in hospitalizations \\u2014 an increase more than double that among adults \\u2014 doctors and researchers said they were not seeing evidence that Omicron was more threatening to children.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p class=\\\"sqsrte-large\\\" style=\\\"text-align: justify;\\\">In fact, preliminary data suggests that compared with the Delta variant, Omicron appears to be causing milder illness in children, similar to early findings for adults.\\u201d<\\/p>\\r\\n<\\/blockquote>\\r\\n<p class=\\\"sqsrte-large\\\" style=\\\"text-align: justify;\\\"><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">NY Times, \\u201c<\\/span><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.nytimes.com\\/2021\\/12\\/28\\/health\\/omicron-kids-hospitalizations.html\\\"><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">Omicron Is Not More Severe for Children, Despite Rising Hospitalizations<\\/span><\\/a><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">\\u201d <\\/span>By Andrew Jacobs Dec. 28, 2021<\\/p>\\r\\n<p class=\\\"sqsrte-large\\\" style=\\\"text-align: justify;\\\">The risk of death associated with COVID-19 in healthy children is virtually non-existent, as children have significant immunologic advantages relative to the older adult population (&gt; 65 years) which comprises the high risk cohort for COVID-19 (<span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">see <\\/span><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/rwmalonemd.substack.com\\/p\\/omicron-has-cracked-open-the-overton\\\"><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">Omicron has Cracked Open the Overton Window<\\/span><\\/a><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\"> , <\\/span><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/rwmalonemd.substack.com\\/p\\/were-never-going-to-learn-about-how\\\"><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">\\u201cWe\\u2019re never going to learn about how safe this vaccine is unless we start giving it\\u201d<\\/span><\\/a><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\"> , and <\\/span><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/rwmalonemd.substack.com\\/p\\/covid-19-today\\\"><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">COVID-19 Today<\\/span><\\/a><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">)<\\/span>.&nbsp; The risk of death and disease in children has become even more rare with Omicron. Yet even prior to the advent of Omicron, a peer reviewed study clearly demonstrated (using safety data accumulated during past variant circulation) that the genetic COVID-19 vaccines carry a risk\\/benefit ratio of five deaths in the older, high risk cohort for every one life saved from <span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">COVID-19 (and those data did not account for the reporting bias inherent in US deaths due to COVID consequent to inappropriate use of PCR tests). See \\u201c<\\/span><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.sciencedirect.com\\/science\\/article\\/pii\\/S221475002100161X?via%3Dihub#sec0175\\\"><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">Why are we vaccinating children against COVID-19?<\\/span><\\/a><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">\\u201d (Toxicology Reports, Volume 8, 2021, Pages 1665-1684 ).<\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u201cThus, our extremely conservative estimate for risk-benefit ratio is about 5\\/1. In plain English, people in the 65+ demographic are five times as likely to die from the inoculation as from COVID-19 under the most favorable assumptions! This demographic is the most vulnerable to adverse effects from COVID-19. As the age demographics go below about 35 years old, the chances of death from COVID-19 become very small, and when they go below 18, become negligible.\\u201d<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The new variant of COVID-19, Omicron, has exploded onto the scene. What was already an inverted risk benefit ratio for genetic vaccination in children and adults (greater risk of death from vaccine than from COVID-19) will become even more inverted since the risks of COVID-19 are further reduced with Omicron. The Omicron variant is different in five essential ways:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>More infectious and will soon be the dominant variant in the USA<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Less pathogenic<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Poorly matched to currently available vaccines<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Natural immunity is providing good protection against Omicron<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Disease symptoms are more similar to the common cold<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The issue of COVID-19 gene therapy technology -based vaccine mandates for children is a pressing issue confronting parents, grandparents, and public health officials throughout the world. Unfortunately, the topic has become highly politicized, and active censorship by legacy media outlets has made it difficult for parents and stakeholders to obtain access to the actual data required for the full informed consent prior to acceptance of a medical procedure required by law (see for example members of the Trusted News Initiative including Thompson-Reuters).<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Presented herein on this website is a large collection of information and data from both primary sources and analyses which will allow parents, grandparents, and other stakeholders to make their own determination concerning the risks and benefits of the genetic COVID-19 vaccines for their children. This compilation of references, primary information, and analyses represents the collective work product of hundreds of physicians and medical scientists. It supports the consensus Physicians Declaration of the 16,000+ strong International Association of Physicians and Medical Scientists, which includes the following resolution:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>_______<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>RESOLVED, THAT HEALTHY CHILDREN SHALL NOT BE SUBJECT TO FORCED VACCINATION<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Negligible clinical risks from SARS-CoV-2 infection exist for healthy children under eighteen.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Long term safety of the current COVID vaccines in children cannot be determined prior to instituting such policies. Without high-powered, reproducible, long term safety data, risks to the long-term health status of children remain too high to support use in healthy children.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Children risk severe, adverse events from receiving the vaccine. Permanent physical damage to the brain, heart, immune and reproductive system associated with SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-based genetic vaccines has been demonstrated in children.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Healthy, unvaccinated children are critical to achieving herd immunity. Natural immunity is proven to tolerate infection, benefiting community protection while there is insufficient data to assess whether COVID-19 vaccines assist herd immunity.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This data collection and analysis has been prompted by an inquiry by the Thompson-Reuters factchecking organization which was sent to Dr. Robert Malone, MD, MS on 28 Dec 2021, and has been assembled in part to respond to that inquiry. However, by placing this information in a central location available to all on the World Wide Web rather than merely as a written response to Thompson-Reuters, we have attempted to insure that all have access to the full spectrum of information required for parents or guardians to make informed decisions concerning whether to have their children vaccinated with these experimental, unproven products.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This information is summarized and structured into multiple sections below, each with a separate tab.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Reuters factchecking<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Risk\\/Benefit: What is the ratio of COVID damage\\/risk of vaccine damage for children<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Death Reports: Reports of vaccine-associated deaths and disability in children and young adults<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>VAERS and Yellow Card: Safe and effective in children? National database information<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Myocarditis consequences: Is there evidence that the vaccine-associated myocarditis in children is not going to lead to long term damage?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Applicable standards: Have normal standards for vaccine safety, quality and effectiveness in children been met?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>COVID-19 in children: What is the evidence of long term damage in children from COVID-19?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Illegal mandates: US Federal Mandate law<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>References on Adverse Events<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>*********************************************************<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>On a personal note, I wish to speak to you as a parent, grandparent, physician and scientist. I stand by this statement with a career dedicated to vaccine research and development. I\\u2019m vaccinated for COVID and I\'m generally pro-vaccination. I have devoted my entire career to developing safe and effective ways to prevent and treat infectious diseases.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You can find video of this statement as well as a subsequent town hall discussion with parents, physicians, and medical caregivers at this website<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Before you inject your child - a decision that is irreversible - I wanted to let you know the scientific facts about this genetic vaccine, which is based on the mRNA vaccine technology I created:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>There are three issues parents need to understand:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The first is that a viral gene will be injected into your children\'s cells. This gene forces your child\\u2019s body to make toxic spike proteins. These proteins often cause permanent damage in children\\u2019s critical organs, including<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 Their brain and nervous system<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 Their heart and blood vessels, including blood clots<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 Their reproductive system, and<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 This vaccine can trigger fundamental changes to their immune system<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The most alarming point about this is that once these damages have occurred, they are irreparable<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 You can\\u2019t fix the lesions within their brain<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 You can\\u2019t repair heart tissue scarring<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 You can\\u2019t repair a genetically reset immune system, and<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 This vaccine can cause reproductive damage that could affect future generations of your family<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The second thing you need to know about is the fact that this novel technology has not been adequately tested.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 We need at least 5 years of testing\\/research before we can really understand the risks<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 Harms and risks from new medicines often become revealed many years later<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Ask yourself if you want your own child to be part of the most radical medical experiment in human history<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>One final point: the reason they\\u2019re giving you to vaccinate your child is a lie.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Your children represent no danger to their parents or grandparents.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>It\\u2019s actually the opposite. Their immunity, after getting COVID, is critical to save your family if not the world from this disease.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In summary: there is no benefit for your children or your family to be vaccinating your children against the small risks of the virus, given the known health risks of the vaccine that as a parent, you and your children may have to live with for the rest of their lives.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The risk\\/benefit analysis isn\\u2019t even close.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>&nbsp;<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As a parent and grandparent, my recommendation to you is to resist and fight to protect your children.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>&nbsp;<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>&nbsp;<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>&nbsp;<\\/p>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/section>\\r\\n<\\/article>\",\"fulltext\":\"\",\"state\":1,\"catid\":\"59\",\"created\":\"2022-01-14 01:54:51\",\"created_by\":\"873\",\"created_by_alias\":\"\",\"modified\":\"2022-01-14 01:59:03\",\"modified_by\":\"873\",\"checked_out\":\"873\",\"checked_out_time\":\"2022-01-14 01:55:46\",\"publish_up\":\"2022-01-14 01:54:51\",\"publish_down\":\"0000-00-00 00:00:00\",\"images\":\"{\\\"image_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_caption\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_caption\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"urls\":\"{\\\"urla\\\":false,\\\"urlatext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targeta\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlb\\\":false,\\\"urlbtext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetb\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlc\\\":false,\\\"urlctext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetc\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"attribs\":\"{\\\"article_layout\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_titles\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_tags\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_associations\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_create_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_modify_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publish_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_item_navigation\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_icons\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_print_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_email_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_vote\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_hits\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_noauth\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urls_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"alternative_readmore\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"article_page_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publishing_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_article_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_backend\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_frontend\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"version\":3,\"ordering\":\"0\",\"metakey\":\"\",\"metadesc\":\"\",\"access\":\"1\",\"hits\":\"0\",\"metadata\":\"{\\\"robots\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"rights\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"xreference\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"featured\":\"1\",\"language\":\"*\",\"xreference\":\"\",\"note\":\"\"}',0),(3339,980,1,'','2022-01-14 02:00:42',873,21564,'176f0e628382f9b1109aad1900694ccfada67c10','{\"id\":980,\"asset_id\":\"1269\",\"title\":\"Analysis Overview: COVID-19 Genetic Vaccine Safety in Children\",\"alias\":\"home-rna-vaccine-inventor-blog-podcasts-speaking-events-newstories-current-page-genetic-vaccination-in-children-patents-and-papers-robert-w-malone-md-analysis-overview-covid-19-genetic-vaccine-safety-in-children-even-as-experts-expressed-concern-about-a-marked-jump-in-hospitalizations-an-increase-more-than-double-that-among-adults-doctors-and-researchers-said-they-were-not-seeing-evidence-that-omi\",\"introtext\":\"<header id=\\\"header\\\" class=\\\"header theme-col--primary\\\" tabindex=\\\"-1\\\" data-test=\\\"header\\\" data-controller=\\\"Header\\\" data-current-styles=\\\"{\\r\\n&quot;layout&quot;: &quot;brandingCenter&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;action&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;href&quot;: &quot;\\/contact&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;buttonText&quot;: &quot;&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;newWindow&quot;: true\\r\\n},\\r\\n&quot;showSocial&quot;: true,\\r\\n&quot;menuOverlayAnimation&quot;: &quot;fade&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;cartStyle&quot;: &quot;cart&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;cartText&quot;: &quot;Cart&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;showButton&quot;: false,\\r\\n&quot;showCart&quot;: false,\\r\\n&quot;showAccountLogin&quot;: true,\\r\\n&quot;headerStyle&quot;: &quot;gradient&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;languagePicker&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;enabled&quot;: false,\\r\\n&quot;iconEnabled&quot;: false\\r\\n},\\r\\n&quot;mobileOptions&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;layout&quot;: &quot;logoLeftNavRight&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;menuIcon&quot;: &quot;doubleLineHamburger&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;menuIconOptions&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;style&quot;: &quot;doubleLineHamburger&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;thickness&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;unit&quot;: &quot;px&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;value&quot;: 1.0\\r\\n}\\r\\n}\\r\\n},\\r\\n&quot;dynamicOptions&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;border&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;enabled&quot;: true,\\r\\n&quot;position&quot;: &quot;top&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;thickness&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;unit&quot;: &quot;px&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;value&quot;: 1.0\\r\\n}\\r\\n}\\r\\n},\\r\\n&quot;solidOptions&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;headerOpacity&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;unit&quot;: &quot;%&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;value&quot;: 100.0\\r\\n},\\r\\n&quot;border&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;enabled&quot;: false,\\r\\n&quot;position&quot;: &quot;allSides&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;thickness&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;unit&quot;: &quot;px&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;value&quot;: 4.0\\r\\n}\\r\\n},\\r\\n&quot;dropShadow&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;enabled&quot;: false,\\r\\n&quot;blur&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;unit&quot;: &quot;px&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;value&quot;: 30.0\\r\\n},\\r\\n&quot;spread&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;unit&quot;: &quot;px&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;value&quot;: 0.0\\r\\n},\\r\\n&quot;distance&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;unit&quot;: &quot;px&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;value&quot;: 0.0\\r\\n}\\r\\n},\\r\\n&quot;blurBackground&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;enabled&quot;: false,\\r\\n&quot;blurRadius&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;unit&quot;: &quot;px&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;value&quot;: 12.0\\r\\n}\\r\\n}\\r\\n},\\r\\n&quot;gradientOptions&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;gradientType&quot;: &quot;faded&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;headerOpacity&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;unit&quot;: &quot;%&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;value&quot;: 100.0\\r\\n},\\r\\n&quot;border&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;enabled&quot;: false,\\r\\n&quot;position&quot;: &quot;allSides&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;thickness&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;unit&quot;: &quot;px&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;value&quot;: 4.0\\r\\n}\\r\\n},\\r\\n&quot;dropShadow&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;enabled&quot;: false,\\r\\n&quot;blur&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;unit&quot;: &quot;px&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;value&quot;: 30.0\\r\\n},\\r\\n&quot;spread&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;unit&quot;: &quot;px&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;value&quot;: 0.0\\r\\n},\\r\\n&quot;distance&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;unit&quot;: &quot;px&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;value&quot;: 0.0\\r\\n}\\r\\n},\\r\\n&quot;blurBackground&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;enabled&quot;: false,\\r\\n&quot;blurRadius&quot;: {\\r\\n&quot;unit&quot;: &quot;px&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;value&quot;: 12.0\\r\\n}\\r\\n}\\r\\n},\\r\\n&quot;showPromotedElement&quot;: false\\r\\n}\\\" data-section-id=\\\"header\\\" data-header-theme data-menu-overlay-theme data-header-style=\\\"gradient\\\" data-first-focusable-element data-controllers-bound=\\\"Header\\\">\\r\\n<div class=\\\"header-announcement-bar-wrapper\\\">\\r\\n<div class=\\\"header-inner container--fluid header-mobile-layout-logo-left-nav-right header-layout-branding-center\\\" data-test=\\\"header-inner\\\">\\r\\n<div class=\\\"header-display-desktop\\\" data-content-field=\\\"site-title\\\">\\r\\n<div class=\\\"header-title-nav-wrapper\\\">\\r\\n<div class=\\\"header-nav\\\">\\r\\n<div class=\\\"header-nav-wrapper\\\"><nav class=\\\"header-nav-list\\\">\\r\\n<div class=\\\"header-nav-item header-nav-item--collection header-nav-item--homepage\\\"><span style=\\\"color: #ffffff;\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.rwmalonemd.com\\/\\\" style=\\\"color: #ffffff;\\\" data-animation-role=\\\"header-element\\\">Home<\\/a><\\/span><\\/div>\\r\\n<div class=\\\"header-nav-item header-nav-item--collection\\\"><span style=\\\"color: #ffffff;\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.rwmalonemd.com\\/rna-vaccine-inventor\\\" style=\\\"color: #ffffff;\\\" data-animation-role=\\\"header-element\\\">RNA Vaccine Inventor<\\/a><\\/span><\\/div>\\r\\n<div class=\\\"header-nav-item header-nav-item--collection\\\"><span style=\\\"color: #ffffff;\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.rwmalonemd.com\\/blog\\\" style=\\\"color: #ffffff;\\\" data-animation-role=\\\"header-element\\\">Blog<\\/a><\\/span><\\/div>\\r\\n<div class=\\\"header-nav-item header-nav-item--collection\\\"><span style=\\\"color: #ffffff;\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.rwmalonemd.com\\/podcasts\\\" style=\\\"color: #ffffff;\\\" data-animation-role=\\\"header-element\\\">Podcasts<\\/a><\\/span><\\/div>\\r\\n<div class=\\\"header-nav-item header-nav-item--collection\\\"><span style=\\\"color: #ffffff;\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.rwmalonemd.com\\/speaking-events\\\" style=\\\"color: #ffffff;\\\" data-animation-role=\\\"header-element\\\">Speaking Events<\\/a><\\/span><\\/div>\\r\\n<div class=\\\"header-nav-item header-nav-item--collection\\\"><span style=\\\"color: #ffffff;\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.rwmalonemd.com\\/newstories\\\" style=\\\"color: #ffffff;\\\" data-animation-role=\\\"header-element\\\">Newstories<\\/a><\\/span><\\/div>\\r\\n<div class=\\\"header-nav-item header-nav-item--collection header-nav-item--active\\\"><span style=\\\"color: #ffffff;\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.rwmalonemd.com\\/mrna-vaccination-in-children\\\" style=\\\"color: #ffffff;\\\" data-animation-role=\\\"header-element\\\"><span class=\\\"visually-hidden\\\">Current Page:<\\/span>Genetic Vaccination in Children<\\/a><\\/span><\\/div>\\r\\n<div class=\\\"header-nav-item header-nav-item--collection\\\"><span style=\\\"color: #ffffff;\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.rwmalonemd.com\\/general-4\\\" style=\\\"color: #ffffff;\\\" data-animation-role=\\\"header-element\\\">Patents and Papers<\\/a><\\/span><\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/nav><\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<div class=\\\"header-title\\\" data-animation-role=\\\"header-element\\\">\\r\\n<div class=\\\"header-title-text\\\"><span style=\\\"color: #ffffff;\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.rwmalonemd.com\\/\\\" id=\\\"site-title\\\" style=\\\"color: #ffffff;\\\" data-animation-role=\\\"header-element\\\">Robert W Malone MD<\\/a><\\/span><\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/header>\\r\\n<article id=\\\"sections\\\" class=\\\"sections\\\" data-page-sections=\\\"61cc6ab4e42259095b5074db\\\">\\r\\n<section id=\\\"yui_3_17_2_1_1642085528935_73\\\" class=\\\"page-section layout-engine-section background-width--full-bleed section-height--medium content-width--wide horizontal-alignment--center vertical-alignment--middle\\\" data-test=\\\"page-section\\\" data-section-theme data-section-id=\\\"61cc6b07e916f40dc001dd71\\\" data-controller=\\\"SectionWrapperController\\\" data-current-styles=\\\"{\\r\\n&quot;imageOverlayOpacity&quot;: 0.15,\\r\\n&quot;backgroundWidth&quot;: &quot;background-width--full-bleed&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;sectionHeight&quot;: &quot;section-height--medium&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;customSectionHeight&quot;: 10,\\r\\n&quot;horizontalAlignment&quot;: &quot;horizontal-alignment--center&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;verticalAlignment&quot;: &quot;vertical-alignment--middle&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;contentWidth&quot;: &quot;content-width--wide&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;customContentWidth&quot;: 50,\\r\\n&quot;backgroundColor&quot;: &quot;&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;sectionTheme&quot;: &quot;&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;sectionAnimation&quot;: &quot;none&quot;,\\r\\n&quot;backgroundMode&quot;: &quot;image&quot;\\r\\n}\\\" data-animation=\\\"none\\\" data-controllers-bound=\\\"SectionWrapperController\\\" data-active=\\\"true\\\">\\r\\n<div id=\\\"yui_3_17_2_1_1642085528935_72\\\" class=\\\"content-wrapper\\\">\\r\\n<div id=\\\"yui_3_17_2_1_1642085528935_71\\\" class=\\\"content\\\">\\r\\n<div id=\\\"page-section-61cc6b07e916f40dc001dd71\\\" class=\\\"sqs-layout sqs-grid-12 columns-12\\\" data-type=\\\"page-section\\\">\\r\\n<div id=\\\"yui_3_17_2_1_1642085528935_70\\\" class=\\\"row sqs-row\\\">\\r\\n<div id=\\\"yui_3_17_2_1_1642085528935_69\\\" class=\\\"col sqs-col-12 span-12\\\">\\r\\n<div id=\\\"block-yui_3_17_2_1_1640787207755_2349\\\" class=\\\"sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html\\\" data-block-type=\\\"2\\\">\\r\\n<div class=\\\"sqs-block-content\\\">\\r\\n<p class=\\\"sqsrte-large\\\"><strong>Analysis Overview: COVID-19 Genetic Vaccine Safety in Children<\\/strong><\\/p>\\r\\n<blockquote>\\r\\n<p class=\\\"sqsrte-large\\\" style=\\\"text-align: justify;\\\">\\u201cEven as experts expressed concern about a marked jump in hospitalizations \\u2014 an increase more than double that among adults \\u2014 doctors and researchers said they were not seeing evidence that Omicron was more threatening to children.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p class=\\\"sqsrte-large\\\" style=\\\"text-align: justify;\\\">In fact, preliminary data suggests that compared with the Delta variant, Omicron appears to be causing milder illness in children, similar to early findings for adults.\\u201d<\\/p>\\r\\n\",\"fulltext\":\"\\r\\n<p>&nbsp;<\\/p>\\r\\n<\\/blockquote>\\r\\n<p class=\\\"sqsrte-large\\\" style=\\\"text-align: justify;\\\"><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">NY Times, \\u201c<\\/span><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.nytimes.com\\/2021\\/12\\/28\\/health\\/omicron-kids-hospitalizations.html\\\"><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">Omicron Is Not More Severe for Children, Despite Rising Hospitalizations<\\/span><\\/a><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">\\u201d <\\/span>By Andrew Jacobs Dec. 28, 2021<\\/p>\\r\\n<p class=\\\"sqsrte-large\\\" style=\\\"text-align: justify;\\\">The risk of death associated with COVID-19 in healthy children is virtually non-existent, as children have significant immunologic advantages relative to the older adult population (&gt; 65 years) which comprises the high risk cohort for COVID-19 (<span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">see <\\/span><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/rwmalonemd.substack.com\\/p\\/omicron-has-cracked-open-the-overton\\\"><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">Omicron has Cracked Open the Overton Window<\\/span><\\/a><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\"> , <\\/span><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/rwmalonemd.substack.com\\/p\\/were-never-going-to-learn-about-how\\\"><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">\\u201cWe\\u2019re never going to learn about how safe this vaccine is unless we start giving it\\u201d<\\/span><\\/a><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\"> , and <\\/span><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/rwmalonemd.substack.com\\/p\\/covid-19-today\\\"><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">COVID-19 Today<\\/span><\\/a><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">)<\\/span>.&nbsp; The risk of death and disease in children has become even more rare with Omicron. Yet even prior to the advent of Omicron, a peer reviewed study clearly demonstrated (using safety data accumulated during past variant circulation) that the genetic COVID-19 vaccines carry a risk\\/benefit ratio of five deaths in the older, high risk cohort for every one life saved from <span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">COVID-19 (and those data did not account for the reporting bias inherent in US deaths due to COVID consequent to inappropriate use of PCR tests). See \\u201c<\\/span><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.sciencedirect.com\\/science\\/article\\/pii\\/S221475002100161X?via%3Dihub#sec0175\\\"><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">Why are we vaccinating children against COVID-19?<\\/span><\\/a><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">\\u201d (Toxicology Reports, Volume 8, 2021, Pages 1665-1684 ).<\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u201cThus, our extremely conservative estimate for risk-benefit ratio is about 5\\/1. In plain English, people in the 65+ demographic are five times as likely to die from the inoculation as from COVID-19 under the most favorable assumptions! This demographic is the most vulnerable to adverse effects from COVID-19. As the age demographics go below about 35 years old, the chances of death from COVID-19 become very small, and when they go below 18, become negligible.\\u201d<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The new variant of COVID-19, Omicron, has exploded onto the scene. What was already an inverted risk benefit ratio for genetic vaccination in children and adults (greater risk of death from vaccine than from COVID-19) will become even more inverted since the risks of COVID-19 are further reduced with Omicron. The Omicron variant is different in five essential ways:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>More infectious and will soon be the dominant variant in the USA<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Less pathogenic<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Poorly matched to currently available vaccines<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Natural immunity is providing good protection against Omicron<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Disease symptoms are more similar to the common cold<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The issue of COVID-19 gene therapy technology -based vaccine mandates for children is a pressing issue confronting parents, grandparents, and public health officials throughout the world. Unfortunately, the topic has become highly politicized, and active censorship by legacy media outlets has made it difficult for parents and stakeholders to obtain access to the actual data required for the full informed consent prior to acceptance of a medical procedure required by law (see for example members of the Trusted News Initiative including Thompson-Reuters).<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Presented herein on this website is a large collection of information and data from both primary sources and analyses which will allow parents, grandparents, and other stakeholders to make their own determination concerning the risks and benefits of the genetic COVID-19 vaccines for their children. This compilation of references, primary information, and analyses represents the collective work product of hundreds of physicians and medical scientists. It supports the consensus Physicians Declaration of the 16,000+ strong International Association of Physicians and Medical Scientists, which includes the following resolution:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>_______<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>RESOLVED, THAT HEALTHY CHILDREN SHALL NOT BE SUBJECT TO FORCED VACCINATION<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Negligible clinical risks from SARS-CoV-2 infection exist for healthy children under eighteen.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Long term safety of the current COVID vaccines in children cannot be determined prior to instituting such policies. Without high-powered, reproducible, long term safety data, risks to the long-term health status of children remain too high to support use in healthy children.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Children risk severe, adverse events from receiving the vaccine. Permanent physical damage to the brain, heart, immune and reproductive system associated with SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-based genetic vaccines has been demonstrated in children.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Healthy, unvaccinated children are critical to achieving herd immunity. Natural immunity is proven to tolerate infection, benefiting community protection while there is insufficient data to assess whether COVID-19 vaccines assist herd immunity.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This data collection and analysis has been prompted by an inquiry by the Thompson-Reuters factchecking organization which was sent to Dr. Robert Malone, MD, MS on 28 Dec 2021, and has been assembled in part to respond to that inquiry. However, by placing this information in a central location available to all on the World Wide Web rather than merely as a written response to Thompson-Reuters, we have attempted to insure that all have access to the full spectrum of information required for parents or guardians to make informed decisions concerning whether to have their children vaccinated with these experimental, unproven products.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This information is summarized and structured into multiple sections below, each with a separate tab.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Reuters factchecking<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Risk\\/Benefit: What is the ratio of COVID damage\\/risk of vaccine damage for children<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Death Reports: Reports of vaccine-associated deaths and disability in children and young adults<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>VAERS and Yellow Card: Safe and effective in children? National database information<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Myocarditis consequences: Is there evidence that the vaccine-associated myocarditis in children is not going to lead to long term damage?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Applicable standards: Have normal standards for vaccine safety, quality and effectiveness in children been met?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>COVID-19 in children: What is the evidence of long term damage in children from COVID-19?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Illegal mandates: US Federal Mandate law<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>References on Adverse Events<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>*********************************************************<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>On a personal note, I wish to speak to you as a parent, grandparent, physician and scientist. I stand by this statement with a career dedicated to vaccine research and development. I\\u2019m vaccinated for COVID and I\'m generally pro-vaccination. I have devoted my entire career to developing safe and effective ways to prevent and treat infectious diseases.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You can find video of this statement as well as a subsequent town hall discussion with parents, physicians, and medical caregivers at this website<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Before you inject your child - a decision that is irreversible - I wanted to let you know the scientific facts about this genetic vaccine, which is based on the mRNA vaccine technology I created:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>There are three issues parents need to understand:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The first is that a viral gene will be injected into your children\'s cells. This gene forces your child\\u2019s body to make toxic spike proteins. These proteins often cause permanent damage in children\\u2019s critical organs, including<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 Their brain and nervous system<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 Their heart and blood vessels, including blood clots<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 Their reproductive system, and<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 This vaccine can trigger fundamental changes to their immune system<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The most alarming point about this is that once these damages have occurred, they are irreparable<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 You can\\u2019t fix the lesions within their brain<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 You can\\u2019t repair heart tissue scarring<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 You can\\u2019t repair a genetically reset immune system, and<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 This vaccine can cause reproductive damage that could affect future generations of your family<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The second thing you need to know about is the fact that this novel technology has not been adequately tested.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 We need at least 5 years of testing\\/research before we can really understand the risks<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 Harms and risks from new medicines often become revealed many years later<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Ask yourself if you want your own child to be part of the most radical medical experiment in human history<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>One final point: the reason they\\u2019re giving you to vaccinate your child is a lie.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Your children represent no danger to their parents or grandparents.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>It\\u2019s actually the opposite. Their immunity, after getting COVID, is critical to save your family if not the world from this disease.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In summary: there is no benefit for your children or your family to be vaccinating your children against the small risks of the virus, given the known health risks of the vaccine that as a parent, you and your children may have to live with for the rest of their lives.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The risk\\/benefit analysis isn\\u2019t even close.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>&nbsp;<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As a parent and grandparent, my recommendation to you is to resist and fight to protect your children.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>&nbsp;<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>&nbsp;<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>&nbsp;<\\/p>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/section>\\r\\n<\\/article>\",\"state\":1,\"catid\":\"59\",\"created\":\"2022-01-14 01:54:51\",\"created_by\":\"873\",\"created_by_alias\":\"\",\"modified\":\"2022-01-14 02:00:42\",\"modified_by\":\"873\",\"checked_out\":\"873\",\"checked_out_time\":\"2022-01-14 01:59:03\",\"publish_up\":\"2022-01-14 01:54:51\",\"publish_down\":\"0000-00-00 00:00:00\",\"images\":\"{\\\"image_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_caption\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_caption\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"urls\":\"{\\\"urla\\\":false,\\\"urlatext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targeta\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlb\\\":false,\\\"urlbtext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetb\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlc\\\":false,\\\"urlctext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetc\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"attribs\":\"{\\\"article_layout\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_titles\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_tags\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_associations\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_create_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_modify_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publish_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_item_navigation\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_icons\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_print_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_email_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_vote\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_hits\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_noauth\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urls_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"alternative_readmore\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"article_page_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publishing_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_article_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_backend\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_frontend\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"version\":4,\"ordering\":\"0\",\"metakey\":\"\",\"metadesc\":\"\",\"access\":\"1\",\"hits\":\"0\",\"metadata\":\"{\\\"robots\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"rights\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"xreference\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"featured\":\"1\",\"language\":\"*\",\"xreference\":\"\",\"note\":\"\"}',0),(3340,981,1,'','2022-01-14 13:02:13',873,2170,'6eb88679c31d1909dde4e6a64399c4db840ee95b','{\"id\":981,\"asset_id\":1270,\"title\":\"Know Your Enemy - Who Is Zephon? - Dutch Sheets - GH15\",\"alias\":\"know-your-enemy-who-is-zephon-dutch-sheets-gh15\",\"introtext\":\"<h3>Know Your Enemy - Who Is Zephon? - Dutch Sheets - GH15<\\/h3><iframe width=\\\"740\\\" height=\\\"416\\\" src=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.youtube.com\\/embed\\/EzkJkcZ1daw\\\" title=\\\"YouTube video player\\\" frameborder=\\\"0\\\" allow=\\\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\\\" allowfullscreen><\\/iframe>\",\"fulltext\":\"\",\"state\":1,\"catid\":\"8\",\"created\":\"2022-01-14 13:02:13\",\"created_by\":\"873\",\"created_by_alias\":\"\",\"modified\":\"2022-01-14 13:02:13\",\"modified_by\":null,\"checked_out\":null,\"checked_out_time\":null,\"publish_up\":\"2022-01-14 13:02:13\",\"publish_down\":\"0000-00-00 00:00:00\",\"images\":\"{\\\"image_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_caption\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_caption\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"urls\":\"{\\\"urla\\\":false,\\\"urlatext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targeta\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlb\\\":false,\\\"urlbtext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetb\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlc\\\":false,\\\"urlctext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetc\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"attribs\":\"{\\\"article_layout\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_titles\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_tags\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_associations\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_create_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_modify_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publish_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_item_navigation\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_icons\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_print_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_email_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_vote\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_hits\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_noauth\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urls_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"alternative_readmore\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"article_page_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publishing_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_article_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_backend\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_frontend\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"version\":1,\"ordering\":null,\"metakey\":\"\",\"metadesc\":\"\",\"access\":\"1\",\"hits\":null,\"metadata\":\"{\\\"robots\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"rights\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"xreference\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"featured\":\"1\",\"language\":\"*\",\"xreference\":\"\",\"note\":\"\"}',0),(3341,981,1,'','2022-01-14 13:03:09',873,2200,'432515a1821bac07a4ac33e5f7de88644b4f860b','{\"id\":981,\"asset_id\":\"1270\",\"title\":\"Know Your Enemy - Who Is Zephon? - Dutch Sheets - GH15\",\"alias\":\"know-your-enemy-who-is-zephon-dutch-sheets-gh15\",\"introtext\":\"<h3>Know Your Enemy - Who Is Zephon? - Dutch Sheets - GH15<\\/h3>\\r\\n<p><iframe src=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.youtube.com\\/embed\\/EzkJkcZ1daw\\\" width=\\\"\\\" height=\\\"\\\" title=\\\"YouTube video player\\\" frameborder=\\\"0\\\" allow=\\\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\\\" allowfullscreen=\\\"\\\"><\\/iframe><\\/p>\",\"fulltext\":\"\",\"state\":1,\"catid\":\"8\",\"created\":\"2022-01-14 13:02:13\",\"created_by\":\"873\",\"created_by_alias\":\"\",\"modified\":\"2022-01-14 13:03:09\",\"modified_by\":\"873\",\"checked_out\":\"873\",\"checked_out_time\":\"2022-01-14 13:02:13\",\"publish_up\":\"2022-01-14 13:02:13\",\"publish_down\":\"0000-00-00 00:00:00\",\"images\":\"{\\\"image_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_caption\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_caption\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"urls\":\"{\\\"urla\\\":false,\\\"urlatext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targeta\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlb\\\":false,\\\"urlbtext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetb\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlc\\\":false,\\\"urlctext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetc\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"attribs\":\"{\\\"article_layout\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_titles\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_tags\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_associations\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_create_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_modify_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publish_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_item_navigation\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_icons\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_print_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_email_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_vote\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_hits\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_noauth\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urls_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"alternative_readmore\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"article_page_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publishing_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_article_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_backend\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_frontend\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"version\":2,\"ordering\":\"0\",\"metakey\":\"\",\"metadesc\":\"\",\"access\":\"1\",\"hits\":\"0\",\"metadata\":\"{\\\"robots\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"rights\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"xreference\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"featured\":\"1\",\"language\":\"*\",\"xreference\":\"\",\"note\":\"\"}',0),(3342,982,1,'','2022-01-14 13:08:23',873,3412,'1160b9a54a0ef5aabe6603c8402a7460cc99d6f7','{\"id\":982,\"asset_id\":1271,\"title\":\"\\\"From Crossing OUT OF to Crossing INTO: We Win in 2022!\\\" Johnny Enlow, Nashville, TN\",\"alias\":\"from-crossing-out-of-to-crossing-into-we-win-in-2022-johnny-enlow-nashville-tn\",\"introtext\":\"<div>\\r\\n<div align=\\\"center\\\"><img src=\\\"https:\\/\\/images.elijahlist.com\\/faces\\/Johnny_Enlow_2021_600px.jpg\\\" alt=\\\"\\\" width=\\\"225\\\" height=\\\"150\\\" style=\\\"float: left;\\\" hspace=\\\"10\\\" align=\\\"center\\\" \\/><\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<div class=\\\"email_title_2014\\\" align=\\\"center\\\"><span style=\\\"font-size: 14pt;\\\"><strong>\\\"From Crossing OUT OF to Crossing INTO: We Win in 2022!\\\"<\\/strong><\\/span><\\/div>\\r\\n<div class=\\\"email_author_2014\\\" align=\\\"center\\\"><span style=\\\"font-size: 10pt;\\\"><strong>Johnny Enlow, Nashville, TN<\\/strong><\\/span><\\/div>\\r\\n<div id=\\\"word-truncate\\\">\\r\\n<p class=\\\"subtitle\\\"><span style=\\\"font-size: 10pt;\\\">Dogs Win 33-18 and Are National Champions!<\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p style=\\\"text-align: justify;\\\"><span style=\\\"font-size: 10pt;\\\">I am combining my usual prophetic word for the new year with a word on the college football championship game. The Georgia Bulldogs defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide 33-18 and won their first national title since 1980. Out of that game was highlighted the \\\"Cinderella story\\\" of Georgia\'s winning quarterback, Stetson Bennett IV, who was originally a non-scholarship, walk-on quarterback. Even this year, he was not the starter until an injury to the original starter propelled him into the opportunity, which he took full advantage of, even while being doubted all year.&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/elijahlist.com\\/words\\/display_word.html?ID=26725\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\"> CONTINUE READING &gt;&gt;&gt;<\\/a><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<\\/div>\",\"fulltext\":\"\",\"state\":1,\"catid\":\"8\",\"created\":\"2022-01-14 13:08:23\",\"created_by\":\"873\",\"created_by_alias\":\"\",\"modified\":\"2022-01-14 13:08:23\",\"modified_by\":null,\"checked_out\":null,\"checked_out_time\":null,\"publish_up\":\"2022-01-14 13:08:23\",\"publish_down\":\"0000-00-00 00:00:00\",\"images\":\"{\\\"image_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_caption\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_caption\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"urls\":\"{\\\"urla\\\":false,\\\"urlatext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targeta\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlb\\\":false,\\\"urlbtext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetb\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlc\\\":false,\\\"urlctext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetc\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"attribs\":\"{\\\"article_layout\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_titles\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_tags\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_associations\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_create_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_modify_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publish_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_item_navigation\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_icons\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_print_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_email_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_vote\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_hits\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_noauth\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urls_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"alternative_readmore\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"article_page_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publishing_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_article_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_backend\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_frontend\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"version\":1,\"ordering\":null,\"metakey\":\"\",\"metadesc\":\"\",\"access\":\"1\",\"hits\":null,\"metadata\":\"{\\\"robots\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"rights\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"xreference\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"featured\":\"1\",\"language\":\"*\",\"xreference\":\"\",\"note\":\"\"}',0),(3343,983,1,'','2022-01-14 15:10:50',873,11086,'f24b84fd3e3d10edc0988289afa3bae6b88c1f6d','{\"id\":983,\"asset_id\":1273,\"title\":\"BREAKING NEWS: Were Capitol Police Responsible for Officer Sicknick\\u2019s Death!? By\\u00a0Cara Castronuova\",\"alias\":\"breaking-news-were-capitol-police-responsible-for-officer-sicknick-s-death-by-cara-castronuova\",\"introtext\":\"<header class=\\\"entry-header\\\">\\r\\n<div class=\\\"article-sharing side floating fixed\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.facebook.com\\/sharer\\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2022%2F01%2Fbreaking-news-capitol-police-responsible-officer-sicknicks-death%2F%3Futm_source%3DFacebook%26utm_medium%3DPostSideSharingButtons%26utm_campaign%3Dwebsitesharingbuttons&amp;display=popup&amp;ref=plugin&amp;src=share_button\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\" class=\\\"facebook-share ea-share-count-button\\\">&nbsp;<span class=\\\"label\\\">Share<\\/span><\\/a><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/twitter.com\\/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2022%2F01%2Fbreaking-news-capitol-police-responsible-officer-sicknicks-death%2F%3Futm_source%3DTwitter%26utm_medium%3DPostSideSharingButtons%26utm_campaign%3Dwebsitesharingbuttons&amp;utm_medium%3DCTWebsite%26utm_source%3DTwitter%26utm_campaign%3Dsocial&amp;via=gatewaypundit&amp;text=BREAKING%20NEWS%3A%20Were%20Capitol%20Police%20Responsible%20for%20Officer%20Sicknick%27s%20Death%21%3F\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\" class=\\\"twitter-share ea-share-count-button\\\"><i class=\\\"icon-twitter\\\"><\\/i>&nbsp;<span class=\\\"label\\\">Tweet<\\/span><\\/a><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/gab.com\\/compose?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2022%2F01%2Fbreaking-news-capitol-police-responsible-officer-sicknicks-death%2F%3Futm_source%3DGab%26utm_medium%3DPostSideSharingButtons%26utm_campaign%3Dwebsitesharingbuttons&amp;text=BREAKING%20NEWS%3A%20Were%20Capitol%20Police%20Responsible%20for%20Officer%20Sicknick%27s%20Death%21%3F\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\" class=\\\"gab-share ea-share-count-button\\\"><span class=\\\"label-tablet\\\">Gab Share<\\/span><\\/a><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/t.me\\/share\\/url?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2022%2F01%2Fbreaking-news-capitol-police-responsible-officer-sicknicks-death%2F%3Futm_source%3DTelegram%26utm_medium%3DPostSideSharingButtons%26utm_campaign%3Dwebsitesharingbuttons&amp;text=BREAKING%20NEWS%3A%20Were%20Capitol%20Police%20Responsible%20for%20Officer%20Sicknick%27s%20Death%21%3F\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\" class=\\\"telegram-share ea-share-count-button\\\"><img src=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.thegatewaypundit.com\\/wp-content\\/themes\\/firefly\\/assets\\/images\\/telegram-icon.svg\\\" alt=\\\"Telegram\\\" class=\\\"icon-telegram\\\" \\/><span class=\\\"label\\\">Telegram<\\/span><\\/a><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/app.clouthub.com\\/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2022%2F01%2Fbreaking-news-capitol-police-responsible-officer-sicknicks-death%2F%3Futm_source%3DClouthub%26utm_medium%3DPostSideSharingButtons%26utm_campaign%3Dwebsitesharingbuttons&amp;text=BREAKING%20NEWS%3A%20Were%20Capitol%20Police%20Responsible%20for%20Officer%20Sicknick%27s%20Death%21%3F\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\" class=\\\"clouthub-share ea-share-count-button\\\"><img src=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.thegatewaypundit.com\\/wp-content\\/themes\\/firefly\\/assets\\/images\\/clouthub-icon.png\\\" alt=\\\"Clouthub\\\" class=\\\"icon-clouthub\\\" \\/><span class=\\\"label\\\">Share<\\/span><\\/a><a href=\\\"mailto:?subject=BREAKING%20NEWS%3A%20Were%20Capitol%20Police%20Responsible%20for%20Officer%20Sicknick%27s%20Death%21%3F&amp;body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2022%2F01%2Fbreaking-news-capitol-police-responsible-officer-sicknicks-death%2F\\\" target=\\\"_top\\\" class=\\\"email-share\\\" data-nonce=\\\"98470af04d\\\" data-postid=\\\"689273\\\"><i class=\\\"icon-email\\\"><\\/i>&nbsp;<span class=\\\"label\\\">Email<\\/span><\\/a>\\r\\n<div id=\\\"a2a_container\\\" class=\\\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 a2a_default_style\\\">&nbsp;<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<h1 class=\\\"entry-title\\\">BREAKING NEWS: Were Capitol Police Responsible for Officer Sicknick\\u2019s Death!?<\\/h1>\\r\\n<div class=\\\"entry-meta\\\">\\r\\n<div class=\\\"entry-meta-text\\\">By&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.thegatewaypundit.com\\/author\\/carac\\/\\\" data-type=\\\"Internal link\\\" data-type-location=\\\"before-article-meta\\\">Cara Castronuova<\\/a><br \\/>Published January 13, 2022 at 3:44pm<br \\/><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.thegatewaypundit.com\\/2022\\/01\\/breaking-news-capitol-police-responsible-officer-sicknicks-death\\/#insticator-commenting\\\" class=\\\"post-comments entry-comment-count-article\\\">Comment<\\/a><\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/header>\\r\\n<div class=\\\"article-sharing top\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.facebook.com\\/sharer\\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2022%2F01%2Fbreaking-news-capitol-police-responsible-officer-sicknicks-death%2F%3Futm_source%3DFacebook%26utm_medium%3DPostTopSharingButtons%26utm_campaign%3Dwebsitesharingbuttons&amp;display=popup&amp;ref=plugin&amp;src=share_button\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\" class=\\\"facebook-share ea-share-count-button\\\"><i class=\\\"icon-facebook\\\"><\\/i><span class=\\\"label\\\">Share<\\/span><\\/a><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/twitter.com\\/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2022%2F01%2Fbreaking-news-capitol-police-responsible-officer-sicknicks-death%2F%3Futm_source%3DTwitter%26utm_medium%3DPostTopSharingButtons%26utm_campaign%3Dwebsitesharingbuttons&amp;utm_medium%3DCTWebsite%26utm_source%3DTwitter%26utm_campaign%3Dsocial&amp;via=gatewaypundit&amp;text=BREAKING%20NEWS%3A%20Were%20Capitol%20Police%20Responsible%20for%20Officer%20Sicknick%27s%20Death%21%3F\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\" class=\\\"twitter-share ea-share-count-button\\\"><i class=\\\"icon-twitter\\\"><\\/i><span class=\\\"label\\\">Tweet<\\/span><\\/a><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/gab.com\\/compose?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2022%2F01%2Fbreaking-news-capitol-police-responsible-officer-sicknicks-death%2F%3Futm_source%3DGab%26utm_medium%3DPostTopSharingButtons%26utm_campaign%3Dwebsitesharingbuttons&amp;text=BREAKING%20NEWS%3A%20Were%20Capitol%20Police%20Responsible%20for%20Officer%20Sicknick%27s%20Death%21%3F\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\" class=\\\"gab-share ea-share-count-button\\\"><span class=\\\"label-tablet\\\">Gab Share<\\/span><\\/a><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/t.me\\/share\\/url?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2022%2F01%2Fbreaking-news-capitol-police-responsible-officer-sicknicks-death%2F%3Futm_source%3DTelegram%26utm_medium%3DPostTopSharingButtons%26utm_campaign%3Dwebsitesharingbuttons&amp;text=BREAKING%20NEWS%3A%20Were%20Capitol%20Police%20Responsible%20for%20Officer%20Sicknick%27s%20Death%21%3F\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\" class=\\\"telegram-share ea-share-count-button\\\"><img src=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.thegatewaypundit.com\\/wp-content\\/themes\\/firefly\\/assets\\/images\\/telegram-icon.svg\\\" alt=\\\"Telegram\\\" class=\\\"icon-telegram\\\" \\/><span class=\\\"label\\\">Telegram<\\/span><\\/a><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/app.clouthub.com\\/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2022%2F01%2Fbreaking-news-capitol-police-responsible-officer-sicknicks-death%2F%3Futm_source%3DClouthub%26utm_medium%3DPostTopSharingButtons%26utm_campaign%3Dwebsitesharingbuttons&amp;text=BREAKING%20NEWS%3A%20Were%20Capitol%20Police%20Responsible%20for%20Officer%20Sicknick%27s%20Death%21%3F\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\" class=\\\"clouthub-share ea-share-count-button\\\"><img src=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.thegatewaypundit.com\\/wp-content\\/themes\\/firefly\\/assets\\/images\\/clouthub-icon.png\\\" alt=\\\"Clouthub\\\" class=\\\"icon-clouthub\\\" \\/><span class=\\\"label\\\">Share<\\/span><\\/a><a href=\\\"mailto:?subject=BREAKING%20NEWS%3A%20Were%20Capitol%20Police%20Responsible%20for%20Officer%20Sicknick%27s%20Death%21%3F&amp;body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2022%2F01%2Fbreaking-news-capitol-police-responsible-officer-sicknicks-death%2F\\\" target=\\\"_top\\\" class=\\\"email-share\\\" data-nonce=\\\"98470af04d\\\" data-postid=\\\"689273\\\"><i class=\\\"icon-email\\\"><\\/i><\\/a>\\r\\n<div id=\\\"a2a_container\\\" class=\\\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 a2a_default_style\\\">&nbsp;<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<div class=\\\"entry-content\\\">\\r\\n<p>Guest post by Tayler Hansen<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em><strong>Two shocking eye-witness accounts corroborate something worse than we could have ever imagined. The Capitol Police appear to not only be responsible for the death of multiple protesters (which they lied about) but also for the death of a fellow officer, Brian Sicknick.<\\/strong><\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<div class=\\\"captioned-image-container\\\">\\r\\n<figure style=\\\"text-align: left;\\\">\\r\\n<div class=\\\"wp-caption aligncenter\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/cdn.substack.com\\/image\\/fetch\\/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\\/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3b43c1e9-156d-455c-8dd6-e48b9693a492_600x750.jpeg\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow noopener\\\" class=\\\"image-link image2 image2-223-178\\\"><img src=\\\"https:\\/\\/cdn.substack.com\\/image\\/fetch\\/w_1100,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\\/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3b43c1e9-156d-455c-8dd6-e48b9693a492_600x750.jpeg\\\" alt=\\\"\\\" width=\\\"160\\\" height=\\\"200\\\" class=\\\"sizing-default\\\" loading=\\\"lazy\\\" data-attrs=\\\"{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;&lt;a href=\\\" bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984=\\\"\\\" 3b43c1e9-156d-455c-8dd6-e48b9693a492_600x750=\\\"\\\" \\/><\\/a>\\r\\n<p class=\\\"wp-caption-text\\\">New Details Emerge Regarding the death of Officer Sicknick of the Capitol Police.<\\/p>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/figure>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\",\"fulltext\":\"\",\"state\":1,\"catid\":\"93\",\"created\":\"2022-01-14 15:10:50\",\"created_by\":\"873\",\"created_by_alias\":\"\",\"modified\":\"2022-01-14 15:10:50\",\"modified_by\":null,\"checked_out\":null,\"checked_out_time\":null,\"publish_up\":\"2022-01-14 15:10:50\",\"publish_down\":\"0000-00-00 00:00:00\",\"images\":\"{\\\"image_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_caption\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_caption\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"urls\":\"{\\\"urla\\\":false,\\\"urlatext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targeta\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlb\\\":false,\\\"urlbtext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetb\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlc\\\":false,\\\"urlctext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetc\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"attribs\":\"{\\\"article_layout\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_titles\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_tags\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_associations\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_create_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_modify_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publish_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_item_navigation\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_icons\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_print_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_email_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_vote\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_hits\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_noauth\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urls_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"alternative_readmore\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"article_page_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publishing_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_article_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_backend\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_frontend\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"version\":1,\"ordering\":null,\"metakey\":\"\",\"metadesc\":\"\",\"access\":\"1\",\"hits\":null,\"metadata\":\"{\\\"robots\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"rights\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"xreference\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"featured\":\"0\",\"language\":\"*\",\"xreference\":\"\",\"note\":\"\"}',0),(3344,983,1,'','2022-01-14 15:11:58',873,9344,'2ae3e135db0a889e4c9655c4225675be9080bdb5','{\"id\":983,\"asset_id\":\"1273\",\"title\":\"BREAKING NEWS: Were Capitol Police Responsible for Officer Sicknick\\u2019s Death!? By\\u00a0Cara Castronuova\",\"alias\":\"breaking-news-were-capitol-police-responsible-for-officer-sicknick-s-death-by-cara-castronuova\",\"introtext\":\"<header class=\\\"entry-header\\\">\\r\\n<div class=\\\"article-sharing side floating fixed\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.facebook.com\\/sharer\\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2022%2F01%2Fbreaking-news-capitol-police-responsible-officer-sicknicks-death%2F%3Futm_source%3DFacebook%26utm_medium%3DPostSideSharingButtons%26utm_campaign%3Dwebsitesharingbuttons&amp;display=popup&amp;ref=plugin&amp;src=share_button\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\" class=\\\"facebook-share ea-share-count-button\\\">&nbsp;<span class=\\\"label\\\">Share<\\/span><\\/a><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/twitter.com\\/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2022%2F01%2Fbreaking-news-capitol-police-responsible-officer-sicknicks-death%2F%3Futm_source%3DTwitter%26utm_medium%3DPostSideSharingButtons%26utm_campaign%3Dwebsitesharingbuttons&amp;utm_medium%3DCTWebsite%26utm_source%3DTwitter%26utm_campaign%3Dsocial&amp;via=gatewaypundit&amp;text=BREAKING%20NEWS%3A%20Were%20Capitol%20Police%20Responsible%20for%20Officer%20Sicknick%27s%20Death%21%3F\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\" class=\\\"twitter-share ea-share-count-button\\\"><i class=\\\"icon-twitter\\\"><\\/i>&nbsp;<span class=\\\"label\\\">Tweet<\\/span><\\/a><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/gab.com\\/compose?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2022%2F01%2Fbreaking-news-capitol-police-responsible-officer-sicknicks-death%2F%3Futm_source%3DGab%26utm_medium%3DPostSideSharingButtons%26utm_campaign%3Dwebsitesharingbuttons&amp;text=BREAKING%20NEWS%3A%20Were%20Capitol%20Police%20Responsible%20for%20Officer%20Sicknick%27s%20Death%21%3F\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\" class=\\\"gab-share ea-share-count-button\\\"><span class=\\\"label-tablet\\\">Gab Share<\\/span><\\/a><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/t.me\\/share\\/url?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2022%2F01%2Fbreaking-news-capitol-police-responsible-officer-sicknicks-death%2F%3Futm_source%3DTelegram%26utm_medium%3DPostSideSharingButtons%26utm_campaign%3Dwebsitesharingbuttons&amp;text=BREAKING%20NEWS%3A%20Were%20Capitol%20Police%20Responsible%20for%20Officer%20Sicknick%27s%20Death%21%3F\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\" class=\\\"telegram-share ea-share-count-button\\\"><img src=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.thegatewaypundit.com\\/wp-content\\/themes\\/firefly\\/assets\\/images\\/telegram-icon.svg\\\" alt=\\\"Telegram\\\" class=\\\"icon-telegram\\\" \\/><span class=\\\"label\\\">Telegram<\\/span><\\/a><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/app.clouthub.com\\/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2022%2F01%2Fbreaking-news-capitol-police-responsible-officer-sicknicks-death%2F%3Futm_source%3DClouthub%26utm_medium%3DPostSideSharingButtons%26utm_campaign%3Dwebsitesharingbuttons&amp;text=BREAKING%20NEWS%3A%20Were%20Capitol%20Police%20Responsible%20for%20Officer%20Sicknick%27s%20Death%21%3F\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\" class=\\\"clouthub-share ea-share-count-button\\\"><img src=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.thegatewaypundit.com\\/wp-content\\/themes\\/firefly\\/assets\\/images\\/clouthub-icon.png\\\" alt=\\\"Clouthub\\\" class=\\\"icon-clouthub\\\" \\/><span class=\\\"label\\\">Share<\\/span><\\/a><a href=\\\"mailto:?subject=BREAKING%20NEWS%3A%20Were%20Capitol%20Police%20Responsible%20for%20Officer%20Sicknick%27s%20Death%21%3F&amp;body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2022%2F01%2Fbreaking-news-capitol-police-responsible-officer-sicknicks-death%2F\\\" target=\\\"_top\\\" class=\\\"email-share\\\" data-nonce=\\\"98470af04d\\\" data-postid=\\\"689273\\\"><i class=\\\"icon-email\\\"><\\/i>&nbsp;<span class=\\\"label\\\">Email<\\/span><\\/a>\\r\\n<div id=\\\"a2a_container\\\" class=\\\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 a2a_default_style\\\">&nbsp;<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<h1 class=\\\"entry-title\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.thegatewaypundit.com\\/2022\\/01\\/breaking-news-capitol-police-responsible-officer-sicknicks-death\\/\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\">BREAKING NEWS: Were Capitol Police Responsible for Officer Sicknick\\u2019s Death!?<\\/a><\\/h1>\\r\\n<div class=\\\"entry-meta\\\">\\r\\n<div class=\\\"entry-meta-text\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.thegatewaypundit.com\\/2022\\/01\\/breaking-news-capitol-police-responsible-officer-sicknicks-death\\/\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\">By&nbsp;Cara Castronuova<\\/a><br \\/><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.thegatewaypundit.com\\/2022\\/01\\/breaking-news-capitol-police-responsible-officer-sicknicks-death\\/\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\">Published January 13, 2022 at 3:44pm<\\/a><br \\/><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.thegatewaypundit.com\\/2022\\/01\\/breaking-news-capitol-police-responsible-officer-sicknicks-death\\/\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\">Comment<\\/a><\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/header>\\r\\n<div class=\\\"article-sharing top\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.thegatewaypundit.com\\/2022\\/01\\/breaking-news-capitol-police-responsible-officer-sicknicks-death\\/\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\"><i class=\\\"icon-facebook\\\"><\\/i><span class=\\\"label\\\">Share<\\/span><i class=\\\"icon-twitter\\\"><\\/i><span class=\\\"label\\\">Tweet<\\/span><span class=\\\"label-tablet\\\">Gab Share<\\/span><img src=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.thegatewaypundit.com\\/wp-content\\/themes\\/firefly\\/assets\\/images\\/telegram-icon.svg\\\" alt=\\\"Telegram\\\" class=\\\"icon-telegram\\\" \\/><span class=\\\"label\\\">Telegram<\\/span><img src=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.thegatewaypundit.com\\/wp-content\\/themes\\/firefly\\/assets\\/images\\/clouthub-icon.png\\\" alt=\\\"Clouthub\\\" class=\\\"icon-clouthub\\\" \\/><span class=\\\"label\\\">Share<\\/span><i class=\\\"icon-email\\\"><\\/i><\\/a>\\r\\n<div id=\\\"a2a_container\\\" class=\\\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 a2a_default_style\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.thegatewaypundit.com\\/2022\\/01\\/breaking-news-capitol-police-responsible-officer-sicknicks-death\\/\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\"><\\/a><\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<div class=\\\"entry-content\\\">\\r\\n<p><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.thegatewaypundit.com\\/2022\\/01\\/breaking-news-capitol-police-responsible-officer-sicknicks-death\\/\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\">Guest post by Tayler Hansen<\\/a><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.thegatewaypundit.com\\/2022\\/01\\/breaking-news-capitol-police-responsible-officer-sicknicks-death\\/\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\"><em><strong>Two shocking eye-witness accounts corroborate something worse than we could have ever imagined. The Capitol Police appear to not only be responsible for the death of multiple protesters (which they lied about) but also for the death of a fellow officer, Brian Sicknick.<\\/strong><\\/em><\\/a><\\/p>\\r\\n<div class=\\\"captioned-image-container\\\">\\r\\n<figure style=\\\"text-align: left;\\\">\\r\\n<div class=\\\"wp-caption aligncenter\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.thegatewaypundit.com\\/2022\\/01\\/breaking-news-capitol-police-responsible-officer-sicknicks-death\\/\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\"><img src=\\\"https:\\/\\/cdn.substack.com\\/image\\/fetch\\/w_1100,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\\/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3b43c1e9-156d-455c-8dd6-e48b9693a492_600x750.jpeg\\\" alt=\\\"\\\" width=\\\"160\\\" height=\\\"200\\\" class=\\\"sizing-default\\\" loading=\\\"lazy\\\" data-attrs=\\\"{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;&lt;a href=\\\" bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984=\\\"\\\" 3b43c1e9-156d-455c-8dd6-e48b9693a492_600x750=\\\"\\\" \\/><\\/a>\\r\\n<p class=\\\"wp-caption-text\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.thegatewaypundit.com\\/2022\\/01\\/breaking-news-capitol-police-responsible-officer-sicknicks-death\\/\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\">New Details Emerge Regarding the death of Officer Sicknick of the Capitol Police.<\\/a><\\/p>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/figure>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\",\"fulltext\":\"\",\"state\":1,\"catid\":\"93\",\"created\":\"2022-01-14 15:10:50\",\"created_by\":\"873\",\"created_by_alias\":\"\",\"modified\":\"2022-01-14 15:11:58\",\"modified_by\":\"873\",\"checked_out\":\"873\",\"checked_out_time\":\"2022-01-14 15:10:50\",\"publish_up\":\"2022-01-14 15:10:50\",\"publish_down\":\"0000-00-00 00:00:00\",\"images\":\"{\\\"image_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_caption\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_caption\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"urls\":\"{\\\"urla\\\":false,\\\"urlatext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targeta\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlb\\\":false,\\\"urlbtext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetb\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlc\\\":false,\\\"urlctext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetc\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"attribs\":\"{\\\"article_layout\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_titles\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_tags\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_associations\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_create_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_modify_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publish_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_item_navigation\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_icons\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_print_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_email_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_vote\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_hits\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_noauth\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urls_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"alternative_readmore\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"article_page_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publishing_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_article_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_backend\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_frontend\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"version\":2,\"ordering\":\"0\",\"metakey\":\"\",\"metadesc\":\"\",\"access\":\"1\",\"hits\":\"0\",\"metadata\":\"{\\\"robots\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"rights\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"xreference\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"featured\":\"0\",\"language\":\"*\",\"xreference\":\"\",\"note\":\"\"}',0),(3353,984,1,'','2022-01-15 15:41:08',873,42389,'80fedc0f4a160bce39e43386d0488076c8317441','{\"id\":984,\"asset_id\":\"1274\",\"title\":\"Don\\u2019t just do something, stand\\u00a0there! - DR. MALCOLM KENDRICK\",\"alias\":\"don-t-just-do-something-stand-there-dr-malcolm-kendrick\",\"introtext\":\"<h3>AUTHOR ARCHIVES:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/drmalcolmkendrick.org\\/author\\/drmalcolmkendrick\\/\\\">DR. MALCOLM KENDRICK<\\/a><\\/h3>\\r\\n<h3>About Dr. Malcolm Kendrick<\\/h3>\\r\\n<p>Malcolm Kendrick is a Scottish doctor and author of The Great Cholesterol Con (2008). He has been a general practitioner for 25 years<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/drmalcolmkendrick.org\\/2022\\/01\\/14\\/dont-just-do-something-stand-there\\/\\\">Don\\u2019t just do something, stand&nbsp;there!<\\/a> <a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/drmalcolmkendrick.org\\/2022\\/01\\/14\\/dont-just-do-something-stand-there\\/#comments\\\">106 Replies<\\/a><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>14th January 2022<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>DR. MALCOLM KENDRICK<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>A few months ago, I resolved not to write anything more about COVID19. I was having zero apparent effect on anything, or anybody, and I was just getting increasingly despondent at the destruction of science, debate, logic, humanity, personal freedoms \\u2026 life.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>However, my New Years resolution was to not have any more resolutions. Which lead to an almost inescapable logic loop from which I have only just managed to extricate myself.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In truth, I believe that I still have a few things left to say about COVID19 that may be useful in stopping some of the most egregious nonsense being repeated. [Fat chance, says the little man on my shoulder].<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What I am about to write, I have written about before, in various different guises. However, I think it is worth going back over some old ground again. Hopefully in a more effective manner.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In this blog what I want to do is to look at how we think about a few things, primarily in medicine, and medical science. To try and highlight how some repeated flaws in thought have influenced the reaction to COVID19.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>I hope that by doing this, it may help to prevent some us travelling down the terribly well-worn \\u2018<em>paths of pointlessness\\u2019 <\\/em>again. Or, at least, to get people to stop and question<em> how<\\/em> they are thinking, before throwing themselves into the fray.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>To begin.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What I saw happening with COVID19 is a pattern that repeats in medicine over and over again:<\\/p>\\r\\n<ul>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">We have a serious illness - <em>panic<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Something must be done \\u2013 <em>grab the pitchforks, run about screaming<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">An influential person, or organisation, grabs the initiative \\u2013 \\u2018<em>\\u2018experts\\u2019 move in.\\u2019<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">I\\/We know what to do, you must follow me\\/us \\u2013 <em>simple idea +<\\/em> <em>soothing<\\/em> <em>paternalism<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Frightened people latch onto their ideas \\u2013 <em>two legs good, four legs bad<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">A path is chosen \\u2013 <em>along the side of a cliff<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Momentum builds \\u2013 <em>the unstoppable charge of the light brigade<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Those who object to the path taken are crushed - <em>1984<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<\\/ul>\\r\\n<p>Fast forward a few decades\\u2026 \\u2018<em>Oh, it seems that the thing we always do as standard medical practice\\u2026 Turns out it does more harm than good<\\/em>.\\u2019 See under: removal of toxic colon, the radical mastectomy, strict bed rest following a heart attack, cutting teeth, use of radium water, plombage, mercury for syphilis, pre-frontal lobotomy etc.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Of course, this pattern is not true of every medical intervention, not by any manner of means. Sometimes the influential person, or organisation, promotes the best course of action. This has been known to happen from time to time\\u2026 believe it or not. In addition, medical practice does eventually auto-correct \\u2013 and ends up doing the right thing. Almost always. We no longer remove toxic colons to cure female neurosis.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>But what never, ever, seems to happen is OODA. Defined as \\u2018<em>a practical concept designed to function as the foundation of rational thinking in confusing or chaotic situation\\u2019<\\/em>.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>OODA stands for. \\u2018<em>Observe, Orient, Decide Act<\\/em>.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>It was developed by the Air Force Colonel, John Boyd.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What John Boyd taught was simple. If you don\\u2019t know what is going on, do <em>not<\\/em> make immediate decisions. First, work out what is happening, then orientate yourself \\u2013 before you decide what to do. That way you avoid most, if not all, stupid mistakes. For many years, without knowing anything of OODA my own medical strategy has tended towards \\u2018<em>don\\u2019t just do something, stand there.<\\/em>\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Unfortunately, the medical profession has always battled ferociously against doing nothing. It has always greatly favoured the \\u2018<em>You must do something, anything, I don\\u2019t care what it is so long as it sounds like a good idea<\\/em>. <em>Chaaarge!<\\/em>\\u2019 Strategy.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This, the \\u2018<em>do something strategy\\u2019<\\/em>, has always proven far more seductive, and almost always wins. It is easier to attract followers to do something, than to than to do nothing. Why not whack a hole in the skull and split the brain apart to cure various mental diseases? Why not... indeed. Ah yes, the good old pre-frontal lobotomy.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><strong>A.N. Other doctor:<\\/strong> <em>\\u2018If you do nothing people will surely die. You cannot just stand there doing nothing.<\\/em>\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><strong>Me:<\\/strong> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \\u2018<em>But what if those things we do end up causing more damage, or killing more people?\\u2019<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Many years ago, my father said to me. \\u2018<em>You will always be blamed for failures of omission, rath than commission.<\\/em>\\u2019 At the time I was young, &nbsp;I knew everything, and thought he was talking rubbish. In truth I didn\\u2019t really understand his point. Now that I know that\\u2026 I know nothing, I fully understand how profound his comment was. I wish I had listened to him more.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yes, doing something will always be looked on in a positive light. Effort has been made, decisions have been taken, activity carried out. In medicine this is reflected in a comment that I have had directed at me, from time to time. \\u2018<em>At least you tried, doctor<\\/em>.\\u2019 Well, seeing as they are now dead, my efforts achieved very little. But thanks anyway.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In addition, if you do nothing, you can be accused of laziness, of being uncaring. You just stood there and watched them suffer, even die. You cruel swine. I see this overwhelming urge to do something, anything, in the person who cannot swim, jumping into a river to try and save their dog from drowning.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What exactly did they think they were going to achieve? Oh well, at least they tried, you may say. No\\u2026 they were stupid. They drowned along with their dog. But who can stand on the riverbank watching their dog die?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Well, me, actually.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This also moves into the area of survival guilt. How am I still alive when others have died? Better to die trying than to have done nothing? It all further wraps round into it the almost irresistible urge to be seen to be doing something. I think it is hard-wired into our psyche. We must fight to protect those in our tribe and be seen to be doing it. Chop, chop, busy, busy, work, work, bang, bang <sup>1<\\/sup>. &nbsp;<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>I am, however, reminded of the philosophy behind recruitment to the German army in the good old days \\u2013 as recounted to me. Men were divided in to four categories:<\\/p>\\r\\n<ul>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Intelligent and lazy<\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Intelligent and hardworking<\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Stupid and lazy<\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Stupid and hardworking<\\/li>\\r\\n<\\/ul>\\r\\n<p>At which point<\\/p>\\r\\n<ul>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Intelligent and lazy men were taken for officer training<\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Intelligent and hardworking men were turned into NCOs (non-commissioned officers)<\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Stupid and lazy men became privates \\u2013 squaddies, to use the UK vernacular<\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Those who were both stupid, and hardworking, were taken out and shot, before they could do too much damage<\\/li>\\r\\n<\\/ul>\\r\\n<p>Doing things, doing things, doing things. We place great value on it. Too much.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As Kurt Vonnegut Jnr noted in Cat\\u2019s Cradle:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u201cWe do, doodley do, doodley do, doodely do,<\\/em><br \\/> <em>What we must, muddily must, muddily must, muddily must;<\\/em><br \\/> <em>Muddily do, muddily do, muddily do, muddily do,<\\/em><br \\/> <em>Until we bust, bodily bust, bodily bust, bodily bust.\\u201d<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Of course, if there are things to be done, they should be done. But that does not mean we should rush around doing stuff, just because it seems better than doing nothing. Here is what Vinay Prasad has to say in his blog \\u2018<em>Will science do better post COVID19?\\u2019<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u2018When faced with a pandemic, we re-treated to all the old delusions. Bioplausibilty was sacrosanct\\u2014 that\\u2019s why #maskswork! We can\\u2019t run RCTs\\u2014 these are parachutes. <\\/em><strong><em>Doing something is always better than doing nothing!<\\/em><\\/strong><em> More is better than less! Keep boosting, young man!! Newer is better than older. Disease bad; treatments good. Bad people (John Ioannidis) are always wrong (never mind, that a year ago we all thought he was brilliant).\\u2019<\\/em> <sup>2<\\/sup><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The additional problem with doing things is that, once you have started doing them, it becomes damned difficult to stop again. After you have decided to blow four hundred billion pounds on lockdown, or thereabouts, then you are pretty much stuck with it. Or else, you are going to look pretty stupid. \\u2018<em>Sorry, ahem, I seem to have wasted a teensy bit of money<\\/em>. <em>Sorry, my mistake.<\\/em>\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>If everyone is ordered to wear a mask, on pain of death, you are stuck with that too. Back pedalling from instant decisions is very, very, difficult. For the scientists and politicians involved you cannot be seen to have been wrong. Reputations <em>must<\\/em> be protected.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>At which point, vast amounts of time and effort are expended in trying to batter down anyone who dares to suggest that we rushed into doing things that were completely pointless, even damaging. Science then becomes twisted and bent to justify the errors made. Those in power must retain power. The narrative must be supported:<\\/p>\\r\\n<ul>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">COVID19 is really, really deadly<\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Lockdowns really, really, work<\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Masks really, really, work<\\/li>\\r\\n<\\/ul>\\r\\n<p>If you question these narratives, people will demand an answer to this rhetorical question. Do you want people to die! (That\\u2019s always an effective weapon). The correct answer to this question by the way, is usually no \\u2013 although I am willing to make exceptions.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The other terrible flaw in thinking here, especially in medicine, was also mentioned by Vinay Prasad. It is Bioplausibility. Often closely associated with fast thinking a.k.a. jumping to conclusions, because they just seem right.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Masks, indeed, must surely work. Because? Because they prevent the virus from spreading. In fact, masks represent an almost perfect example of bioplausibility a.k.a. sheer common sense. No-one can argue against using them. If you do, your arguments must be pure sophistry, or simply nonsense. <em>\\u2019You do not understand science<\\/em>.\\u2019 That\\u2019s a good one, I get that a lot.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u2018I think you will find it is not I that fails to understand science.\\u2019<\\/em> I think to myself. But I don\\u2019t say it, because it makes you sound like a prat.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Let me remind you of a time when, after a heart attack you had to rest in bed doing nothing for six weeks. The heart has been damaged and must be given a chance to rest. Yes, perfect Bioplausibility, believed by virtually everyone. To question it was to be cast into the outer darkness.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>It is now known that the worst thing you can possibly do is to enforce strict bed rest post heart attack. This advice, in place from 1912 to about 1960(ish), killed tens of millions. Maybe hundreds of millions.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As for masks - the sort of masks worn by almost everyone.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u2018The use of cloth facemasks in community settings has become an accepted public policy response to decrease disease transmission during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet evidence of facemask efficacy is based primarily on observational studies that are subject to confounding and on mechanistic studies that rely on surrogate endpoints (such as droplet dispersion) as proxies for disease transmission. <\\/em><strong><em>The available clinical evidence of facemask efficacy is of low quality and the best available clinical evidence has mostly failed to show efficacy<\\/em><\\/strong><em>, with fourteen of sixteen identified randomized controlled trials comparing face masks to no mask controls failing to find statistically significant benefit in the intent\\u2010\\u200bto\\u2010\\u200btreat populations. Of sixteen quantitative meta\\u2010\\u200banalyses, eight were equivocal or critical as to whether evidence supports a public recommendation of masks, and the remaining eight supported a public mask intervention on limited evidence primarily on the basis of the precautionary principle. <\\/em><strong><em>Although weak evidence should not preclude precautionary actions in the face of unprecedented events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, ethical principles require that the strength of the evidence and best estimates of amount of benefit be truthfully communicated to the public.<\\/em>\\u2019<\\/strong><sup>3<\\/sup><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>How can masks possibly fail to work?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Well, unfortunately, our brains work one way, and the world often works in quite another way. As does, therefore, science. For centuries people thought that heavier than air flight would only be possible if you flapped things that looked very like wings. Why, because birds and bats were the only flying things people had ever seen flying [apart from lemmings] and they mostly flapped about like mad \\u2013 using wings.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Except that, if you looked closely, they didn\\u2019t \\u2013 not really. If you thought flapping was the key to flight, you were not really looking. An albatross can stay aloft for hours, gliding above the waves, using the wind and updrafts, and barely moving its wings at all.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yet, and yet, no-one was able to see this. When I say \\u2018see\\u2019 this I mean \\u2013 look beyond the obvious, in your face, flappy stuff. Observe properly, deeply, to really understand what you are looking at \\u2013 in this case aerodynamics. Eventually, of course, some people did. Et voila, the Wright Brothers.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>With masks\\u2026 Yes, it is both true, and self-evident, that a mask stops droplets being catapulted across a room after a cough or sneeze, or suchlike. So, they must stop spread\\u2026mustn\\u2019t they? I mean, you can even see it working in slow motion videos. A man coughs in London, virus ends up in New York \\u2013 or something. Ah, the dreaded Bioplausibility\\u2026 that can also be visualised. Double bubble.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>But a mask can also turn droplets into an aerosol by breaking the droplet down into far smaller particles. Particles will float in the air for longer, and thus be inhaled for longer. Possibly, probably<sup>4<\\/sup>. You didn\\u2019t think of that, did you?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>A mask can also become damp and keep viral particles viable for longer. Once discarded \\u2013 as many masks are \\u2013 they represent receptacles for viruses and can spread disease when picked up. What happens when masks are used and used, and re-used? As they often are. Superspreading here we come. Blowing viral particles out of a wet mask.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As a wise man also said. Using cloth masks to prevent viral spread it like trying to pick up sand with a tennis racket. Virus particle size \\u2018x\\u2019. Holes in mask size 1000x.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>A mask can also mean that people stand closer to each other than they otherwise would. A mask may, simply, never had had a chance to work at all. After all, we breathe in and breathe out the same amount of air whilst wearing a mask than not.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>If there is virus in floating in the air, we are still going to breathe it in, and out. Masks do not stop us breathing, and the air has to come from somewhere. Unless masks act as a type of black hole, trapping, then transporting viral particles from here into another universe\\u2026 I\\u2019m not putting much money on that hypothesis.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Some months ago, I wrote about the last people to be infected with smallpox. In one hospital, in Germany, a patient with smallpox was being treated on the ground floor. The patient in the room above, and then the room above that, become infected. Which means that viral particles must have got out the window, drifted upwards and infected those above.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Which just gives you some idea of how few viral particles were needed to spread a disease that was, up to that time, not even believed to spread through the air. No droplets required.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Early on, with COVID19 it was noted that ferrets could be infected with the virus. So, researchers put one ferret in a cage, with another ferret above with a solid barrier between them. The one below was infected with COVD19.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The only route for COVID19 to travel from one ferret to the other was through a tube that bent through ninety degrees, bent again to go upwards through the barrier, then across, and back round through ninety degrees<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In essence, this tube was specifically designed to ensure that droplet spread was impossible. As droplets cannot go round corners, travel upwards, turn another ninety degrees\\u2026 and suchlike.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Despite this, all of the uninfected ferrets became, very rapidly, infected. Conclusion \\u2013 COVID19 can travel and infect through aerosol spread. Secondary conclusion \\u2013 masks cannot stop this. At least not the sort of masks that virtually everyone wears, and then re-uses.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Of course, there are masks that you can use to prevent the spread of viral particles. But they have to be airtight, they have to have filters. They are uncomfortable to wear for any length of time, and they need to be changed regularly. They also prevent a great deal of communication, as people hard of hearing will tell you. Oh yes, there are serious downsides to mask wearing.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>I only focus on masks here to make the point that masks appear totally \\u2018Bioplausible\\u2019. If, that is, you don\\u2019t think about all the issues too deeply. Also, getting everyone to wear masks represents doing \\u2018something.\\u2019 Doing something, especially something visible, is always better than doing nothing.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yes\\u2026 doing something, anything, and Bioplausibility. Two bear traps in human thought. Traps that seem impossible to eradicate.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>There is another, major trap, which is the urge to draw ourselves into tribes. Then attack and attempt destroy anyone who does not agree with us. Humiliate and silence. Turn the \\u2018other\\u2019 into someone with evil intent. I am not getting into this in any depth here. We have all seen too much of it. The terrible seductive pleasure of righteous anger. Which so easily flips into hatred.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As also mentioned by Vinay Prasad. <em>Bad people (John Ioannidis) are always wrong (never mind, that a year ago we all thought he was brilliant).\\u2019<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As we all know, it is not just Ioannidis who is attacked. Dare to breathe one word of caution about vaccines and you become <em>\\u2018dirty anti-vaxxer scum. You deserve to lose your job. Ha!\\u2019<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This is no way for humans to act towards each other. Crush debate, silence those who dare to think differently. Bring in the Spanish Inquisition a.k.a. fact checkers. All bought and paid for by those who have vested interests in obliterating the opposition, of course.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><strong>Question:<\\/strong> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When is a fact checker not a fact checker?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><strong>Answer:<\\/strong> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When they are called a fact checker. [Especially if they work for a company that used to begin with Face and ended in Book. Or Witterpedia]<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Also Meta\\u2026as in, I meta &nbsp;\\u2018n\\u2019 idiot - who think it\\u2019s okay to silence anyone they disagree with, and claim this is science. Spare me.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Anyway, what do we do next time? How do we do better? How do we think better? Well, I suppose that first of all you have to get those in power to accept that they made mistakes\\u2026. Ho hum.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Frankly, that ain\\u2019t going to happen. Therefore, we need new people in power. People who can understand that things are complicated. That the immediate Bioplausible and simplistic \\u2018answer\\u2019 is as likely to be wrong, as it is right. More likely in truth.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>We really need people to think better:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u2018We have a crisis in medicine when it comes to understanding and appraising science. We do not teach this explicitly in medical schools, and it gets short shrift to mechanistic science. Our overemphasis on molecular mechanisms fuels the cognitive distortion that a reductionistic view is superior to empiricism<\\/em>*\\u2019 <sup>2<\\/sup><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>*empiricism is the view that all concepts originate in experience, that all concepts are about or applicable to things that can be experienced, or that all rationally acceptable beliefs or propositions are justifiable or knowable only through experience.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Were there any examples of doing things better from which we could learn? In Sweden they did things differently \\u2013 at least from most of the rest of Europe. Anders Tegnell, the state epidemiologist (yes they have such a post) was the man who led the Swedish response. It was to bring in very few restrictions and make almost everything voluntary. Lockdown \\u2018lite\\u2019 if you like.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>He was ruthlessly attacked from all directions, but remained superficially calm. Although I imagine he felt most terribly bruised and battered inside. <em>TIME <\\/em>magazine ran a story about the Swedish response entitled <em>\\u2018The Swedish COVID-19 Response Is a Disaster. It Shouldn\\u2019t Be a Model for the Rest of the World.\\u2019<\\/em><sup>5<\\/sup><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You don\\u2019t really need to read the article. The title makes it entirely clear what tone was adopted, and also what the conclusion was going to be. Sweden = death and mayhem, run for the hills. Frankly, I am amazed that the Swedish Government held firm in supporting him.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>At one point even the Swedish King, Carl XVI Gustaf \\u2018<em>Gustaf - &nbsp;the eminent epidemiologist\\u2019<\\/em> as I believe he is also known - had a pop at poor old Anders. But the Government did support Tegnell\\u2019s light touch strategy \\u2013 mostly. They held their nerve.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What was Anders thinking, the mad mass murdering fool? As he calmly stated in the British Medical Journal, after COVID19 deaths in Sweden had settled into the lower half of European figures. Not as good as some, better than most:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u2026 <\\/em>there is still disagreement among scientists about which measures are effective against the spread of infection<em>. \\u201cThis is what we are still struggling to understand: some measures work in some places, but it is difficult to see patterns.\\u201d<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u201cCountries that went through lockdowns are not doing that much better,\\u201d<sup>6<\\/sup><\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yes, he is describing his OODA journey. Anders is still observing and attempting to orientate, but he cannot see what to do. He still believes that the evidence for severe lockdowns, and mask wearing, simply does not exist. To put it another way, he cannot yet decide what should be done. So, he isn\\u2019t doing it.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Good man. We need far more like Anders Tegnell, and less of those like the members of SAGE in the UK. Screaming blue bloody murder with threats of hundreds of thousands dying if WE DO NOT ACT NOW! The sky is falling, the sky is falling. OMCIRON will kill us all\\u2026 <em>all<\\/em> I tell ee\\u2019. Beware the black spot Cap\\u2019n.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>We also need more people to be sceptical. To look at the science and the evidence. We need, quite frankly, to learn to think... and grow up. Also, importantly, learn the incredibly difficult trick of doing nothing at all.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As they used to say in a UK advert. \\u2018<em>Nothing acts faster than Anadin<\\/em> (a painkiller)\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Solution\\u2026 take nothing<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>Nothing acts faster than a damn good lockdown<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Solution\\u2026do nothing<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Or, to quote the famous physician William Osler. \\u2018<em>One of the first duties of the physician is to educate the masses not to take medicine.\\u2019<\\/em> I shall now leave you with two things to consider. The first is an open letter, written by Professor Ehud Qimron, head of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Tel Aviv University and one of the leading Israeli immunologists:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><strong><em>Ministry of Health, it\\u2019s time to admit failure<\\/em><\\/strong><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>In the end, the truth will always be revealed, and the truth about the coronavirus policy is beginning to be revealed. When the destructive concepts collapse one by one, there is nothing left but to tell the experts who led the management of the pandemic \\u2013 we told you so.<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>Two years late, you finally realize that a respiratory virus cannot be defeated and that any such attempt is doomed to fail. You do not admit it, because you have admitted almost no mistake in the last two years, but in retrospect it is clear that you have failed miserably in almost all of your actions, and even the media is already having a hard time covering your shame.<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>You refused to admit that the infection comes in waves that fade by themselves, despite years of observations and scientific knowledge. You insisted on attributing every decline of a wave solely to your actions, and so through false propaganda \\u201cyou overcame the plague.\\u201d And again, you defeated it, and again and again and again.<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>You refused to admit that mass testing is ineffective, despite your own contingency plans explicitly stating so (\\u201cPandemic Influenza Health System Preparedness Plan, 2007\\u201d, p. 26).<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>You refused to admit that recovery is more protective than a vaccine, despite previous knowledge and observations showing that non-recovered vaccinated people are more likely to be infected than recovered people. You refused to admit that the vaccinated are contagious despite the observations. Based on this, you hoped to achieve herd immunity by vaccination \\u2014 and you failed in that as well.<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>You insisted on ignoring the fact that the disease is dozens of times more dangerous for risk groups and older adults, than for young people who are not in risk groups, despite the knowledge that came from China as early as 2020.<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>You refused to adopt the \\u201cBarrington Declaration\\u201d, signed by more than 60,000 scientists and medical professionals, or other common-sense programs. You chose to ridicule, slander, distort and discredit them. Instead of the right programs and people, you have chosen professionals who lack relevant training for pandemic management (physicists as chief government advisers, veterinarians, security officers, media personnel, and so on).<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>You have not set up an effective system for reporting side effects from the vaccines, and reports on side effects have even been deleted from your Facebook page. Doctors avoid linking side effects to the vaccine, lest you persecute them as you did with some of their colleagues. You have ignored many reports of changes in menstrual intensity and menstrual cycle times. You hid data that allows for objective and proper research (for example, you removed the data on passengers at Ben Gurion Airport). Instead, you chose to publish non-objective articles together with senior Pfizer executives on the effectiveness and safety of vaccines.<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>Irreversible damage to trust <\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>However, from the heights of your hubris, you have also ignored the fact that in the end the truth will be revealed. And it begins to be revealed. The truth is that you have brought the public\\u2019s trust in you to an unprecedented low, and you have eroded your status as a source of authority. The truth is that you have burned hundreds of billions of shekels to no avail \\u2013 for publishing intimidation, for ineffective tests, for destructive lockdowns and for disrupting the routine of life in the last two years.<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>You have destroyed the education of our children and their future. You made children feel guilty, scared, smoke, drink, get addicted, drop out, and quarrel, as school principals around the country attest. You have harmed livelihoods, the economy, human rights, mental health and physical health.<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>You slandered colleagues who did not surrender to you, you turned the people against each other, divided society and polarized the discourse. You branded, without any scientific basis, people who chose not to get vaccinated as enemies of the public and as spreaders of disease. You promote, in an unprecedented way, a draconian policy of discrimination, denial of rights and selection of people, including children, for their medical choice. A selection that lacks any epidemiological justification.<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>When you compare the destructive policies you are pursuing with the sane policies of some other countries \\u2014 you can clearly see that the destruction you have caused has only added victims beyond the vulnerable to the virus. The economy you ruined, the unemployed you caused, and the children whose education you destroyed \\u2014 they are the surplus victims as a result of your own actions only.<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>There is currently no medical emergency, but you have been cultivating such a condition for two years now because of lust for power, budgets and control. The only emergency now is that you still set policies and hold huge budgets for propaganda and psychological engineering instead of directing them to strengthen the health care system.<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>This emergency must stop!<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>Professor Udi Qimron, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University7<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>I suppose I should say that the opinions of Professor Udi Qimron are not necessarily those of the senior management of this blog. I, in exactly the same way as Google and Facebook (Sorry, Alphabet and Meta. \\u2018<em>As I was going to St Ives I meta man with seven wives\\u2019\\u2026 how many idiots were going to St Ives<\\/em>), and suchlike, am merely the repository for information, and articles. A warehouse if you like. I have no editorial control over content, so you cannot sue me for anything written.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Unfortunately, I am not rich enough to employ Fact Checkers and unleash them upon anyone who disagrees with me. Yet. You have been warned.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The second thing, that I shall leave you with, is the fact that doing nothing can be very rewarding, and sometimes pretty hard work. As outlined by this article in <em>The International Journal of Doing Very little<\\/em>:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018We\'re busy doin\' nothin\'<br \\/> Workin\' the whole day through<br \\/> Tryin\' to find lots of things not to do<br \\/> We\'re busy goin\' nowhere<br \\/> Isn\'t it just a crime<br \\/> We\'d like to be unhappy, but<br \\/> We never do have the time,\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018I have to watch the river<br \\/> To see that it doesn\'t stop<br \\/> And stick around the rosebuds<br \\/> So they\'ll know when to pop<br \\/> And keep the crickets cheerful<br \\/> They\'re really a solemn bunch<br \\/> Hustle, bustle<br \\/> And only an hour for lunch.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>La-la-la-la-la-la<br \\/> La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la<br \\/> La-la-la-la-la-la<br \\/> La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018We\'re busy doin\' nothin\'<br \\/> Workin\' the whole day through<br \\/> Tryin\' to find lots of things not to do<br \\/> We\'re busy goin\' nowhere<br \\/> Isn\'t it just a crime<br \\/> We\'d like to be unhappy, but<br \\/> We never do have the time.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018I have to wake the Sun up<br \\/> He\'s liable to sleep all day<br \\/> And then inspect the rainbows<br \\/> So they\'ll be bright and gay<br \\/> I must rehearse the songbirds<br \\/> To see that they sing in key<br \\/> Hustle, bustle<br \\/> And never a moment free.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018We\'re busy doin\' nothin\'<br \\/> Workin\' the whole day through<br \\/> Tryin\' to find lots of things not to do<br \\/> We\'re busy going nowhere<br \\/> Isn\'t it just a crime<br \\/> We\'d like to be unhappy, but<br \\/> We never do have the time.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018I have to meet a turtle<br \\/> I\'m teachin\' him how to swim<br \\/> Then I have to shine the dewdrops<br \\/> You know they\'re looking rather dim<br \\/> I told my friend, the robin<br \\/> I\'d buy him a brand-new vest<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Hustle, bustle<br \\/> We never do have<br \\/> We never do have<br \\/> We never do, never do<br \\/> Never do, never do, never do have the time<br \\/> Never do have the time.\\u2019<sup>8<\\/sup><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>And if that don\\u2019t cheer you up, nothing will. And follow my motto. \\u2018<em>Don\\u2019t just do something stand there\\u2026.<\\/em>\\u2019 Whilst observing and orientating of course. Think first, act later.<\\/p>\\r\\n<h3><span style=\\\"font-size: 13px; caret-color: auto;\\\">1: <\\/span><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D2bnWLTI-QmE&amp;data=04%7C01%7C%7C8082be9f2b3f4dfb3cc108d9d76a129c%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637777672870660179%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=%2BeH2kofejEcqvZj4JSRe95iFhCu3MgcgMdUKo08KMyg%3D&amp;reserved=0\\\" style=\\\"font-size: 13px;\\\"> <\\/a><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.youtube.com\\/watch?v=2bnWLTI-QmE\\\" style=\\\"font-size: 13px;\\\">https:\\/\\/www.youtube.com\\/watch?v=2bnWLTI-QmE<\\/a><\\/h3>\\r\\n<article id=\\\"post-10944\\\" class=\\\"post-10944 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-covid-19\\\"><header>\\r\\n<div class=\\\"post-content\\\">\\r\\n<div class=\\\"is-email\\\">\\r\\n<p>2: <a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fvinayprasadmdmph.substack.com%2Fp%2Fwill-science-do-a-better-post-covid19&amp;data=04%7C01%7C%7C8082be9f2b3f4dfb3cc108d9d76a129c%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637777672870660179%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=QXoia6k2PdLGaTBuWarkFYHN93yxgBWqUHk51Yr3VTI%3D&amp;reserved=0\\\"> <\\/a><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/vinayprasadmdmph.substack.com\\/p\\/will-science-do-a-better-post-covid19\\\">https:\\/\\/vinayprasadmdmph.substack.com\\/p\\/will-science-do-a-better-post-covid19<\\/a><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>3: <a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cato.org%2Fworking-paper%2Fevidence-community-cloth-face-masking-limit-spread-sars-cov-2-critical-review&amp;data=04%7C01%7C%7C8082be9f2b3f4dfb3cc108d9d76a129c%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637777672870660179%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=fVS%2FljBea8cVhXYkGHxwKsRfLEBt6nMENJPOPPS%2BxMU%3D&amp;reserved=0\\\"> <\\/a><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.cato.org\\/working-paper\\/evidence-community-cloth-face-masking-limit-spread-sars-cov-2-critical-review\\\">https:\\/\\/www.cato.org\\/working-paper\\/evidence-community-cloth-face-masking-limit-spread-sars-cov-2-critical-review<\\/a><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>4: <a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fs41598-020-72798-7&amp;data=04%7C01%7C%7C8082be9f2b3f4dfb3cc108d9d76a129c%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637777672870660179%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=CrwGgIoZCpAh5k0YIDr0fPVWsjXmMI14Hbjp4aEJ70o%3D&amp;reserved=0\\\"> <\\/a><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.nature.com\\/articles\\/s41598-020-72798-7\\\">https:\\/\\/www.nature.com\\/articles\\/s41598-020-72798-7<\\/a><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>5: <a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftime.com%2F5899432%2Fsweden-coronovirus-disaster%2F&amp;data=04%7C01%7C%7C8082be9f2b3f4dfb3cc108d9d76a129c%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637777672870660179%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=bdDRbtHKCEzkxi2zfc0Qiry6qvJFPGfWKpNXht1udQY%3D&amp;reserved=0\\\"> <\\/a><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/time.com\\/5899432\\/sweden-coronovirus-disaster\\/\\\">https:\\/\\/time.com\\/5899432\\/sweden-coronovirus-disaster\\/<\\/a><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>6: <a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bmj.com%2Fcontent%2F375%2Fbmj.n3081&amp;data=04%7C01%7C%7C8082be9f2b3f4dfb3cc108d9d76a129c%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637777672870660179%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=e50BEynzuXRYxJF867bggp7hN44EERC3ySNuHqjyVDI%3D&amp;reserved=0\\\"> <\\/a><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.bmj.com\\/content\\/375\\/bmj.n3081\\\">https:\\/\\/www.bmj.com\\/content\\/375\\/bmj.n3081<\\/a><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>7: <em><span style=\\\"text-decoration: underline;\\\">It\\u2019s an open letter you can go and find it yourself<\\/span><\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>8: <a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D1QxvPXK3Gv4&amp;data=04%7C01%7C%7C8082be9f2b3f4dfb3cc108d9d76a129c%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637777672870660179%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=H%2By5WyUrI%2B66mnl2z5lgDgljPSA%2F61nvKxbj%2BlvCjZw%3D&amp;reserved=0\\\"> <\\/a><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.youtube.com\\/watch?v=1QxvPXK3Gv4\\\">https:\\/\\/www.youtube.com\\/watch?v=1QxvPXK3Gv4<\\/a><\\/p>\\r\\n<strong><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrmalcolmkendrick.org%2Fauthor%2Fdrmalcolmkendrick%2F&amp;data=04%7C01%7C%7C8082be9f2b3f4dfb3cc108d9d76a129c%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637777672870660179%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=DwGIar4kf1RyVOccyQgo2Qplci7UmaPM9%2B8%2Bjvxe%2BMA%3D&amp;reserved=0\\\">Dr. Malcolm Kendrick<\\/a><\\/strong> | January 14, 2022 at 2:26 pm | Categories: <a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrmalcolmkendrick.org%2Fcategory%2Fcovid-19%2F&amp;data=04%7C01%7C%7C8082be9f2b3f4dfb3cc108d9d76a129c%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637777672870660179%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=qw2CP34T6qYwt9o4uDK1BdAv3KQVELhv1UouTgexVu0%3D&amp;reserved=0\\\"> COVID-19<\\/a> | URL: <a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwp.me%2Fp2i0Uz-2Qw&amp;data=04%7C01%7C%7C8082be9f2b3f4dfb3cc108d9d76a129c%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637777672870660179%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=0qZfk0RjUAcY22FXWHsLSnP0PzrnHzWRzwjnOJToWRQ%3D&amp;reserved=0\\\"> <\\/a><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/wp.me\\/p2i0Uz-2Qw\\\">https:\\/\\/wp.me\\/p2i0Uz-2Qw<\\/a><\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/header><\\/article>\",\"fulltext\":\"\",\"state\":1,\"catid\":\"59\",\"created\":\"2022-01-15 15:24:49\",\"created_by\":\"873\",\"created_by_alias\":\"\",\"modified\":\"2022-01-15 15:41:08\",\"modified_by\":\"873\",\"checked_out\":\"873\",\"checked_out_time\":\"2022-01-15 15:34:38\",\"publish_up\":\"2022-01-15 15:24:49\",\"publish_down\":\"0000-00-00 00:00:00\",\"images\":\"{\\\"image_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_caption\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_caption\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"urls\":\"{\\\"urla\\\":false,\\\"urlatext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targeta\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlb\\\":false,\\\"urlbtext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetb\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlc\\\":false,\\\"urlctext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetc\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"attribs\":\"{\\\"article_layout\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_titles\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_tags\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_associations\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_create_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_modify_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publish_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_item_navigation\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_icons\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_print_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_email_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_vote\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_hits\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_noauth\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urls_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"alternative_readmore\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"article_page_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publishing_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_article_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_backend\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_frontend\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"version\":9,\"ordering\":\"0\",\"metakey\":\"\",\"metadesc\":\"\",\"access\":\"1\",\"hits\":\"0\",\"metadata\":\"{\\\"robots\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"rights\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"xreference\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"featured\":\"1\",\"language\":\"*\",\"xreference\":\"\",\"note\":\"\"}',0),(3354,984,1,'','2022-01-15 15:42:57',873,42136,'959e3589c86831fef7dd8781aa206927a6e9b816','{\"id\":984,\"asset_id\":\"1274\",\"title\":\"Don\\u2019t just do something, stand\\u00a0there! - DR. MALCOLM KENDRICK\",\"alias\":\"don-t-just-do-something-stand-there-dr-malcolm-kendrick\",\"introtext\":\"<h3>AUTHOR ARCHIVES:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/drmalcolmkendrick.org\\/author\\/drmalcolmkendrick\\/\\\">DR. MALCOLM KENDRICK<\\/a><\\/h3>\\r\\n<h3>About Dr. Malcolm Kendrick<\\/h3>\\r\\n<p>Malcolm Kendrick is a Scottish doctor and author of The Great Cholesterol Con (2008). He has been a general practitioner for 25 years<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/drmalcolmkendrick.org\\/2022\\/01\\/14\\/dont-just-do-something-stand-there\\/\\\">Don\\u2019t just do something, stand&nbsp;there!<\\/a> <a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/drmalcolmkendrick.org\\/2022\\/01\\/14\\/dont-just-do-something-stand-there\\/#comments\\\">106 Replies<\\/a><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>14th January 2022<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>DR. MALCOLM KENDRICK<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>A few months ago, I resolved not to write anything more about COVID19. I was having zero apparent effect on anything, or anybody, and I was just getting increasingly despondent at the destruction of science, debate, logic, humanity, personal freedoms \\u2026 life.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>However, my New Years resolution was to not have any more resolutions. Which lead to an almost inescapable logic loop from which I have only just managed to extricate myself.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In truth, I believe that I still have a few things left to say about COVID19 that may be useful in stopping some of the most egregious nonsense being repeated. [Fat chance, says the little man on my shoulder].<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What I am about to write, I have written about before, in various different guises. However, I think it is worth going back over some old ground again. Hopefully in a more effective manner.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In this blog what I want to do is to look at how we think about a few things, primarily in medicine, and medical science. To try and highlight how some repeated flaws in thought have influenced the reaction to COVID19.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>I hope that by doing this, it may help to prevent some us travelling down the terribly well-worn \\u2018<em>paths of pointlessness\\u2019 <\\/em>again. Or, at least, to get people to stop and question<em> how<\\/em> they are thinking, before throwing themselves into the fray.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>To begin.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What I saw happening with COVID19 is a pattern that repeats in medicine over and over again:<\\/p>\\r\\n<ul>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">We have a serious illness - <em>panic<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Something must be done \\u2013 <em>grab the pitchforks, run about screaming<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">An influential person, or organisation, grabs the initiative \\u2013 \\u2018<em>\\u2018experts\\u2019 move in.\\u2019<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">I\\/We know what to do, you must follow me\\/us \\u2013 <em>simple idea +<\\/em> <em>soothing<\\/em> <em>paternalism<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Frightened people latch onto their ideas \\u2013 <em>two legs good, four legs bad<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">A path is chosen \\u2013 <em>along the side of a cliff<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Momentum builds \\u2013 <em>the unstoppable charge of the light brigade<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Those who object to the path taken are crushed - <em>1984<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<\\/ul>\\r\\n<p>Fast forward a few decades\\u2026 \\u2018<em>Oh, it seems that the thing we always do as standard medical practice\\u2026 Turns out it does more harm than good<\\/em>.\\u2019 See under: removal of toxic colon, the radical mastectomy, strict bed rest following a heart attack, cutting teeth, use of radium water, plombage, mercury for syphilis, pre-frontal lobotomy etc.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Of course, this pattern is not true of every medical intervention, not by any manner of means. Sometimes the influential person, or organisation, promotes the best course of action. This has been known to happen from time to time\\u2026 believe it or not. In addition, medical practice does eventually auto-correct \\u2013 and ends up doing the right thing. Almost always. We no longer remove toxic colons to cure female neurosis.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>But what never, ever, seems to happen is OODA. Defined as \\u2018<em>a practical concept designed to function as the foundation of rational thinking in confusing or chaotic situation\\u2019<\\/em>.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>OODA stands for. \\u2018<em>Observe, Orient, Decide Act<\\/em>.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>It was developed by the Air Force Colonel, John Boyd.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What John Boyd taught was simple. If you don\\u2019t know what is going on, do <em>not<\\/em> make immediate decisions. First, work out what is happening, then orientate yourself \\u2013 before you decide what to do. That way you avoid most, if not all, stupid mistakes. For many years, without knowing anything of OODA my own medical strategy has tended towards \\u2018<em>don\\u2019t just do something, stand there.<\\/em>\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Unfortunately, the medical profession has always battled ferociously against doing nothing. It has always greatly favoured the \\u2018<em>You must do something, anything, I don\\u2019t care what it is so long as it sounds like a good idea<\\/em>. <em>Chaaarge!<\\/em>\\u2019 Strategy.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This, the \\u2018<em>do something strategy\\u2019<\\/em>, has always proven far more seductive, and almost always wins. It is easier to attract followers to do something, than to than to do nothing. Why not whack a hole in the skull and split the brain apart to cure various mental diseases? Why not... indeed. Ah yes, the good old pre-frontal lobotomy.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><strong>A.N. Other doctor:<\\/strong> <em>\\u2018If you do nothing people will surely die. You cannot just stand there doing nothing.<\\/em>\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><strong>Me:<\\/strong> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \\u2018<em>But what if those things we do end up causing more damage, or killing more people?\\u2019<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Many years ago, my father said to me. \\u2018<em>You will always be blamed for failures of omission, rath than commission.<\\/em>\\u2019 At the time I was young, &nbsp;I knew everything, and thought he was talking rubbish. In truth I didn\\u2019t really understand his point. Now that I know that\\u2026 I know nothing, I fully understand how profound his comment was. I wish I had listened to him more.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yes, doing something will always be looked on in a positive light. Effort has been made, decisions have been taken, activity carried out. In medicine this is reflected in a comment that I have had directed at me, from time to time. \\u2018<em>At least you tried, doctor<\\/em>.\\u2019 Well, seeing as they are now dead, my efforts achieved very little. But thanks anyway.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In addition, if you do nothing, you can be accused of laziness, of being uncaring. You just stood there and watched them suffer, even die. You cruel swine. I see this overwhelming urge to do something, anything, in the person who cannot swim, jumping into a river to try and save their dog from drowning.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What exactly did they think they were going to achieve? Oh well, at least they tried, you may say. No\\u2026 they were stupid. They drowned along with their dog. But who can stand on the riverbank watching their dog die?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Well, me, actually.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This also moves into the area of survival guilt. How am I still alive when others have died? Better to die trying than to have done nothing? It all further wraps round into it the almost irresistible urge to be seen to be doing something. I think it is hard-wired into our psyche. We must fight to protect those in our tribe and be seen to be doing it. Chop, chop, busy, busy, work, work, bang, bang <sup>1<\\/sup>. &nbsp;<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>I am, however, reminded of the philosophy behind recruitment to the German army in the good old days \\u2013 as recounted to me. Men were divided in to four categories:<\\/p>\\r\\n<ul>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Intelligent and lazy<\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Intelligent and hardworking<\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Stupid and lazy<\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Stupid and hardworking<\\/li>\\r\\n<\\/ul>\\r\\n<p>At which point<\\/p>\\r\\n<ul>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Intelligent and lazy men were taken for officer training<\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Intelligent and hardworking men were turned into NCOs (non-commissioned officers)<\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Stupid and lazy men became privates \\u2013 squaddies, to use the UK vernacular<\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Those who were both stupid, and hardworking, were taken out and shot, before they could do too much damage<\\/li>\\r\\n<\\/ul>\\r\\n<p>Doing things, doing things, doing things. We place great value on it. Too much.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As Kurt Vonnegut Jnr noted in Cat\\u2019s Cradle:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u201cWe do, doodley do, doodley do, doodely do,<\\/em><br \\/> <em>What we must, muddily must, muddily must, muddily must;<\\/em><br \\/> <em>Muddily do, muddily do, muddily do, muddily do,<\\/em><br \\/> <em>Until we bust, bodily bust, bodily bust, bodily bust.\\u201d<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Of course, if there are things to be done, they should be done. But that does not mean we should rush around doing stuff, just because it seems better than doing nothing. Here is what Vinay Prasad has to say in his blog \\u2018<em>Will science do better post COVID19?\\u2019<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u2018When faced with a pandemic, we re-treated to all the old delusions. Bioplausibilty was sacrosanct\\u2014 that\\u2019s why #maskswork! We can\\u2019t run RCTs\\u2014 these are parachutes. <\\/em><strong><em>Doing something is always better than doing nothing!<\\/em><\\/strong><em> More is better than less! Keep boosting, young man!! Newer is better than older. Disease bad; treatments good. Bad people (John Ioannidis) are always wrong (never mind, that a year ago we all thought he was brilliant).\\u2019<\\/em> <sup>2<\\/sup><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The additional problem with doing things is that, once you have started doing them, it becomes damned difficult to stop again. After you have decided to blow four hundred billion pounds on lockdown, or thereabouts, then you are pretty much stuck with it. Or else, you are going to look pretty stupid. \\u2018<em>Sorry, ahem, I seem to have wasted a teensy bit of money<\\/em>. <em>Sorry, my mistake.<\\/em>\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>If everyone is ordered to wear a mask, on pain of death, you are stuck with that too. Back pedalling from instant decisions is very, very, difficult. For the scientists and politicians involved you cannot be seen to have been wrong. Reputations <em>must<\\/em> be protected.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>At which point, vast amounts of time and effort are expended in trying to batter down anyone who dares to suggest that we rushed into doing things that were completely pointless, even damaging. Science then becomes twisted and bent to justify the errors made. Those in power must retain power. The narrative must be supported:<\\/p>\\r\\n<ul>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">COVID19 is really, really deadly<\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Lockdowns really, really, work<\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Masks really, really, work<\\/li>\\r\\n<\\/ul>\\r\\n<p>If you question these narratives, people will demand an answer to this rhetorical question. Do you want people to die! (That\\u2019s always an effective weapon). The correct answer to this question by the way, is usually no \\u2013 although I am willing to make exceptions.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The other terrible flaw in thinking here, especially in medicine, was also mentioned by Vinay Prasad. It is Bioplausibility. Often closely associated with fast thinking a.k.a. jumping to conclusions, because they just seem right.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Masks, indeed, must surely work. Because? Because they prevent the virus from spreading. In fact, masks represent an almost perfect example of bioplausibility a.k.a. sheer common sense. No-one can argue against using them. If you do, your arguments must be pure sophistry, or simply nonsense. <em>\\u2019You do not understand science<\\/em>.\\u2019 That\\u2019s a good one, I get that a lot.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u2018I think you will find it is not I that fails to understand science.\\u2019<\\/em> I think to myself. But I don\\u2019t say it, because it makes you sound like a prat.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Let me remind you of a time when, after a heart attack you had to rest in bed doing nothing for six weeks. The heart has been damaged and must be given a chance to rest. Yes, perfect Bioplausibility, believed by virtually everyone. To question it was to be cast into the outer darkness.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>It is now known that the worst thing you can possibly do is to enforce strict bed rest post heart attack. This advice, in place from 1912 to about 1960(ish), killed tens of millions. Maybe hundreds of millions.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As for masks - the sort of masks worn by almost everyone.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u2018The use of cloth facemasks in community settings has become an accepted public policy response to decrease disease transmission during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet evidence of facemask efficacy is based primarily on observational studies that are subject to confounding and on mechanistic studies that rely on surrogate endpoints (such as droplet dispersion) as proxies for disease transmission. <\\/em><strong><em>The available clinical evidence of facemask efficacy is of low quality and the best available clinical evidence has mostly failed to show efficacy<\\/em><\\/strong><em>, with fourteen of sixteen identified randomized controlled trials comparing face masks to no mask controls failing to find statistically significant benefit in the intent\\u2010\\u200bto\\u2010\\u200btreat populations. Of sixteen quantitative meta\\u2010\\u200banalyses, eight were equivocal or critical as to whether evidence supports a public recommendation of masks, and the remaining eight supported a public mask intervention on limited evidence primarily on the basis of the precautionary principle. <\\/em><strong><em>Although weak evidence should not preclude precautionary actions in the face of unprecedented events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, ethical principles require that the strength of the evidence and best estimates of amount of benefit be truthfully communicated to the public.<\\/em>\\u2019<\\/strong><sup>3<\\/sup><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>How can masks possibly fail to work?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Well, unfortunately, our brains work one way, and the world often works in quite another way. As does, therefore, science. For centuries people thought that heavier than air flight would only be possible if you flapped things that looked very like wings. Why, because birds and bats were the only flying things people had ever seen flying [apart from lemmings] and they mostly flapped about like mad \\u2013 using wings.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Except that, if you looked closely, they didn\\u2019t \\u2013 not really. If you thought flapping was the key to flight, you were not really looking. An albatross can stay aloft for hours, gliding above the waves, using the wind and updrafts, and barely moving its wings at all.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yet, and yet, no-one was able to see this. When I say \\u2018see\\u2019 this I mean \\u2013 look beyond the obvious, in your face, flappy stuff. Observe properly, deeply, to really understand what you are looking at \\u2013 in this case aerodynamics. Eventually, of course, some people did. Et voila, the Wright Brothers.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>With masks\\u2026 Yes, it is both true, and self-evident, that a mask stops droplets being catapulted across a room after a cough or sneeze, or suchlike. So, they must stop spread\\u2026mustn\\u2019t they? I mean, you can even see it working in slow motion videos. A man coughs in London, virus ends up in New York \\u2013 or something. Ah, the dreaded Bioplausibility\\u2026 that can also be visualised. Double bubble.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>But a mask can also turn droplets into an aerosol by breaking the droplet down into far smaller particles. Particles will float in the air for longer, and thus be inhaled for longer. Possibly, probably<sup>4<\\/sup>. You didn\\u2019t think of that, did you?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>A mask can also become damp and keep viral particles viable for longer. Once discarded \\u2013 as many masks are \\u2013 they represent receptacles for viruses and can spread disease when picked up. What happens when masks are used and used, and re-used? As they often are. Superspreading here we come. Blowing viral particles out of a wet mask.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As a wise man also said. Using cloth masks to prevent viral spread it like trying to pick up sand with a tennis racket. Virus particle size \\u2018x\\u2019. Holes in mask size 1000x.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>A mask can also mean that people stand closer to each other than they otherwise would. A mask may, simply, never had had a chance to work at all. After all, we breathe in and breathe out the same amount of air whilst wearing a mask than not.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>If there is virus in floating in the air, we are still going to breathe it in, and out. Masks do not stop us breathing, and the air has to come from somewhere. Unless masks act as a type of black hole, trapping, then transporting viral particles from here into another universe\\u2026 I\\u2019m not putting much money on that hypothesis.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Some months ago, I wrote about the last people to be infected with smallpox. In one hospital, in Germany, a patient with smallpox was being treated on the ground floor. The patient in the room above, and then the room above that, become infected. Which means that viral particles must have got out the window, drifted upwards and infected those above.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Which just gives you some idea of how few viral particles were needed to spread a disease that was, up to that time, not even believed to spread through the air. No droplets required.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Early on, with COVID19 it was noted that ferrets could be infected with the virus. So, researchers put one ferret in a cage, with another ferret above with a solid barrier between them. The one below was infected with COVD19.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The only route for COVID19 to travel from one ferret to the other was through a tube that bent through ninety degrees, bent again to go upwards through the barrier, then across, and back round through ninety degrees<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In essence, this tube was specifically designed to ensure that droplet spread was impossible. As droplets cannot go round corners, travel upwards, turn another ninety degrees\\u2026 and suchlike.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Despite this, all of the uninfected ferrets became, very rapidly, infected. Conclusion \\u2013 COVID19 can travel and infect through aerosol spread. Secondary conclusion \\u2013 masks cannot stop this. At least not the sort of masks that virtually everyone wears, and then re-uses.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Of course, there are masks that you can use to prevent the spread of viral particles. But they have to be airtight, they have to have filters. They are uncomfortable to wear for any length of time, and they need to be changed regularly. They also prevent a great deal of communication, as people hard of hearing will tell you. Oh yes, there are serious downsides to mask wearing.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>I only focus on masks here to make the point that masks appear totally \\u2018Bioplausible\\u2019. If, that is, you don\\u2019t think about all the issues too deeply. Also, getting everyone to wear masks represents doing \\u2018something.\\u2019 Doing something, especially something visible, is always better than doing nothing.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yes\\u2026 doing something, anything, and Bioplausibility. Two bear traps in human thought. Traps that seem impossible to eradicate.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>There is another, major trap, which is the urge to draw ourselves into tribes. Then attack and attempt destroy anyone who does not agree with us. Humiliate and silence. Turn the \\u2018other\\u2019 into someone with evil intent. I am not getting into this in any depth here. We have all seen too much of it. The terrible seductive pleasure of righteous anger. Which so easily flips into hatred.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As also mentioned by Vinay Prasad. <em>Bad people (John Ioannidis) are always wrong (never mind, that a year ago we all thought he was brilliant).\\u2019<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As we all know, it is not just Ioannidis who is attacked. Dare to breathe one word of caution about vaccines and you become <em>\\u2018dirty anti-vaxxer scum. You deserve to lose your job. Ha!\\u2019<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This is no way for humans to act towards each other. Crush debate, silence those who dare to think differently. Bring in the Spanish Inquisition a.k.a. fact checkers. All bought and paid for by those who have vested interests in obliterating the opposition, of course.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><strong>Question:<\\/strong> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When is a fact checker not a fact checker?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><strong>Answer:<\\/strong> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When they are called a fact checker. [Especially if they work for a company that used to begin with Face and ended in Book. Or Witterpedia]<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Also Meta\\u2026as in, I meta &nbsp;\\u2018n\\u2019 idiot - who think it\\u2019s okay to silence anyone they disagree with, and claim this is science. Spare me.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Anyway, what do we do next time? How do we do better? How do we think better? Well, I suppose that first of all you have to get those in power to accept that they made mistakes\\u2026. Ho hum.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Frankly, that ain\\u2019t going to happen. Therefore, we need new people in power. People who can understand that things are complicated. That the immediate Bioplausible and simplistic \\u2018answer\\u2019 is as likely to be wrong, as it is right. More likely in truth.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>We really need people to think better:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u2018We have a crisis in medicine when it comes to understanding and appraising science. We do not teach this explicitly in medical schools, and it gets short shrift to mechanistic science. Our overemphasis on molecular mechanisms fuels the cognitive distortion that a reductionistic view is superior to empiricism<\\/em>*\\u2019 <sup>2<\\/sup><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>*empiricism is the view that all concepts originate in experience, that all concepts are about or applicable to things that can be experienced, or that all rationally acceptable beliefs or propositions are justifiable or knowable only through experience.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Were there any examples of doing things better from which we could learn? In Sweden they did things differently \\u2013 at least from most of the rest of Europe. Anders Tegnell, the state epidemiologist (yes they have such a post) was the man who led the Swedish response. It was to bring in very few restrictions and make almost everything voluntary. Lockdown \\u2018lite\\u2019 if you like.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>He was ruthlessly attacked from all directions, but remained superficially calm. Although I imagine he felt most terribly bruised and battered inside. <em>TIME <\\/em>magazine ran a story about the Swedish response entitled <em>\\u2018The Swedish COVID-19 Response Is a Disaster. It Shouldn\\u2019t Be a Model for the Rest of the World.\\u2019<\\/em><sup>5<\\/sup><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You don\\u2019t really need to read the article. The title makes it entirely clear what tone was adopted, and also what the conclusion was going to be. Sweden = death and mayhem, run for the hills. Frankly, I am amazed that the Swedish Government held firm in supporting him.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>At one point even the Swedish King, Carl XVI Gustaf \\u2018<em>Gustaf - &nbsp;the eminent epidemiologist\\u2019<\\/em> as I believe he is also known - had a pop at poor old Anders. But the Government did support Tegnell\\u2019s light touch strategy \\u2013 mostly. They held their nerve.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What was Anders thinking, the mad mass murdering fool? As he calmly stated in the British Medical Journal, after COVID19 deaths in Sweden had settled into the lower half of European figures. Not as good as some, better than most:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u2026 <\\/em>there is still disagreement among scientists about which measures are effective against the spread of infection<em>. \\u201cThis is what we are still struggling to understand: some measures work in some places, but it is difficult to see patterns.\\u201d<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u201cCountries that went through lockdowns are not doing that much better,\\u201d<sup>6<\\/sup><\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yes, he is describing his OODA journey. Anders is still observing and attempting to orientate, but he cannot see what to do. He still believes that the evidence for severe lockdowns, and mask wearing, simply does not exist. To put it another way, he cannot yet decide what should be done. So, he isn\\u2019t doing it.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Good man. We need far more like Anders Tegnell, and less of those like the members of SAGE in the UK. Screaming blue bloody murder with threats of hundreds of thousands dying if WE DO NOT ACT NOW! The sky is falling, the sky is falling. OMCIRON will kill us all\\u2026 <em>all<\\/em> I tell ee\\u2019. Beware the black spot Cap\\u2019n.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>We also need more people to be sceptical. To look at the science and the evidence. We need, quite frankly, to learn to think... and grow up. Also, importantly, learn the incredibly difficult trick of doing nothing at all.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As they used to say in a UK advert. \\u2018<em>Nothing acts faster than Anadin<\\/em> (a painkiller)\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Solution\\u2026 take nothing<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>Nothing acts faster than a damn good lockdown<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Solution\\u2026do nothing<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Or, to quote the famous physician William Osler. \\u2018<em>One of the first duties of the physician is to educate the masses not to take medicine.\\u2019<\\/em> I shall now leave you with two things to consider. The first is an open letter, written by Professor Ehud Qimron, head of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Tel Aviv University and one of the leading Israeli immunologists:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><strong><em>Ministry of Health, it\\u2019s time to admit failure<\\/em><\\/strong><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>In the end, the truth will always be revealed, and the truth about the coronavirus policy is beginning to be revealed. When the destructive concepts collapse one by one, there is nothing left but to tell the experts who led the management of the pandemic \\u2013 we told you so.<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>Two years late, you finally realize that a respiratory virus cannot be defeated and that any such attempt is doomed to fail. You do not admit it, because you have admitted almost no mistake in the last two years, but in retrospect it is clear that you have failed miserably in almost all of your actions, and even the media is already having a hard time covering your shame.<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>You refused to admit that the infection comes in waves that fade by themselves, despite years of observations and scientific knowledge. You insisted on attributing every decline of a wave solely to your actions, and so through false propaganda \\u201cyou overcame the plague.\\u201d And again, you defeated it, and again and again and again.<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>You refused to admit that mass testing is ineffective, despite your own contingency plans explicitly stating so (\\u201cPandemic Influenza Health System Preparedness Plan, 2007\\u201d, p. 26).<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>You refused to admit that recovery is more protective than a vaccine, despite previous knowledge and observations showing that non-recovered vaccinated people are more likely to be infected than recovered people. You refused to admit that the vaccinated are contagious despite the observations. Based on this, you hoped to achieve herd immunity by vaccination \\u2014 and you failed in that as well.<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>You insisted on ignoring the fact that the disease is dozens of times more dangerous for risk groups and older adults, than for young people who are not in risk groups, despite the knowledge that came from China as early as 2020.<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>You refused to adopt the \\u201cBarrington Declaration\\u201d, signed by more than 60,000 scientists and medical professionals, or other common-sense programs. You chose to ridicule, slander, distort and discredit them. Instead of the right programs and people, you have chosen professionals who lack relevant training for pandemic management (physicists as chief government advisers, veterinarians, security officers, media personnel, and so on).<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>You have not set up an effective system for reporting side effects from the vaccines, and reports on side effects have even been deleted from your Facebook page. Doctors avoid linking side effects to the vaccine, lest you persecute them as you did with some of their colleagues. You have ignored many reports of changes in menstrual intensity and menstrual cycle times. You hid data that allows for objective and proper research (for example, you removed the data on passengers at Ben Gurion Airport). Instead, you chose to publish non-objective articles together with senior Pfizer executives on the effectiveness and safety of vaccines.<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>Irreversible damage to trust <\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>However, from the heights of your hubris, you have also ignored the fact that in the end the truth will be revealed. And it begins to be revealed. The truth is that you have brought the public\\u2019s trust in you to an unprecedented low, and you have eroded your status as a source of authority. The truth is that you have burned hundreds of billions of shekels to no avail \\u2013 for publishing intimidation, for ineffective tests, for destructive lockdowns and for disrupting the routine of life in the last two years.<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>You have destroyed the education of our children and their future. You made children feel guilty, scared, smoke, drink, get addicted, drop out, and quarrel, as school principals around the country attest. You have harmed livelihoods, the economy, human rights, mental health and physical health.<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>You slandered colleagues who did not surrender to you, you turned the people against each other, divided society and polarized the discourse. You branded, without any scientific basis, people who chose not to get vaccinated as enemies of the public and as spreaders of disease. You promote, in an unprecedented way, a draconian policy of discrimination, denial of rights and selection of people, including children, for their medical choice. A selection that lacks any epidemiological justification.<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>When you compare the destructive policies you are pursuing with the sane policies of some other countries \\u2014 you can clearly see that the destruction you have caused has only added victims beyond the vulnerable to the virus. The economy you ruined, the unemployed you caused, and the children whose education you destroyed \\u2014 they are the surplus victims as a result of your own actions only.<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>There is currently no medical emergency, but you have been cultivating such a condition for two years now because of lust for power, budgets and control. The only emergency now is that you still set policies and hold huge budgets for propaganda and psychological engineering instead of directing them to strengthen the health care system.<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>This emergency must stop!<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>Professor Udi Qimron, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University7<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>I suppose I should say that the opinions of Professor Udi Qimron are not necessarily those of the senior management of this blog. I, in exactly the same way as Google and Facebook (Sorry, Alphabet and Meta. \\u2018<em>As I was going to St Ives I meta man with seven wives\\u2019\\u2026 how many idiots were going to St Ives<\\/em>), and suchlike, am merely the repository for information, and articles. A warehouse if you like. I have no editorial control over content, so you cannot sue me for anything written.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Unfortunately, I am not rich enough to employ Fact Checkers and unleash them upon anyone who disagrees with me. Yet. You have been warned.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The second thing, that I shall leave you with, is the fact that doing nothing can be very rewarding, and sometimes pretty hard work. As outlined by this article in <em>The International Journal of Doing Very little<\\/em>:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018We\'re busy doin\' nothin\'<br \\/> Workin\' the whole day through<br \\/> Tryin\' to find lots of things not to do<br \\/> We\'re busy goin\' nowhere<br \\/> Isn\'t it just a crime<br \\/> We\'d like to be unhappy, but<br \\/> We never do have the time,\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018I have to watch the river<br \\/> To see that it doesn\'t stop<br \\/> And stick around the rosebuds<br \\/> So they\'ll know when to pop<br \\/> And keep the crickets cheerful<br \\/> They\'re really a solemn bunch<br \\/> Hustle, bustle<br \\/> And only an hour for lunch.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>La-la-la-la-la-la<br \\/> La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la<br \\/> La-la-la-la-la-la<br \\/> La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018We\'re busy doin\' nothin\'<br \\/> Workin\' the whole day through<br \\/> Tryin\' to find lots of things not to do<br \\/> We\'re busy goin\' nowhere<br \\/> Isn\'t it just a crime<br \\/> We\'d like to be unhappy, but<br \\/> We never do have the time.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018I have to wake the Sun up<br \\/> He\'s liable to sleep all day<br \\/> And then inspect the rainbows<br \\/> So they\'ll be bright and gay<br \\/> I must rehearse the songbirds<br \\/> To see that they sing in key<br \\/> Hustle, bustle<br \\/> And never a moment free.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018We\'re busy doin\' nothin\'<br \\/> Workin\' the whole day through<br \\/> Tryin\' to find lots of things not to do<br \\/> We\'re busy going nowhere<br \\/> Isn\'t it just a crime<br \\/> We\'d like to be unhappy, but<br \\/> We never do have the time.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018I have to meet a turtle<br \\/> I\'m teachin\' him how to swim<br \\/> Then I have to shine the dewdrops<br \\/> You know they\'re looking rather dim<br \\/> I told my friend, the robin<br \\/> I\'d buy him a brand-new vest<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Hustle, bustle<br \\/> We never do have<br \\/> We never do have<br \\/> We never do, never do<br \\/> Never do, never do, never do have the time<br \\/> Never do have the time.\\u2019<sup>8<\\/sup><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>And if that don\\u2019t cheer you up, nothing will. And follow my motto. \\u2018<em>Don\\u2019t just do something stand there\\u2026.<\\/em>\\u2019 Whilst observing and orientating of course. Think first, act later.<\\/p>\\r\\n<h3><span style=\\\"font-size: 13px; caret-color: auto;\\\">1: <\\/span><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D2bnWLTI-QmE&amp;data=04%7C01%7C%7C8082be9f2b3f4dfb3cc108d9d76a129c%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637777672870660179%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=%2BeH2kofejEcqvZj4JSRe95iFhCu3MgcgMdUKo08KMyg%3D&amp;reserved=0\\\" style=\\\"font-size: 13px;\\\"> <\\/a>https:\\/\\/www.youtube.com\\/watch?v=2bnWLTI-QmE<\\/h3>\\r\\n<article id=\\\"post-10944\\\" class=\\\"post-10944 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-covid-19\\\"><header>\\r\\n<div class=\\\"post-content\\\">\\r\\n<div class=\\\"is-email\\\">\\r\\n<p>2: <a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fvinayprasadmdmph.substack.com%2Fp%2Fwill-science-do-a-better-post-covid19&amp;data=04%7C01%7C%7C8082be9f2b3f4dfb3cc108d9d76a129c%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637777672870660179%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=QXoia6k2PdLGaTBuWarkFYHN93yxgBWqUHk51Yr3VTI%3D&amp;reserved=0\\\"> <\\/a>https:\\/\\/vinayprasadmdmph.substack.com\\/p\\/will-science-do-a-better-post-covid19<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>3: <a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cato.org%2Fworking-paper%2Fevidence-community-cloth-face-masking-limit-spread-sars-cov-2-critical-review&amp;data=04%7C01%7C%7C8082be9f2b3f4dfb3cc108d9d76a129c%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637777672870660179%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=fVS%2FljBea8cVhXYkGHxwKsRfLEBt6nMENJPOPPS%2BxMU%3D&amp;reserved=0\\\"> <\\/a><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.cato.org\\/working-paper\\/evidence-community-cloth-face-masking-limit-spread-sars-cov-2-critical-review\\\">https:\\/\\/www.cato.org\\/working-paper\\/evidence-community-cloth-face-masking-limit-spread-sars-cov-2-critical-review<\\/a><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>4: <a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fs41598-020-72798-7&amp;data=04%7C01%7C%7C8082be9f2b3f4dfb3cc108d9d76a129c%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637777672870660179%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=CrwGgIoZCpAh5k0YIDr0fPVWsjXmMI14Hbjp4aEJ70o%3D&amp;reserved=0\\\"> <\\/a><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.nature.com\\/articles\\/s41598-020-72798-7\\\">https:\\/\\/www.nature.com\\/articles\\/s41598-020-72798-7<\\/a><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>5: <a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftime.com%2F5899432%2Fsweden-coronovirus-disaster%2F&amp;data=04%7C01%7C%7C8082be9f2b3f4dfb3cc108d9d76a129c%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637777672870660179%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=bdDRbtHKCEzkxi2zfc0Qiry6qvJFPGfWKpNXht1udQY%3D&amp;reserved=0\\\"> <\\/a><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/time.com\\/5899432\\/sweden-coronovirus-disaster\\/\\\">https:\\/\\/time.com\\/5899432\\/sweden-coronovirus-disaster\\/<\\/a><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>6: <a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bmj.com%2Fcontent%2F375%2Fbmj.n3081&amp;data=04%7C01%7C%7C8082be9f2b3f4dfb3cc108d9d76a129c%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637777672870660179%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=e50BEynzuXRYxJF867bggp7hN44EERC3ySNuHqjyVDI%3D&amp;reserved=0\\\"> <\\/a><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.bmj.com\\/content\\/375\\/bmj.n3081\\\">https:\\/\\/www.bmj.com\\/content\\/375\\/bmj.n3081<\\/a><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>7: <em><span style=\\\"text-decoration: underline;\\\">It\\u2019s an open letter you can go and find it yourself<\\/span><\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>8: <a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D1QxvPXK3Gv4&amp;data=04%7C01%7C%7C8082be9f2b3f4dfb3cc108d9d76a129c%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637777672870660179%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=H%2By5WyUrI%2B66mnl2z5lgDgljPSA%2F61nvKxbj%2BlvCjZw%3D&amp;reserved=0\\\"> <\\/a>https:\\/\\/www.youtube.com\\/watch?v=1QxvPXK3Gv4<\\/p>\\r\\n<strong><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrmalcolmkendrick.org%2Fauthor%2Fdrmalcolmkendrick%2F&amp;data=04%7C01%7C%7C8082be9f2b3f4dfb3cc108d9d76a129c%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637777672870660179%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=DwGIar4kf1RyVOccyQgo2Qplci7UmaPM9%2B8%2Bjvxe%2BMA%3D&amp;reserved=0\\\">Dr. Malcolm Kendrick<\\/a><\\/strong> | January 14, 2022 at 2:26 pm | Categories: <a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrmalcolmkendrick.org%2Fcategory%2Fcovid-19%2F&amp;data=04%7C01%7C%7C8082be9f2b3f4dfb3cc108d9d76a129c%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637777672870660179%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=qw2CP34T6qYwt9o4uDK1BdAv3KQVELhv1UouTgexVu0%3D&amp;reserved=0\\\"> COVID-19<\\/a> | URL: <a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwp.me%2Fp2i0Uz-2Qw&amp;data=04%7C01%7C%7C8082be9f2b3f4dfb3cc108d9d76a129c%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637777672870660179%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=0qZfk0RjUAcY22FXWHsLSnP0PzrnHzWRzwjnOJToWRQ%3D&amp;reserved=0\\\"> <\\/a><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/wp.me\\/p2i0Uz-2Qw\\\">https:\\/\\/wp.me\\/p2i0Uz-2Qw<\\/a><\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/header><\\/article>\",\"fulltext\":\"\",\"state\":1,\"catid\":\"59\",\"created\":\"2022-01-15 15:24:49\",\"created_by\":\"873\",\"created_by_alias\":\"\",\"modified\":\"2022-01-15 15:42:57\",\"modified_by\":\"873\",\"checked_out\":\"873\",\"checked_out_time\":\"2022-01-15 15:41:08\",\"publish_up\":\"2022-01-15 15:24:49\",\"publish_down\":\"0000-00-00 00:00:00\",\"images\":\"{\\\"image_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_caption\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_caption\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"urls\":\"{\\\"urla\\\":false,\\\"urlatext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targeta\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlb\\\":false,\\\"urlbtext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetb\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlc\\\":false,\\\"urlctext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetc\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"attribs\":\"{\\\"article_layout\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_titles\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_tags\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_associations\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_create_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_modify_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publish_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_item_navigation\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_icons\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_print_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_email_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_vote\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_hits\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_noauth\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urls_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"alternative_readmore\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"article_page_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publishing_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_article_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_backend\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_frontend\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"version\":10,\"ordering\":\"0\",\"metakey\":\"\",\"metadesc\":\"\",\"access\":\"1\",\"hits\":\"0\",\"metadata\":\"{\\\"robots\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"rights\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"xreference\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"featured\":\"1\",\"language\":\"*\",\"xreference\":\"\",\"note\":\"\"}',0),(3355,984,1,'','2022-01-15 15:44:27',873,37967,'e99d7d7df8eccb1610e0b78fb9471d04932b6e74','{\"id\":984,\"asset_id\":\"1274\",\"title\":\"Don\\u2019t just do something, stand\\u00a0there! - DR. MALCOLM KENDRICK\",\"alias\":\"don-t-just-do-something-stand-there-dr-malcolm-kendrick\",\"introtext\":\"<h3>AUTHOR ARCHIVES:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/drmalcolmkendrick.org\\/author\\/drmalcolmkendrick\\/\\\">DR. MALCOLM KENDRICK<\\/a><\\/h3>\\r\\n<h3>About Dr. Malcolm Kendrick<\\/h3>\\r\\n<p>Malcolm Kendrick is a Scottish doctor and author of The Great Cholesterol Con (2008). He has been a general practitioner for 25 years<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/drmalcolmkendrick.org\\/2022\\/01\\/14\\/dont-just-do-something-stand-there\\/\\\">Don\\u2019t just do something, stand&nbsp;there!<\\/a> <a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/drmalcolmkendrick.org\\/2022\\/01\\/14\\/dont-just-do-something-stand-there\\/#comments\\\">106 Replies<\\/a><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>14th January 2022<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>DR. MALCOLM KENDRICK<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>A few months ago, I resolved not to write anything more about COVID19. I was having zero apparent effect on anything, or anybody, and I was just getting increasingly despondent at the destruction of science, debate, logic, humanity, personal freedoms \\u2026 life.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>However, my New Years resolution was to not have any more resolutions. Which lead to an almost inescapable logic loop from which I have only just managed to extricate myself.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In truth, I believe that I still have a few things left to say about COVID19 that may be useful in stopping some of the most egregious nonsense being repeated. [Fat chance, says the little man on my shoulder].<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What I am about to write, I have written about before, in various different guises. However, I think it is worth going back over some old ground again. Hopefully in a more effective manner.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In this blog what I want to do is to look at how we think about a few things, primarily in medicine, and medical science. To try and highlight how some repeated flaws in thought have influenced the reaction to COVID19.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>I hope that by doing this, it may help to prevent some us travelling down the terribly well-worn \\u2018<em>paths of pointlessness\\u2019 <\\/em>again. Or, at least, to get people to stop and question<em> how<\\/em> they are thinking, before throwing themselves into the fray.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>To begin.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What I saw happening with COVID19 is a pattern that repeats in medicine over and over again:<\\/p>\\r\\n<ul>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">We have a serious illness - <em>panic<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Something must be done \\u2013 <em>grab the pitchforks, run about screaming<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">An influential person, or organisation, grabs the initiative \\u2013 \\u2018<em>\\u2018experts\\u2019 move in.\\u2019<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">I\\/We know what to do, you must follow me\\/us \\u2013 <em>simple idea +<\\/em> <em>soothing<\\/em> <em>paternalism<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Frightened people latch onto their ideas \\u2013 <em>two legs good, four legs bad<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">A path is chosen \\u2013 <em>along the side of a cliff<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Momentum builds \\u2013 <em>the unstoppable charge of the light brigade<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Those who object to the path taken are crushed - <em>1984<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<\\/ul>\\r\\n<p>Fast forward a few decades\\u2026 \\u2018<em>Oh, it seems that the thing we always do as standard medical practice\\u2026 Turns out it does more harm than good<\\/em>.\\u2019 See under: removal of toxic colon, the radical mastectomy, strict bed rest following a heart attack, cutting teeth, use of radium water, plombage, mercury for syphilis, pre-frontal lobotomy etc.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Of course, this pattern is not true of every medical intervention, not by any manner of means. Sometimes the influential person, or organisation, promotes the best course of action. This has been known to happen from time to time\\u2026 believe it or not. In addition, medical practice does eventually auto-correct \\u2013 and ends up doing the right thing. Almost always. We no longer remove toxic colons to cure female neurosis.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>But what never, ever, seems to happen is OODA. Defined as \\u2018<em>a practical concept designed to function as the foundation of rational thinking in confusing or chaotic situation\\u2019<\\/em>.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>OODA stands for. \\u2018<em>Observe, Orient, Decide Act<\\/em>.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>It was developed by the Air Force Colonel, John Boyd.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What John Boyd taught was simple. If you don\\u2019t know what is going on, do <em>not<\\/em> make immediate decisions. First, work out what is happening, then orientate yourself \\u2013 before you decide what to do. That way you avoid most, if not all, stupid mistakes. For many years, without knowing anything of OODA my own medical strategy has tended towards \\u2018<em>don\\u2019t just do something, stand there.<\\/em>\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Unfortunately, the medical profession has always battled ferociously against doing nothing. It has always greatly favoured the \\u2018<em>You must do something, anything, I don\\u2019t care what it is so long as it sounds like a good idea<\\/em>. <em>Chaaarge!<\\/em>\\u2019 Strategy.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This, the \\u2018<em>do something strategy\\u2019<\\/em>, has always proven far more seductive, and almost always wins. It is easier to attract followers to do something, than to than to do nothing. Why not whack a hole in the skull and split the brain apart to cure various mental diseases? Why not... indeed. Ah yes, the good old pre-frontal lobotomy.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><strong>A.N. Other doctor:<\\/strong> <em>\\u2018If you do nothing people will surely die. You cannot just stand there doing nothing.<\\/em>\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><strong>Me:<\\/strong> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \\u2018<em>But what if those things we do end up causing more damage, or killing more people?\\u2019<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Many years ago, my father said to me. \\u2018<em>You will always be blamed for failures of omission, rath than commission.<\\/em>\\u2019 At the time I was young, &nbsp;I knew everything, and thought he was talking rubbish. In truth I didn\\u2019t really understand his point. Now that I know that\\u2026 I know nothing, I fully understand how profound his comment was. I wish I had listened to him more.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yes, doing something will always be looked on in a positive light. Effort has been made, decisions have been taken, activity carried out. In medicine this is reflected in a comment that I have had directed at me, from time to time. \\u2018<em>At least you tried, doctor<\\/em>.\\u2019 Well, seeing as they are now dead, my efforts achieved very little. But thanks anyway.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In addition, if you do nothing, you can be accused of laziness, of being uncaring. You just stood there and watched them suffer, even die. You cruel swine. I see this overwhelming urge to do something, anything, in the person who cannot swim, jumping into a river to try and save their dog from drowning.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What exactly did they think they were going to achieve? Oh well, at least they tried, you may say. No\\u2026 they were stupid. They drowned along with their dog. But who can stand on the riverbank watching their dog die?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Well, me, actually.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This also moves into the area of survival guilt. How am I still alive when others have died? Better to die trying than to have done nothing? It all further wraps round into it the almost irresistible urge to be seen to be doing something. I think it is hard-wired into our psyche. We must fight to protect those in our tribe and be seen to be doing it. Chop, chop, busy, busy, work, work, bang, bang <sup>1<\\/sup>. &nbsp;<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>I am, however, reminded of the philosophy behind recruitment to the German army in the good old days \\u2013 as recounted to me. Men were divided in to four categories:<\\/p>\\r\\n<ul>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Intelligent and lazy<\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Intelligent and hardworking<\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Stupid and lazy<\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Stupid and hardworking<\\/li>\\r\\n<\\/ul>\\r\\n<p>At which point<\\/p>\\r\\n<ul>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Intelligent and lazy men were taken for officer training<\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Intelligent and hardworking men were turned into NCOs (non-commissioned officers)<\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Stupid and lazy men became privates \\u2013 squaddies, to use the UK vernacular<\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Those who were both stupid, and hardworking, were taken out and shot, before they could do too much damage<\\/li>\\r\\n<\\/ul>\\r\\n<p>Doing things, doing things, doing things. We place great value on it. Too much.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As Kurt Vonnegut Jnr noted in Cat\\u2019s Cradle:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u201cWe do, doodley do, doodley do, doodely do,<\\/em><br \\/> <em>What we must, muddily must, muddily must, muddily must;<\\/em><br \\/> <em>Muddily do, muddily do, muddily do, muddily do,<\\/em><br \\/> <em>Until we bust, bodily bust, bodily bust, bodily bust.\\u201d<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Of course, if there are things to be done, they should be done. But that does not mean we should rush around doing stuff, just because it seems better than doing nothing. Here is what Vinay Prasad has to say in his blog \\u2018<em>Will science do better post COVID19?\\u2019<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u2018When faced with a pandemic, we re-treated to all the old delusions. Bioplausibilty was sacrosanct\\u2014 that\\u2019s why #maskswork! We can\\u2019t run RCTs\\u2014 these are parachutes. <\\/em><strong><em>Doing something is always better than doing nothing!<\\/em><\\/strong><em> More is better than less! Keep boosting, young man!! Newer is better than older. Disease bad; treatments good. Bad people (John Ioannidis) are always wrong (never mind, that a year ago we all thought he was brilliant).\\u2019<\\/em> <sup>2<\\/sup><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The additional problem with doing things is that, once you have started doing them, it becomes damned difficult to stop again. After you have decided to blow four hundred billion pounds on lockdown, or thereabouts, then you are pretty much stuck with it. Or else, you are going to look pretty stupid. \\u2018<em>Sorry, ahem, I seem to have wasted a teensy bit of money<\\/em>. <em>Sorry, my mistake.<\\/em>\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>If everyone is ordered to wear a mask, on pain of death, you are stuck with that too. Back pedalling from instant decisions is very, very, difficult. For the scientists and politicians involved you cannot be seen to have been wrong. Reputations <em>must<\\/em> be protected.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>At which point, vast amounts of time and effort are expended in trying to batter down anyone who dares to suggest that we rushed into doing things that were completely pointless, even damaging. Science then becomes twisted and bent to justify the errors made. Those in power must retain power. The narrative must be supported:<\\/p>\\r\\n<ul>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">COVID19 is really, really deadly<\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Lockdowns really, really, work<\\/li>\\r\\n<li data-mce-word-list=\\\"1\\\">Masks really, really, work<\\/li>\\r\\n<\\/ul>\\r\\n<p>If you question these narratives, people will demand an answer to this rhetorical question. Do you want people to die! (That\\u2019s always an effective weapon). The correct answer to this question by the way, is usually no \\u2013 although I am willing to make exceptions.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The other terrible flaw in thinking here, especially in medicine, was also mentioned by Vinay Prasad. It is Bioplausibility. Often closely associated with fast thinking a.k.a. jumping to conclusions, because they just seem right.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Masks, indeed, must surely work. Because? Because they prevent the virus from spreading. In fact, masks represent an almost perfect example of bioplausibility a.k.a. sheer common sense. No-one can argue against using them. If you do, your arguments must be pure sophistry, or simply nonsense. <em>\\u2019You do not understand science<\\/em>.\\u2019 That\\u2019s a good one, I get that a lot.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u2018I think you will find it is not I that fails to understand science.\\u2019<\\/em> I think to myself. But I don\\u2019t say it, because it makes you sound like a prat.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Let me remind you of a time when, after a heart attack you had to rest in bed doing nothing for six weeks. The heart has been damaged and must be given a chance to rest. Yes, perfect Bioplausibility, believed by virtually everyone. To question it was to be cast into the outer darkness.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>It is now known that the worst thing you can possibly do is to enforce strict bed rest post heart attack. This advice, in place from 1912 to about 1960(ish), killed tens of millions. Maybe hundreds of millions.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As for masks - the sort of masks worn by almost everyone.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u2018The use of cloth facemasks in community settings has become an accepted public policy response to decrease disease transmission during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet evidence of facemask efficacy is based primarily on observational studies that are subject to confounding and on mechanistic studies that rely on surrogate endpoints (such as droplet dispersion) as proxies for disease transmission. <\\/em><strong><em>The available clinical evidence of facemask efficacy is of low quality and the best available clinical evidence has mostly failed to show efficacy<\\/em><\\/strong><em>, with fourteen of sixteen identified randomized controlled trials comparing face masks to no mask controls failing to find statistically significant benefit in the intent\\u2010\\u200bto\\u2010\\u200btreat populations. Of sixteen quantitative meta\\u2010\\u200banalyses, eight were equivocal or critical as to whether evidence supports a public recommendation of masks, and the remaining eight supported a public mask intervention on limited evidence primarily on the basis of the precautionary principle. <\\/em><strong><em>Although weak evidence should not preclude precautionary actions in the face of unprecedented events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, ethical principles require that the strength of the evidence and best estimates of amount of benefit be truthfully communicated to the public.<\\/em>\\u2019<\\/strong><sup>3<\\/sup><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>How can masks possibly fail to work?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Well, unfortunately, our brains work one way, and the world often works in quite another way. As does, therefore, science. For centuries people thought that heavier than air flight would only be possible if you flapped things that looked very like wings. Why, because birds and bats were the only flying things people had ever seen flying [apart from lemmings] and they mostly flapped about like mad \\u2013 using wings.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Except that, if you looked closely, they didn\\u2019t \\u2013 not really. If you thought flapping was the key to flight, you were not really looking. An albatross can stay aloft for hours, gliding above the waves, using the wind and updrafts, and barely moving its wings at all.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yet, and yet, no-one was able to see this. When I say \\u2018see\\u2019 this I mean \\u2013 look beyond the obvious, in your face, flappy stuff. Observe properly, deeply, to really understand what you are looking at \\u2013 in this case aerodynamics. Eventually, of course, some people did. Et voila, the Wright Brothers.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>With masks\\u2026 Yes, it is both true, and self-evident, that a mask stops droplets being catapulted across a room after a cough or sneeze, or suchlike. So, they must stop spread\\u2026mustn\\u2019t they? I mean, you can even see it working in slow motion videos. A man coughs in London, virus ends up in New York \\u2013 or something. Ah, the dreaded Bioplausibility\\u2026 that can also be visualised. Double bubble.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>But a mask can also turn droplets into an aerosol by breaking the droplet down into far smaller particles. Particles will float in the air for longer, and thus be inhaled for longer. Possibly, probably<sup>4<\\/sup>. You didn\\u2019t think of that, did you?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>A mask can also become damp and keep viral particles viable for longer. Once discarded \\u2013 as many masks are \\u2013 they represent receptacles for viruses and can spread disease when picked up. What happens when masks are used and used, and re-used? As they often are. Superspreading here we come. Blowing viral particles out of a wet mask.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As a wise man also said. Using cloth masks to prevent viral spread it like trying to pick up sand with a tennis racket. Virus particle size \\u2018x\\u2019. Holes in mask size 1000x.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>A mask can also mean that people stand closer to each other than they otherwise would. A mask may, simply, never had had a chance to work at all. After all, we breathe in and breathe out the same amount of air whilst wearing a mask than not.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>If there is virus in floating in the air, we are still going to breathe it in, and out. Masks do not stop us breathing, and the air has to come from somewhere. Unless masks act as a type of black hole, trapping, then transporting viral particles from here into another universe\\u2026 I\\u2019m not putting much money on that hypothesis.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Some months ago, I wrote about the last people to be infected with smallpox. In one hospital, in Germany, a patient with smallpox was being treated on the ground floor. The patient in the room above, and then the room above that, become infected. Which means that viral particles must have got out the window, drifted upwards and infected those above.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Which just gives you some idea of how few viral particles were needed to spread a disease that was, up to that time, not even believed to spread through the air. No droplets required.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Early on, with COVID19 it was noted that ferrets could be infected with the virus. So, researchers put one ferret in a cage, with another ferret above with a solid barrier between them. The one below was infected with COVD19.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The only route for COVID19 to travel from one ferret to the other was through a tube that bent through ninety degrees, bent again to go upwards through the barrier, then across, and back round through ninety degrees<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In essence, this tube was specifically designed to ensure that droplet spread was impossible. As droplets cannot go round corners, travel upwards, turn another ninety degrees\\u2026 and suchlike.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Despite this, all of the uninfected ferrets became, very rapidly, infected. Conclusion \\u2013 COVID19 can travel and infect through aerosol spread. Secondary conclusion \\u2013 masks cannot stop this. At least not the sort of masks that virtually everyone wears, and then re-uses.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Of course, there are masks that you can use to prevent the spread of viral particles. But they have to be airtight, they have to have filters. They are uncomfortable to wear for any length of time, and they need to be changed regularly. They also prevent a great deal of communication, as people hard of hearing will tell you. Oh yes, there are serious downsides to mask wearing.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>I only focus on masks here to make the point that masks appear totally \\u2018Bioplausible\\u2019. If, that is, you don\\u2019t think about all the issues too deeply. Also, getting everyone to wear masks represents doing \\u2018something.\\u2019 Doing something, especially something visible, is always better than doing nothing.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yes\\u2026 doing something, anything, and Bioplausibility. Two bear traps in human thought. Traps that seem impossible to eradicate.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>There is another, major trap, which is the urge to draw ourselves into tribes. Then attack and attempt destroy anyone who does not agree with us. Humiliate and silence. Turn the \\u2018other\\u2019 into someone with evil intent. I am not getting into this in any depth here. We have all seen too much of it. The terrible seductive pleasure of righteous anger. Which so easily flips into hatred.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As also mentioned by Vinay Prasad. <em>Bad people (John Ioannidis) are always wrong (never mind, that a year ago we all thought he was brilliant).\\u2019<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As we all know, it is not just Ioannidis who is attacked. Dare to breathe one word of caution about vaccines and you become <em>\\u2018dirty anti-vaxxer scum. You deserve to lose your job. Ha!\\u2019<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This is no way for humans to act towards each other. Crush debate, silence those who dare to think differently. Bring in the Spanish Inquisition a.k.a. fact checkers. All bought and paid for by those who have vested interests in obliterating the opposition, of course.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><strong>Question:<\\/strong> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When is a fact checker not a fact checker?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><strong>Answer:<\\/strong> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When they are called a fact checker. [Especially if they work for a company that used to begin with Face and ended in Book. Or Witterpedia]<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Also Meta\\u2026as in, I meta &nbsp;\\u2018n\\u2019 idiot - who think it\\u2019s okay to silence anyone they disagree with, and claim this is science. Spare me.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Anyway, what do we do next time? How do we do better? How do we think better? Well, I suppose that first of all you have to get those in power to accept that they made mistakes\\u2026. Ho hum.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Frankly, that ain\\u2019t going to happen. Therefore, we need new people in power. People who can understand that things are complicated. That the immediate Bioplausible and simplistic \\u2018answer\\u2019 is as likely to be wrong, as it is right. More likely in truth.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>We really need people to think better:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u2018We have a crisis in medicine when it comes to understanding and appraising science. We do not teach this explicitly in medical schools, and it gets short shrift to mechanistic science. Our overemphasis on molecular mechanisms fuels the cognitive distortion that a reductionistic view is superior to empiricism<\\/em>*\\u2019 <sup>2<\\/sup><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>*empiricism is the view that all concepts originate in experience, that all concepts are about or applicable to things that can be experienced, or that all rationally acceptable beliefs or propositions are justifiable or knowable only through experience.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Were there any examples of doing things better from which we could learn? In Sweden they did things differently \\u2013 at least from most of the rest of Europe. Anders Tegnell, the state epidemiologist (yes they have such a post) was the man who led the Swedish response. It was to bring in very few restrictions and make almost everything voluntary. Lockdown \\u2018lite\\u2019 if you like.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>He was ruthlessly attacked from all directions, but remained superficially calm. Although I imagine he felt most terribly bruised and battered inside. <em>TIME <\\/em>magazine ran a story about the Swedish response entitled <em>\\u2018The Swedish COVID-19 Response Is a Disaster. It Shouldn\\u2019t Be a Model for the Rest of the World.\\u2019<\\/em><sup>5<\\/sup><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You don\\u2019t really need to read the article. The title makes it entirely clear what tone was adopted, and also what the conclusion was going to be. Sweden = death and mayhem, run for the hills. Frankly, I am amazed that the Swedish Government held firm in supporting him.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>At one point even the Swedish King, Carl XVI Gustaf \\u2018<em>Gustaf - &nbsp;the eminent epidemiologist\\u2019<\\/em> as I believe he is also known - had a pop at poor old Anders. But the Government did support Tegnell\\u2019s light touch strategy \\u2013 mostly. They held their nerve.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What was Anders thinking, the mad mass murdering fool? As he calmly stated in the British Medical Journal, after COVID19 deaths in Sweden had settled into the lower half of European figures. Not as good as some, better than most:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u2026 <\\/em>there is still disagreement among scientists about which measures are effective against the spread of infection<em>. \\u201cThis is what we are still struggling to understand: some measures work in some places, but it is difficult to see patterns.\\u201d<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u201cCountries that went through lockdowns are not doing that much better,\\u201d<sup>6<\\/sup><\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yes, he is describing his OODA journey. Anders is still observing and attempting to orientate, but he cannot see what to do. He still believes that the evidence for severe lockdowns, and mask wearing, simply does not exist. To put it another way, he cannot yet decide what should be done. So, he isn\\u2019t doing it.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Good man. We need far more like Anders Tegnell, and less of those like the members of SAGE in the UK. Screaming blue bloody murder with threats of hundreds of thousands dying if WE DO NOT ACT NOW! The sky is falling, the sky is falling. OMCIRON will kill us all\\u2026 <em>all<\\/em> I tell ee\\u2019. Beware the black spot Cap\\u2019n.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>We also need more people to be sceptical. To look at the science and the evidence. We need, quite frankly, to learn to think... and grow up. Also, importantly, learn the incredibly difficult trick of doing nothing at all.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As they used to say in a UK advert. \\u2018<em>Nothing acts faster than Anadin<\\/em> (a painkiller)\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Solution\\u2026 take nothing<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>Nothing acts faster than a damn good lockdown<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Solution\\u2026do nothing<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Or, to quote the famous physician William Osler. \\u2018<em>One of the first duties of the physician is to educate the masses not to take medicine.\\u2019<\\/em> I shall now leave you with two things to consider. The first is an open letter, written by Professor Ehud Qimron, head of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Tel Aviv University and one of the leading Israeli immunologists:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><strong><em>Ministry of Health, it\\u2019s time to admit failure<\\/em><\\/strong><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>In the end, the truth will always be revealed, and the truth about the coronavirus policy is beginning to be revealed. When the destructive concepts collapse one by one, there is nothing left but to tell the experts who led the management of the pandemic \\u2013 we told you so.<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>Two years late, you finally realize that a respiratory virus cannot be defeated and that any such attempt is doomed to fail. You do not admit it, because you have admitted almost no mistake in the last two years, but in retrospect it is clear that you have failed miserably in almost all of your actions, and even the media is already having a hard time covering your shame.<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>You refused to admit that the infection comes in waves that fade by themselves, despite years of observations and scientific knowledge. You insisted on attributing every decline of a wave solely to your actions, and so through false propaganda \\u201cyou overcame the plague.\\u201d And again, you defeated it, and again and again and again.<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>You refused to admit that mass testing is ineffective, despite your own contingency plans explicitly stating so (\\u201cPandemic Influenza Health System Preparedness Plan, 2007\\u201d, p. 26).<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>You refused to admit that recovery is more protective than a vaccine, despite previous knowledge and observations showing that non-recovered vaccinated people are more likely to be infected than recovered people. You refused to admit that the vaccinated are contagious despite the observations. Based on this, you hoped to achieve herd immunity by vaccination \\u2014 and you failed in that as well.<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>You insisted on ignoring the fact that the disease is dozens of times more dangerous for risk groups and older adults, than for young people who are not in risk groups, despite the knowledge that came from China as early as 2020.<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>You refused to adopt the \\u201cBarrington Declaration\\u201d, signed by more than 60,000 scientists and medical professionals, or other common-sense programs. You chose to ridicule, slander, distort and discredit them. Instead of the right programs and people, you have chosen professionals who lack relevant training for pandemic management (physicists as chief government advisers, veterinarians, security officers, media personnel, and so on).<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>You have not set up an effective system for reporting side effects from the vaccines, and reports on side effects have even been deleted from your Facebook page. Doctors avoid linking side effects to the vaccine, lest you persecute them as you did with some of their colleagues. You have ignored many reports of changes in menstrual intensity and menstrual cycle times. You hid data that allows for objective and proper research (for example, you removed the data on passengers at Ben Gurion Airport). Instead, you chose to publish non-objective articles together with senior Pfizer executives on the effectiveness and safety of vaccines.<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>Irreversible damage to trust <\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>However, from the heights of your hubris, you have also ignored the fact that in the end the truth will be revealed. And it begins to be revealed. The truth is that you have brought the public\\u2019s trust in you to an unprecedented low, and you have eroded your status as a source of authority. The truth is that you have burned hundreds of billions of shekels to no avail \\u2013 for publishing intimidation, for ineffective tests, for destructive lockdowns and for disrupting the routine of life in the last two years.<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>You have destroyed the education of our children and their future. You made children feel guilty, scared, smoke, drink, get addicted, drop out, and quarrel, as school principals around the country attest. You have harmed livelihoods, the economy, human rights, mental health and physical health.<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>You slandered colleagues who did not surrender to you, you turned the people against each other, divided society and polarized the discourse. You branded, without any scientific basis, people who chose not to get vaccinated as enemies of the public and as spreaders of disease. You promote, in an unprecedented way, a draconian policy of discrimination, denial of rights and selection of people, including children, for their medical choice. A selection that lacks any epidemiological justification.<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>When you compare the destructive policies you are pursuing with the sane policies of some other countries \\u2014 you can clearly see that the destruction you have caused has only added victims beyond the vulnerable to the virus. The economy you ruined, the unemployed you caused, and the children whose education you destroyed \\u2014 they are the surplus victims as a result of your own actions only.<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>There is currently no medical emergency, but you have been cultivating such a condition for two years now because of lust for power, budgets and control. The only emergency now is that you still set policies and hold huge budgets for propaganda and psychological engineering instead of directing them to strengthen the health care system.<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>This emergency must stop!<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>Professor Udi Qimron, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University7<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>I suppose I should say that the opinions of Professor Udi Qimron are not necessarily those of the senior management of this blog. I, in exactly the same way as Google and Facebook (Sorry, Alphabet and Meta. \\u2018<em>As I was going to St Ives I meta man with seven wives\\u2019\\u2026 how many idiots were going to St Ives<\\/em>), and suchlike, am merely the repository for information, and articles. A warehouse if you like. I have no editorial control over content, so you cannot sue me for anything written.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Unfortunately, I am not rich enough to employ Fact Checkers and unleash them upon anyone who disagrees with me. Yet. You have been warned.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The second thing, that I shall leave you with, is the fact that doing nothing can be very rewarding, and sometimes pretty hard work. As outlined by this article in <em>The International Journal of Doing Very little<\\/em>:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018We\'re busy doin\' nothin\'<br \\/> Workin\' the whole day through<br \\/> Tryin\' to find lots of things not to do<br \\/> We\'re busy goin\' nowhere<br \\/> Isn\'t it just a crime<br \\/> We\'d like to be unhappy, but<br \\/> We never do have the time,\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018I have to watch the river<br \\/> To see that it doesn\'t stop<br \\/> And stick around the rosebuds<br \\/> So they\'ll know when to pop<br \\/> And keep the crickets cheerful<br \\/> They\'re really a solemn bunch<br \\/> Hustle, bustle<br \\/> And only an hour for lunch.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>La-la-la-la-la-la<br \\/> La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la<br \\/> La-la-la-la-la-la<br \\/> La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018We\'re busy doin\' nothin\'<br \\/> Workin\' the whole day through<br \\/> Tryin\' to find lots of things not to do<br \\/> We\'re busy goin\' nowhere<br \\/> Isn\'t it just a crime<br \\/> We\'d like to be unhappy, but<br \\/> We never do have the time.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018I have to wake the Sun up<br \\/> He\'s liable to sleep all day<br \\/> And then inspect the rainbows<br \\/> So they\'ll be bright and gay<br \\/> I must rehearse the songbirds<br \\/> To see that they sing in key<br \\/> Hustle, bustle<br \\/> And never a moment free.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018We\'re busy doin\' nothin\'<br \\/> Workin\' the whole day through<br \\/> Tryin\' to find lots of things not to do<br \\/> We\'re busy going nowhere<br \\/> Isn\'t it just a crime<br \\/> We\'d like to be unhappy, but<br \\/> We never do have the time.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018I have to meet a turtle<br \\/> I\'m teachin\' him how to swim<br \\/> Then I have to shine the dewdrops<br \\/> You know they\'re looking rather dim<br \\/> I told my friend, the robin<br \\/> I\'d buy him a brand-new vest<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Hustle, bustle<br \\/> We never do have<br \\/> We never do have<br \\/> We never do, never do<br \\/> Never do, never do, never do have the time<br \\/> Never do have the time.\\u2019<sup>8<\\/sup><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>And if that don\\u2019t cheer you up, nothing will. And follow my motto. \\u2018<em>Don\\u2019t just do something stand there\\u2026.<\\/em>\\u2019 Whilst observing and orientating of course. Think first, act later.<\\/p>\\r\\n<article id=\\\"post-10944\\\" class=\\\"post-10944 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-covid-19\\\"><header>\\r\\n<div class=\\\"post-content\\\">\\r\\n<div class=\\\"is-email\\\"><strong><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrmalcolmkendrick.org%2Fauthor%2Fdrmalcolmkendrick%2F&amp;data=04%7C01%7C%7C8082be9f2b3f4dfb3cc108d9d76a129c%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637777672870660179%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=DwGIar4kf1RyVOccyQgo2Qplci7UmaPM9%2B8%2Bjvxe%2BMA%3D&amp;reserved=0\\\">Dr. Malcolm Kendrick<\\/a><\\/strong> | January 14, 2022 at 2:26 pm | Categories: <a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrmalcolmkendrick.org%2Fcategory%2Fcovid-19%2F&amp;data=04%7C01%7C%7C8082be9f2b3f4dfb3cc108d9d76a129c%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637777672870660179%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=qw2CP34T6qYwt9o4uDK1BdAv3KQVELhv1UouTgexVu0%3D&amp;reserved=0\\\"> COVID-19<\\/a> | URL: <a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwp.me%2Fp2i0Uz-2Qw&amp;data=04%7C01%7C%7C8082be9f2b3f4dfb3cc108d9d76a129c%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637777672870660179%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=0qZfk0RjUAcY22FXWHsLSnP0PzrnHzWRzwjnOJToWRQ%3D&amp;reserved=0\\\"> <\\/a><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/wp.me\\/p2i0Uz-2Qw\\\">https:\\/\\/wp.me\\/p2i0Uz-2Qw<\\/a><\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/header><\\/article>\",\"fulltext\":\"\",\"state\":1,\"catid\":\"59\",\"created\":\"2022-01-15 15:24:49\",\"created_by\":\"873\",\"created_by_alias\":\"\",\"modified\":\"2022-01-15 15:44:27\",\"modified_by\":\"873\",\"checked_out\":\"873\",\"checked_out_time\":\"2022-01-15 15:42:57\",\"publish_up\":\"2022-01-15 15:24:49\",\"publish_down\":\"0000-00-00 00:00:00\",\"images\":\"{\\\"image_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_caption\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_caption\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"urls\":\"{\\\"urla\\\":false,\\\"urlatext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targeta\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlb\\\":false,\\\"urlbtext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetb\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlc\\\":false,\\\"urlctext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetc\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"attribs\":\"{\\\"article_layout\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_titles\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_tags\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_associations\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_create_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_modify_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publish_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_item_navigation\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_icons\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_print_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_email_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_vote\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_hits\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_noauth\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urls_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"alternative_readmore\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"article_page_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publishing_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_article_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_backend\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_frontend\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"version\":11,\"ordering\":\"0\",\"metakey\":\"\",\"metadesc\":\"\",\"access\":\"1\",\"hits\":\"0\",\"metadata\":\"{\\\"robots\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"rights\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"xreference\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"featured\":\"1\",\"language\":\"*\",\"xreference\":\"\",\"note\":\"\"}',0);
INSERT INTO `josip_ucm_history` VALUES (3356,984,1,'','2022-01-15 16:28:44',873,34006,'198650e8b9e5a5cb0e7f445a8c77d880e3c84ef4','{\"id\":984,\"asset_id\":\"1274\",\"title\":\"Don\\u2019t just do something, stand\\u00a0there! - DR. MALCOLM KENDRICK\",\"alias\":\"don-t-just-do-something-stand-there-dr-malcolm-kendrick\",\"introtext\":\"<p>Don\\u2019t just do something, stand there!<br \\/>106 Replies<br \\/>14th January 2022<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>A few months ago, I resolved not to write anything more about COVID19. I was having zero apparent effect on anything, or anybody, and I was just getting increasingly despondent at the destruction of science, debate, logic, humanity, personal freedoms \\u2026 life.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>However, my New Years resolution was to not have any more resolutions. Which lead to an almost inescapable logic loop from which I have only just managed to extricate myself.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In truth, I believe that I still have a few things left to say about COVID19 that may be useful in stopping some of the most egregious nonsense being repeated. [Fat chance, says the little man on my shoulder].<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What I am about to write, I have written about before, in various different guises. However, I think it is worth going back over some old ground again. Hopefully in a more effective manner.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In this blog what I want to do is to look at how we think about a few things, primarily in medicine, and medical science. To try and highlight how some repeated flaws in thought have influenced the reaction to COVID19.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>I hope that by doing this, it may help to prevent some us travelling down the terribly well-worn \\u2018paths of pointlessness\\u2019 again. Or, at least, to get people to stop and question how they are thinking, before throwing themselves into the fray.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>To begin.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What I saw happening with COVID19 is a pattern that repeats in medicine over and over again:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>We have a serious illness \\u2013 panic<br \\/>Something must be done \\u2013 grab the pitchforks, run about screaming<br \\/>An influential person, or organisation, grabs the initiative \\u2013 \\u2018\\u2018experts\\u2019 move in.\\u2019<br \\/>I\\/We know what to do, you must follow me\\/us \\u2013 simple idea + soothing paternalism<br \\/>Frightened people latch onto their ideas \\u2013 two legs good, four legs bad<br \\/>A path is chosen \\u2013 along the side of a cliff<br \\/>Momentum builds \\u2013 the unstoppable charge of the light brigade<br \\/>Those who object to the path taken are crushed \\u2013 1984<br \\/>Fast forward a few decades\\u2026 \\u2018Oh, it seems that the thing we always do as standard medical practice\\u2026 Turns out it does more harm than good.\\u2019 See under: removal of toxic colon, the radical mastectomy, strict bed rest following a heart attack, cutting teeth, use of radium water, plombage, mercury for syphilis, pre-frontal lobotomy etc.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Of course, this pattern is not true of every medical intervention, not by any manner of means. Sometimes the influential person, or organisation, promotes the best course of action. This has been known to happen from time to time\\u2026 believe it or not. In addition, medical practice does eventually auto-correct \\u2013 and ends up doing the right thing. Almost always. We no longer remove toxic colons to cure female neurosis.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>But what never, ever, seems to happen is OODA. Defined as \\u2018a practical concept designed to function as the foundation of rational thinking in confusing or chaotic situation\\u2019.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>OODA stands for. \\u2018Observe, Orient, Decide Act.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>It was developed by the Air Force Colonel, John Boyd.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What John Boyd taught was simple. If you don\\u2019t know what is going on, do not make immediate decisions. First, work out what is happening, then orientate yourself \\u2013 before you decide what to do. That way you avoid most, if not all, stupid mistakes. For many years, without knowing anything of OODA my own medical strategy has tended towards \\u2018don\\u2019t just do something, stand there.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Unfortunately, the medical profession has always battled ferociously against doing nothing. It has always greatly favoured the \\u2018You must do something, anything, I don\\u2019t care what it is so long as it sounds like a good idea. Chaaarge!\\u2019 Strategy.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This, the \\u2018do something strategy\\u2019, has always proven far more seductive, and almost always wins. It is easier to attract followers to do something, than to than to do nothing. Why not whack a hole in the skull and split the brain apart to cure various mental diseases? Why not\\u2026 indeed. Ah yes, the good old pre-frontal lobotomy.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>A.N. Other doctor: \\u2018If you do nothing people will surely die. You cannot just stand there doing nothing.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Me: \\u2018But what if those things we do end up causing more damage, or killing more people?\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Many years ago, my father said to me. \\u2018You will always be blamed for failures of omission, rath than commission.\\u2019 At the time I was young, I knew everything, and thought he was talking rubbish. In truth I didn\\u2019t really understand his point. Now that I know that\\u2026 I know nothing, I fully understand how profound his comment was. I wish I had listened to him more.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yes, doing something will always be looked on in a positive light. Effort has been made, decisions have been taken, activity carried out. In medicine this is reflected in a comment that I have had directed at me, from time to time. \\u2018At least you tried, doctor.\\u2019 Well, seeing as they are now dead, my efforts achieved very little. But thanks anyway.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In addition, if you do nothing, you can be accused of laziness, of being uncaring. You just stood there and watched them suffer, even die. You cruel swine. I see this overwhelming urge to do something, anything, in the person who cannot swim, jumping into a river to try and save their dog from drowning.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What exactly did they think they were going to achieve? Oh well, at least they tried, you may say. No\\u2026 they were stupid. They drowned along with their dog. But who can stand on the riverbank watching their dog die?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Well, me, actually.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This also moves into the area of survival guilt. How am I still alive when others have died? Better to die trying than to have done nothing? It all further wraps round into it the almost irresistible urge to be seen to be doing something. I think it is hard-wired into our psyche. We must fight to protect those in our tribe and be seen to be doing it. Chop, chop, busy, busy, work, work, bang, bang 1.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>I am, however, reminded of the philosophy behind recruitment to the German army in the good old days \\u2013 as recounted to me. Men were divided in to four categories:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Intelligent and lazy<br \\/>Intelligent and hardworking<br \\/>Stupid and lazy<br \\/>Stupid and hardworking<br \\/>At which point<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Intelligent and lazy men were taken for officer training<br \\/>Intelligent and hardworking men were turned into NCOs (non-commissioned officers)<br \\/>Stupid and lazy men became privates \\u2013 squaddies, to use the UK vernacular<br \\/>Those who were both stupid, and hardworking, were taken out and shot, before they could do too much damage<br \\/>Doing things, doing things, doing things. We place great value on it. Too much.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As Kurt Vonnegut Jnr noted in Cat\\u2019s Cradle:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u201cWe do, doodley do, doodley do, doodely do,<br \\/>What we must, muddily must, muddily must, muddily must;<br \\/>Muddily do, muddily do, muddily do, muddily do,<br \\/>Until we bust, bodily bust, bodily bust, bodily bust.\\u201d<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Of course, if there are things to be done, they should be done. But that does not mean we should rush around doing stuff, just because it seems better than doing nothing. Here is what Vinay Prasad has to say in his blog \\u2018Will science do better post COVID19?\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018When faced with a pandemic, we re-treated to all the old delusions. Bioplausibilty was sacrosanct\\u2014 that\\u2019s why #maskswork! We can\\u2019t run RCTs\\u2014 these are parachutes. Doing something is always better than doing nothing! More is better than less! Keep boosting, young man!! Newer is better than older. Disease bad; treatments good. Bad people (John Ioannidis) are always wrong (never mind, that a year ago we all thought he was brilliant).\\u2019 2<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The additional problem with doing things is that, once you have started doing them, it becomes damned difficult to stop again. After you have decided to blow four hundred billion pounds on lockdown, or thereabouts, then you are pretty much stuck with it. Or else, you are going to look pretty stupid. \\u2018Sorry, ahem, I seem to have wasted a teensy bit of money. Sorry, my mistake.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>If everyone is ordered to wear a mask, on pain of death, you are stuck with that too. Back pedalling from instant decisions is very, very, difficult. For the scientists and politicians involved you cannot be seen to have been wrong. Reputations must be protected.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>At which point, vast amounts of time and effort are expended in trying to batter down anyone who dares to suggest that we rushed into doing things that were completely pointless, even damaging. Science then becomes twisted and bent to justify the errors made. Those in power must retain power. The narrative must be supported:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>COVID19 is really, really deadly<br \\/>Lockdowns really, really, work<br \\/>Masks really, really, work<br \\/>If you question these narratives, people will demand an answer to this rhetorical question. Do you want people to die! (That\\u2019s always an effective weapon). The correct answer to this question by the way, is usually no \\u2013 although I am willing to make exceptions.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The other terrible flaw in thinking here, especially in medicine, was also mentioned by Vinay Prasad. It is Bioplausibility. Often closely associated with fast thinking a.k.a. jumping to conclusions, because they just seem right.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Masks, indeed, must surely work. Because? Because they prevent the virus from spreading. In fact, masks represent an almost perfect example of bioplausibility a.k.a. sheer common sense. No-one can argue against using them. If you do, your arguments must be pure sophistry, or simply nonsense. \\u2019You do not understand science.\\u2019 That\\u2019s a good one, I get that a lot.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018I think you will find it is not I that fails to understand science.\\u2019 I think to myself. But I don\\u2019t say it, because it makes you sound like a prat.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Let me remind you of a time when, after a heart attack you had to rest in bed doing nothing for six weeks. The heart has been damaged and must be given a chance to rest. Yes, perfect Bioplausibility, believed by virtually everyone. To question it was to be cast into the outer darkness.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>It is now known that the worst thing you can possibly do is to enforce strict bed rest post heart attack. This advice, in place from 1912 to about 1960(ish), killed tens of millions. Maybe hundreds of millions.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As for masks \\u2013 the sort of masks worn by almost everyone.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018The use of cloth facemasks in community settings has become an accepted public policy response to decrease disease transmission during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet evidence of facemask efficacy is based primarily on observational studies that are subject to confounding and on mechanistic studies that rely on surrogate endpoints (such as droplet dispersion) as proxies for disease transmission. The available clinical evidence of facemask efficacy is of low quality and the best available clinical evidence has mostly failed to show efficacy, with fourteen of sixteen identified randomized controlled trials comparing face masks to no mask controls failing to find statistically significant benefit in the intent\\u2010\\u200bto\\u2010\\u200btreat populations. Of sixteen quantitative meta\\u2010\\u200banalyses, eight were equivocal or critical as to whether evidence supports a public recommendation of masks, and the remaining eight supported a public mask intervention on limited evidence primarily on the basis of the precautionary principle. Although weak evidence should not preclude precautionary actions in the face of unprecedented events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, ethical principles require that the strength of the evidence and best estimates of amount of benefit be truthfully communicated to the public.\\u20193<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>How can masks possibly fail to work?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Well, unfortunately, our brains work one way, and the world often works in quite another way. As does, therefore, science. For centuries people thought that heavier than air flight would only be possible if you flapped things that looked very like wings. Why, because birds and bats were the only flying things people had ever seen flying [apart from lemmings] and they mostly flapped about like mad \\u2013 using wings.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Except that, if you looked closely, they didn\\u2019t \\u2013 not really. If you thought flapping was the key to flight, you were not really looking. An albatross can stay aloft for hours, gliding above the waves, using the wind and updrafts, and barely moving its wings at all.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yet, and yet, no-one was able to see this. When I say \\u2018see\\u2019 this I mean \\u2013 look beyond the obvious, in your face, flappy stuff. Observe properly, deeply, to really understand what you are looking at \\u2013 in this case aerodynamics. Eventually, of course, some people did. Et voila, the Wright Brothers.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>With masks\\u2026 Yes, it is both true, and self-evident, that a mask stops droplets being catapulted across a room after a cough or sneeze, or suchlike. So, they must stop spread\\u2026mustn\\u2019t they? I mean, you can even see it working in slow motion videos. A man coughs in London, virus ends up in New York \\u2013 or something. Ah, the dreaded Bioplausibility\\u2026 that can also be visualised. Double bubble.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>But a mask can also turn droplets into an aerosol by breaking the droplet down into far smaller particles. Particles will float in the air for longer, and thus be inhaled for longer. Possibly, probably4. You didn\\u2019t think of that, did you?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>A mask can also become damp and keep viral particles viable for longer. Once discarded \\u2013 as many masks are \\u2013 they represent receptacles for viruses and can spread disease when picked up. What happens when masks are used and used, and re-used? As they often are. Superspreading here we come. Blowing viral particles out of a wet mask.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As a wise man also said. Using cloth masks to prevent viral spread it like trying to pick up sand with a tennis racket. Virus particle size \\u2018x\\u2019. Holes in mask size 1000x.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>A mask can also mean that people stand closer to each other than they otherwise would. A mask may, simply, never had had a chance to work at all. After all, we breathe in and breathe out the same amount of air whilst wearing a mask than not.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>If there is virus in floating in the air, we are still going to breathe it in, and out. Masks do not stop us breathing, and the air has to come from somewhere. Unless masks act as a type of black hole, trapping, then transporting viral particles from here into another universe\\u2026 I\\u2019m not putting much money on that hypothesis.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Some months ago, I wrote about the last people to be infected with smallpox. In one hospital, in Germany, a patient with smallpox was being treated on the ground floor. The patient in the room above, and then the room above that, become infected. Which means that viral particles must have got out the window, drifted upwards and infected those above.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Which just gives you some idea of how few viral particles were needed to spread a disease that was, up to that time, not even believed to spread through the air. No droplets required.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Early on, with COVID19 it was noted that ferrets could be infected with the virus. So, researchers put one ferret in a cage, with another ferret above with a solid barrier between them. The one below was infected with COVD19.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The only route for COVID19 to travel from one ferret to the other was through a tube that bent through ninety degrees, bent again to go upwards through the barrier, then across, and back round through ninety degrees<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In essence, this tube was specifically designed to ensure that droplet spread was impossible. As droplets cannot go round corners, travel upwards, turn another ninety degrees\\u2026 and suchlike.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Despite this, all of the uninfected ferrets became, very rapidly, infected. Conclusion \\u2013 COVID19 can travel and infect through aerosol spread. Secondary conclusion \\u2013 masks cannot stop this. At least not the sort of masks that virtually everyone wears, and then re-uses.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Of course, there are masks that you can use to prevent the spread of viral particles. But they have to be airtight, they have to have filters. They are uncomfortable to wear for any length of time, and they need to be changed regularly. They also prevent a great deal of communication, as people hard of hearing will tell you. Oh yes, there are serious downsides to mask wearing.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>I only focus on masks here to make the point that masks appear totally \\u2018Bioplausible\\u2019. If, that is, you don\\u2019t think about all the issues too deeply. Also, getting everyone to wear masks represents doing \\u2018something.\\u2019 Doing something, especially something visible, is always better than doing nothing.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yes\\u2026 doing something, anything, and Bioplausibility. Two bear traps in human thought. Traps that seem impossible to eradicate.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>There is another, major trap, which is the urge to draw ourselves into tribes. Then attack and attempt destroy anyone who does not agree with us. Humiliate and silence. Turn the \\u2018other\\u2019 into someone with evil intent. I am not getting into this in any depth here. We have all seen too much of it. The terrible seductive pleasure of righteous anger. Which so easily flips into hatred.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As also mentioned by Vinay Prasad. Bad people (John Ioannidis) are always wrong (never mind, that a year ago we all thought he was brilliant).\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As we all know, it is not just Ioannidis who is attacked. Dare to breathe one word of caution about vaccines and you become \\u2018dirty anti-vaxxer scum. You deserve to lose your job. Ha!\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This is no way for humans to act towards each other. Crush debate, silence those who dare to think differently. Bring in the Spanish Inquisition a.k.a. fact checkers. All bought and paid for by those who have vested interests in obliterating the opposition, of course.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Question: When is a fact checker not a fact checker?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Answer: When they are called a fact checker. [Especially if they work for a company that used to begin with Face and ended in Book. Or Witterpedia]<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Also Meta\\u2026as in, I meta \\u2018n\\u2019 idiot \\u2013 who think it\\u2019s okay to silence anyone they disagree with, and claim this is science. Spare me.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Anyway, what do we do next time? How do we do better? How do we think better? Well, I suppose that first of all you have to get those in power to accept that they made mistakes\\u2026. Ho hum.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Frankly, that ain\\u2019t going to happen. Therefore, we need new people in power. People who can understand that things are complicated. That the immediate Bioplausible and simplistic \\u2018answer\\u2019 is as likely to be wrong, as it is right. More likely in truth.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>We really need people to think better:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018We have a crisis in medicine when it comes to understanding and appraising science. We do not teach this explicitly in medical schools, and it gets short shrift to mechanistic science. Our overemphasis on molecular mechanisms fuels the cognitive distortion that a reductionistic view is superior to empiricism*\\u2019 2<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>*empiricism is the view that all concepts originate in experience, that all concepts are about or applicable to things that can be experienced, or that all rationally acceptable beliefs or propositions are justifiable or knowable only through experience.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Were there any examples of doing things better from which we could learn? In Sweden they did things differently \\u2013 at least from most of the rest of Europe. Anders Tegnell, the state epidemiologist (yes they have such a post) was the man who led the Swedish response. It was to bring in very few restrictions and make almost everything voluntary. Lockdown \\u2018lite\\u2019 if you like.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>He was ruthlessly attacked from all directions, but remained superficially calm. Although I imagine he felt most terribly bruised and battered inside. TIME magazine ran a story about the Swedish response entitled \\u2018The Swedish COVID-19 Response Is a Disaster. It Shouldn\\u2019t Be a Model for the Rest of the World.\\u20195<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You don\\u2019t really need to read the article. The title makes it entirely clear what tone was adopted, and also what the conclusion was going to be. Sweden = death and mayhem, run for the hills. Frankly, I am amazed that the Swedish Government held firm in supporting him.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>At one point even the Swedish King, Carl XVI Gustaf \\u2018Gustaf \\u2013 the eminent epidemiologist\\u2019 as I believe he is also known \\u2013 had a pop at poor old Anders. But the Government did support Tegnell\\u2019s light touch strategy \\u2013 mostly. They held their nerve.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What was Anders thinking, the mad mass murdering fool? As he calmly stated in the British Medical Journal, after COVID19 deaths in Sweden had settled into the lower half of European figures. Not as good as some, better than most:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2026 there is still disagreement among scientists about which measures are effective against the spread of infection. \\u201cThis is what we are still struggling to understand: some measures work in some places, but it is difficult to see patterns.\\u201d<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u201cCountries that went through lockdowns are not doing that much better,\\u201d6<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yes, he is describing his OODA journey. Anders is still observing and attempting to orientate, but he cannot see what to do. He still believes that the evidence for severe lockdowns, and mask wearing, simply does not exist. To put it another way, he cannot yet decide what should be done. So, he isn\\u2019t doing it.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Good man. We need far more like Anders Tegnell, and less of those like the members of SAGE in the UK. Screaming blue bloody murder with threats of hundreds of thousands dying if WE DO NOT ACT NOW! The sky is falling, the sky is falling. OMCIRON will kill us all\\u2026 all I tell ee\\u2019. Beware the black spot Cap\\u2019n.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>We also need more people to be sceptical. To look at the science and the evidence. We need, quite frankly, to learn to think\\u2026 and grow up. Also, importantly, learn the incredibly difficult trick of doing nothing at all.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As they used to say in a UK advert. \\u2018Nothing acts faster than Anadin (a painkiller)\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Solution\\u2026 take nothing<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Nothing acts faster than a damn good lockdown<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Solution\\u2026do nothing<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Or, to quote the famous physician William Osler. \\u2018One of the first duties of the physician is to educate the masses not to take medicine.\\u2019 I shall now leave you with two things to consider. The first is an open letter, written by Professor Ehud Qimron, head of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Tel Aviv University and one of the leading Israeli immunologists:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Ministry of Health, it\\u2019s time to admit failure<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In the end, the truth will always be revealed, and the truth about the coronavirus policy is beginning to be revealed. When the destructive concepts collapse one by one, there is nothing left but to tell the experts who led the management of the pandemic \\u2013 we told you so.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Two years late, you finally realize that a respiratory virus cannot be defeated and that any such attempt is doomed to fail. You do not admit it, because you have admitted almost no mistake in the last two years, but in retrospect it is clear that you have failed miserably in almost all of your actions, and even the media is already having a hard time covering your shame.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You refused to admit that the infection comes in waves that fade by themselves, despite years of observations and scientific knowledge. You insisted on attributing every decline of a wave solely to your actions, and so through false propaganda \\u201cyou overcame the plague.\\u201d And again, you defeated it, and again and again and again.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You refused to admit that mass testing is ineffective, despite your own contingency plans explicitly stating so (\\u201cPandemic Influenza Health System Preparedness Plan, 2007\\u201d, p. 26).<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You refused to admit that recovery is more protective than a vaccine, despite previous knowledge and observations showing that non-recovered vaccinated people are more likely to be infected than recovered people. You refused to admit that the vaccinated are contagious despite the observations. Based on this, you hoped to achieve herd immunity by vaccination \\u2014 and you failed in that as well.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You insisted on ignoring the fact that the disease is dozens of times more dangerous for risk groups and older adults, than for young people who are not in risk groups, despite the knowledge that came from China as early as 2020.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You refused to adopt the \\u201cBarrington Declaration\\u201d, signed by more than 60,000 scientists and medical professionals, or other common-sense programs. You chose to ridicule, slander, distort and discredit them. Instead of the right programs and people, you have chosen professionals who lack relevant training for pandemic management (physicists as chief government advisers, veterinarians, security officers, media personnel, and so on).<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You have not set up an effective system for reporting side effects from the vaccines, and reports on side effects have even been deleted from your Facebook page. Doctors avoid linking side effects to the vaccine, lest you persecute them as you did with some of their colleagues. You have ignored many reports of changes in menstrual intensity and menstrual cycle times. You hid data that allows for objective and proper research (for example, you removed the data on passengers at Ben Gurion Airport). Instead, you chose to publish non-objective articles together with senior Pfizer executives on the effectiveness and safety of vaccines.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Irreversible damage to trust<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>However, from the heights of your hubris, you have also ignored the fact that in the end the truth will be revealed. And it begins to be revealed. The truth is that you have brought the public\\u2019s trust in you to an unprecedented low, and you have eroded your status as a source of authority. The truth is that you have burned hundreds of billions of shekels to no avail \\u2013 for publishing intimidation, for ineffective tests, for destructive lockdowns and for disrupting the routine of life in the last two years.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You have destroyed the education of our children and their future. You made children feel guilty, scared, smoke, drink, get addicted, drop out, and quarrel, as school principals around the country attest. You have harmed livelihoods, the economy, human rights, mental health and physical health.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You slandered colleagues who did not surrender to you, you turned the people against each other, divided society and polarized the discourse. You branded, without any scientific basis, people who chose not to get vaccinated as enemies of the public and as spreaders of disease. You promote, in an unprecedented way, a draconian policy of discrimination, denial of rights and selection of people, including children, for their medical choice. A selection that lacks any epidemiological justification.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>When you compare the destructive policies you are pursuing with the sane policies of some other countries \\u2014 you can clearly see that the destruction you have caused has only added victims beyond the vulnerable to the virus. The economy you ruined, the unemployed you caused, and the children whose education you destroyed \\u2014 they are the surplus victims as a result of your own actions only.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>There is currently no medical emergency, but you have been cultivating such a condition for two years now because of lust for power, budgets and control. The only emergency now is that you still set policies and hold huge budgets for propaganda and psychological engineering instead of directing them to strengthen the health care system.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This emergency must stop!<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Professor Udi Qimron, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University7<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>I suppose I should say that the opinions of Professor Udi Qimron are not necessarily those of the senior management of this blog. I, in exactly the same way as Google and Facebook (Sorry, Alphabet and Meta. \\u2018As I was going to St Ives I meta man with seven wives\\u2019\\u2026 how many idiots were going to St Ives), and suchlike, am merely the repository for information, and articles. A warehouse if you like. I have no editorial control over content, so you cannot sue me for anything written.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Unfortunately, I am not rich enough to employ Fact Checkers and unleash them upon anyone who disagrees with me. Yet. You have been warned.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The second thing, that I shall leave you with, is the fact that doing nothing can be very rewarding, and sometimes pretty hard work. As outlined by this article in The International Journal of Doing Very little:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018We\\u2019re busy doin\\u2019 nothin\\u2019<br \\/>Workin\\u2019 the whole day through<br \\/>Tryin\\u2019 to find lots of things not to do<br \\/>We\\u2019re busy goin\\u2019 nowhere<br \\/>Isn\\u2019t it just a crime<br \\/>We\\u2019d like to be unhappy, but<br \\/>We never do have the time,\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018I have to watch the river<br \\/>To see that it doesn\\u2019t stop<br \\/>And stick around the rosebuds<br \\/>So they\\u2019ll know when to pop<br \\/>And keep the crickets cheerful<br \\/>They\\u2019re really a solemn bunch<br \\/>Hustle, bustle<br \\/>And only an hour for lunch.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>La-la-la-la-la-la<br \\/>La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la<br \\/>La-la-la-la-la-la<br \\/>La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018We\\u2019re busy doin\\u2019 nothin\\u2019<br \\/>Workin\\u2019 the whole day through<br \\/>Tryin\\u2019 to find lots of things not to do<br \\/>We\\u2019re busy goin\\u2019 nowhere<br \\/>Isn\\u2019t it just a crime<br \\/>We\\u2019d like to be unhappy, but<br \\/>We never do have the time.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018I have to wake the Sun up<br \\/>He\\u2019s liable to sleep all day<br \\/>And then inspect the rainbows<br \\/>So they\\u2019ll be bright and gay<br \\/>I must rehearse the songbirds<br \\/>To see that they sing in key<br \\/>Hustle, bustle<br \\/>And never a moment free.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018We\\u2019re busy doin\\u2019 nothin\\u2019<br \\/>Workin\\u2019 the whole day through<br \\/>Tryin\\u2019 to find lots of things not to do<br \\/>We\\u2019re busy going nowhere<br \\/>Isn\\u2019t it just a crime<br \\/>We\\u2019d like to be unhappy, but<br \\/>We never do have the time.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018I have to meet a turtle<br \\/>I\\u2019m teachin\\u2019 him how to swim<br \\/>Then I have to shine the dewdrops<br \\/>You know they\\u2019re looking rather dim<br \\/>I told my friend, the robin<br \\/>I\\u2019d buy him a brand-new vest<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Hustle, bustle<br \\/>We never do have<br \\/>We never do have<br \\/>We never do, never do<br \\/>Never do, never do, never do have the time<br \\/>Never do have the time.\\u20198<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>And if that don\\u2019t cheer you up, nothing will. And follow my motto. \\u2018Don\\u2019t just do something stand there\\u2026.\\u2019 Whilst observing and orientating of course. Think first, act later.<\\/p>\",\"fulltext\":\"\",\"state\":1,\"catid\":\"59\",\"created\":\"2022-01-15 15:24:49\",\"created_by\":\"873\",\"created_by_alias\":\"\",\"modified\":\"2022-01-15 16:28:44\",\"modified_by\":\"873\",\"checked_out\":\"873\",\"checked_out_time\":\"2022-01-15 15:44:27\",\"publish_up\":\"2022-01-15 15:24:49\",\"publish_down\":\"0000-00-00 00:00:00\",\"images\":\"{\\\"image_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_caption\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_caption\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"urls\":\"{\\\"urla\\\":false,\\\"urlatext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targeta\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlb\\\":false,\\\"urlbtext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetb\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlc\\\":false,\\\"urlctext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetc\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"attribs\":\"{\\\"article_layout\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_titles\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_tags\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_associations\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_create_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_modify_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publish_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_item_navigation\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_icons\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_print_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_email_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_vote\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_hits\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_noauth\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urls_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"alternative_readmore\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"article_page_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publishing_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_article_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_backend\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_frontend\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"version\":12,\"ordering\":\"0\",\"metakey\":\"\",\"metadesc\":\"\",\"access\":\"1\",\"hits\":\"0\",\"metadata\":\"{\\\"robots\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"rights\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"xreference\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"featured\":\"1\",\"language\":\"*\",\"xreference\":\"\",\"note\":\"\"}',0),(3357,984,1,'','2022-01-15 16:29:36',873,33987,'2b01e07ab81c762f992fae172dad661aa2c22eeb','{\"id\":984,\"asset_id\":\"1274\",\"title\":\"Don\\u2019t just do something, stand\\u00a0there! - DR. MALCOLM KENDRICK\",\"alias\":\"don-t-just-do-something-stand-there-dr-malcolm-kendrick\",\"introtext\":\"<p>Don\\u2019t just do something, stand there!<br \\/>106 Replies<br \\/>14th January 2022<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>A few months ago, I resolved not to write anything more about COVID19. I was having zero apparent effect on anything, or anybody, and I was just getting increasingly despondent at the destruction of science, debate, logic, humanity, personal freedoms \\u2026 life.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>However, my New Years resolution was to not have any more resolutions. Which lead to an almost inescapable logic loop from which I have only just managed to extricate myself.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In truth, I believe that I still have a few things left to say about COVID19 that may be useful in stopping some of the most egregious nonsense being repeated. [Fat chance, says the little man on my shoulder].<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What I am about to write, I have written about before, in various different guises. However, I think it is worth going back over some old ground again. Hopefully in a more effective manner.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In this blog what I want to do is to look at how we think about a few things, primarily in medicine, and medical science. To try and highlight how some repeated flaws in thought have influenced the reaction to COVID19.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>I hope that by doing this, it may help to prevent some us travelling down the terribly well-worn \\u2018paths of pointlessness\\u2019 again. Or, at least, to get people to stop and question how they are thinking, before throwing themselves into the fray.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>To begin.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What I saw happening with COVID19 is a pattern that repeats in medicine over and over again:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>We have a serious illness \\u2013 panic<br \\/>Something must be done \\u2013 grab the pitchforks, run about screaming<br \\/>An influential person, or organisation, grabs the initiative \\u2013 \\u2018\\u2018experts\\u2019 move in.\\u2019<br \\/>I\\/We know what to do, you must follow me\\/us \\u2013 simple idea + soothing paternalism<br \\/>Frightened people latch onto their ideas \\u2013 two legs good, four legs bad<br \\/>A path is chosen \\u2013 along the side of a cliff<br \\/>Momentum builds \\u2013 the unstoppable charge of the light brigade<br \\/>Those who object to the path taken are crushed \\u2013 1984<br \\/>Fast forward a few decades\\u2026 \\u2018Oh, it seems that the thing we always do as standard medical practice\\u2026 Turns out it does more harm than good.\\u2019 See under: removal of toxic colon, the radical mastectomy, strict bed rest following a heart attack, cutting teeth, use of radium water, plombage, mercury for syphilis, pre-frontal lobotomy etc.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Of course, this pattern is not true of every medical intervention, not by any manner of means. Sometimes the influential person, or organisation, promotes the best course of action. This has been known to happen from time to time\\u2026 believe it or not. In addition, medical practice does eventually auto-correct \\u2013 and ends up doing the right thing. Almost always. We no longer remove toxic colons to cure female neurosis.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>But what never, ever, seems to happen is OODA. Defined as \\u2018a practical concept designed to function as the foundation of rational thinking in confusing or chaotic situation\\u2019.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>OODA stands for. \\u2018Observe, Orient, Decide Act.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>It was developed by the Air Force Colonel, John Boyd.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What John Boyd taught was simple. If you don\\u2019t know what is going on, do not make immediate decisions. First, work out what is happening, then orientate yourself \\u2013 before you decide what to do. That way you avoid most, if not all, stupid mistakes. For many years, without knowing anything of OODA my own medical strategy has tended towards \\u2018don\\u2019t just do something, stand there.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Unfortunately, the medical profession has always battled ferociously against doing nothing. It has always greatly favoured the \\u2018You must do something, anything, I don\\u2019t care what it is so long as it sounds like a good idea. Chaaarge!\\u2019 Strategy.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This, the \\u2018do something strategy\\u2019, has always proven far more seductive, and almost always wins. It is easier to attract followers to do something, than to than to do nothing. Why not whack a hole in the skull and split the brain apart to cure various mental diseases? Why not\\u2026 indeed. Ah yes, the good old pre-frontal lobotomy.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>A.N. Other doctor: \\u2018If you do nothing people will surely die. You cannot just stand there doing nothing.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Me: \\u2018But what if those things we do end up causing more damage, or killing more people?\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Many years ago, my father said to me. \\u2018You will always be blamed for failures of omission, rath than commission.\\u2019 At the time I was young, I knew everything, and thought he was talking rubbish. In truth I didn\\u2019t really understand his point. Now that I know that\\u2026 I know nothing, I fully understand how profound his comment was. I wish I had listened to him more.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yes, doing something will always be looked on in a positive light. Effort has been made, decisions have been taken, activity carried out. In medicine this is reflected in a comment that I have had directed at me, from time to time. \\u2018At least you tried, doctor.\\u2019 Well, seeing as they are now dead, my efforts achieved very little. But thanks anyway.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In addition, if you do nothing, you can be accused of laziness, of being uncaring. You just stood there and watched them suffer, even die. You cruel swine. I see this overwhelming urge to do something, anything, in the person who cannot swim, jumping into a river to try and save their dog from drowning.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What exactly did they think they were going to achieve? Oh well, at least they tried, you may say. No\\u2026 they were stupid. They drowned along with their dog. But who can stand on the riverbank watching their dog die?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Well, me, actually.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This also moves into the area of survival guilt. How am I still alive when others have died? Better to die trying than to have done nothing? It all further wraps round into it the almost irresistible urge to be seen to be doing something. I think it is hard-wired into our psyche. We must fight to protect those in our tribe and be seen to be doing it. Chop, chop, busy, busy, work, work, bang, bang 1.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>I am, however, reminded of the philosophy behind recruitment to the German army in the good old days \\u2013 as recounted to me. Men were divided in to four categories:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Intelligent and lazy<br \\/>Intelligent and hardworking<br \\/>Stupid and lazy<br \\/>Stupid and hardworking<br \\/>At which point<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Intelligent and lazy men were taken for officer training<br \\/>Intelligent and hardworking men were turned into NCOs (non-commissioned officers)<br \\/>Stupid and lazy men became privates \\u2013 squaddies, to use the UK vernacular<br \\/>Those who were both stupid, and hardworking, were taken out and shot, before they could do too much damage<br \\/>Doing things, doing things, doing things. We place great value on it. Too much.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As Kurt Vonnegut Jnr noted in Cat\\u2019s Cradle:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u201cWe do, doodley do, doodley do, doodely do,<br \\/>What we must, muddily must, muddily must, muddily must;<br \\/>Muddily do, muddily do, muddily do, muddily do,<br \\/>Until we bust, bodily bust, bodily bust, bodily bust.\\u201d<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Of course, if there are things to be done, they should be done. But that does not mean we should rush around doing stuff, just because it seems better than doing nothing. Here is what Vinay Prasad has to say in his blog \\u2018Will science do better post COVID19?\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018When faced with a pandemic, we re-treated to all the old delusions. Bioplausibilty was sacrosanct\\u2014 that\\u2019s why #maskswork! We can\\u2019t run RCTs\\u2014 these are parachutes. Doing something is always better than doing nothing! More is better than less! Keep boosting, young man!! Newer is better than older. Disease bad; treatments good. Bad people (John Ioannidis) are always wrong (never mind, that a year ago we all thought he was brilliant).\\u2019 2<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The additional problem with doing things is that, once you have started doing them, it becomes damned difficult to stop again. After you have decided to blow four hundred billion pounds on lockdown, or thereabouts, then you are pretty much stuck with it. Or else, you are going to look pretty stupid. \\u2018Sorry, ahem, I seem to have wasted a teensy bit of money. Sorry, my mistake.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>If everyone is ordered to wear a mask, on pain of death, you are stuck with that too. Back pedalling from instant decisions is very, very, difficult. For the scientists and politicians involved you cannot be seen to have been wrong. Reputations must be protected.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>At which point, vast amounts of time and effort are expended in trying to batter down anyone who dares to suggest that we rushed into doing things that were completely pointless, even damaging. Science then becomes twisted and bent to justify the errors made. Those in power must retain power. The narrative must be supported:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>COVID19 is really, really deadly<br \\/>Lockdowns really, really, work<br \\/>Masks really, really, work<br \\/>If you question these narratives, people will demand an answer to this rhetorical question. Do you want people to die! (That\\u2019s always an effective weapon). The correct answer to this question by the way, is usually no \\u2013 although I am willing to make exceptions.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The other terrible flaw in thinking here, especially in medicine, was also mentioned by Vinay Prasad. It is Bioplausibility. Often closely associated with fast thinking a.k.a. jumping to conclusions, because they just seem right.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Masks, indeed, must surely work. Because? Because they prevent the virus from spreading. In fact, masks represent an almost perfect example of bioplausibility a.k.a. sheer common sense. No-one can argue against using them. If you do, your arguments must be pure sophistry, or simply nonsense. \\u2019You do not understand science.\\u2019 That\\u2019s a good one, I get that a lot.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018I think you will find it is not I that fails to understand science.\\u2019 I think to myself. But I don\\u2019t say it, because it makes you sound like a prat.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Let me remind you of a time when, after a heart attack you had to rest in bed doing nothing for six weeks. The heart has been damaged and must be given a chance to rest. Yes, perfect Bioplausibility, believed by virtually everyone. To question it was to be cast into the outer darkness.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>It is now known that the worst thing you can possibly do is to enforce strict bed rest post heart attack. This advice, in place from 1912 to about 1960(ish), killed tens of millions. Maybe hundreds of millions.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As for masks \\u2013 the sort of masks worn by almost everyone.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018The use of cloth facemasks in community settings has become an accepted public policy response to decrease disease transmission during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet evidence of facemask efficacy is based primarily on observational studies that are subject to confounding and on mechanistic studies that rely on surrogate endpoints (such as droplet dispersion) as proxies for disease transmission. The available clinical evidence of facemask efficacy is of low quality and the best available clinical evidence has mostly failed to show efficacy, with fourteen of sixteen identified randomized controlled trials comparing face masks to no mask controls failing to find statistically significant benefit in the intent\\u2010\\u200bto\\u2010\\u200btreat populations. Of sixteen quantitative meta\\u2010\\u200banalyses, eight were equivocal or critical as to whether evidence supports a public recommendation of masks, and the remaining eight supported a public mask intervention on limited evidence primarily on the basis of the precautionary principle. Although weak evidence should not preclude precautionary actions in the face of unprecedented events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, ethical principles require that the strength of the evidence and best estimates of amount of benefit be truthfully communicated to the public.\\u20193<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>How can masks possibly fail to work?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Well, unfortunately, our brains work one way, and the world often works in quite another way. As does, therefore, science. For centuries people thought that heavier than air flight would only be possible if you flapped things that looked very like wings. Why, because birds and bats were the only flying things people had ever seen flying [apart from lemmings] and they mostly flapped about like mad \\u2013 using wings.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Except that, if you looked closely, they didn\\u2019t \\u2013 not really. If you thought flapping was the key to flight, you were not really looking. An albatross can stay aloft for hours, gliding above the waves, using the wind and updrafts, and barely moving its wings at all.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yet, and yet, no-one was able to see this. When I say \\u2018see\\u2019 this I mean \\u2013 look beyond the obvious, in your face, flappy stuff. Observe properly, deeply, to really understand what you are looking at \\u2013 in this case aerodynamics. Eventually, of course, some people did. Et voila, the Wright Brothers.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>With masks\\u2026 Yes, it is both true, and self-evident, that a mask stops droplets being catapulted across a room after a cough or sneeze, or suchlike. So, they must stop spread\\u2026mustn\\u2019t they? I mean, you can even see it working in slow motion videos. A man coughs in London, virus ends up in New York \\u2013 or something. Ah, the dreaded Bioplausibility\\u2026 that can also be visualised. Double bubble.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>But a mask can also turn droplets into an aerosol by breaking the droplet down into far smaller particles. Particles will float in the air for longer, and thus be inhaled for longer. Possibly, probably4. You didn\\u2019t think of that, did you?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>A mask can also become damp and keep viral particles viable for longer. Once discarded \\u2013 as many masks are \\u2013 they represent receptacles for viruses and can spread disease when picked up. What happens when masks are used and used, and re-used? As they often are. Superspreading here we come. Blowing viral particles out of a wet mask.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As a wise man also said. Using cloth masks to prevent viral spread it like trying to pick up sand with a tennis racket. Virus particle size \\u2018x\\u2019. Holes in mask size 1000x.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>A mask can also mean that people stand closer to each other than they otherwise would. A mask may, simply, never had had a chance to work at all. After all, we breathe in and breathe out the same amount of air whilst wearing a mask than not.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>If there is virus in floating in the air, we are still going to breathe it in, and out. Masks do not stop us breathing, and the air has to come from somewhere. Unless masks act as a type of black hole, trapping, then transporting viral particles from here into another universe\\u2026 I\\u2019m not putting much money on that hypothesis.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Some months ago, I wrote about the last people to be infected with smallpox. In one hospital, in Germany, a patient with smallpox was being treated on the ground floor. The patient in the room above, and then the room above that, become infected. Which means that viral particles must have got out the window, drifted upwards and infected those above.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Which just gives you some idea of how few viral particles were needed to spread a disease that was, up to that time, not even believed to spread through the air. No droplets required.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Early on, with COVID19 it was noted that ferrets could be infected with the virus. So, researchers put one ferret in a cage, with another ferret above with a solid barrier between them. The one below was infected with COVD19.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The only route for COVID19 to travel from one ferret to the other was through a tube that bent through ninety degrees, bent again to go upwards through the barrier, then across, and back round through ninety degrees<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In essence, this tube was specifically designed to ensure that droplet spread was impossible. As droplets cannot go round corners, travel upwards, turn another ninety degrees\\u2026 and suchlike.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Despite this, all of the uninfected ferrets became, very rapidly, infected. Conclusion \\u2013 COVID19 can travel and infect through aerosol spread. Secondary conclusion \\u2013 masks cannot stop this. At least not the sort of masks that virtually everyone wears, and then re-uses.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Of course, there are masks that you can use to prevent the spread of viral particles. But they have to be airtight, they have to have filters. They are uncomfortable to wear for any length of time, and they need to be changed regularly. They also prevent a great deal of communication, as people hard of hearing will tell you. Oh yes, there are serious downsides to mask wearing.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>I only focus on masks here to make the point that masks appear totally \\u2018Bioplausible\\u2019. If, that is, you don\\u2019t think about all the issues too deeply. Also, getting everyone to wear masks represents doing \\u2018something.\\u2019 Doing something, especially something visible, is always better than doing nothing.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yes\\u2026 doing something, anything, and Bioplausibility. Two bear traps in human thought. Traps that seem impossible to eradicate.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>There is another, major trap, which is the urge to draw ourselves into tribes. Then attack and attempt destroy anyone who does not agree with us. Humiliate and silence. Turn the \\u2018other\\u2019 into someone with evil intent. I am not getting into this in any depth here. We have all seen too much of it. The terrible seductive pleasure of righteous anger. Which so easily flips into hatred.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As also mentioned by Vinay Prasad. Bad people (John Ioannidis) are always wrong (never mind, that a year ago we all thought he was brilliant).\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As we all know, it is not just Ioannidis who is attacked. Dare to breathe one word of caution about vaccines and you become \\u2018dirty anti-vaxxer scum. You deserve to lose your job. Ha!\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This is no way for humans to act towards each other. Crush debate, silence those who dare to think differently. Bring in the Spanish Inquisition a.k.a. fact checkers. All bought and paid for by those who have vested interests in obliterating the opposition, of course.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Question: When is a fact checker not a fact checker?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Answer: When they are called a fact checker. [Especially if they work for a company that used to begin with Face and ended in Book. Or Witterpedia]<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Also Meta\\u2026as in, I meta \\u2018n\\u2019 idiot \\u2013 who think it\\u2019s okay to silence anyone they disagree with, and claim this is science. Spare me.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Anyway, what do we do next time? How do we do better? How do we think better? Well, I suppose that first of all you have to get those in power to accept that they made mistakes\\u2026. Ho hum.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Frankly, that ain\\u2019t going to happen. Therefore, we need new people in power. People who can understand that things are complicated. That the immediate Bioplausible and simplistic \\u2018answer\\u2019 is as likely to be wrong, as it is right. More likely in truth.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>We really need people to think better:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018We have a crisis in medicine when it comes to understanding and appraising science. We do not teach this explicitly in medical schools, and it gets short shrift to mechanistic science. Our overemphasis on molecular mechanisms fuels the cognitive distortion that a reductionistic view is superior to empiricism*\\u2019 2<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>*empiricism is the view that all concepts originate in experience, that all concepts are about or applicable to things that can be experienced, or that all rationally acceptable beliefs or propositions are justifiable or knowable only through experience.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Were there any examples of doing things better from which we could learn? In Sweden they did things differently \\u2013 at least from most of the rest of Europe. Anders Tegnell, the state epidemiologist (yes they have such a post) was the man who led the Swedish response. It was to bring in very few restrictions and make almost everything voluntary. Lockdown \\u2018lite\\u2019 if you like.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>He was ruthlessly attacked from all directions, but remained superficially calm. Although I imagine he felt most terribly bruised and battered inside. TIME magazine ran a story about the Swedish response entitled \\u2018The Swedish COVID-19 Response Is a Disaster. It Shouldn\\u2019t Be a Model for the Rest of the World.\\u20195<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You don\\u2019t really need to read the article. The title makes it entirely clear what tone was adopted, and also what the conclusion was going to be. Sweden = death and mayhem, run for the hills. Frankly, I am amazed that the Swedish Government held firm in supporting him.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>At one point even the Swedish King, Carl XVI Gustaf \\u2018Gustaf \\u2013 the eminent epidemiologist\\u2019 as I believe he is also known \\u2013 had a pop at poor old Anders. But the Government did support Tegnell\\u2019s light touch strategy \\u2013 mostly. They held their nerve.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What was Anders thinking, the mad mass murdering fool? As he calmly stated in the British Medical Journal, after COVID19 deaths in Sweden had settled into the lower half of European figures. Not as good as some, better than most:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2026 there is still disagreement among scientists about which measures are effective against the spread of infection. \\u201cThis is what we are still struggling to understand: some measures work in some places, but it is difficult to see patterns.\\u201d<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u201cCountries that went through lockdowns are not doing that much better,\\u201d6<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yes, he is describing his OODA journey. Anders is still observing and attempting to orientate, but he cannot see what to do. He still believes that the evidence for severe lockdowns, and mask wearing, simply does not exist. To put it another way, he cannot yet decide what should be done. So, he isn\\u2019t doing it.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Good man. We need far more like Anders Tegnell, and less of those like the members of SAGE in the UK. Screaming blue bloody murder with threats of hundreds of thousands dying if WE DO NOT ACT NOW! The sky is falling, the sky is falling. OMCIRON will kill us all\\u2026 all I tell ee\\u2019. Beware the black spot Cap\\u2019n.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>We also need more people to be sceptical. To look at the science and the evidence. We need, quite frankly, to learn to think\\u2026 and grow up. Also, importantly, learn the incredibly difficult trick of doing nothing at all.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As they used to say in a UK advert. \\u2018Nothing acts faster than Anadin (a painkiller)\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Solution\\u2026 take nothing<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Nothing acts faster than a damn good lockdown<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Solution\\u2026do nothing<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Or, to quote the famous physician William Osler. \\u2018One of the first duties of the physician is to educate the masses not to take medicine.\\u2019 I shall now leave you with two things to consider. The first is an open letter, written by Professor Ehud Qimron, head of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Tel Aviv University and one of the leading Israeli immunologists:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Ministry of Health, it\\u2019s time to admit failure<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In the end, the truth will always be revealed, and the truth about the coronavirus policy is beginning to be revealed. When the destructive concepts collapse one by one, there is nothing left but to tell the experts who led the management of the pandemic \\u2013 we told you so.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Two years late, you finally realize that a respiratory virus cannot be defeated and that any such attempt is doomed to fail. You do not admit it, because you have admitted almost no mistake in the last two years, but in retrospect it is clear that you have failed miserably in almost all of your actions, and even the media is already having a hard time covering your shame.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You refused to admit that the infection comes in waves that fade by themselves, despite years of observations and scientific knowledge. You insisted on attributing every decline of a wave solely to your actions, and so through false propaganda \\u201cyou overcame the plague.\\u201d And again, you defeated it, and again and again and again.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You refused to admit that mass testing is ineffective, despite your own contingency plans explicitly stating so (\\u201cPandemic Influenza Health System Preparedness Plan, 2007\\u201d, p. 26).<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You refused to admit that recovery is more protective than a vaccine, despite previous knowledge and observations showing that non-recovered vaccinated people are more likely to be infected than recovered people. You refused to admit that the vaccinated are contagious despite the observations. Based on this, you hoped to achieve herd immunity by vaccination \\u2014 and you failed in that as well.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You insisted on ignoring the fact that the disease is dozens of times more dangerous for risk groups and older adults, than for young people who are not in risk groups, despite the knowledge that came from China as early as 2020.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You refused to adopt the \\u201cBarrington Declaration\\u201d, signed by more than 60,000 scientists and medical professionals, or other common-sense programs. You chose to ridicule, slander, distort and discredit them. Instead of the right programs and people, you have chosen professionals who lack relevant training for pandemic management (physicists as chief government advisers, veterinarians, security officers, media personnel, and so on).<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You have not set up an effective system for reporting side effects from the vaccines, and reports on side effects have even been deleted from your Facebook page. Doctors avoid linking side effects to the vaccine, lest you persecute them as you did with some of their colleagues. You have ignored many reports of changes in menstrual intensity and menstrual cycle times. You hid data that allows for objective and proper research (for example, you removed the data on passengers at Ben Gurion Airport). Instead, you chose to publish non-objective articles together with senior Pfizer executives on the effectiveness and safety of vaccines.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Irreversible damage to trust<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>However, from the heights of your hubris, you have also ignored the fact that in the end the truth will be revealed. And it begins to be revealed. The truth is that you have brought the public\\u2019s trust in you to an unprecedented low, and you have eroded your status as a source of authority. The truth is that you have burned hundreds of billions of shekels to no avail \\u2013 for publishing intimidation, for ineffective tests, for destructive lockdowns and for disrupting the routine of life in the last two years.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You have destroyed the education of our children and their future. You made children feel guilty, scared, smoke, drink, get addicted, drop out, and quarrel, as school principals around the country attest. You have harmed livelihoods, the economy, human rights, mental health and physical health.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You slandered colleagues who did not surrender to you, you turned the people against each other, divided society and polarized the discourse. You branded, without any scientific basis, people who chose not to get vaccinated as enemies of the public and as spreaders of disease. You promote, in an unprecedented way, a draconian policy of discrimination, denial of rights and selection of people, including children, for their medical choice. A selection that lacks any epidemiological justification.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>When you compare the destructive policies you are pursuing with the sane policies of some other countries \\u2014 you can clearly see that the destruction you have caused has only added victims beyond the vulnerable to the virus. The economy you ruined, the unemployed you caused, and the children whose education you destroyed \\u2014 they are the surplus victims as a result of your own actions only.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>There is currently no medical emergency, but you have been cultivating such a condition for two years now because of lust for power, budgets and control. The only emergency now is that you still set policies and hold huge budgets for propaganda and psychological engineering instead of directing them to strengthen the health care system.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This emergency must stop!<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Professor Udi Qimron, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University7<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>I suppose I should say that the opinions of Professor Udi Qimron are not necessarily those of the senior management of this blog. I, in exactly the same way as Google and Facebook (Sorry, Alphabet and Meta. \\u2018As I was going to St Ives I meta man with seven wives\\u2019\\u2026 how many idiots were going to St Ives), and suchlike, am merely the repository for information, and articles. A warehouse if you like. I have no editorial control over content, so you cannot sue me for anything written.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Unfortunately, I am not rich enough to employ Fact Checkers and unleash them upon anyone who disagrees with me. Yet. You have been warned.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The second thing, that I shall leave you with, is the fact that doing nothing can be very rewarding, and sometimes pretty hard work. As outlined by this article in The International Journal of Doing Very little:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018We\\u2019re busy doin\\u2019 nothin\\u2019<br \\/>Workin\\u2019 the whole day through<br \\/>Tryin\\u2019 to find lots of things not to do<br \\/>We\\u2019re busy goin\\u2019 nowhere<br \\/>Isn\\u2019t it just a crime<br \\/>We\\u2019d like to be unhappy, but<br \\/>We never do have the time,\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018I have to watch the river<br \\/>To see that it doesn\\u2019t stop<br \\/>And stick around the rosebuds<br \\/>So they\\u2019ll know when to pop<br \\/>And keep the crickets cheerful<br \\/>They\\u2019re really a solemn bunch<br \\/>Hustle, bustle<br \\/>And only an hour for lunch.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>La-la-la-la-la-la<br \\/>La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la<br \\/>La-la-la-la-la-la<br \\/>La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018We\\u2019re busy doin\\u2019 nothin\\u2019<br \\/>Workin\\u2019 the whole day through<br \\/>Tryin\\u2019 to find lots of things not to do<br \\/>We\\u2019re busy goin\\u2019 nowhere<br \\/>Isn\\u2019t it just a crime<br \\/>We\\u2019d like to be unhappy, but<br \\/>We never do have the time.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018I have to wake the Sun up<br \\/>He\\u2019s liable to sleep all day<br \\/>And then inspect the rainbows<br \\/>So they\\u2019ll be bright and gay<br \\/>I must rehearse the songbirds<br \\/>To see that they sing in key<br \\/>Hustle, bustle<br \\/>And never a moment free.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018We\\u2019re busy doin\\u2019 nothin\\u2019<br \\/>Workin\\u2019 the whole day through<br \\/>Tryin\\u2019 to find lots of things not to do<br \\/>We\\u2019re busy going nowhere<br \\/>Isn\\u2019t it just a crime<br \\/>We\\u2019d like to be unhappy, but<br \\/>We never do have the time.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018I have to meet a turtle<br \\/>I\\u2019m teachin\\u2019 him how to swim<br \\/>Then I have to shine the dewdrops<br \\/>You know they\\u2019re looking rather dim<br \\/>I told my friend, the robin<br \\/>I\\u2019d buy him a brand-new vest<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Hustle, bustle<br \\/>We never do have<br \\/>We never do have<br \\/>We never do, never do<br \\/>Never do, never do, never do have the time<br \\/>Never do have the time.\\u20198<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>And if that don\\u2019t cheer you up, nothing will. And follow my motto. \\u2018Don\\u2019t just do something stand there\\u2026.\\u2019 Whilst observing and orientating of course. Think first, act later.<\\/p>\",\"fulltext\":\"\",\"state\":0,\"catid\":\"59\",\"created\":\"2022-01-15 15:24:49\",\"created_by\":\"873\",\"created_by_alias\":\"\",\"modified\":\"2022-01-15 16:29:36\",\"modified_by\":\"873\",\"checked_out\":\"873\",\"checked_out_time\":\"2022-01-15 16:28:44\",\"publish_up\":\"2022-01-15 15:24:49\",\"publish_down\":\"\",\"images\":\"{\\\"image_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_caption\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_caption\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"urls\":\"{\\\"urla\\\":false,\\\"urlatext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targeta\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlb\\\":false,\\\"urlbtext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetb\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlc\\\":false,\\\"urlctext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetc\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"attribs\":\"{\\\"article_layout\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_titles\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_tags\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_associations\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_create_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_modify_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publish_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_item_navigation\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_icons\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_print_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_email_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_vote\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_hits\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_noauth\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urls_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"alternative_readmore\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"article_page_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publishing_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_article_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_backend\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_frontend\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"version\":13,\"ordering\":\"0\",\"metakey\":\"\",\"metadesc\":\"\",\"access\":\"1\",\"hits\":\"0\",\"metadata\":\"{\\\"robots\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"rights\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"xreference\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"featured\":\"1\",\"language\":\"*\",\"xreference\":\"\",\"note\":\"\"}',0),(3358,985,1,'','2022-01-15 16:48:09',873,3306,'cfbb78d4050106d0e3b25beede1fe9af169f4810','{\"id\":985,\"asset_id\":1275,\"title\":\"\\\"A Line Has Been Drawn! How Will You Step Over in 2022?\\\" -\\u00a0Chuck D. Pierce, Corinth, TX\",\"alias\":\"a-line-has-been-drawn-how-will-you-step-over-in-2022-chuck-d-pierce-corinth-tx\",\"introtext\":\"<div align=\\\"center\\\">&nbsp;<\\/div>\\r\\n<div align=\\\"center\\\"><img src=\\\"https:\\/\\/images.elijahlist.com\\/faces\\/ChuckPierce_2021_600px.jpg\\\" alt=\\\"\\\" width=\\\"450\\\" style=\\\"float: left;\\\" hspace=\\\"10\\\" align=\\\"center\\\" \\/><\\/div>\\r\\n<div id=\\\"word-truncate\\\">\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"font-size: 14pt;\\\"><strong>\\\"A Line Has Been Drawn! How Will You Step Over in 2022?\\\" -&nbsp;<span style=\\\"font-size: 10pt;\\\">Chuck D. Pierce, Corinth, TX<\\/span><\\/strong><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Dear Advancing Ones:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>We are living in a time of&nbsp;<em>increasing polarization<\\/em>. With the growing dichotomy of good and evil, we must understand God\'s covenant in the midst of conflict. The Lord has been speaking to me about \'lines in the sand\' and how we will advance this spring when the warfare will be intense.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p class=\\\"subtitle\\\">Finding Your Place of Faith!<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This is a time where the Lord is calling us to come up!&nbsp;<strong>We must not only see from a higher place, but pray from our position of authority.<\\/strong>&nbsp;In my book,&nbsp;<em>A Time to Triumph<\\/em>, I wrote a section on how to intercede as war issues intensify. Allow this excerpt to help you find your place of faith!&nbsp; &nbsp;<a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/elijahlist.com\\/words\\/display_word.html?ID=26732\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\"><strong>Continue Reading &gt;&gt;&gt;<\\/strong><\\/a><\\/p>\\r\\n<\\/div>\",\"fulltext\":\"\",\"state\":1,\"catid\":\"8\",\"created\":\"2022-01-15 16:48:09\",\"created_by\":\"873\",\"created_by_alias\":\"\",\"modified\":\"2022-01-15 16:48:09\",\"modified_by\":null,\"checked_out\":null,\"checked_out_time\":null,\"publish_up\":\"2022-01-15 16:48:09\",\"publish_down\":\"0000-00-00 00:00:00\",\"images\":\"{\\\"image_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_caption\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_caption\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"urls\":\"{\\\"urla\\\":false,\\\"urlatext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targeta\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlb\\\":false,\\\"urlbtext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetb\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlc\\\":false,\\\"urlctext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetc\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"attribs\":\"{\\\"article_layout\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_titles\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_tags\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_associations\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_create_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_modify_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publish_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_item_navigation\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_icons\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_print_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_email_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_vote\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_hits\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_noauth\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urls_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"alternative_readmore\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"article_page_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publishing_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_article_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_backend\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_frontend\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"version\":1,\"ordering\":null,\"metakey\":\"\",\"metadesc\":\"\",\"access\":\"1\",\"hits\":null,\"metadata\":\"{\\\"robots\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"rights\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"xreference\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"featured\":\"1\",\"language\":\"*\",\"xreference\":\"\",\"note\":\"\"}',0),(3359,985,1,'','2022-01-15 16:49:31',873,3340,'3659a565dcf75b1c157c30c9f218e06bb8a36f58','{\"id\":985,\"asset_id\":\"1275\",\"title\":\"\\\"A Line Has Been Drawn! How Will You Step Over in 2022?\\\" -\\u00a0Chuck D. Pierce, Corinth, TX\",\"alias\":\"a-line-has-been-drawn-how-will-you-step-over-in-2022-chuck-d-pierce-corinth-tx\",\"introtext\":\"<div align=\\\"center\\\">&nbsp;<\\/div>\\r\\n<div align=\\\"center\\\"><img src=\\\"https:\\/\\/images.elijahlist.com\\/faces\\/ChuckPierce_2021_600px.jpg\\\" alt=\\\"\\\" width=\\\"217\\\" height=\\\"151\\\" style=\\\"float: left;\\\" hspace=\\\"10\\\" align=\\\"center\\\" \\/><\\/div>\\r\\n<div id=\\\"word-truncate\\\">\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"font-size: 14pt;\\\"><strong>\\\"A Line Has Been Drawn! How Will You Step Over in 2022?\\\" -&nbsp;<span style=\\\"font-size: 10pt;\\\">Chuck D. Pierce, Corinth, TX<\\/span><\\/strong><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Dear Advancing Ones:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>We are living in a time of&nbsp;<em>increasing polarization<\\/em>. With the growing dichotomy of good and evil, we must understand God\'s covenant in the midst of conflict. The Lord has been speaking to me about \'lines in the sand\' and how we will advance this spring when the warfare will be intense.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p class=\\\"subtitle\\\">Finding Your Place of Faith!<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This is a time where the Lord is calling us to come up!&nbsp;<strong>We must not only see from a higher place, but pray from our position of authority.<\\/strong>&nbsp;In my book,&nbsp;<em>A Time to Triumph<\\/em>, I wrote a section on how to intercede as war issues intensify. Allow this excerpt to help you find your place of faith!&nbsp; &nbsp;<a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/elijahlist.com\\/words\\/display_word.html?ID=26732\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\"><strong>Continue Reading &gt;&gt;&gt;<\\/strong><\\/a><\\/p>\\r\\n<\\/div>\",\"fulltext\":\"\",\"state\":1,\"catid\":\"8\",\"created\":\"2022-01-15 16:48:09\",\"created_by\":\"873\",\"created_by_alias\":\"\",\"modified\":\"2022-01-15 16:49:31\",\"modified_by\":\"873\",\"checked_out\":\"873\",\"checked_out_time\":\"2022-01-15 16:48:09\",\"publish_up\":\"2022-01-15 16:48:09\",\"publish_down\":\"0000-00-00 00:00:00\",\"images\":\"{\\\"image_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_caption\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_caption\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"urls\":\"{\\\"urla\\\":false,\\\"urlatext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targeta\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlb\\\":false,\\\"urlbtext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetb\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlc\\\":false,\\\"urlctext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetc\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"attribs\":\"{\\\"article_layout\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_titles\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_tags\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_associations\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_create_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_modify_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publish_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_item_navigation\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_icons\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_print_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_email_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_vote\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_hits\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_noauth\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urls_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"alternative_readmore\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"article_page_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publishing_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_article_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_backend\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_frontend\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"version\":2,\"ordering\":\"0\",\"metakey\":\"\",\"metadesc\":\"\",\"access\":\"1\",\"hits\":\"0\",\"metadata\":\"{\\\"robots\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"rights\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"xreference\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"featured\":\"1\",\"language\":\"*\",\"xreference\":\"\",\"note\":\"\"}',0),(3360,980,1,'','2022-01-15 19:39:13',873,13340,'2582ba0eb508bb2058af6af638dda347a312715a','{\"id\":980,\"asset_id\":\"1269\",\"title\":\"Analysis Overview: COVID-19 Genetic Vaccine Safety in Children\",\"alias\":\"home-rna-vaccine-inventor-blog-podcasts-speaking-events-newstories-current-page-genetic-vaccination-in-children-patents-and-papers-robert-w-malone-md-analysis-overview-covid-19-genetic-vaccine-safety-in-children-even-as-experts-expressed-concern-about-a-marked-jump-in-hospitalizations-an-increase-more-than-double-that-among-adults-doctors-and-researchers-said-they-were-not-seeing-evidence-that-omi\",\"introtext\":\"<p class=\\\"sqsrte-large\\\"><strong>Analysis Overview: COVID-19 Genetic Vaccine Safety in Children<\\/strong><\\/p>\\r\\n<blockquote>\\r\\n<p class=\\\"sqsrte-large\\\" style=\\\"text-align: justify;\\\">\\u201cEven as experts expressed concern about a marked jump in hospitalizations \\u2014 an increase more than double that among adults \\u2014 doctors and researchers said they were not seeing evidence that Omicron was more threatening to children.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p class=\\\"sqsrte-large\\\" style=\\\"text-align: justify;\\\">In fact, preliminary data suggests that compared with the Delta variant, Omicron appears to be causing milder illness in children, similar to early findings for adults.\\u201d<\\/p>\\r\\n\",\"fulltext\":\"\\r\\n<p>&nbsp;<\\/p>\\r\\n<\\/blockquote>\\r\\n<p class=\\\"sqsrte-large\\\" style=\\\"text-align: justify;\\\"><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">NY Times, \\u201c<\\/span><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.nytimes.com\\/2021\\/12\\/28\\/health\\/omicron-kids-hospitalizations.html\\\"><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">Omicron Is Not More Severe for Children, Despite Rising Hospitalizations<\\/span><\\/a><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">\\u201d <\\/span>By Andrew Jacobs Dec. 28, 2021<\\/p>\\r\\n<p class=\\\"sqsrte-large\\\" style=\\\"text-align: justify;\\\">The risk of death associated with COVID-19 in healthy children is virtually non-existent, as children have significant immunologic advantages relative to the older adult population (&gt; 65 years) which comprises the high risk cohort for COVID-19 (<span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">see <\\/span><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/rwmalonemd.substack.com\\/p\\/omicron-has-cracked-open-the-overton\\\"><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">Omicron has Cracked Open the Overton Window<\\/span><\\/a><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\"> , <\\/span><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/rwmalonemd.substack.com\\/p\\/were-never-going-to-learn-about-how\\\"><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">\\u201cWe\\u2019re never going to learn about how safe this vaccine is unless we start giving it\\u201d<\\/span><\\/a><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\"> , and <\\/span><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/rwmalonemd.substack.com\\/p\\/covid-19-today\\\"><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">COVID-19 Today<\\/span><\\/a><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">)<\\/span>.&nbsp; The risk of death and disease in children has become even more rare with Omicron. Yet even prior to the advent of Omicron, a peer reviewed study clearly demonstrated (using safety data accumulated during past variant circulation) that the genetic COVID-19 vaccines carry a risk\\/benefit ratio of five deaths in the older, high risk cohort for every one life saved from <span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">COVID-19 (and those data did not account for the reporting bias inherent in US deaths due to COVID consequent to inappropriate use of PCR tests). See \\u201c<\\/span><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.sciencedirect.com\\/science\\/article\\/pii\\/S221475002100161X?via%3Dihub#sec0175\\\"><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">Why are we vaccinating children against COVID-19?<\\/span><\\/a><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">\\u201d (Toxicology Reports, Volume 8, 2021, Pages 1665-1684 ).<\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u201cThus, our extremely conservative estimate for risk-benefit ratio is about 5\\/1. In plain English, people in the 65+ demographic are five times as likely to die from the inoculation as from COVID-19 under the most favorable assumptions! This demographic is the most vulnerable to adverse effects from COVID-19. As the age demographics go below about 35 years old, the chances of death from COVID-19 become very small, and when they go below 18, become negligible.\\u201d<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The new variant of COVID-19, Omicron, has exploded onto the scene. What was already an inverted risk benefit ratio for genetic vaccination in children and adults (greater risk of death from vaccine than from COVID-19) will become even more inverted since the risks of COVID-19 are further reduced with Omicron. The Omicron variant is different in five essential ways:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>More infectious and will soon be the dominant variant in the USA<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Less pathogenic<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Poorly matched to currently available vaccines<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Natural immunity is providing good protection against Omicron<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Disease symptoms are more similar to the common cold<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The issue of COVID-19 gene therapy technology -based vaccine mandates for children is a pressing issue confronting parents, grandparents, and public health officials throughout the world. Unfortunately, the topic has become highly politicized, and active censorship by legacy media outlets has made it difficult for parents and stakeholders to obtain access to the actual data required for the full informed consent prior to acceptance of a medical procedure required by law (see for example members of the Trusted News Initiative including Thompson-Reuters).<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Presented herein on this website is a large collection of information and data from both primary sources and analyses which will allow parents, grandparents, and other stakeholders to make their own determination concerning the risks and benefits of the genetic COVID-19 vaccines for their children. This compilation of references, primary information, and analyses represents the collective work product of hundreds of physicians and medical scientists. It supports the consensus Physicians Declaration of the 16,000+ strong International Association of Physicians and Medical Scientists, which includes the following resolution:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>_______<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>RESOLVED, THAT HEALTHY CHILDREN SHALL NOT BE SUBJECT TO FORCED VACCINATION<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Negligible clinical risks from SARS-CoV-2 infection exist for healthy children under eighteen.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Long term safety of the current COVID vaccines in children cannot be determined prior to instituting such policies. Without high-powered, reproducible, long term safety data, risks to the long-term health status of children remain too high to support use in healthy children.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Children risk severe, adverse events from receiving the vaccine. Permanent physical damage to the brain, heart, immune and reproductive system associated with SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-based genetic vaccines has been demonstrated in children.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Healthy, unvaccinated children are critical to achieving herd immunity. Natural immunity is proven to tolerate infection, benefiting community protection while there is insufficient data to assess whether COVID-19 vaccines assist herd immunity.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This data collection and analysis has been prompted by an inquiry by the Thompson-Reuters factchecking organization which was sent to Dr. Robert Malone, MD, MS on 28 Dec 2021, and has been assembled in part to respond to that inquiry. However, by placing this information in a central location available to all on the World Wide Web rather than merely as a written response to Thompson-Reuters, we have attempted to insure that all have access to the full spectrum of information required for parents or guardians to make informed decisions concerning whether to have their children vaccinated with these experimental, unproven products.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This information is summarized and structured into multiple sections below, each with a separate tab.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Reuters factchecking<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Risk\\/Benefit: What is the ratio of COVID damage\\/risk of vaccine damage for children<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Death Reports: Reports of vaccine-associated deaths and disability in children and young adults<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>VAERS and Yellow Card: Safe and effective in children? National database information<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Myocarditis consequences: Is there evidence that the vaccine-associated myocarditis in children is not going to lead to long term damage?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Applicable standards: Have normal standards for vaccine safety, quality and effectiveness in children been met?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>COVID-19 in children: What is the evidence of long term damage in children from COVID-19?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Illegal mandates: US Federal Mandate law<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>References on Adverse Events<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>*********************************************************<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>On a personal note, I wish to speak to you as a parent, grandparent, physician and scientist. I stand by this statement with a career dedicated to vaccine research and development. I\\u2019m vaccinated for COVID and I\'m generally pro-vaccination. I have devoted my entire career to developing safe and effective ways to prevent and treat infectious diseases.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You can find video of this statement as well as a subsequent town hall discussion with parents, physicians, and medical caregivers at this website<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Before you inject your child - a decision that is irreversible - I wanted to let you know the scientific facts about this genetic vaccine, which is based on the mRNA vaccine technology I created:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>There are three issues parents need to understand:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The first is that a viral gene will be injected into your children\'s cells. This gene forces your child\\u2019s body to make toxic spike proteins. These proteins often cause permanent damage in children\\u2019s critical organs, including<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 Their brain and nervous system<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 Their heart and blood vessels, including blood clots<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 Their reproductive system, and<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 This vaccine can trigger fundamental changes to their immune system<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The most alarming point about this is that once these damages have occurred, they are irreparable<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 You can\\u2019t fix the lesions within their brain<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 You can\\u2019t repair heart tissue scarring<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 You can\\u2019t repair a genetically reset immune system, and<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 This vaccine can cause reproductive damage that could affect future generations of your family<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The second thing you need to know about is the fact that this novel technology has not been adequately tested.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 We need at least 5 years of testing\\/research before we can really understand the risks<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 Harms and risks from new medicines often become revealed many years later<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Ask yourself if you want your own child to be part of the most radical medical experiment in human history<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>One final point: the reason they\\u2019re giving you to vaccinate your child is a lie.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Your children represent no danger to their parents or grandparents.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>It\\u2019s actually the opposite. Their immunity, after getting COVID, is critical to save your family if not the world from this disease.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In summary: there is no benefit for your children or your family to be vaccinating your children against the small risks of the virus, given the known health risks of the vaccine that as a parent, you and your children may have to live with for the rest of their lives.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The risk\\/benefit analysis isn\\u2019t even close.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>&nbsp;<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As a parent and grandparent, my recommendation to you is to resist and fight to protect your children.<\\/p>\",\"state\":1,\"catid\":\"59\",\"created\":\"2022-01-14 01:54:51\",\"created_by\":\"873\",\"created_by_alias\":\"\",\"modified\":\"2022-01-15 19:39:13\",\"modified_by\":\"873\",\"checked_out\":\"873\",\"checked_out_time\":\"2022-01-15 19:31:14\",\"publish_up\":\"2022-01-14 01:54:51\",\"publish_down\":\"0000-00-00 00:00:00\",\"images\":\"{\\\"image_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_caption\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_caption\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"urls\":\"{\\\"urla\\\":false,\\\"urlatext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targeta\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlb\\\":false,\\\"urlbtext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetb\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlc\\\":false,\\\"urlctext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetc\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"attribs\":\"{\\\"article_layout\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_titles\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_tags\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_associations\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_create_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_modify_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publish_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_item_navigation\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_icons\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_print_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_email_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_vote\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_hits\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_noauth\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urls_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"alternative_readmore\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"article_page_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publishing_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_article_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_backend\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_frontend\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"version\":6,\"ordering\":\"1\",\"metakey\":\"\",\"metadesc\":\"\",\"access\":\"1\",\"hits\":\"2\",\"metadata\":\"{\\\"robots\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"rights\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"xreference\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"featured\":\"1\",\"language\":\"*\",\"xreference\":\"\",\"note\":\"\"}',0),(3361,984,1,'','2022-01-15 19:45:47',873,35758,'121d72d222635121002f11a5b2697fd92d1aa97d','{\"id\":984,\"asset_id\":\"1274\",\"title\":\"Don\\u2019t just do something, stand\\u00a0there! - DR. MALCOLM KENDRICK\",\"alias\":\"don-t-just-do-something-stand-there-dr-malcolm-kendrick\",\"introtext\":\"<header id=\\\"masthead\\\" class=\\\"site-header\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/drmalcolmkendrick.org\\/\\\"><img src=\\\"https:\\/\\/drmalcolmkendrick.files.wordpress.com\\/2015\\/07\\/drmk-blog-header.jpg\\\" alt=\\\"\\\" width=\\\"\\\" height=\\\"\\\" class=\\\"header-image\\\" \\/><\\/a><\\/header>\\r\\n<div id=\\\"main\\\" class=\\\"wrapper\\\">\\r\\n<section id=\\\"primary\\\" class=\\\"site-content\\\">\\r\\n<div id=\\\"content\\\" role=\\\"main\\\"><header class=\\\"archive-header\\\">\\r\\n<h1 class=\\\"archive-title\\\">AUTHOR ARCHIVES:&nbsp;<span class=\\\"vcard\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/drmalcolmkendrick.org\\/author\\/drmalcolmkendrick\\/\\\" rel=\\\"me\\\" class=\\\"url fn n\\\" title=\\\"Dr. Malcolm Kendrick\\\">DR. MALCOLM KENDRICK<\\/a><\\/span><\\/h1>\\r\\n<\\/header>\\r\\n<div class=\\\"author-info\\\">\\r\\n<div class=\\\"author-avatar\\\"><img src=\\\"https:\\/\\/2.gravatar.com\\/avatar\\/8cdd1065f362674895407b00a107d59b?s=102&amp;d=identicon&amp;r=G\\\" alt=\\\"\\\" width=\\\"68\\\" height=\\\"68\\\" id=\\\"grav-8cdd1065f362674895407b00a107d59b-0\\\" class=\\\"avatar avatar-68 grav-hashed grav-hijack\\\" src-orig=\\\"&lt;a href=\\\" \\/><\\/div>\\r\\n<div class=\\\"author-description\\\">\\r\\n<h2>About Dr. Malcolm Kendrick<\\/h2>\\r\\n<p>Malcolm Kendrick is a Scottish doctor and author of The Great Cholesterol Con (2008). He has been a general practitioner for over 25 years and has worked with the European Society of Cardiology.<\\/p>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<article id=\\\"post-10944\\\" class=\\\"post-10944 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-covid-19\\\"><header class=\\\"entry-header\\\">\\r\\n<h1 class=\\\"entry-title\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/drmalcolmkendrick.org\\/2022\\/01\\/14\\/dont-just-do-something-stand-there\\/\\\" rel=\\\"bookmark\\\">Don\\u2019t just do something, stand&nbsp;there!<\\/a><\\/h1>\\r\\n<\\/header><\\/article>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/section>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<p>Don\\u2019t just do something, stand there!<br \\/>106 Replies<br \\/>14th January 2022<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>A few months ago, I resolved not to write anything more about COVID19. I was having zero apparent effect on anything, or anybody, and I was just getting increasingly despondent at the destruction of science, debate, logic, humanity, personal freedoms \\u2026 life.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>However, my New Years resolution was to not have any more resolutions. Which lead to an almost inescapable logic loop from which I have only just managed to extricate myself.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In truth, I believe that I still have a few things left to say about COVID19 that may be useful in stopping some of the most egregious nonsense being repeated. [Fat chance, says the little man on my shoulder].<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What I am about to write, I have written about before, in various different guises. However, I think it is worth going back over some old ground again. Hopefully in a more effective manner.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In this blog what I want to do is to look at how we think about a few things, primarily in medicine, and medical science. To try and highlight how some repeated flaws in thought have influenced the reaction to COVID19.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>I hope that by doing this, it may help to prevent some us travelling down the terribly well-worn \\u2018paths of pointlessness\\u2019 again. Or, at least, to get people to stop and question how they are thinking, before throwing themselves into the fray.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>To begin.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What I saw happening with COVID19 is a pattern that repeats in medicine over and over again:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>We have a serious illness \\u2013 panic<br \\/>Something must be done \\u2013 grab the pitchforks, run about screaming<br \\/>An influential person, or organisation, grabs the initiative \\u2013 \\u2018\\u2018experts\\u2019 move in.\\u2019<br \\/>I\\/We know what to do, you must follow me\\/us \\u2013 simple idea + soothing paternalism<br \\/>Frightened people latch onto their ideas \\u2013 two legs good, four legs bad<br \\/>A path is chosen \\u2013 along the side of a cliff<br \\/>Momentum builds \\u2013 the unstoppable charge of the light brigade<br \\/>Those who object to the path taken are crushed \\u2013 1984<br \\/>Fast forward a few decades\\u2026 \\u2018Oh, it seems that the thing we always do as standard medical practice\\u2026 Turns out it does more harm than good.\\u2019 See under: removal of toxic colon, the radical mastectomy, strict bed rest following a heart attack, cutting teeth, use of radium water, plombage, mercury for syphilis, pre-frontal lobotomy etc.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Of course, this pattern is not true of every medical intervention, not by any manner of means. Sometimes the influential person, or organisation, promotes the best course of action. This has been known to happen from time to time\\u2026 believe it or not. In addition, medical practice does eventually auto-correct \\u2013 and ends up doing the right thing. Almost always. We no longer remove toxic colons to cure female neurosis.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>But what never, ever, seems to happen is OODA. Defined as \\u2018a practical concept designed to function as the foundation of rational thinking in confusing or chaotic situation\\u2019.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>OODA stands for. \\u2018Observe, Orient, Decide Act.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>It was developed by the Air Force Colonel, John Boyd.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What John Boyd taught was simple. If you don\\u2019t know what is going on, do not make immediate decisions. First, work out what is happening, then orientate yourself \\u2013 before you decide what to do. That way you avoid most, if not all, stupid mistakes. For many years, without knowing anything of OODA my own medical strategy has tended towards \\u2018don\\u2019t just do something, stand there.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Unfortunately, the medical profession has always battled ferociously against doing nothing. It has always greatly favoured the \\u2018You must do something, anything, I don\\u2019t care what it is so long as it sounds like a good idea. Chaaarge!\\u2019 Strategy.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This, the \\u2018do something strategy\\u2019, has always proven far more seductive, and almost always wins. It is easier to attract followers to do something, than to than to do nothing. Why not whack a hole in the skull and split the brain apart to cure various mental diseases? Why not\\u2026 indeed. Ah yes, the good old pre-frontal lobotomy.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>A.N. Other doctor: \\u2018If you do nothing people will surely die. You cannot just stand there doing nothing.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Me: \\u2018But what if those things we do end up causing more damage, or killing more people?\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Many years ago, my father said to me. \\u2018You will always be blamed for failures of omission, rath than commission.\\u2019 At the time I was young, I knew everything, and thought he was talking rubbish. In truth I didn\\u2019t really understand his point. Now that I know that\\u2026 I know nothing, I fully understand how profound his comment was. I wish I had listened to him more.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yes, doing something will always be looked on in a positive light. Effort has been made, decisions have been taken, activity carried out. In medicine this is reflected in a comment that I have had directed at me, from time to time. \\u2018At least you tried, doctor.\\u2019 Well, seeing as they are now dead, my efforts achieved very little. But thanks anyway.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In addition, if you do nothing, you can be accused of laziness, of being uncaring. You just stood there and watched them suffer, even die. You cruel swine. I see this overwhelming urge to do something, anything, in the person who cannot swim, jumping into a river to try and save their dog from drowning.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What exactly did they think they were going to achieve? Oh well, at least they tried, you may say. No\\u2026 they were stupid. They drowned along with their dog. But who can stand on the riverbank watching their dog die?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Well, me, actually.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This also moves into the area of survival guilt. How am I still alive when others have died? Better to die trying than to have done nothing? It all further wraps round into it the almost irresistible urge to be seen to be doing something. I think it is hard-wired into our psyche. We must fight to protect those in our tribe and be seen to be doing it. Chop, chop, busy, busy, work, work, bang, bang 1.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>I am, however, reminded of the philosophy behind recruitment to the German army in the good old days \\u2013 as recounted to me. Men were divided in to four categories:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Intelligent and lazy<br \\/>Intelligent and hardworking<br \\/>Stupid and lazy<br \\/>Stupid and hardworking<br \\/>At which point<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Intelligent and lazy men were taken for officer training<br \\/>Intelligent and hardworking men were turned into NCOs (non-commissioned officers)<br \\/>Stupid and lazy men became privates \\u2013 squaddies, to use the UK vernacular<br \\/>Those who were both stupid, and hardworking, were taken out and shot, before they could do too much damage<br \\/>Doing things, doing things, doing things. We place great value on it. Too much.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As Kurt Vonnegut Jnr noted in Cat\\u2019s Cradle:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u201cWe do, doodley do, doodley do, doodely do,<br \\/>What we must, muddily must, muddily must, muddily must;<br \\/>Muddily do, muddily do, muddily do, muddily do,<br \\/>Until we bust, bodily bust, bodily bust, bodily bust.\\u201d<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Of course, if there are things to be done, they should be done. But that does not mean we should rush around doing stuff, just because it seems better than doing nothing. Here is what Vinay Prasad has to say in his blog \\u2018Will science do better post COVID19?\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018When faced with a pandemic, we re-treated to all the old delusions. Bioplausibilty was sacrosanct\\u2014 that\\u2019s why #maskswork! We can\\u2019t run RCTs\\u2014 these are parachutes. Doing something is always better than doing nothing! More is better than less! Keep boosting, young man!! Newer is better than older. Disease bad; treatments good. Bad people (John Ioannidis) are always wrong (never mind, that a year ago we all thought he was brilliant).\\u2019 2<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The additional problem with doing things is that, once you have started doing them, it becomes damned difficult to stop again. After you have decided to blow four hundred billion pounds on lockdown, or thereabouts, then you are pretty much stuck with it. Or else, you are going to look pretty stupid. \\u2018Sorry, ahem, I seem to have wasted a teensy bit of money. Sorry, my mistake.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>If everyone is ordered to wear a mask, on pain of death, you are stuck with that too. Back pedalling from instant decisions is very, very, difficult. For the scientists and politicians involved you cannot be seen to have been wrong. Reputations must be protected.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>At which point, vast amounts of time and effort are expended in trying to batter down anyone who dares to suggest that we rushed into doing things that were completely pointless, even damaging. Science then becomes twisted and bent to justify the errors made. Those in power must retain power. The narrative must be supported:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>COVID19 is really, really deadly<br \\/>Lockdowns really, really, work<br \\/>Masks really, really, work<br \\/>If you question these narratives, people will demand an answer to this rhetorical question. Do you want people to die! (That\\u2019s always an effective weapon). The correct answer to this question by the way, is usually no \\u2013 although I am willing to make exceptions.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The other terrible flaw in thinking here, especially in medicine, was also mentioned by Vinay Prasad. It is Bioplausibility. Often closely associated with fast thinking a.k.a. jumping to conclusions, because they just seem right.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Masks, indeed, must surely work. Because? Because they prevent the virus from spreading. In fact, masks represent an almost perfect example of bioplausibility a.k.a. sheer common sense. No-one can argue against using them. If you do, your arguments must be pure sophistry, or simply nonsense. \\u2019You do not understand science.\\u2019 That\\u2019s a good one, I get that a lot.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018I think you will find it is not I that fails to understand science.\\u2019 I think to myself. But I don\\u2019t say it, because it makes you sound like a prat.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Let me remind you of a time when, after a heart attack you had to rest in bed doing nothing for six weeks. The heart has been damaged and must be given a chance to rest. Yes, perfect Bioplausibility, believed by virtually everyone. To question it was to be cast into the outer darkness.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>It is now known that the worst thing you can possibly do is to enforce strict bed rest post heart attack. This advice, in place from 1912 to about 1960(ish), killed tens of millions. Maybe hundreds of millions.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As for masks \\u2013 the sort of masks worn by almost everyone.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018The use of cloth facemasks in community settings has become an accepted public policy response to decrease disease transmission during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet evidence of facemask efficacy is based primarily on observational studies that are subject to confounding and on mechanistic studies that rely on surrogate endpoints (such as droplet dispersion) as proxies for disease transmission. The available clinical evidence of facemask efficacy is of low quality and the best available clinical evidence has mostly failed to show efficacy, with fourteen of sixteen identified randomized controlled trials comparing face masks to no mask controls failing to find statistically significant benefit in the intent\\u2010\\u200bto\\u2010\\u200btreat populations. Of sixteen quantitative meta\\u2010\\u200banalyses, eight were equivocal or critical as to whether evidence supports a public recommendation of masks, and the remaining eight supported a public mask intervention on limited evidence primarily on the basis of the precautionary principle. Although weak evidence should not preclude precautionary actions in the face of unprecedented events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, ethical principles require that the strength of the evidence and best estimates of amount of benefit be truthfully communicated to the public.\\u20193<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>How can masks possibly fail to work?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Well, unfortunately, our brains work one way, and the world often works in quite another way. As does, therefore, science. For centuries people thought that heavier than air flight would only be possible if you flapped things that looked very like wings. Why, because birds and bats were the only flying things people had ever seen flying [apart from lemmings] and they mostly flapped about like mad \\u2013 using wings.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Except that, if you looked closely, they didn\\u2019t \\u2013 not really. If you thought flapping was the key to flight, you were not really looking. An albatross can stay aloft for hours, gliding above the waves, using the wind and updrafts, and barely moving its wings at all.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yet, and yet, no-one was able to see this. When I say \\u2018see\\u2019 this I mean \\u2013 look beyond the obvious, in your face, flappy stuff. Observe properly, deeply, to really understand what you are looking at \\u2013 in this case aerodynamics. Eventually, of course, some people did. Et voila, the Wright Brothers.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>With masks\\u2026 Yes, it is both true, and self-evident, that a mask stops droplets being catapulted across a room after a cough or sneeze, or suchlike. So, they must stop spread\\u2026mustn\\u2019t they? I mean, you can even see it working in slow motion videos. A man coughs in London, virus ends up in New York \\u2013 or something. Ah, the dreaded Bioplausibility\\u2026 that can also be visualised. Double bubble.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>But a mask can also turn droplets into an aerosol by breaking the droplet down into far smaller particles. Particles will float in the air for longer, and thus be inhaled for longer. Possibly, probably4. You didn\\u2019t think of that, did you?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>A mask can also become damp and keep viral particles viable for longer. Once discarded \\u2013 as many masks are \\u2013 they represent receptacles for viruses and can spread disease when picked up. What happens when masks are used and used, and re-used? As they often are. Superspreading here we come. Blowing viral particles out of a wet mask.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As a wise man also said. Using cloth masks to prevent viral spread it like trying to pick up sand with a tennis racket. Virus particle size \\u2018x\\u2019. Holes in mask size 1000x.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>A mask can also mean that people stand closer to each other than they otherwise would. A mask may, simply, never had had a chance to work at all. After all, we breathe in and breathe out the same amount of air whilst wearing a mask than not.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>If there is virus in floating in the air, we are still going to breathe it in, and out. Masks do not stop us breathing, and the air has to come from somewhere. Unless masks act as a type of black hole, trapping, then transporting viral particles from here into another universe\\u2026 I\\u2019m not putting much money on that hypothesis.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Some months ago, I wrote about the last people to be infected with smallpox. In one hospital, in Germany, a patient with smallpox was being treated on the ground floor. The patient in the room above, and then the room above that, become infected. Which means that viral particles must have got out the window, drifted upwards and infected those above.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Which just gives you some idea of how few viral particles were needed to spread a disease that was, up to that time, not even believed to spread through the air. No droplets required.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Early on, with COVID19 it was noted that ferrets could be infected with the virus. So, researchers put one ferret in a cage, with another ferret above with a solid barrier between them. The one below was infected with COVD19.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The only route for COVID19 to travel from one ferret to the other was through a tube that bent through ninety degrees, bent again to go upwards through the barrier, then across, and back round through ninety degrees<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In essence, this tube was specifically designed to ensure that droplet spread was impossible. As droplets cannot go round corners, travel upwards, turn another ninety degrees\\u2026 and suchlike.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Despite this, all of the uninfected ferrets became, very rapidly, infected. Conclusion \\u2013 COVID19 can travel and infect through aerosol spread. Secondary conclusion \\u2013 masks cannot stop this. At least not the sort of masks that virtually everyone wears, and then re-uses.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Of course, there are masks that you can use to prevent the spread of viral particles. But they have to be airtight, they have to have filters. They are uncomfortable to wear for any length of time, and they need to be changed regularly. They also prevent a great deal of communication, as people hard of hearing will tell you. Oh yes, there are serious downsides to mask wearing.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>I only focus on masks here to make the point that masks appear totally \\u2018Bioplausible\\u2019. If, that is, you don\\u2019t think about all the issues too deeply. Also, getting everyone to wear masks represents doing \\u2018something.\\u2019 Doing something, especially something visible, is always better than doing nothing.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yes\\u2026 doing something, anything, and Bioplausibility. Two bear traps in human thought. Traps that seem impossible to eradicate.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>There is another, major trap, which is the urge to draw ourselves into tribes. Then attack and attempt destroy anyone who does not agree with us. Humiliate and silence. Turn the \\u2018other\\u2019 into someone with evil intent. I am not getting into this in any depth here. We have all seen too much of it. The terrible seductive pleasure of righteous anger. Which so easily flips into hatred.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As also mentioned by Vinay Prasad. Bad people (John Ioannidis) are always wrong (never mind, that a year ago we all thought he was brilliant).\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As we all know, it is not just Ioannidis who is attacked. Dare to breathe one word of caution about vaccines and you become \\u2018dirty anti-vaxxer scum. You deserve to lose your job. Ha!\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This is no way for humans to act towards each other. Crush debate, silence those who dare to think differently. Bring in the Spanish Inquisition a.k.a. fact checkers. All bought and paid for by those who have vested interests in obliterating the opposition, of course.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Question: When is a fact checker not a fact checker?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Answer: When they are called a fact checker. [Especially if they work for a company that used to begin with Face and ended in Book. Or Witterpedia]<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Also Meta\\u2026as in, I meta \\u2018n\\u2019 idiot \\u2013 who think it\\u2019s okay to silence anyone they disagree with, and claim this is science. Spare me.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Anyway, what do we do next time? How do we do better? How do we think better? Well, I suppose that first of all you have to get those in power to accept that they made mistakes\\u2026. Ho hum.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Frankly, that ain\\u2019t going to happen. Therefore, we need new people in power. People who can understand that things are complicated. That the immediate Bioplausible and simplistic \\u2018answer\\u2019 is as likely to be wrong, as it is right. More likely in truth.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>We really need people to think better:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018We have a crisis in medicine when it comes to understanding and appraising science. We do not teach this explicitly in medical schools, and it gets short shrift to mechanistic science. Our overemphasis on molecular mechanisms fuels the cognitive distortion that a reductionistic view is superior to empiricism*\\u2019 2<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>*empiricism is the view that all concepts originate in experience, that all concepts are about or applicable to things that can be experienced, or that all rationally acceptable beliefs or propositions are justifiable or knowable only through experience.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Were there any examples of doing things better from which we could learn? In Sweden they did things differently \\u2013 at least from most of the rest of Europe. Anders Tegnell, the state epidemiologist (yes they have such a post) was the man who led the Swedish response. It was to bring in very few restrictions and make almost everything voluntary. Lockdown \\u2018lite\\u2019 if you like.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>He was ruthlessly attacked from all directions, but remained superficially calm. Although I imagine he felt most terribly bruised and battered inside. TIME magazine ran a story about the Swedish response entitled \\u2018The Swedish COVID-19 Response Is a Disaster. It Shouldn\\u2019t Be a Model for the Rest of the World.\\u20195<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You don\\u2019t really need to read the article. The title makes it entirely clear what tone was adopted, and also what the conclusion was going to be. Sweden = death and mayhem, run for the hills. Frankly, I am amazed that the Swedish Government held firm in supporting him.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>At one point even the Swedish King, Carl XVI Gustaf \\u2018Gustaf \\u2013 the eminent epidemiologist\\u2019 as I believe he is also known \\u2013 had a pop at poor old Anders. But the Government did support Tegnell\\u2019s light touch strategy \\u2013 mostly. They held their nerve.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What was Anders thinking, the mad mass murdering fool? As he calmly stated in the British Medical Journal, after COVID19 deaths in Sweden had settled into the lower half of European figures. Not as good as some, better than most:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2026 there is still disagreement among scientists about which measures are effective against the spread of infection. \\u201cThis is what we are still struggling to understand: some measures work in some places, but it is difficult to see patterns.\\u201d<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u201cCountries that went through lockdowns are not doing that much better,\\u201d6<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yes, he is describing his OODA journey. Anders is still observing and attempting to orientate, but he cannot see what to do. He still believes that the evidence for severe lockdowns, and mask wearing, simply does not exist. To put it another way, he cannot yet decide what should be done. So, he isn\\u2019t doing it.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Good man. We need far more like Anders Tegnell, and less of those like the members of SAGE in the UK. Screaming blue bloody murder with threats of hundreds of thousands dying if WE DO NOT ACT NOW! The sky is falling, the sky is falling. OMCIRON will kill us all\\u2026 all I tell ee\\u2019. Beware the black spot Cap\\u2019n.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>We also need more people to be sceptical. To look at the science and the evidence. We need, quite frankly, to learn to think\\u2026 and grow up. Also, importantly, learn the incredibly difficult trick of doing nothing at all.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As they used to say in a UK advert. \\u2018Nothing acts faster than Anadin (a painkiller)\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Solution\\u2026 take nothing<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Nothing acts faster than a damn good lockdown<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Solution\\u2026do nothing<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Or, to quote the famous physician William Osler. \\u2018One of the first duties of the physician is to educate the masses not to take medicine.\\u2019 I shall now leave you with two things to consider. The first is an open letter, written by Professor Ehud Qimron, head of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Tel Aviv University and one of the leading Israeli immunologists:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Ministry of Health, it\\u2019s time to admit failure<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In the end, the truth will always be revealed, and the truth about the coronavirus policy is beginning to be revealed. When the destructive concepts collapse one by one, there is nothing left but to tell the experts who led the management of the pandemic \\u2013 we told you so.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Two years late, you finally realize that a respiratory virus cannot be defeated and that any such attempt is doomed to fail. You do not admit it, because you have admitted almost no mistake in the last two years, but in retrospect it is clear that you have failed miserably in almost all of your actions, and even the media is already having a hard time covering your shame.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You refused to admit that the infection comes in waves that fade by themselves, despite years of observations and scientific knowledge. You insisted on attributing every decline of a wave solely to your actions, and so through false propaganda \\u201cyou overcame the plague.\\u201d And again, you defeated it, and again and again and again.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You refused to admit that mass testing is ineffective, despite your own contingency plans explicitly stating so (\\u201cPandemic Influenza Health System Preparedness Plan, 2007\\u201d, p. 26).<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You refused to admit that recovery is more protective than a vaccine, despite previous knowledge and observations showing that non-recovered vaccinated people are more likely to be infected than recovered people. You refused to admit that the vaccinated are contagious despite the observations. Based on this, you hoped to achieve herd immunity by vaccination \\u2014 and you failed in that as well.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You insisted on ignoring the fact that the disease is dozens of times more dangerous for risk groups and older adults, than for young people who are not in risk groups, despite the knowledge that came from China as early as 2020.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You refused to adopt the \\u201cBarrington Declaration\\u201d, signed by more than 60,000 scientists and medical professionals, or other common-sense programs. You chose to ridicule, slander, distort and discredit them. Instead of the right programs and people, you have chosen professionals who lack relevant training for pandemic management (physicists as chief government advisers, veterinarians, security officers, media personnel, and so on).<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You have not set up an effective system for reporting side effects from the vaccines, and reports on side effects have even been deleted from your Facebook page. Doctors avoid linking side effects to the vaccine, lest you persecute them as you did with some of their colleagues. You have ignored many reports of changes in menstrual intensity and menstrual cycle times. You hid data that allows for objective and proper research (for example, you removed the data on passengers at Ben Gurion Airport). Instead, you chose to publish non-objective articles together with senior Pfizer executives on the effectiveness and safety of vaccines.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Irreversible damage to trust<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>However, from the heights of your hubris, you have also ignored the fact that in the end the truth will be revealed. And it begins to be revealed. The truth is that you have brought the public\\u2019s trust in you to an unprecedented low, and you have eroded your status as a source of authority. The truth is that you have burned hundreds of billions of shekels to no avail \\u2013 for publishing intimidation, for ineffective tests, for destructive lockdowns and for disrupting the routine of life in the last two years.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You have destroyed the education of our children and their future. You made children feel guilty, scared, smoke, drink, get addicted, drop out, and quarrel, as school principals around the country attest. You have harmed livelihoods, the economy, human rights, mental health and physical health.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You slandered colleagues who did not surrender to you, you turned the people against each other, divided society and polarized the discourse. You branded, without any scientific basis, people who chose not to get vaccinated as enemies of the public and as spreaders of disease. You promote, in an unprecedented way, a draconian policy of discrimination, denial of rights and selection of people, including children, for their medical choice. A selection that lacks any epidemiological justification.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>When you compare the destructive policies you are pursuing with the sane policies of some other countries \\u2014 you can clearly see that the destruction you have caused has only added victims beyond the vulnerable to the virus. The economy you ruined, the unemployed you caused, and the children whose education you destroyed \\u2014 they are the surplus victims as a result of your own actions only.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>There is currently no medical emergency, but you have been cultivating such a condition for two years now because of lust for power, budgets and control. The only emergency now is that you still set policies and hold huge budgets for propaganda and psychological engineering instead of directing them to strengthen the health care system.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This emergency must stop!<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Professor Udi Qimron, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University7<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>I suppose I should say that the opinions of Professor Udi Qimron are not necessarily those of the senior management of this blog. I, in exactly the same way as Google and Facebook (Sorry, Alphabet and Meta. \\u2018As I was going to St Ives I meta man with seven wives\\u2019\\u2026 how many idiots were going to St Ives), and suchlike, am merely the repository for information, and articles. A warehouse if you like. I have no editorial control over content, so you cannot sue me for anything written.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Unfortunately, I am not rich enough to employ Fact Checkers and unleash them upon anyone who disagrees with me. Yet. You have been warned.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The second thing, that I shall leave you with, is the fact that doing nothing can be very rewarding, and sometimes pretty hard work. As outlined by this article in The International Journal of Doing Very little:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018We\\u2019re busy doin\\u2019 nothin\\u2019<br \\/>Workin\\u2019 the whole day through<br \\/>Tryin\\u2019 to find lots of things not to do<br \\/>We\\u2019re busy goin\\u2019 nowhere<br \\/>Isn\\u2019t it just a crime<br \\/>We\\u2019d like to be unhappy, but<br \\/>We never do have the time,\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018I have to watch the river<br \\/>To see that it doesn\\u2019t stop<br \\/>And stick around the rosebuds<br \\/>So they\\u2019ll know when to pop<br \\/>And keep the crickets cheerful<br \\/>They\\u2019re really a solemn bunch<br \\/>Hustle, bustle<br \\/>And only an hour for lunch.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>La-la-la-la-la-la<br \\/>La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la<br \\/>La-la-la-la-la-la<br \\/>La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018We\\u2019re busy doin\\u2019 nothin\\u2019<br \\/>Workin\\u2019 the whole day through<br \\/>Tryin\\u2019 to find lots of things not to do<br \\/>We\\u2019re busy goin\\u2019 nowhere<br \\/>Isn\\u2019t it just a crime<br \\/>We\\u2019d like to be unhappy, but<br \\/>We never do have the time.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018I have to wake the Sun up<br \\/>He\\u2019s liable to sleep all day<br \\/>And then inspect the rainbows<br \\/>So they\\u2019ll be bright and gay<br \\/>I must rehearse the songbirds<br \\/>To see that they sing in key<br \\/>Hustle, bustle<br \\/>And never a moment free.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018We\\u2019re busy doin\\u2019 nothin\\u2019<br \\/>Workin\\u2019 the whole day through<br \\/>Tryin\\u2019 to find lots of things not to do<br \\/>We\\u2019re busy going nowhere<br \\/>Isn\\u2019t it just a crime<br \\/>We\\u2019d like to be unhappy, but<br \\/>We never do have the time.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018I have to meet a turtle<br \\/>I\\u2019m teachin\\u2019 him how to swim<br \\/>Then I have to shine the dewdrops<br \\/>You know they\\u2019re looking rather dim<br \\/>I told my friend, the robin<br \\/>I\\u2019d buy him a brand-new vest<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Hustle, bustle<br \\/>We never do have<br \\/>We never do have<br \\/>We never do, never do<br \\/>Never do, never do, never do have the time<br \\/>Never do have the time.\\u20198<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>And if that don\\u2019t cheer you up, nothing will. And follow my motto. \\u2018Don\\u2019t just do something stand there\\u2026.\\u2019 Whilst observing and orientating of course. Think first, act later.<\\/p>\",\"fulltext\":\"\",\"state\":1,\"catid\":\"59\",\"created\":\"2022-01-15 15:24:49\",\"created_by\":\"873\",\"created_by_alias\":\"\",\"modified\":\"2022-01-15 19:45:47\",\"modified_by\":\"873\",\"checked_out\":\"873\",\"checked_out_time\":\"2022-01-15 19:44:16\",\"publish_up\":\"2022-01-15 15:24:49\",\"publish_down\":\"0000-00-00 00:00:00\",\"images\":\"{\\\"image_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_caption\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_caption\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"urls\":\"{\\\"urla\\\":false,\\\"urlatext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targeta\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlb\\\":false,\\\"urlbtext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetb\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlc\\\":false,\\\"urlctext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetc\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"attribs\":\"{\\\"article_layout\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_titles\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_tags\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_associations\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_create_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_modify_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publish_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_item_navigation\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_icons\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_print_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_email_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_vote\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_hits\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_noauth\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urls_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"alternative_readmore\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"article_page_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publishing_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_article_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_backend\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_frontend\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"version\":15,\"ordering\":\"0\",\"metakey\":\"\",\"metadesc\":\"\",\"access\":\"1\",\"hits\":\"0\",\"metadata\":\"{\\\"robots\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"rights\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"xreference\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"featured\":\"1\",\"language\":\"*\",\"xreference\":\"\",\"note\":\"\"}',0),(3362,984,1,'','2022-01-15 19:49:12',873,38100,'e9cc704dbe9f1dc3e27f5cb169f43541b49aaf94','{\"id\":984,\"asset_id\":\"1274\",\"title\":\"Don\\u2019t just do something, stand\\u00a0there! - DR. MALCOLM KENDRICK\",\"alias\":\"don-t-just-do-something-stand-there-dr-malcolm-kendrick\",\"introtext\":\"<header id=\\\"masthead\\\" class=\\\"site-header\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/drmalcolmkendrick.org\\/\\\"><img src=\\\"https:\\/\\/drmalcolmkendrick.files.wordpress.com\\/2015\\/07\\/drmk-blog-header.jpg\\\" alt=\\\"\\\" width=\\\"\\\" height=\\\"\\\" class=\\\"header-image\\\" \\/><\\/a><\\/header>\\r\\n<div id=\\\"main\\\" class=\\\"wrapper\\\">\\r\\n<section id=\\\"primary\\\" class=\\\"site-content\\\">\\r\\n<div id=\\\"content\\\" role=\\\"main\\\"><header class=\\\"archive-header\\\">\\r\\n<h1 class=\\\"archive-title\\\">AUTHOR ARCHIVES:&nbsp;<span class=\\\"vcard\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/drmalcolmkendrick.org\\/author\\/drmalcolmkendrick\\/\\\" rel=\\\"me\\\" class=\\\"url fn n\\\" title=\\\"Dr. Malcolm Kendrick\\\">DR. MALCOLM KENDRICK<\\/a><\\/span><\\/h1>\\r\\n<\\/header>\\r\\n<div class=\\\"author-info\\\">\\r\\n<div class=\\\"author-avatar\\\"><img src=\\\"https:\\/\\/2.gravatar.com\\/avatar\\/8cdd1065f362674895407b00a107d59b?s=102&amp;d=identicon&amp;r=G\\\" alt=\\\"\\\" width=\\\"68\\\" height=\\\"68\\\" id=\\\"grav-8cdd1065f362674895407b00a107d59b-0\\\" class=\\\"avatar avatar-68 grav-hashed grav-hijack\\\" src-orig=\\\"&lt;a href=\\\" \\/><\\/div>\\r\\n<div class=\\\"author-description\\\">\\r\\n<h2>About Dr. Malcolm Kendrick<\\/h2>\\r\\n<p>Malcolm Kendrick is a Scottish doctor and author of The Great Cholesterol Con (2008). He has been a general practitioner for over 25 years and has worked with the European Society of Cardiology.<\\/p>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<article id=\\\"post-10944\\\" class=\\\"post-10944 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-covid-19\\\"><header class=\\\"entry-header\\\">\\r\\n<h1 class=\\\"entry-title\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/drmalcolmkendrick.org\\/2022\\/01\\/14\\/dont-just-do-something-stand-there\\/\\\" rel=\\\"bookmark\\\">Don\\u2019t just do something, stand&nbsp;there!<\\/a><\\/h1>\\r\\n<\\/header><\\/article>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/section>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<p>Don\\u2019t just do something, stand there!<br \\/>106 Replies<br \\/>14th January 2022<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>A few months ago, I resolved not to write anything more about COVID19. I was having zero apparent effect on anything, or anybody, and I was just getting increasingly despondent at the destruction of science, debate, logic, humanity, personal freedoms \\u2026 life.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>However, my New Years resolution was to not have any more resolutions. Which lead to an almost inescapable logic loop from which I have only just managed to extricate myself.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In truth, I believe that I still have a few things left to say about COVID19 that may be useful in stopping some of the most egregious nonsense being repeated. [Fat chance, says the little man on my shoulder].<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What I am about to write, I have written about before, in various different guises. However, I think it is worth going back over some old ground again. Hopefully in a more effective manner.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In this blog what I want to do is to look at how we think about a few things, primarily in medicine, and medical science. To try and highlight how some repeated flaws in thought have influenced the reaction to COVID19.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>I hope that by doing this, it may help to prevent some us travelling down the terribly well-worn \\u2018<em>paths of pointlessness\\u2019&nbsp;<\\/em>again. Or, at least, to get people to stop and question<em>&nbsp;how<\\/em>&nbsp;they are thinking, before throwing themselves into the fray.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>To begin.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What I saw happening with COVID19 is a pattern that repeats in medicine over and over again:<\\/p>\\r\\n<ul>\\r\\n<li>We have a serious illness \\u2013&nbsp;<em>panic<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Something must be done \\u2013&nbsp;<em>grab the pitchforks, run about screaming<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li>An influential person, or organisation, grabs the initiative \\u2013 \\u2018<em>\\u2018experts\\u2019 move in.\\u2019<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li>I\\/We know what to do, you must follow me\\/us \\u2013&nbsp;<em>simple idea +<\\/em>&nbsp;<em>soothing<\\/em>&nbsp;<em>paternalism<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Frightened people latch onto their ideas \\u2013&nbsp;<em>two legs good, four legs bad<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li>A path is chosen \\u2013&nbsp;<em>along the side of a cliff<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Momentum builds \\u2013&nbsp;<em>the unstoppable charge of the light brigade<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Those who object to the path taken are crushed \\u2013&nbsp;<em>1984<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<\\/ul>\\r\\n<p>Fast forward a few decades\\u2026 \\u2018<em>Oh, it seems that the thing we always do as standard medical practice\\u2026 Turns out it does more harm than good<\\/em>.\\u2019 See under: removal of toxic colon, the radical mastectomy, strict bed rest following a heart attack, cutting teeth, use of radium water, plombage, mercury for syphilis, pre-frontal lobotomy etc.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Of course, this pattern is not true of every medical intervention, not by any manner of means. Sometimes the influential person, or organisation, promotes the best course of action. This has been known to happen from time to time\\u2026 believe it or not. In addition, medical practice does eventually auto-correct \\u2013 and ends up doing the right thing. Almost always. We no longer remove toxic colons to cure female neurosis.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>But what never, ever, seems to happen is OODA. Defined as \\u2018<em>a practical concept designed to function as the foundation of rational thinking in confusing or chaotic situation\\u2019<\\/em>.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>OODA stands for. \\u2018<em>Observe, Orient, Decide Act<\\/em>.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>It was developed by the Air Force Colonel, John Boyd.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What John Boyd taught was simple. If you don\\u2019t know what is going on, do&nbsp;<em>not<\\/em>&nbsp;make immediate decisions. First, work out what is happening, then orientate yourself \\u2013 before you decide what to do. That way you avoid most, if not all, stupid mistakes. For many years, without knowing anything of OODA my own medical strategy has tended towards \\u2018<em>don\\u2019t just do something, stand there.<\\/em>\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Unfortunately, the medical profession has always battled ferociously against doing nothing. It has always greatly favoured the \\u2018<em>You must do something, anything, I don\\u2019t care what it is so long as it sounds like a good idea<\\/em>.&nbsp;<em>Chaaarge!<\\/em>\\u2019 Strategy.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This, the \\u2018<em>do something strategy\\u2019<\\/em>, has always proven far more seductive, and almost always wins. It is easier to attract followers to do something, than to than to do nothing. Why not whack a hole in the skull and split the brain apart to cure various mental diseases? Why not\\u2026 indeed. Ah yes, the good old pre-frontal lobotomy.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><strong>A.N. Other doctor:<\\/strong>&nbsp;<em>\\u2018If you do nothing people will surely die. You cannot just stand there doing nothing.<\\/em>\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><strong>Me:<\\/strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \\u2018<em>But what if those things we do end up causing more damage, or killing more people?\\u2019<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Many years ago, my father said to me. \\u2018<em>You will always be blamed for failures of omission, rath than commission.<\\/em>\\u2019 At the time I was young, &nbsp;I knew everything, and thought he was talking rubbish. In truth I didn\\u2019t really understand his point. Now that I know that\\u2026 I know nothing, I fully understand how profound his comment was. I wish I had listened to him more.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yes, doing something will always be looked on in a positive light. Effort has been made, decisions have been taken, activity carried out. In medicine this is reflected in a comment that I have had directed at me, from time to time. \\u2018<em>At least you tried, doctor<\\/em>.\\u2019 Well, seeing as they are now dead, my efforts achieved very little. But thanks anyway.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In addition, if you do nothing, you can be accused of laziness, of being uncaring. You just stood there and watched them suffer, even die. You cruel swine. I see this overwhelming urge to do something, anything, in the person who cannot swim, jumping into a river to try and save their dog from drowning.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What exactly did they think they were going to achieve? Oh well, at least they tried, you may say. No\\u2026 they were stupid. They drowned along with their dog. But who can stand on the riverbank watching their dog die?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Well, me, actually.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This also moves into the area of survival guilt. How am I still alive when others have died? Better to die trying than to have done nothing? It all further wraps round into it the almost irresistible urge to be seen to be doing something. I think it is hard-wired into our psyche. We must fight to protect those in our tribe and be seen to be doing it. Chop, chop, busy, busy, work, work, bang, bang&nbsp;<sup>1<\\/sup>. &nbsp;<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>I am, however, reminded of the philosophy behind recruitment to the German army in the good old days \\u2013 as recounted to me. Men were divided in to four categories:<\\/p>\\r\\n<ul>\\r\\n<li>Intelligent and lazy<\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Intelligent and hardworking<\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Stupid and lazy<\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Stupid and hardworking<\\/li>\\r\\n<\\/ul>\\r\\n<p>At which point<\\/p>\\r\\n<ul>\\r\\n<li>Intelligent and lazy men were taken for officer training<\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Intelligent and hardworking men were turned into NCOs (non-commissioned officers)<\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Stupid and lazy men became privates \\u2013 squaddies, to use the UK vernacular<\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Those who were both stupid, and hardworking, were taken out and shot, before they could do too much damage<\\/li>\\r\\n<\\/ul>\\r\\n<p>Doing things, doing things, doing things. We place great value on it. Too much.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As Kurt Vonnegut Jnr noted in Cat\\u2019s Cradle:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u201cWe do, doodley do, doodley do, doodely do,<\\/em><br \\/><em>What we must, muddily must, muddily must, muddily must;<\\/em><br \\/><em>Muddily do, muddily do, muddily do, muddily do,<\\/em><br \\/><em>Until we bust, bodily bust, bodily bust, bodily bust.\\u201d<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Of course, if there are things to be done, they should be done. But that does not mean we should rush around doing stuff, just because it seems better than doing nothing. Here is what Vinay Prasad has to say in his blog \\u2018<em>Will science do better post COVID19?\\u2019<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u2018When faced with a pandemic, we re-treated to all the old delusions. Bioplausibilty was sacrosanct\\u2014 that\\u2019s why #maskswork! We can\\u2019t run RCTs\\u2014 these are parachutes.&nbsp;<strong>Doing something is always better than doing nothing!<\\/strong>&nbsp;More is better than less! Keep boosting, young man!! Newer is better than older. Disease bad; treatments good. Bad people (John Ioannidis) are always wrong (never mind, that a year ago we all thought he was brilliant).\\u2019<\\/em>&nbsp;<sup>2<\\/sup><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The additional problem with doing things is that, once you have started doing them, it becomes damned difficult to stop again. After you have decided to blow four hundred billion pounds on lockdown, or thereabouts, then you are pretty much stuck with it. Or else, you are going to look pretty stupid. \\u2018<em>Sorry, ahem, I seem to have wasted a teensy bit of money<\\/em>.&nbsp;<em>Sorry, my mistake.<\\/em>\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>If everyone is ordered to wear a mask, on pain of death, you are stuck with that too. Back pedalling from instant decisions is very, very, difficult. For the scientists and politicians involved you cannot be seen to have been wrong. Reputations&nbsp;<em>must<\\/em>&nbsp;be protected.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>At which point, vast amounts of time and effort are expended in trying to batter down anyone who dares to suggest that we rushed into doing things that were completely pointless, even damaging. Science then becomes twisted and bent to justify the errors made. Those in power must retain power. The narrative must be supported:<\\/p>\\r\\n<ul>\\r\\n<li>COVID19 is really, really deadly<\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Lockdowns really, really, work<\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Masks really, really, work<\\/li>\\r\\n<\\/ul>\\r\\n<p>If you question these narratives, people will demand an answer to this rhetorical question. Do you want people to die! (That\\u2019s always an effective weapon). The correct answer to this question by the way, is usually no \\u2013 although I am willing to make exceptions.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The other terrible flaw in thinking here, especially in medicine, was also mentioned by Vinay Prasad. It is Bioplausibility. Often closely associated with fast thinking a.k.a. jumping to conclusions, because they just seem right.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Masks, indeed, must surely work. Because? Because they prevent the virus from spreading. In fact, masks represent an almost perfect example of bioplausibility a.k.a. sheer common sense. No-one can argue against using them. If you do, your arguments must be pure sophistry, or simply nonsense.&nbsp;<em>\\u2019You do not understand science<\\/em>.\\u2019 That\\u2019s a good one, I get that a lot.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u2018I think you will find it is not I that fails to understand science.\\u2019<\\/em>&nbsp;I think to myself. But I don\\u2019t say it, because it makes you sound like a prat.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Let me remind you of a time when, after a heart attack you had to rest in bed doing nothing for six weeks. The heart has been damaged and must be given a chance to rest. Yes, perfect Bioplausibility, believed by virtually everyone. To question it was to be cast into the outer darkness.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>It is now known that the worst thing you can possibly do is to enforce strict bed rest post heart attack. This advice, in place from 1912 to about 1960(ish), killed tens of millions. Maybe hundreds of millions.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As for masks \\u2013 the sort of masks worn by almost everyone.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u2018The use of cloth facemasks in community settings has become an accepted public policy response to decrease disease transmission during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet evidence of facemask efficacy is based primarily on observational studies that are subject to confounding and on mechanistic studies that rely on surrogate endpoints (such as droplet dispersion) as proxies for disease transmission.&nbsp;<strong>The available clinical evidence of facemask efficacy is of low quality and the best available clinical evidence has mostly failed to show efficacy<\\/strong>, with fourteen of sixteen identified randomized controlled trials comparing face masks to no mask controls failing to find statistically significant benefit in the intent<\\/em><em>\\u2010\\u200bto<\\/em><em>\\u2010\\u200btreat populations. Of sixteen quantitative meta<\\/em><em>\\u2010\\u200banalyses, eight were equivocal or critical as to whether evidence supports a public recommendation of masks, and the remaining eight supported a public mask intervention on limited evidence primarily on the basis of the precautionary principle.&nbsp;<strong>Although weak evidence should not preclude precautionary actions in the face of unprecedented events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, ethical principles require that the strength of the evidence and best estimates of amount of benefit be truthfully communicated to the public.<\\/strong><\\/em><strong>\\u2019<\\/strong><sup>3<\\/sup><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>How can masks possibly fail to work?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Well, unfortunately, our brains work one way, and the world often works in quite another way. As does, therefore, science. For centuries people thought that heavier than air flight would only be possible if you flapped things that looked very like wings. Why, because birds and bats were the only flying things people had ever seen flying [apart from lemmings] and they mostly flapped about like mad \\u2013 using wings.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Except that, if you looked closely, they didn\\u2019t \\u2013 not really. If you thought flapping was the key to flight, you were not really looking. An albatross can stay aloft for hours, gliding above the waves, using the wind and updrafts, and barely moving its wings at all.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yet, and yet, no-one was able to see this. When I say \\u2018see\\u2019 this I mean \\u2013 look beyond the obvious, in your face, flappy stuff. Observe properly, deeply, to really understand what you are looking at \\u2013 in this case aerodynamics. Eventually, of course, some people did. Et voila, the Wright Brothers.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>With masks\\u2026 Yes, it is both true, and self-evident, that a mask stops droplets being catapulted across a room after a cough or sneeze, or suchlike. So, they must stop spread\\u2026mustn\\u2019t they? I mean, you can even see it working in slow motion videos. A man coughs in London, virus ends up in New York \\u2013 or something. Ah, the dreaded Bioplausibility\\u2026 that can also be visualised. Double bubble.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>But a mask can also turn droplets into an aerosol by breaking the droplet down into far smaller particles. Particles will float in the air for longer, and thus be inhaled for longer. Possibly, probably<sup>4<\\/sup>. You didn\\u2019t think of that, did you?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>A mask can also become damp and keep viral particles viable for longer. Once discarded \\u2013 as many masks are \\u2013 they represent receptacles for viruses and can spread disease when picked up. What happens when masks are used and used, and re-used? As they often are. Superspreading here we come. Blowing viral particles out of a wet mask.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As a wise man also said. Using cloth masks to prevent viral spread it like trying to pick up sand with a tennis racket. Virus particle size \\u2018x\\u2019. Holes in mask size 1000x.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>A mask can also mean that people stand closer to each other than they otherwise would. A mask may, simply, never had had a chance to work at all. After all, we breathe in and breathe out the same amount of air whilst wearing a mask than not.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>If there is virus in floating in the air, we are still going to breathe it in, and out. Masks do not stop us breathing, and the air has to come from somewhere. Unless masks act as a type of black hole, trapping, then transporting viral particles from here into another universe\\u2026 I\\u2019m not putting much money on that hypothesis.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Some months ago, I wrote about the last people to be infected with smallpox. In one hospital, in Germany, a patient with smallpox was being treated on the ground floor. The patient in the room above, and then the room above that, become infected. Which means that viral particles must have got out the window, drifted upwards and infected those above.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Which just gives you some idea of how few viral particles were needed to spread a disease that was, up to that time, not even believed to spread through the air. No droplets required.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Early on, with COVID19 it was noted that ferrets could be infected with the virus. So, researchers put one ferret in a cage, with another ferret above with a solid barrier between them. The one below was infected with COVD19.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The only route for COVID19 to travel from one ferret to the other was through a tube that bent through ninety degrees, bent again to go upwards through the barrier, then across, and back round through ninety degrees<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In essence, this tube was specifically designed to ensure that droplet spread was impossible. As droplets cannot go round corners, travel upwards, turn another ninety degrees\\u2026 and suchlike.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Despite this, all of the uninfected ferrets became, very rapidly, infected. Conclusion \\u2013 COVID19 can travel and infect through aerosol spread. Secondary conclusion \\u2013 masks cannot stop this. At least not the sort of masks that virtually everyone wears, and then re-uses.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Of course, there are masks that you can use to prevent the spread of viral particles. But they have to be airtight, they have to have filters. They are uncomfortable to wear for any length of time, and they need to be changed regularly. They also prevent a great deal of communication, as people hard of hearing will tell you. Oh yes, there are serious downsides to mask wearing.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>I only focus on masks here to make the point that masks appear totally \\u2018Bioplausible\\u2019. If, that is, you don\\u2019t think about all the issues too deeply. Also, getting everyone to wear masks represents doing \\u2018something.\\u2019 Doing something, especially something visible, is always better than doing nothing.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yes\\u2026 doing something, anything, and Bioplausibility. Two bear traps in human thought. Traps that seem impossible to eradicate.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>There is another, major trap, which is the urge to draw ourselves into tribes. Then attack and attempt destroy anyone who does not agree with us. Humiliate and silence. Turn the \\u2018other\\u2019 into someone with evil intent. I am not getting into this in any depth here. We have all seen too much of it. The terrible seductive pleasure of righteous anger. Which so easily flips into hatred.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As also mentioned by Vinay Prasad.&nbsp;<em>Bad people (John Ioannidis) are always wrong (never mind, that a year ago we all thought he was brilliant).\\u2019<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As we all know, it is not just Ioannidis who is attacked. Dare to breathe one word of caution about vaccines and you become&nbsp;<em>\\u2018dirty anti-vaxxer scum. You deserve to lose your job. Ha!\\u2019<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This is no way for humans to act towards each other. Crush debate, silence those who dare to think differently. Bring in the Spanish Inquisition a.k.a. fact checkers. All bought and paid for by those who have vested interests in obliterating the opposition, of course.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><strong>Question:<\\/strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When is a fact checker not a fact checker?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><strong>Answer:<\\/strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When they are called a fact checker. [Especially if they work for a company that used to begin with Face and ended in Book. Or Witterpedia]<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Also Meta\\u2026as in, I meta &nbsp;\\u2018n\\u2019 idiot \\u2013 who think it\\u2019s okay to silence anyone they disagree with, and claim this is science. Spare me.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Anyway, what do we do next time? How do we do better? How do we think better? Well, I suppose that first of all you have to get those in power to accept that they made mistakes\\u2026. Ho hum.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Frankly, that ain\\u2019t going to happen. Therefore, we need new people in power. People who can understand that things are complicated. That the immediate Bioplausible and simplistic \\u2018answer\\u2019 is as likely to be wrong, as it is right. More likely in truth.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>We really need people to think better:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u2018We have a crisis in medicine when it comes to understanding and appraising science. We do not teach this explicitly in medical schools, and it gets short shrift to mechanistic science. Our overemphasis on molecular mechanisms fuels the cognitive distortion that a reductionistic view is superior to empiricism<\\/em>*\\u2019&nbsp;<sup>2<\\/sup><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>*empiricism is the view that all concepts originate in experience, that all concepts are about or applicable to things that can be experienced, or that all rationally acceptable beliefs or propositions are justifiable or knowable only through experience.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Were there any examples of doing things better from which we could learn? In Sweden they did things differently \\u2013 at least from most of the rest of Europe. Anders Tegnell, the state epidemiologist (yes they have such a post) was the man who led the Swedish response. It was to bring in very few restrictions and make almost everything voluntary. Lockdown \\u2018lite\\u2019 if you like.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>He was ruthlessly attacked from all directions, but remained superficially calm. Although I imagine he felt most terribly bruised and battered inside.&nbsp;<em>TIME&nbsp;<\\/em>magazine ran a story about the Swedish response entitled&nbsp;<em>\\u2018The Swedish COVID-19 Response Is a Disaster. It Shouldn\\u2019t Be a Model for the Rest of the World.\\u2019<\\/em><sup>5<\\/sup><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You don\\u2019t really need to read the article. The title makes it entirely clear what tone was adopted, and also what the conclusion was going to be. Sweden = death and mayhem, run for the hills. Frankly, I am amazed that the Swedish Government held firm in supporting him.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>At one point even the Swedish King, Carl XVI Gustaf \\u2018<em>Gustaf \\u2013 &nbsp;the eminent epidemiologist\\u2019<\\/em>&nbsp;as I believe he is also known \\u2013 had a pop at poor old Anders. But the Government did support Tegnell\\u2019s light touch strategy \\u2013 mostly. They held their nerve.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What was Anders thinking, the mad mass murdering fool? As he calmly stated in the British Medical Journal, after COVID19 deaths in Sweden had settled into the lower half of European figures. Not as good as some, better than most:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u2026&nbsp;<\\/em>there is still disagreement among scientists about which measures are effective against the spread of infection<em>. \\u201cThis is what we are still struggling to understand: some measures work in some places, but it is difficult to see patterns.\\u201d<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u201cCountries that went through lockdowns are not doing that much better,\\u201d<sup>6<\\/sup><\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yes, he is describing his OODA journey. Anders is still observing and attempting to orientate, but he cannot see what to do. He still believes that the evidence for severe lockdowns, and mask wearing, simply does not exist. To put it another way, he cannot yet decide what should be done. So, he isn\\u2019t doing it.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Good man. We need far more like Anders Tegnell, and less of those like the members of SAGE in the UK. Screaming blue bloody murder with threats of hundreds of thousands dying if WE DO NOT ACT NOW! The sky is falling, the sky is falling. OMCIRON will kill us all\\u2026&nbsp;<em>all<\\/em>&nbsp;I tell ee\\u2019. Beware the black spot Cap\\u2019n.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>We also need more people to be sceptical. To look at the science and the evidence. We need, quite frankly, to learn to think\\u2026 and grow up. Also, importantly, learn the incredibly difficult trick of doing nothing at all.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As they used to say in a UK advert. \\u2018<em>Nothing acts faster than Anadin<\\/em>&nbsp;(a painkiller)\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Solution\\u2026 take nothing<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>Nothing acts faster than a damn good lockdown<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Solution\\u2026do nothing<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Or, to quote the famous physician William Osler. \\u2018<em>One of the first duties of the physician is to educate the masses not to take medicine.\\u2019<\\/em>&nbsp;I shall now leave you with two things to consider. The first is an open letter, written by Professor Ehud Qimron, head of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Tel Aviv University and one of the leading Israeli immunologists:<\\/p>\\r\\n<div>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em><strong>Ministry of Health, it\\u2019s time to admit failure<\\/strong><\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>In the end, the truth will always be revealed, and the truth about the coronavirus policy is beginning to be revealed. When the destructive concepts collapse one by one, there is nothing left but to tell the experts who led the management of the pandemic \\u2013 we told you so.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>Two years late, you finally realize that a respiratory virus cannot be defeated and that any such attempt is doomed to fail. You do not admit it, because you have admitted almost no mistake in the last two years, but in retrospect it is clear that you have failed miserably in almost all of your actions, and even the media is already having a hard time covering your shame.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>You refused to admit that the infection comes in waves that fade by themselves, despite years of observations and scientific knowledge. You insisted on attributing every decline of a wave solely to your actions, and so through false propaganda \\u201cyou overcame the plague.\\u201d And again, you defeated it, and again and again and again.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>You refused to admit that mass testing is ineffective, despite your own contingency plans explicitly stating so (\\u201cPandemic Influenza Health System Preparedness Plan, 2007\\u201d, p. 26).<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>You refused to admit that recovery is more protective than a vaccine, despite previous knowledge and observations showing that non-recovered vaccinated people are more likely to be infected than recovered people. You refused to admit that the vaccinated are contagious despite the observations. Based on this, you hoped to achieve herd immunity by vaccination \\u2014 and you failed in that as well.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>You insisted on ignoring the fact that the disease is dozens of times more dangerous for risk groups and older adults, than for young people who are not in risk groups, despite the knowledge that came from China as early as 2020.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>You refused to adopt the \\u201cBarrington Declaration\\u201d, signed by more than 60,000 scientists and medical professionals, or other common-sense programs. You chose to ridicule, slander, distort and discredit them. Instead of the right programs and people, you have chosen professionals who lack relevant training for pandemic management (physicists as chief government advisers, veterinarians, security officers, media personnel, and so on).<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>You have not set up an effective system for reporting side effects from the vaccines, and reports on side effects have even been deleted from your Facebook page. Doctors avoid linking side effects to the vaccine, lest you persecute them as you did with some of their colleagues. You have ignored many reports of changes in menstrual intensity and menstrual cycle times. You hid data that allows for objective and proper research (for example, you removed the data on passengers at Ben Gurion Airport). Instead, you chose to publish non-objective articles together with senior Pfizer executives on the effectiveness and safety of vaccines.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>Irreversible damage to trust<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>However, from the heights of your hubris, you have also ignored the fact that in the end the truth will be revealed. And it begins to be revealed. The truth is that you have brought the public\\u2019s trust in you to an unprecedented low, and you have eroded your status as a source of authority. The truth is that you have burned hundreds of billions of shekels to no avail \\u2013 for publishing intimidation, for ineffective tests, for destructive lockdowns and for disrupting the routine of life in the last two years.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>You have destroyed the education of our children and their future. You made children feel guilty, scared, smoke, drink, get addicted, drop out, and quarrel, as school principals around the country attest. You have harmed livelihoods, the economy, human rights, mental health and physical health.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>You slandered colleagues who did not surrender to you, you turned the people against each other, divided society and polarized the discourse. You branded, without any scientific basis, people who chose not to get vaccinated as enemies of the public and as spreaders of disease. You promote, in an unprecedented way, a draconian policy of discrimination, denial of rights and selection of people, including children, for their medical choice. A selection that lacks any epidemiological justification.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>When you compare the destructive policies you are pursuing with the sane policies of some other countries \\u2014 you can clearly see that the destruction you have caused has only added victims beyond the vulnerable to the virus. The economy you ruined, the unemployed you caused, and the children whose education you destroyed \\u2014 they are the surplus victims as a result of your own actions only.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>There is currently no medical emergency, but you have been cultivating such a condition for two years now because of lust for power, budgets and control. The only emergency now is that you still set policies and hold huge budgets for propaganda and psychological engineering instead of directing them to strengthen the health care system.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>This emergency must stop!<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>Professor Udi Qimron, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University7<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<p>I suppose I should say that the opinions of Professor Udi Qimron are not necessarily those of the senior management of this blog. I, in exactly the same way as Google and Facebook (Sorry, Alphabet and Meta. \\u2018<em>As I was going to St Ives I meta man with seven wives\\u2019\\u2026 how many idiots were going to St Ives<\\/em>), and suchlike, am merely the repository for information, and articles. A warehouse if you like. I have no editorial control over content, so you cannot sue me for anything written.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Unfortunately, I am not rich enough to employ Fact Checkers and unleash them upon anyone who disagrees with me. Yet. You have been warned.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The second thing, that I shall leave you with, is the fact that doing nothing can be very rewarding, and sometimes pretty hard work. As outlined by this article in&nbsp;<em>The International Journal of Doing Very little<\\/em>:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018We\\u2019re busy doin\\u2019 nothin\\u2019<br \\/>Workin\\u2019 the whole day through<br \\/>Tryin\\u2019 to find lots of things not to do<br \\/>We\\u2019re busy goin\\u2019 nowhere<br \\/>Isn\\u2019t it just a crime<br \\/>We\\u2019d like to be unhappy, but<br \\/>We never do have the time,\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018I have to watch the river<br \\/>To see that it doesn\\u2019t stop<br \\/>And stick around the rosebuds<br \\/>So they\\u2019ll know when to pop<br \\/>And keep the crickets cheerful<br \\/>They\\u2019re really a solemn bunch<br \\/>Hustle, bustle<br \\/>And only an hour for lunch.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>La-la-la-la-la-la<br \\/>La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la<br \\/>La-la-la-la-la-la<br \\/>La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018We\\u2019re busy doin\\u2019 nothin\\u2019<br \\/>Workin\\u2019 the whole day through<br \\/>Tryin\\u2019 to find lots of things not to do<br \\/>We\\u2019re busy goin\\u2019 nowhere<br \\/>Isn\\u2019t it just a crime<br \\/>We\\u2019d like to be unhappy, but<br \\/>We never do have the time.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018I have to wake the Sun up<br \\/>He\\u2019s liable to sleep all day<br \\/>And then inspect the rainbows<br \\/>So they\\u2019ll be bright and gay<br \\/>I must rehearse the songbirds<br \\/>To see that they sing in key<br \\/>Hustle, bustle<br \\/>And never a moment free.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018We\\u2019re busy doin\\u2019 nothin\\u2019<br \\/>Workin\\u2019 the whole day through<br \\/>Tryin\\u2019 to find lots of things not to do<br \\/>We\\u2019re busy going nowhere<br \\/>Isn\\u2019t it just a crime<br \\/>We\\u2019d like to be unhappy, but<br \\/>We never do have the time.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018I have to meet a turtle<br \\/>I\\u2019m teachin\\u2019 him how to swim<br \\/>Then I have to shine the dewdrops<br \\/>You know they\\u2019re looking rather dim<br \\/>I told my friend, the robin<br \\/>I\\u2019d buy him a brand-new vest<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Hustle, bustle<br \\/>We never do have<br \\/>We never do have<br \\/>We never do, never do<br \\/>Never do, never do, never do have the time<br \\/>Never do have the time.\\u2019<sup>8<\\/sup><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>And if that don\\u2019t cheer you up, nothing will. And follow my motto. \\u2018<em>Don\\u2019t just do something stand there\\u2026.<\\/em>\\u2019 Whilst observing and orientating of course. Think first, act later.<\\/p>\",\"fulltext\":\"\",\"state\":1,\"catid\":\"59\",\"created\":\"2022-01-15 15:24:49\",\"created_by\":\"873\",\"created_by_alias\":\"\",\"modified\":\"2022-01-15 19:49:12\",\"modified_by\":\"873\",\"checked_out\":\"873\",\"checked_out_time\":\"2022-01-15 19:45:47\",\"publish_up\":\"2022-01-15 15:24:49\",\"publish_down\":\"0000-00-00 00:00:00\",\"images\":\"{\\\"image_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_caption\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_caption\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"urls\":\"{\\\"urla\\\":false,\\\"urlatext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targeta\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlb\\\":false,\\\"urlbtext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetb\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlc\\\":false,\\\"urlctext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetc\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"attribs\":\"{\\\"article_layout\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_titles\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_tags\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_associations\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_create_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_modify_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publish_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_item_navigation\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_icons\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_print_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_email_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_vote\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_hits\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_noauth\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urls_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"alternative_readmore\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"article_page_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publishing_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_article_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_backend\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_frontend\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"version\":16,\"ordering\":\"0\",\"metakey\":\"\",\"metadesc\":\"\",\"access\":\"1\",\"hits\":\"0\",\"metadata\":\"{\\\"robots\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"rights\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"xreference\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"featured\":\"1\",\"language\":\"*\",\"xreference\":\"\",\"note\":\"\"}',0),(3363,984,1,'','2022-01-15 19:49:35',873,38104,'8c7db08348f6bb7de658b919da6c9665c014421f','{\"id\":984,\"asset_id\":\"1274\",\"title\":\"Don\\u2019t just do something, stand\\u00a0there! - DR. MALCOLM KENDRICK\",\"alias\":\"don-t-just-do-something-stand-there-dr-malcolm-kendrick\",\"introtext\":\"<header id=\\\"masthead\\\" class=\\\"site-header\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/drmalcolmkendrick.org\\/\\\"><img src=\\\"https:\\/\\/drmalcolmkendrick.files.wordpress.com\\/2015\\/07\\/drmk-blog-header.jpg\\\" alt=\\\"\\\" width=\\\"\\\" height=\\\"\\\" class=\\\"header-image\\\" \\/><\\/a><\\/header>\\r\\n<div id=\\\"main\\\" class=\\\"wrapper\\\">\\r\\n<section id=\\\"primary\\\" class=\\\"site-content\\\">\\r\\n<div id=\\\"content\\\" role=\\\"main\\\"><header class=\\\"archive-header\\\">\\r\\n<h1 class=\\\"archive-title\\\">AUTHOR ARCHIVES:&nbsp;<span class=\\\"vcard\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/drmalcolmkendrick.org\\/author\\/drmalcolmkendrick\\/\\\" rel=\\\"me\\\" class=\\\"url fn n\\\" title=\\\"Dr. Malcolm Kendrick\\\">DR. MALCOLM KENDRICK<\\/a><\\/span><\\/h1>\\r\\n<\\/header>\\r\\n<div class=\\\"author-info\\\">\\r\\n<div class=\\\"author-avatar\\\"><img src=\\\"https:\\/\\/2.gravatar.com\\/avatar\\/8cdd1065f362674895407b00a107d59b?s=102&amp;d=identicon&amp;r=G\\\" alt=\\\"\\\" width=\\\"68\\\" height=\\\"68\\\" id=\\\"grav-8cdd1065f362674895407b00a107d59b-0\\\" class=\\\"avatar avatar-68 grav-hashed grav-hijack\\\" src-orig=\\\"&lt;a href=\\\" \\/><\\/div>\\r\\n<div class=\\\"author-description\\\">\\r\\n<h2>About Dr. Malcolm Kendrick<\\/h2>\\r\\n<p>Malcolm Kendrick is a Scottish doctor and author of The Great Cholesterol Con (2008). He has been a general practitioner for over 25 years and has worked with the European Society of Cardiology.<\\/p>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<article id=\\\"post-10944\\\" class=\\\"post-10944 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-covid-19\\\"><header class=\\\"entry-header\\\">\\r\\n<h1 class=\\\"entry-title\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/drmalcolmkendrick.org\\/2022\\/01\\/14\\/dont-just-do-something-stand-there\\/\\\" rel=\\\"bookmark\\\">Don\\u2019t just do something, stand&nbsp;there!<\\/a><\\/h1>\\r\\n<\\/header><\\/article>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/section>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<p>Don\\u2019t just do something, stand there!<br \\/>106 Replies<br \\/>14th January 2022<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>A few months ago, I resolved not to write anything more about COVID19. I was having zero apparent effect on anything, or anybody, and I was just getting increasingly despondent at the destruction of science, debate, logic, humanity, personal freedoms \\u2026 life.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>However, my New Years resolution was to not have any more resolutions. Which lead to an almost inescapable logic loop from which I have only just managed to extricate myself.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In truth, I believe that I still have a few things left to say about COVID19 that may be useful in stopping some of the most egregious nonsense being repeated. [Fat chance, says the little man on my shoulder].<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What I am about to write, I have written about before, in various different guises. However, I think it is worth going back over some old ground again. Hopefully in a more effective manner.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In this blog what I want to do is to look at how we think about a few things, primarily in medicine, and medical science. To try and highlight how some repeated flaws in thought have influenced the reaction to COVID19.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>I hope that by doing this, it may help to prevent some us travelling down the terribly well-worn \\u2018<em>paths of pointlessness\\u2019&nbsp;<\\/em>again. Or, at least, to get people to stop and question<em>&nbsp;how<\\/em>&nbsp;they are thinking, before throwing themselves into the fray.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>To begin.<\\/p>\\r\\n\",\"fulltext\":\"\\r\\n<p>What I saw happening with COVID19 is a pattern that repeats in medicine over and over again:<\\/p>\\r\\n<ul>\\r\\n<li>We have a serious illness \\u2013&nbsp;<em>panic<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Something must be done \\u2013&nbsp;<em>grab the pitchforks, run about screaming<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li>An influential person, or organisation, grabs the initiative \\u2013 \\u2018<em>\\u2018experts\\u2019 move in.\\u2019<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li>I\\/We know what to do, you must follow me\\/us \\u2013&nbsp;<em>simple idea +<\\/em>&nbsp;<em>soothing<\\/em>&nbsp;<em>paternalism<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Frightened people latch onto their ideas \\u2013&nbsp;<em>two legs good, four legs bad<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li>A path is chosen \\u2013&nbsp;<em>along the side of a cliff<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Momentum builds \\u2013&nbsp;<em>the unstoppable charge of the light brigade<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Those who object to the path taken are crushed \\u2013&nbsp;<em>1984<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<\\/ul>\\r\\n<p>Fast forward a few decades\\u2026 \\u2018<em>Oh, it seems that the thing we always do as standard medical practice\\u2026 Turns out it does more harm than good<\\/em>.\\u2019 See under: removal of toxic colon, the radical mastectomy, strict bed rest following a heart attack, cutting teeth, use of radium water, plombage, mercury for syphilis, pre-frontal lobotomy etc.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Of course, this pattern is not true of every medical intervention, not by any manner of means. Sometimes the influential person, or organisation, promotes the best course of action. This has been known to happen from time to time\\u2026 believe it or not. In addition, medical practice does eventually auto-correct \\u2013 and ends up doing the right thing. Almost always. We no longer remove toxic colons to cure female neurosis.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>But what never, ever, seems to happen is OODA. Defined as \\u2018<em>a practical concept designed to function as the foundation of rational thinking in confusing or chaotic situation\\u2019<\\/em>.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>OODA stands for. \\u2018<em>Observe, Orient, Decide Act<\\/em>.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>It was developed by the Air Force Colonel, John Boyd.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What John Boyd taught was simple. If you don\\u2019t know what is going on, do&nbsp;<em>not<\\/em>&nbsp;make immediate decisions. First, work out what is happening, then orientate yourself \\u2013 before you decide what to do. That way you avoid most, if not all, stupid mistakes. For many years, without knowing anything of OODA my own medical strategy has tended towards \\u2018<em>don\\u2019t just do something, stand there.<\\/em>\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Unfortunately, the medical profession has always battled ferociously against doing nothing. It has always greatly favoured the \\u2018<em>You must do something, anything, I don\\u2019t care what it is so long as it sounds like a good idea<\\/em>.&nbsp;<em>Chaaarge!<\\/em>\\u2019 Strategy.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This, the \\u2018<em>do something strategy\\u2019<\\/em>, has always proven far more seductive, and almost always wins. It is easier to attract followers to do something, than to than to do nothing. Why not whack a hole in the skull and split the brain apart to cure various mental diseases? Why not\\u2026 indeed. Ah yes, the good old pre-frontal lobotomy.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><strong>A.N. Other doctor:<\\/strong>&nbsp;<em>\\u2018If you do nothing people will surely die. You cannot just stand there doing nothing.<\\/em>\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><strong>Me:<\\/strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \\u2018<em>But what if those things we do end up causing more damage, or killing more people?\\u2019<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Many years ago, my father said to me. \\u2018<em>You will always be blamed for failures of omission, rath than commission.<\\/em>\\u2019 At the time I was young, &nbsp;I knew everything, and thought he was talking rubbish. In truth I didn\\u2019t really understand his point. Now that I know that\\u2026 I know nothing, I fully understand how profound his comment was. I wish I had listened to him more.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yes, doing something will always be looked on in a positive light. Effort has been made, decisions have been taken, activity carried out. In medicine this is reflected in a comment that I have had directed at me, from time to time. \\u2018<em>At least you tried, doctor<\\/em>.\\u2019 Well, seeing as they are now dead, my efforts achieved very little. But thanks anyway.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In addition, if you do nothing, you can be accused of laziness, of being uncaring. You just stood there and watched them suffer, even die. You cruel swine. I see this overwhelming urge to do something, anything, in the person who cannot swim, jumping into a river to try and save their dog from drowning.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What exactly did they think they were going to achieve? Oh well, at least they tried, you may say. No\\u2026 they were stupid. They drowned along with their dog. But who can stand on the riverbank watching their dog die?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Well, me, actually.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This also moves into the area of survival guilt. How am I still alive when others have died? Better to die trying than to have done nothing? It all further wraps round into it the almost irresistible urge to be seen to be doing something. I think it is hard-wired into our psyche. We must fight to protect those in our tribe and be seen to be doing it. Chop, chop, busy, busy, work, work, bang, bang&nbsp;<sup>1<\\/sup>. &nbsp;<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>I am, however, reminded of the philosophy behind recruitment to the German army in the good old days \\u2013 as recounted to me. Men were divided in to four categories:<\\/p>\\r\\n<ul>\\r\\n<li>Intelligent and lazy<\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Intelligent and hardworking<\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Stupid and lazy<\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Stupid and hardworking<\\/li>\\r\\n<\\/ul>\\r\\n<p>At which point<\\/p>\\r\\n<ul>\\r\\n<li>Intelligent and lazy men were taken for officer training<\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Intelligent and hardworking men were turned into NCOs (non-commissioned officers)<\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Stupid and lazy men became privates \\u2013 squaddies, to use the UK vernacular<\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Those who were both stupid, and hardworking, were taken out and shot, before they could do too much damage<\\/li>\\r\\n<\\/ul>\\r\\n<p>Doing things, doing things, doing things. We place great value on it. Too much.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As Kurt Vonnegut Jnr noted in Cat\\u2019s Cradle:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u201cWe do, doodley do, doodley do, doodely do,<\\/em><br \\/><em>What we must, muddily must, muddily must, muddily must;<\\/em><br \\/><em>Muddily do, muddily do, muddily do, muddily do,<\\/em><br \\/><em>Until we bust, bodily bust, bodily bust, bodily bust.\\u201d<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Of course, if there are things to be done, they should be done. But that does not mean we should rush around doing stuff, just because it seems better than doing nothing. Here is what Vinay Prasad has to say in his blog \\u2018<em>Will science do better post COVID19?\\u2019<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u2018When faced with a pandemic, we re-treated to all the old delusions. Bioplausibilty was sacrosanct\\u2014 that\\u2019s why #maskswork! We can\\u2019t run RCTs\\u2014 these are parachutes.&nbsp;<strong>Doing something is always better than doing nothing!<\\/strong>&nbsp;More is better than less! Keep boosting, young man!! Newer is better than older. Disease bad; treatments good. Bad people (John Ioannidis) are always wrong (never mind, that a year ago we all thought he was brilliant).\\u2019<\\/em>&nbsp;<sup>2<\\/sup><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The additional problem with doing things is that, once you have started doing them, it becomes damned difficult to stop again. After you have decided to blow four hundred billion pounds on lockdown, or thereabouts, then you are pretty much stuck with it. Or else, you are going to look pretty stupid. \\u2018<em>Sorry, ahem, I seem to have wasted a teensy bit of money<\\/em>.&nbsp;<em>Sorry, my mistake.<\\/em>\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>If everyone is ordered to wear a mask, on pain of death, you are stuck with that too. Back pedalling from instant decisions is very, very, difficult. For the scientists and politicians involved you cannot be seen to have been wrong. Reputations&nbsp;<em>must<\\/em>&nbsp;be protected.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>At which point, vast amounts of time and effort are expended in trying to batter down anyone who dares to suggest that we rushed into doing things that were completely pointless, even damaging. Science then becomes twisted and bent to justify the errors made. Those in power must retain power. The narrative must be supported:<\\/p>\\r\\n<ul>\\r\\n<li>COVID19 is really, really deadly<\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Lockdowns really, really, work<\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Masks really, really, work<\\/li>\\r\\n<\\/ul>\\r\\n<p>If you question these narratives, people will demand an answer to this rhetorical question. Do you want people to die! (That\\u2019s always an effective weapon). The correct answer to this question by the way, is usually no \\u2013 although I am willing to make exceptions.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The other terrible flaw in thinking here, especially in medicine, was also mentioned by Vinay Prasad. It is Bioplausibility. Often closely associated with fast thinking a.k.a. jumping to conclusions, because they just seem right.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Masks, indeed, must surely work. Because? Because they prevent the virus from spreading. In fact, masks represent an almost perfect example of bioplausibility a.k.a. sheer common sense. No-one can argue against using them. If you do, your arguments must be pure sophistry, or simply nonsense.&nbsp;<em>\\u2019You do not understand science<\\/em>.\\u2019 That\\u2019s a good one, I get that a lot.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u2018I think you will find it is not I that fails to understand science.\\u2019<\\/em>&nbsp;I think to myself. But I don\\u2019t say it, because it makes you sound like a prat.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Let me remind you of a time when, after a heart attack you had to rest in bed doing nothing for six weeks. The heart has been damaged and must be given a chance to rest. Yes, perfect Bioplausibility, believed by virtually everyone. To question it was to be cast into the outer darkness.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>It is now known that the worst thing you can possibly do is to enforce strict bed rest post heart attack. This advice, in place from 1912 to about 1960(ish), killed tens of millions. Maybe hundreds of millions.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As for masks \\u2013 the sort of masks worn by almost everyone.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u2018The use of cloth facemasks in community settings has become an accepted public policy response to decrease disease transmission during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet evidence of facemask efficacy is based primarily on observational studies that are subject to confounding and on mechanistic studies that rely on surrogate endpoints (such as droplet dispersion) as proxies for disease transmission.&nbsp;<strong>The available clinical evidence of facemask efficacy is of low quality and the best available clinical evidence has mostly failed to show efficacy<\\/strong>, with fourteen of sixteen identified randomized controlled trials comparing face masks to no mask controls failing to find statistically significant benefit in the intent<\\/em><em>\\u2010\\u200bto<\\/em><em>\\u2010\\u200btreat populations. Of sixteen quantitative meta<\\/em><em>\\u2010\\u200banalyses, eight were equivocal or critical as to whether evidence supports a public recommendation of masks, and the remaining eight supported a public mask intervention on limited evidence primarily on the basis of the precautionary principle.&nbsp;<strong>Although weak evidence should not preclude precautionary actions in the face of unprecedented events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, ethical principles require that the strength of the evidence and best estimates of amount of benefit be truthfully communicated to the public.<\\/strong><\\/em><strong>\\u2019<\\/strong><sup>3<\\/sup><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>How can masks possibly fail to work?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Well, unfortunately, our brains work one way, and the world often works in quite another way. As does, therefore, science. For centuries people thought that heavier than air flight would only be possible if you flapped things that looked very like wings. Why, because birds and bats were the only flying things people had ever seen flying [apart from lemmings] and they mostly flapped about like mad \\u2013 using wings.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Except that, if you looked closely, they didn\\u2019t \\u2013 not really. If you thought flapping was the key to flight, you were not really looking. An albatross can stay aloft for hours, gliding above the waves, using the wind and updrafts, and barely moving its wings at all.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yet, and yet, no-one was able to see this. When I say \\u2018see\\u2019 this I mean \\u2013 look beyond the obvious, in your face, flappy stuff. Observe properly, deeply, to really understand what you are looking at \\u2013 in this case aerodynamics. Eventually, of course, some people did. Et voila, the Wright Brothers.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>With masks\\u2026 Yes, it is both true, and self-evident, that a mask stops droplets being catapulted across a room after a cough or sneeze, or suchlike. So, they must stop spread\\u2026mustn\\u2019t they? I mean, you can even see it working in slow motion videos. A man coughs in London, virus ends up in New York \\u2013 or something. Ah, the dreaded Bioplausibility\\u2026 that can also be visualised. Double bubble.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>But a mask can also turn droplets into an aerosol by breaking the droplet down into far smaller particles. Particles will float in the air for longer, and thus be inhaled for longer. Possibly, probably<sup>4<\\/sup>. You didn\\u2019t think of that, did you?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>A mask can also become damp and keep viral particles viable for longer. Once discarded \\u2013 as many masks are \\u2013 they represent receptacles for viruses and can spread disease when picked up. What happens when masks are used and used, and re-used? As they often are. Superspreading here we come. Blowing viral particles out of a wet mask.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As a wise man also said. Using cloth masks to prevent viral spread it like trying to pick up sand with a tennis racket. Virus particle size \\u2018x\\u2019. Holes in mask size 1000x.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>A mask can also mean that people stand closer to each other than they otherwise would. A mask may, simply, never had had a chance to work at all. After all, we breathe in and breathe out the same amount of air whilst wearing a mask than not.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>If there is virus in floating in the air, we are still going to breathe it in, and out. Masks do not stop us breathing, and the air has to come from somewhere. Unless masks act as a type of black hole, trapping, then transporting viral particles from here into another universe\\u2026 I\\u2019m not putting much money on that hypothesis.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Some months ago, I wrote about the last people to be infected with smallpox. In one hospital, in Germany, a patient with smallpox was being treated on the ground floor. The patient in the room above, and then the room above that, become infected. Which means that viral particles must have got out the window, drifted upwards and infected those above.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Which just gives you some idea of how few viral particles were needed to spread a disease that was, up to that time, not even believed to spread through the air. No droplets required.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Early on, with COVID19 it was noted that ferrets could be infected with the virus. So, researchers put one ferret in a cage, with another ferret above with a solid barrier between them. The one below was infected with COVD19.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The only route for COVID19 to travel from one ferret to the other was through a tube that bent through ninety degrees, bent again to go upwards through the barrier, then across, and back round through ninety degrees<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In essence, this tube was specifically designed to ensure that droplet spread was impossible. As droplets cannot go round corners, travel upwards, turn another ninety degrees\\u2026 and suchlike.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Despite this, all of the uninfected ferrets became, very rapidly, infected. Conclusion \\u2013 COVID19 can travel and infect through aerosol spread. Secondary conclusion \\u2013 masks cannot stop this. At least not the sort of masks that virtually everyone wears, and then re-uses.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Of course, there are masks that you can use to prevent the spread of viral particles. But they have to be airtight, they have to have filters. They are uncomfortable to wear for any length of time, and they need to be changed regularly. They also prevent a great deal of communication, as people hard of hearing will tell you. Oh yes, there are serious downsides to mask wearing.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>I only focus on masks here to make the point that masks appear totally \\u2018Bioplausible\\u2019. If, that is, you don\\u2019t think about all the issues too deeply. Also, getting everyone to wear masks represents doing \\u2018something.\\u2019 Doing something, especially something visible, is always better than doing nothing.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yes\\u2026 doing something, anything, and Bioplausibility. Two bear traps in human thought. Traps that seem impossible to eradicate.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>There is another, major trap, which is the urge to draw ourselves into tribes. Then attack and attempt destroy anyone who does not agree with us. Humiliate and silence. Turn the \\u2018other\\u2019 into someone with evil intent. I am not getting into this in any depth here. We have all seen too much of it. The terrible seductive pleasure of righteous anger. Which so easily flips into hatred.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As also mentioned by Vinay Prasad.&nbsp;<em>Bad people (John Ioannidis) are always wrong (never mind, that a year ago we all thought he was brilliant).\\u2019<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As we all know, it is not just Ioannidis who is attacked. Dare to breathe one word of caution about vaccines and you become&nbsp;<em>\\u2018dirty anti-vaxxer scum. You deserve to lose your job. Ha!\\u2019<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This is no way for humans to act towards each other. Crush debate, silence those who dare to think differently. Bring in the Spanish Inquisition a.k.a. fact checkers. All bought and paid for by those who have vested interests in obliterating the opposition, of course.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><strong>Question:<\\/strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When is a fact checker not a fact checker?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><strong>Answer:<\\/strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When they are called a fact checker. [Especially if they work for a company that used to begin with Face and ended in Book. Or Witterpedia]<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Also Meta\\u2026as in, I meta &nbsp;\\u2018n\\u2019 idiot \\u2013 who think it\\u2019s okay to silence anyone they disagree with, and claim this is science. Spare me.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Anyway, what do we do next time? How do we do better? How do we think better? Well, I suppose that first of all you have to get those in power to accept that they made mistakes\\u2026. Ho hum.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Frankly, that ain\\u2019t going to happen. Therefore, we need new people in power. People who can understand that things are complicated. That the immediate Bioplausible and simplistic \\u2018answer\\u2019 is as likely to be wrong, as it is right. More likely in truth.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>We really need people to think better:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u2018We have a crisis in medicine when it comes to understanding and appraising science. We do not teach this explicitly in medical schools, and it gets short shrift to mechanistic science. Our overemphasis on molecular mechanisms fuels the cognitive distortion that a reductionistic view is superior to empiricism<\\/em>*\\u2019&nbsp;<sup>2<\\/sup><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>*empiricism is the view that all concepts originate in experience, that all concepts are about or applicable to things that can be experienced, or that all rationally acceptable beliefs or propositions are justifiable or knowable only through experience.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Were there any examples of doing things better from which we could learn? In Sweden they did things differently \\u2013 at least from most of the rest of Europe. Anders Tegnell, the state epidemiologist (yes they have such a post) was the man who led the Swedish response. It was to bring in very few restrictions and make almost everything voluntary. Lockdown \\u2018lite\\u2019 if you like.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>He was ruthlessly attacked from all directions, but remained superficially calm. Although I imagine he felt most terribly bruised and battered inside.&nbsp;<em>TIME&nbsp;<\\/em>magazine ran a story about the Swedish response entitled&nbsp;<em>\\u2018The Swedish COVID-19 Response Is a Disaster. It Shouldn\\u2019t Be a Model for the Rest of the World.\\u2019<\\/em><sup>5<\\/sup><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You don\\u2019t really need to read the article. The title makes it entirely clear what tone was adopted, and also what the conclusion was going to be. Sweden = death and mayhem, run for the hills. Frankly, I am amazed that the Swedish Government held firm in supporting him.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>At one point even the Swedish King, Carl XVI Gustaf \\u2018<em>Gustaf \\u2013 &nbsp;the eminent epidemiologist\\u2019<\\/em>&nbsp;as I believe he is also known \\u2013 had a pop at poor old Anders. But the Government did support Tegnell\\u2019s light touch strategy \\u2013 mostly. They held their nerve.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What was Anders thinking, the mad mass murdering fool? As he calmly stated in the British Medical Journal, after COVID19 deaths in Sweden had settled into the lower half of European figures. Not as good as some, better than most:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u2026&nbsp;<\\/em>there is still disagreement among scientists about which measures are effective against the spread of infection<em>. \\u201cThis is what we are still struggling to understand: some measures work in some places, but it is difficult to see patterns.\\u201d<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u201cCountries that went through lockdowns are not doing that much better,\\u201d<sup>6<\\/sup><\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yes, he is describing his OODA journey. Anders is still observing and attempting to orientate, but he cannot see what to do. He still believes that the evidence for severe lockdowns, and mask wearing, simply does not exist. To put it another way, he cannot yet decide what should be done. So, he isn\\u2019t doing it.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Good man. We need far more like Anders Tegnell, and less of those like the members of SAGE in the UK. Screaming blue bloody murder with threats of hundreds of thousands dying if WE DO NOT ACT NOW! The sky is falling, the sky is falling. OMCIRON will kill us all\\u2026&nbsp;<em>all<\\/em>&nbsp;I tell ee\\u2019. Beware the black spot Cap\\u2019n.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>We also need more people to be sceptical. To look at the science and the evidence. We need, quite frankly, to learn to think\\u2026 and grow up. Also, importantly, learn the incredibly difficult trick of doing nothing at all.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As they used to say in a UK advert. \\u2018<em>Nothing acts faster than Anadin<\\/em>&nbsp;(a painkiller)\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Solution\\u2026 take nothing<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>Nothing acts faster than a damn good lockdown<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Solution\\u2026do nothing<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Or, to quote the famous physician William Osler. \\u2018<em>One of the first duties of the physician is to educate the masses not to take medicine.\\u2019<\\/em>&nbsp;I shall now leave you with two things to consider. The first is an open letter, written by Professor Ehud Qimron, head of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Tel Aviv University and one of the leading Israeli immunologists:<\\/p>\\r\\n<div>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em><strong>Ministry of Health, it\\u2019s time to admit failure<\\/strong><\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>In the end, the truth will always be revealed, and the truth about the coronavirus policy is beginning to be revealed. When the destructive concepts collapse one by one, there is nothing left but to tell the experts who led the management of the pandemic \\u2013 we told you so.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>Two years late, you finally realize that a respiratory virus cannot be defeated and that any such attempt is doomed to fail. You do not admit it, because you have admitted almost no mistake in the last two years, but in retrospect it is clear that you have failed miserably in almost all of your actions, and even the media is already having a hard time covering your shame.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>You refused to admit that the infection comes in waves that fade by themselves, despite years of observations and scientific knowledge. You insisted on attributing every decline of a wave solely to your actions, and so through false propaganda \\u201cyou overcame the plague.\\u201d And again, you defeated it, and again and again and again.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>You refused to admit that mass testing is ineffective, despite your own contingency plans explicitly stating so (\\u201cPandemic Influenza Health System Preparedness Plan, 2007\\u201d, p. 26).<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>You refused to admit that recovery is more protective than a vaccine, despite previous knowledge and observations showing that non-recovered vaccinated people are more likely to be infected than recovered people. You refused to admit that the vaccinated are contagious despite the observations. Based on this, you hoped to achieve herd immunity by vaccination \\u2014 and you failed in that as well.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>You insisted on ignoring the fact that the disease is dozens of times more dangerous for risk groups and older adults, than for young people who are not in risk groups, despite the knowledge that came from China as early as 2020.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>You refused to adopt the \\u201cBarrington Declaration\\u201d, signed by more than 60,000 scientists and medical professionals, or other common-sense programs. You chose to ridicule, slander, distort and discredit them. Instead of the right programs and people, you have chosen professionals who lack relevant training for pandemic management (physicists as chief government advisers, veterinarians, security officers, media personnel, and so on).<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>You have not set up an effective system for reporting side effects from the vaccines, and reports on side effects have even been deleted from your Facebook page. Doctors avoid linking side effects to the vaccine, lest you persecute them as you did with some of their colleagues. You have ignored many reports of changes in menstrual intensity and menstrual cycle times. You hid data that allows for objective and proper research (for example, you removed the data on passengers at Ben Gurion Airport). Instead, you chose to publish non-objective articles together with senior Pfizer executives on the effectiveness and safety of vaccines.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>Irreversible damage to trust<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>However, from the heights of your hubris, you have also ignored the fact that in the end the truth will be revealed. And it begins to be revealed. The truth is that you have brought the public\\u2019s trust in you to an unprecedented low, and you have eroded your status as a source of authority. The truth is that you have burned hundreds of billions of shekels to no avail \\u2013 for publishing intimidation, for ineffective tests, for destructive lockdowns and for disrupting the routine of life in the last two years.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>You have destroyed the education of our children and their future. You made children feel guilty, scared, smoke, drink, get addicted, drop out, and quarrel, as school principals around the country attest. You have harmed livelihoods, the economy, human rights, mental health and physical health.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>You slandered colleagues who did not surrender to you, you turned the people against each other, divided society and polarized the discourse. You branded, without any scientific basis, people who chose not to get vaccinated as enemies of the public and as spreaders of disease. You promote, in an unprecedented way, a draconian policy of discrimination, denial of rights and selection of people, including children, for their medical choice. A selection that lacks any epidemiological justification.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>When you compare the destructive policies you are pursuing with the sane policies of some other countries \\u2014 you can clearly see that the destruction you have caused has only added victims beyond the vulnerable to the virus. The economy you ruined, the unemployed you caused, and the children whose education you destroyed \\u2014 they are the surplus victims as a result of your own actions only.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>There is currently no medical emergency, but you have been cultivating such a condition for two years now because of lust for power, budgets and control. The only emergency now is that you still set policies and hold huge budgets for propaganda and psychological engineering instead of directing them to strengthen the health care system.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>This emergency must stop!<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>Professor Udi Qimron, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University7<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<p>I suppose I should say that the opinions of Professor Udi Qimron are not necessarily those of the senior management of this blog. I, in exactly the same way as Google and Facebook (Sorry, Alphabet and Meta. \\u2018<em>As I was going to St Ives I meta man with seven wives\\u2019\\u2026 how many idiots were going to St Ives<\\/em>), and suchlike, am merely the repository for information, and articles. A warehouse if you like. I have no editorial control over content, so you cannot sue me for anything written.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Unfortunately, I am not rich enough to employ Fact Checkers and unleash them upon anyone who disagrees with me. Yet. You have been warned.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The second thing, that I shall leave you with, is the fact that doing nothing can be very rewarding, and sometimes pretty hard work. As outlined by this article in&nbsp;<em>The International Journal of Doing Very little<\\/em>:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018We\\u2019re busy doin\\u2019 nothin\\u2019<br \\/>Workin\\u2019 the whole day through<br \\/>Tryin\\u2019 to find lots of things not to do<br \\/>We\\u2019re busy goin\\u2019 nowhere<br \\/>Isn\\u2019t it just a crime<br \\/>We\\u2019d like to be unhappy, but<br \\/>We never do have the time,\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018I have to watch the river<br \\/>To see that it doesn\\u2019t stop<br \\/>And stick around the rosebuds<br \\/>So they\\u2019ll know when to pop<br \\/>And keep the crickets cheerful<br \\/>They\\u2019re really a solemn bunch<br \\/>Hustle, bustle<br \\/>And only an hour for lunch.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>La-la-la-la-la-la<br \\/>La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la<br \\/>La-la-la-la-la-la<br \\/>La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018We\\u2019re busy doin\\u2019 nothin\\u2019<br \\/>Workin\\u2019 the whole day through<br \\/>Tryin\\u2019 to find lots of things not to do<br \\/>We\\u2019re busy goin\\u2019 nowhere<br \\/>Isn\\u2019t it just a crime<br \\/>We\\u2019d like to be unhappy, but<br \\/>We never do have the time.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018I have to wake the Sun up<br \\/>He\\u2019s liable to sleep all day<br \\/>And then inspect the rainbows<br \\/>So they\\u2019ll be bright and gay<br \\/>I must rehearse the songbirds<br \\/>To see that they sing in key<br \\/>Hustle, bustle<br \\/>And never a moment free.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018We\\u2019re busy doin\\u2019 nothin\\u2019<br \\/>Workin\\u2019 the whole day through<br \\/>Tryin\\u2019 to find lots of things not to do<br \\/>We\\u2019re busy going nowhere<br \\/>Isn\\u2019t it just a crime<br \\/>We\\u2019d like to be unhappy, but<br \\/>We never do have the time.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018I have to meet a turtle<br \\/>I\\u2019m teachin\\u2019 him how to swim<br \\/>Then I have to shine the dewdrops<br \\/>You know they\\u2019re looking rather dim<br \\/>I told my friend, the robin<br \\/>I\\u2019d buy him a brand-new vest<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Hustle, bustle<br \\/>We never do have<br \\/>We never do have<br \\/>We never do, never do<br \\/>Never do, never do, never do have the time<br \\/>Never do have the time.\\u2019<sup>8<\\/sup><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>And if that don\\u2019t cheer you up, nothing will. And follow my motto. \\u2018<em>Don\\u2019t just do something stand there\\u2026.<\\/em>\\u2019 Whilst observing and orientating of course. Think first, act later.<\\/p>\",\"state\":1,\"catid\":\"59\",\"created\":\"2022-01-15 15:24:49\",\"created_by\":\"873\",\"created_by_alias\":\"\",\"modified\":\"2022-01-15 19:49:35\",\"modified_by\":\"873\",\"checked_out\":\"873\",\"checked_out_time\":\"2022-01-15 19:49:12\",\"publish_up\":\"2022-01-15 15:24:49\",\"publish_down\":\"0000-00-00 00:00:00\",\"images\":\"{\\\"image_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_caption\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_caption\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"urls\":\"{\\\"urla\\\":false,\\\"urlatext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targeta\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlb\\\":false,\\\"urlbtext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetb\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlc\\\":false,\\\"urlctext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetc\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"attribs\":\"{\\\"article_layout\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_titles\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_tags\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_associations\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_create_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_modify_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publish_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_item_navigation\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_icons\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_print_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_email_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_vote\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_hits\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_noauth\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urls_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"alternative_readmore\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"article_page_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publishing_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_article_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_backend\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_frontend\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"version\":17,\"ordering\":\"0\",\"metakey\":\"\",\"metadesc\":\"\",\"access\":\"1\",\"hits\":\"0\",\"metadata\":\"{\\\"robots\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"rights\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"xreference\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"featured\":\"1\",\"language\":\"*\",\"xreference\":\"\",\"note\":\"\"}',0),(3364,984,1,'','2022-01-15 19:51:52',873,37792,'eb463f5e027d26b726335e4fa5405d249e454ea3','{\"id\":984,\"asset_id\":\"1274\",\"title\":\"Don\\u2019t just do something, stand\\u00a0there! - DR. MALCOLM KENDRICK\",\"alias\":\"don-t-just-do-something-stand-there-dr-malcolm-kendrick\",\"introtext\":\"<header id=\\\"masthead\\\" class=\\\"site-header\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/drmalcolmkendrick.org\\/\\\"><img src=\\\"https:\\/\\/drmalcolmkendrick.files.wordpress.com\\/2015\\/07\\/drmk-blog-header.jpg\\\" alt=\\\"\\\" width=\\\"\\\" height=\\\"\\\" class=\\\"header-image\\\" \\/><\\/a><\\/header>\\r\\n<div id=\\\"main\\\" class=\\\"wrapper\\\">\\r\\n<section id=\\\"primary\\\" class=\\\"site-content\\\">\\r\\n<div id=\\\"content\\\" role=\\\"main\\\"><header class=\\\"archive-header\\\">\\r\\n<h1 class=\\\"archive-title\\\">AUTHOR ARCHIVES:&nbsp;<span class=\\\"vcard\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/drmalcolmkendrick.org\\/author\\/drmalcolmkendrick\\/\\\" rel=\\\"me\\\" class=\\\"url fn n\\\" title=\\\"Dr. Malcolm Kendrick\\\">DR. MALCOLM KENDRICK<\\/a><\\/span><\\/h1>\\r\\n<\\/header>\\r\\n<div class=\\\"author-info\\\">\\r\\n<div class=\\\"author-description\\\">\\r\\n<h2>About Dr. Malcolm Kendrick<\\/h2>\\r\\n<p>Malcolm Kendrick is a Scottish doctor and author of The Great Cholesterol Con (2008). He has been a general practitioner for over 25 years and has worked with the European Society of Cardiology.<\\/p>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<article id=\\\"post-10944\\\" class=\\\"post-10944 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-covid-19\\\"><header class=\\\"entry-header\\\">\\r\\n<h1 class=\\\"entry-title\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/drmalcolmkendrick.org\\/2022\\/01\\/14\\/dont-just-do-something-stand-there\\/\\\" rel=\\\"bookmark\\\">Don\\u2019t just do something, stand&nbsp;there!<\\/a><\\/h1>\\r\\n<\\/header><\\/article>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/section>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<p>Don\\u2019t just do something, stand there!<br \\/>106 Replies<br \\/>14th January 2022<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>A few months ago, I resolved not to write anything more about COVID19. I was having zero apparent effect on anything, or anybody, and I was just getting increasingly despondent at the destruction of science, debate, logic, humanity, personal freedoms \\u2026 life.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>However, my New Years resolution was to not have any more resolutions. Which lead to an almost inescapable logic loop from which I have only just managed to extricate myself.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In truth, I believe that I still have a few things left to say about COVID19 that may be useful in stopping some of the most egregious nonsense being repeated. [Fat chance, says the little man on my shoulder].<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What I am about to write, I have written about before, in various different guises. However, I think it is worth going back over some old ground again. Hopefully in a more effective manner.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In this blog what I want to do is to look at how we think about a few things, primarily in medicine, and medical science. To try and highlight how some repeated flaws in thought have influenced the reaction to COVID19.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>I hope that by doing this, it may help to prevent some us travelling down the terribly well-worn \\u2018<em>paths of pointlessness\\u2019&nbsp;<\\/em>again. Or, at least, to get people to stop and question<em>&nbsp;how<\\/em>&nbsp;they are thinking, before throwing themselves into the fray.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>To begin.<\\/p>\\r\\n\",\"fulltext\":\"\\r\\n<p>What I saw happening with COVID19 is a pattern that repeats in medicine over and over again:<\\/p>\\r\\n<ul>\\r\\n<li>We have a serious illness \\u2013&nbsp;<em>panic<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Something must be done \\u2013&nbsp;<em>grab the pitchforks, run about screaming<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li>An influential person, or organisation, grabs the initiative \\u2013 \\u2018<em>\\u2018experts\\u2019 move in.\\u2019<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li>I\\/We know what to do, you must follow me\\/us \\u2013&nbsp;<em>simple idea +<\\/em>&nbsp;<em>soothing<\\/em>&nbsp;<em>paternalism<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Frightened people latch onto their ideas \\u2013&nbsp;<em>two legs good, four legs bad<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li>A path is chosen \\u2013&nbsp;<em>along the side of a cliff<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Momentum builds \\u2013&nbsp;<em>the unstoppable charge of the light brigade<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Those who object to the path taken are crushed \\u2013&nbsp;<em>1984<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<\\/ul>\\r\\n<p>Fast forward a few decades\\u2026 \\u2018<em>Oh, it seems that the thing we always do as standard medical practice\\u2026 Turns out it does more harm than good<\\/em>.\\u2019 See under: removal of toxic colon, the radical mastectomy, strict bed rest following a heart attack, cutting teeth, use of radium water, plombage, mercury for syphilis, pre-frontal lobotomy etc.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Of course, this pattern is not true of every medical intervention, not by any manner of means. Sometimes the influential person, or organisation, promotes the best course of action. This has been known to happen from time to time\\u2026 believe it or not. In addition, medical practice does eventually auto-correct \\u2013 and ends up doing the right thing. Almost always. We no longer remove toxic colons to cure female neurosis.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>But what never, ever, seems to happen is OODA. Defined as \\u2018<em>a practical concept designed to function as the foundation of rational thinking in confusing or chaotic situation\\u2019<\\/em>.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>OODA stands for. \\u2018<em>Observe, Orient, Decide Act<\\/em>.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>It was developed by the Air Force Colonel, John Boyd.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What John Boyd taught was simple. If you don\\u2019t know what is going on, do&nbsp;<em>not<\\/em>&nbsp;make immediate decisions. First, work out what is happening, then orientate yourself \\u2013 before you decide what to do. That way you avoid most, if not all, stupid mistakes. For many years, without knowing anything of OODA my own medical strategy has tended towards \\u2018<em>don\\u2019t just do something, stand there.<\\/em>\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Unfortunately, the medical profession has always battled ferociously against doing nothing. It has always greatly favoured the \\u2018<em>You must do something, anything, I don\\u2019t care what it is so long as it sounds like a good idea<\\/em>.&nbsp;<em>Chaaarge!<\\/em>\\u2019 Strategy.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This, the \\u2018<em>do something strategy\\u2019<\\/em>, has always proven far more seductive, and almost always wins. It is easier to attract followers to do something, than to than to do nothing. Why not whack a hole in the skull and split the brain apart to cure various mental diseases? Why not\\u2026 indeed. Ah yes, the good old pre-frontal lobotomy.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><strong>A.N. Other doctor:<\\/strong>&nbsp;<em>\\u2018If you do nothing people will surely die. You cannot just stand there doing nothing.<\\/em>\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><strong>Me:<\\/strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \\u2018<em>But what if those things we do end up causing more damage, or killing more people?\\u2019<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Many years ago, my father said to me. \\u2018<em>You will always be blamed for failures of omission, rath than commission.<\\/em>\\u2019 At the time I was young, &nbsp;I knew everything, and thought he was talking rubbish. In truth I didn\\u2019t really understand his point. Now that I know that\\u2026 I know nothing, I fully understand how profound his comment was. I wish I had listened to him more.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yes, doing something will always be looked on in a positive light. Effort has been made, decisions have been taken, activity carried out. In medicine this is reflected in a comment that I have had directed at me, from time to time. \\u2018<em>At least you tried, doctor<\\/em>.\\u2019 Well, seeing as they are now dead, my efforts achieved very little. But thanks anyway.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In addition, if you do nothing, you can be accused of laziness, of being uncaring. You just stood there and watched them suffer, even die. You cruel swine. I see this overwhelming urge to do something, anything, in the person who cannot swim, jumping into a river to try and save their dog from drowning.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What exactly did they think they were going to achieve? Oh well, at least they tried, you may say. No\\u2026 they were stupid. They drowned along with their dog. But who can stand on the riverbank watching their dog die?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Well, me, actually.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This also moves into the area of survival guilt. How am I still alive when others have died? Better to die trying than to have done nothing? It all further wraps round into it the almost irresistible urge to be seen to be doing something. I think it is hard-wired into our psyche. We must fight to protect those in our tribe and be seen to be doing it. Chop, chop, busy, busy, work, work, bang, bang&nbsp;<sup>1<\\/sup>. &nbsp;<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>I am, however, reminded of the philosophy behind recruitment to the German army in the good old days \\u2013 as recounted to me. Men were divided in to four categories:<\\/p>\\r\\n<ul>\\r\\n<li>Intelligent and lazy<\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Intelligent and hardworking<\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Stupid and lazy<\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Stupid and hardworking<\\/li>\\r\\n<\\/ul>\\r\\n<p>At which point<\\/p>\\r\\n<ul>\\r\\n<li>Intelligent and lazy men were taken for officer training<\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Intelligent and hardworking men were turned into NCOs (non-commissioned officers)<\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Stupid and lazy men became privates \\u2013 squaddies, to use the UK vernacular<\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Those who were both stupid, and hardworking, were taken out and shot, before they could do too much damage<\\/li>\\r\\n<\\/ul>\\r\\n<p>Doing things, doing things, doing things. We place great value on it. Too much.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As Kurt Vonnegut Jnr noted in Cat\\u2019s Cradle:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u201cWe do, doodley do, doodley do, doodely do,<\\/em><br \\/><em>What we must, muddily must, muddily must, muddily must;<\\/em><br \\/><em>Muddily do, muddily do, muddily do, muddily do,<\\/em><br \\/><em>Until we bust, bodily bust, bodily bust, bodily bust.\\u201d<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Of course, if there are things to be done, they should be done. But that does not mean we should rush around doing stuff, just because it seems better than doing nothing. Here is what Vinay Prasad has to say in his blog \\u2018<em>Will science do better post COVID19?\\u2019<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u2018When faced with a pandemic, we re-treated to all the old delusions. Bioplausibilty was sacrosanct\\u2014 that\\u2019s why #maskswork! We can\\u2019t run RCTs\\u2014 these are parachutes.&nbsp;<strong>Doing something is always better than doing nothing!<\\/strong>&nbsp;More is better than less! Keep boosting, young man!! Newer is better than older. Disease bad; treatments good. Bad people (John Ioannidis) are always wrong (never mind, that a year ago we all thought he was brilliant).\\u2019<\\/em>&nbsp;<sup>2<\\/sup><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The additional problem with doing things is that, once you have started doing them, it becomes damned difficult to stop again. After you have decided to blow four hundred billion pounds on lockdown, or thereabouts, then you are pretty much stuck with it. Or else, you are going to look pretty stupid. \\u2018<em>Sorry, ahem, I seem to have wasted a teensy bit of money<\\/em>.&nbsp;<em>Sorry, my mistake.<\\/em>\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>If everyone is ordered to wear a mask, on pain of death, you are stuck with that too. Back pedalling from instant decisions is very, very, difficult. For the scientists and politicians involved you cannot be seen to have been wrong. Reputations&nbsp;<em>must<\\/em>&nbsp;be protected.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>At which point, vast amounts of time and effort are expended in trying to batter down anyone who dares to suggest that we rushed into doing things that were completely pointless, even damaging. Science then becomes twisted and bent to justify the errors made. Those in power must retain power. The narrative must be supported:<\\/p>\\r\\n<ul>\\r\\n<li>COVID19 is really, really deadly<\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Lockdowns really, really, work<\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Masks really, really, work<\\/li>\\r\\n<\\/ul>\\r\\n<p>If you question these narratives, people will demand an answer to this rhetorical question. Do you want people to die! (That\\u2019s always an effective weapon). The correct answer to this question by the way, is usually no \\u2013 although I am willing to make exceptions.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The other terrible flaw in thinking here, especially in medicine, was also mentioned by Vinay Prasad. It is Bioplausibility. Often closely associated with fast thinking a.k.a. jumping to conclusions, because they just seem right.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Masks, indeed, must surely work. Because? Because they prevent the virus from spreading. In fact, masks represent an almost perfect example of bioplausibility a.k.a. sheer common sense. No-one can argue against using them. If you do, your arguments must be pure sophistry, or simply nonsense.&nbsp;<em>\\u2019You do not understand science<\\/em>.\\u2019 That\\u2019s a good one, I get that a lot.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u2018I think you will find it is not I that fails to understand science.\\u2019<\\/em>&nbsp;I think to myself. But I don\\u2019t say it, because it makes you sound like a prat.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Let me remind you of a time when, after a heart attack you had to rest in bed doing nothing for six weeks. The heart has been damaged and must be given a chance to rest. Yes, perfect Bioplausibility, believed by virtually everyone. To question it was to be cast into the outer darkness.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>It is now known that the worst thing you can possibly do is to enforce strict bed rest post heart attack. This advice, in place from 1912 to about 1960(ish), killed tens of millions. Maybe hundreds of millions.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As for masks \\u2013 the sort of masks worn by almost everyone.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u2018The use of cloth facemasks in community settings has become an accepted public policy response to decrease disease transmission during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet evidence of facemask efficacy is based primarily on observational studies that are subject to confounding and on mechanistic studies that rely on surrogate endpoints (such as droplet dispersion) as proxies for disease transmission.&nbsp;<strong>The available clinical evidence of facemask efficacy is of low quality and the best available clinical evidence has mostly failed to show efficacy<\\/strong>, with fourteen of sixteen identified randomized controlled trials comparing face masks to no mask controls failing to find statistically significant benefit in the intent<\\/em><em>\\u2010\\u200bto<\\/em><em>\\u2010\\u200btreat populations. Of sixteen quantitative meta<\\/em><em>\\u2010\\u200banalyses, eight were equivocal or critical as to whether evidence supports a public recommendation of masks, and the remaining eight supported a public mask intervention on limited evidence primarily on the basis of the precautionary principle.&nbsp;<strong>Although weak evidence should not preclude precautionary actions in the face of unprecedented events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, ethical principles require that the strength of the evidence and best estimates of amount of benefit be truthfully communicated to the public.<\\/strong><\\/em><strong>\\u2019<\\/strong><sup>3<\\/sup><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>How can masks possibly fail to work?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Well, unfortunately, our brains work one way, and the world often works in quite another way. As does, therefore, science. For centuries people thought that heavier than air flight would only be possible if you flapped things that looked very like wings. Why, because birds and bats were the only flying things people had ever seen flying [apart from lemmings] and they mostly flapped about like mad \\u2013 using wings.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Except that, if you looked closely, they didn\\u2019t \\u2013 not really. If you thought flapping was the key to flight, you were not really looking. An albatross can stay aloft for hours, gliding above the waves, using the wind and updrafts, and barely moving its wings at all.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yet, and yet, no-one was able to see this. When I say \\u2018see\\u2019 this I mean \\u2013 look beyond the obvious, in your face, flappy stuff. Observe properly, deeply, to really understand what you are looking at \\u2013 in this case aerodynamics. Eventually, of course, some people did. Et voila, the Wright Brothers.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>With masks\\u2026 Yes, it is both true, and self-evident, that a mask stops droplets being catapulted across a room after a cough or sneeze, or suchlike. So, they must stop spread\\u2026mustn\\u2019t they? I mean, you can even see it working in slow motion videos. A man coughs in London, virus ends up in New York \\u2013 or something. Ah, the dreaded Bioplausibility\\u2026 that can also be visualised. Double bubble.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>But a mask can also turn droplets into an aerosol by breaking the droplet down into far smaller particles. Particles will float in the air for longer, and thus be inhaled for longer. Possibly, probably<sup>4<\\/sup>. You didn\\u2019t think of that, did you?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>A mask can also become damp and keep viral particles viable for longer. Once discarded \\u2013 as many masks are \\u2013 they represent receptacles for viruses and can spread disease when picked up. What happens when masks are used and used, and re-used? As they often are. Superspreading here we come. Blowing viral particles out of a wet mask.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As a wise man also said. Using cloth masks to prevent viral spread it like trying to pick up sand with a tennis racket. Virus particle size \\u2018x\\u2019. Holes in mask size 1000x.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>A mask can also mean that people stand closer to each other than they otherwise would. A mask may, simply, never had had a chance to work at all. After all, we breathe in and breathe out the same amount of air whilst wearing a mask than not.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>If there is virus in floating in the air, we are still going to breathe it in, and out. Masks do not stop us breathing, and the air has to come from somewhere. Unless masks act as a type of black hole, trapping, then transporting viral particles from here into another universe\\u2026 I\\u2019m not putting much money on that hypothesis.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Some months ago, I wrote about the last people to be infected with smallpox. In one hospital, in Germany, a patient with smallpox was being treated on the ground floor. The patient in the room above, and then the room above that, become infected. Which means that viral particles must have got out the window, drifted upwards and infected those above.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Which just gives you some idea of how few viral particles were needed to spread a disease that was, up to that time, not even believed to spread through the air. No droplets required.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Early on, with COVID19 it was noted that ferrets could be infected with the virus. So, researchers put one ferret in a cage, with another ferret above with a solid barrier between them. The one below was infected with COVD19.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The only route for COVID19 to travel from one ferret to the other was through a tube that bent through ninety degrees, bent again to go upwards through the barrier, then across, and back round through ninety degrees<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In essence, this tube was specifically designed to ensure that droplet spread was impossible. As droplets cannot go round corners, travel upwards, turn another ninety degrees\\u2026 and suchlike.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Despite this, all of the uninfected ferrets became, very rapidly, infected. Conclusion \\u2013 COVID19 can travel and infect through aerosol spread. Secondary conclusion \\u2013 masks cannot stop this. At least not the sort of masks that virtually everyone wears, and then re-uses.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Of course, there are masks that you can use to prevent the spread of viral particles. But they have to be airtight, they have to have filters. They are uncomfortable to wear for any length of time, and they need to be changed regularly. They also prevent a great deal of communication, as people hard of hearing will tell you. Oh yes, there are serious downsides to mask wearing.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>I only focus on masks here to make the point that masks appear totally \\u2018Bioplausible\\u2019. If, that is, you don\\u2019t think about all the issues too deeply. Also, getting everyone to wear masks represents doing \\u2018something.\\u2019 Doing something, especially something visible, is always better than doing nothing.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yes\\u2026 doing something, anything, and Bioplausibility. Two bear traps in human thought. Traps that seem impossible to eradicate.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>There is another, major trap, which is the urge to draw ourselves into tribes. Then attack and attempt destroy anyone who does not agree with us. Humiliate and silence. Turn the \\u2018other\\u2019 into someone with evil intent. I am not getting into this in any depth here. We have all seen too much of it. The terrible seductive pleasure of righteous anger. Which so easily flips into hatred.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As also mentioned by Vinay Prasad.&nbsp;<em>Bad people (John Ioannidis) are always wrong (never mind, that a year ago we all thought he was brilliant).\\u2019<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As we all know, it is not just Ioannidis who is attacked. Dare to breathe one word of caution about vaccines and you become&nbsp;<em>\\u2018dirty anti-vaxxer scum. You deserve to lose your job. Ha!\\u2019<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This is no way for humans to act towards each other. Crush debate, silence those who dare to think differently. Bring in the Spanish Inquisition a.k.a. fact checkers. All bought and paid for by those who have vested interests in obliterating the opposition, of course.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><strong>Question:<\\/strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When is a fact checker not a fact checker?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><strong>Answer:<\\/strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When they are called a fact checker. [Especially if they work for a company that used to begin with Face and ended in Book. Or Witterpedia]<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Also Meta\\u2026as in, I meta &nbsp;\\u2018n\\u2019 idiot \\u2013 who think it\\u2019s okay to silence anyone they disagree with, and claim this is science. Spare me.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Anyway, what do we do next time? How do we do better? How do we think better? Well, I suppose that first of all you have to get those in power to accept that they made mistakes\\u2026. Ho hum.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Frankly, that ain\\u2019t going to happen. Therefore, we need new people in power. People who can understand that things are complicated. That the immediate Bioplausible and simplistic \\u2018answer\\u2019 is as likely to be wrong, as it is right. More likely in truth.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>We really need people to think better:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u2018We have a crisis in medicine when it comes to understanding and appraising science. We do not teach this explicitly in medical schools, and it gets short shrift to mechanistic science. Our overemphasis on molecular mechanisms fuels the cognitive distortion that a reductionistic view is superior to empiricism<\\/em>*\\u2019&nbsp;<sup>2<\\/sup><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>*empiricism is the view that all concepts originate in experience, that all concepts are about or applicable to things that can be experienced, or that all rationally acceptable beliefs or propositions are justifiable or knowable only through experience.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Were there any examples of doing things better from which we could learn? In Sweden they did things differently \\u2013 at least from most of the rest of Europe. Anders Tegnell, the state epidemiologist (yes they have such a post) was the man who led the Swedish response. It was to bring in very few restrictions and make almost everything voluntary. Lockdown \\u2018lite\\u2019 if you like.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>He was ruthlessly attacked from all directions, but remained superficially calm. Although I imagine he felt most terribly bruised and battered inside.&nbsp;<em>TIME&nbsp;<\\/em>magazine ran a story about the Swedish response entitled&nbsp;<em>\\u2018The Swedish COVID-19 Response Is a Disaster. It Shouldn\\u2019t Be a Model for the Rest of the World.\\u2019<\\/em><sup>5<\\/sup><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You don\\u2019t really need to read the article. The title makes it entirely clear what tone was adopted, and also what the conclusion was going to be. Sweden = death and mayhem, run for the hills. Frankly, I am amazed that the Swedish Government held firm in supporting him.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>At one point even the Swedish King, Carl XVI Gustaf \\u2018<em>Gustaf \\u2013 &nbsp;the eminent epidemiologist\\u2019<\\/em>&nbsp;as I believe he is also known \\u2013 had a pop at poor old Anders. But the Government did support Tegnell\\u2019s light touch strategy \\u2013 mostly. They held their nerve.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What was Anders thinking, the mad mass murdering fool? As he calmly stated in the British Medical Journal, after COVID19 deaths in Sweden had settled into the lower half of European figures. Not as good as some, better than most:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u2026&nbsp;<\\/em>there is still disagreement among scientists about which measures are effective against the spread of infection<em>. \\u201cThis is what we are still struggling to understand: some measures work in some places, but it is difficult to see patterns.\\u201d<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u201cCountries that went through lockdowns are not doing that much better,\\u201d<sup>6<\\/sup><\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yes, he is describing his OODA journey. Anders is still observing and attempting to orientate, but he cannot see what to do. He still believes that the evidence for severe lockdowns, and mask wearing, simply does not exist. To put it another way, he cannot yet decide what should be done. So, he isn\\u2019t doing it.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Good man. We need far more like Anders Tegnell, and less of those like the members of SAGE in the UK. Screaming blue bloody murder with threats of hundreds of thousands dying if WE DO NOT ACT NOW! The sky is falling, the sky is falling. OMCIRON will kill us all\\u2026&nbsp;<em>all<\\/em>&nbsp;I tell ee\\u2019. Beware the black spot Cap\\u2019n.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>We also need more people to be sceptical. To look at the science and the evidence. We need, quite frankly, to learn to think\\u2026 and grow up. Also, importantly, learn the incredibly difficult trick of doing nothing at all.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As they used to say in a UK advert. \\u2018<em>Nothing acts faster than Anadin<\\/em>&nbsp;(a painkiller)\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Solution\\u2026 take nothing<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>Nothing acts faster than a damn good lockdown<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Solution\\u2026do nothing<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Or, to quote the famous physician William Osler. \\u2018<em>One of the first duties of the physician is to educate the masses not to take medicine.\\u2019<\\/em>&nbsp;I shall now leave you with two things to consider. The first is an open letter, written by Professor Ehud Qimron, head of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Tel Aviv University and one of the leading Israeli immunologists:<\\/p>\\r\\n<div>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em><strong>Ministry of Health, it\\u2019s time to admit failure<\\/strong><\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>In the end, the truth will always be revealed, and the truth about the coronavirus policy is beginning to be revealed. When the destructive concepts collapse one by one, there is nothing left but to tell the experts who led the management of the pandemic \\u2013 we told you so.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>Two years late, you finally realize that a respiratory virus cannot be defeated and that any such attempt is doomed to fail. You do not admit it, because you have admitted almost no mistake in the last two years, but in retrospect it is clear that you have failed miserably in almost all of your actions, and even the media is already having a hard time covering your shame.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>You refused to admit that the infection comes in waves that fade by themselves, despite years of observations and scientific knowledge. You insisted on attributing every decline of a wave solely to your actions, and so through false propaganda \\u201cyou overcame the plague.\\u201d And again, you defeated it, and again and again and again.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>You refused to admit that mass testing is ineffective, despite your own contingency plans explicitly stating so (\\u201cPandemic Influenza Health System Preparedness Plan, 2007\\u201d, p. 26).<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>You refused to admit that recovery is more protective than a vaccine, despite previous knowledge and observations showing that non-recovered vaccinated people are more likely to be infected than recovered people. You refused to admit that the vaccinated are contagious despite the observations. Based on this, you hoped to achieve herd immunity by vaccination \\u2014 and you failed in that as well.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>You insisted on ignoring the fact that the disease is dozens of times more dangerous for risk groups and older adults, than for young people who are not in risk groups, despite the knowledge that came from China as early as 2020.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>You refused to adopt the \\u201cBarrington Declaration\\u201d, signed by more than 60,000 scientists and medical professionals, or other common-sense programs. You chose to ridicule, slander, distort and discredit them. Instead of the right programs and people, you have chosen professionals who lack relevant training for pandemic management (physicists as chief government advisers, veterinarians, security officers, media personnel, and so on).<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>You have not set up an effective system for reporting side effects from the vaccines, and reports on side effects have even been deleted from your Facebook page. Doctors avoid linking side effects to the vaccine, lest you persecute them as you did with some of their colleagues. You have ignored many reports of changes in menstrual intensity and menstrual cycle times. You hid data that allows for objective and proper research (for example, you removed the data on passengers at Ben Gurion Airport). Instead, you chose to publish non-objective articles together with senior Pfizer executives on the effectiveness and safety of vaccines.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>Irreversible damage to trust<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>However, from the heights of your hubris, you have also ignored the fact that in the end the truth will be revealed. And it begins to be revealed. The truth is that you have brought the public\\u2019s trust in you to an unprecedented low, and you have eroded your status as a source of authority. The truth is that you have burned hundreds of billions of shekels to no avail \\u2013 for publishing intimidation, for ineffective tests, for destructive lockdowns and for disrupting the routine of life in the last two years.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>You have destroyed the education of our children and their future. You made children feel guilty, scared, smoke, drink, get addicted, drop out, and quarrel, as school principals around the country attest. You have harmed livelihoods, the economy, human rights, mental health and physical health.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>You slandered colleagues who did not surrender to you, you turned the people against each other, divided society and polarized the discourse. You branded, without any scientific basis, people who chose not to get vaccinated as enemies of the public and as spreaders of disease. You promote, in an unprecedented way, a draconian policy of discrimination, denial of rights and selection of people, including children, for their medical choice. A selection that lacks any epidemiological justification.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>When you compare the destructive policies you are pursuing with the sane policies of some other countries \\u2014 you can clearly see that the destruction you have caused has only added victims beyond the vulnerable to the virus. The economy you ruined, the unemployed you caused, and the children whose education you destroyed \\u2014 they are the surplus victims as a result of your own actions only.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>There is currently no medical emergency, but you have been cultivating such a condition for two years now because of lust for power, budgets and control. The only emergency now is that you still set policies and hold huge budgets for propaganda and psychological engineering instead of directing them to strengthen the health care system.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>This emergency must stop!<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>Professor Udi Qimron, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University7<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<p>I suppose I should say that the opinions of Professor Udi Qimron are not necessarily those of the senior management of this blog. I, in exactly the same way as Google and Facebook (Sorry, Alphabet and Meta. \\u2018<em>As I was going to St Ives I meta man with seven wives\\u2019\\u2026 how many idiots were going to St Ives<\\/em>), and suchlike, am merely the repository for information, and articles. A warehouse if you like. I have no editorial control over content, so you cannot sue me for anything written.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Unfortunately, I am not rich enough to employ Fact Checkers and unleash them upon anyone who disagrees with me. Yet. You have been warned.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The second thing, that I shall leave you with, is the fact that doing nothing can be very rewarding, and sometimes pretty hard work. As outlined by this article in&nbsp;<em>The International Journal of Doing Very little<\\/em>:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018We\\u2019re busy doin\\u2019 nothin\\u2019<br \\/>Workin\\u2019 the whole day through<br \\/>Tryin\\u2019 to find lots of things not to do<br \\/>We\\u2019re busy goin\\u2019 nowhere<br \\/>Isn\\u2019t it just a crime<br \\/>We\\u2019d like to be unhappy, but<br \\/>We never do have the time,\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018I have to watch the river<br \\/>To see that it doesn\\u2019t stop<br \\/>And stick around the rosebuds<br \\/>So they\\u2019ll know when to pop<br \\/>And keep the crickets cheerful<br \\/>They\\u2019re really a solemn bunch<br \\/>Hustle, bustle<br \\/>And only an hour for lunch.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>La-la-la-la-la-la<br \\/>La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la<br \\/>La-la-la-la-la-la<br \\/>La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018We\\u2019re busy doin\\u2019 nothin\\u2019<br \\/>Workin\\u2019 the whole day through<br \\/>Tryin\\u2019 to find lots of things not to do<br \\/>We\\u2019re busy goin\\u2019 nowhere<br \\/>Isn\\u2019t it just a crime<br \\/>We\\u2019d like to be unhappy, but<br \\/>We never do have the time.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018I have to wake the Sun up<br \\/>He\\u2019s liable to sleep all day<br \\/>And then inspect the rainbows<br \\/>So they\\u2019ll be bright and gay<br \\/>I must rehearse the songbirds<br \\/>To see that they sing in key<br \\/>Hustle, bustle<br \\/>And never a moment free.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018We\\u2019re busy doin\\u2019 nothin\\u2019<br \\/>Workin\\u2019 the whole day through<br \\/>Tryin\\u2019 to find lots of things not to do<br \\/>We\\u2019re busy going nowhere<br \\/>Isn\\u2019t it just a crime<br \\/>We\\u2019d like to be unhappy, but<br \\/>We never do have the time.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018I have to meet a turtle<br \\/>I\\u2019m teachin\\u2019 him how to swim<br \\/>Then I have to shine the dewdrops<br \\/>You know they\\u2019re looking rather dim<br \\/>I told my friend, the robin<br \\/>I\\u2019d buy him a brand-new vest<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Hustle, bustle<br \\/>We never do have<br \\/>We never do have<br \\/>We never do, never do<br \\/>Never do, never do, never do have the time<br \\/>Never do have the time.\\u2019<sup>8<\\/sup><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>And if that don\\u2019t cheer you up, nothing will. And follow my motto. \\u2018<em>Don\\u2019t just do something stand there\\u2026.<\\/em>\\u2019 Whilst observing and orientating of course. Think first, act later.<\\/p>\",\"state\":1,\"catid\":\"59\",\"created\":\"2022-01-15 15:24:49\",\"created_by\":\"873\",\"created_by_alias\":\"\",\"modified\":\"2022-01-15 19:51:52\",\"modified_by\":\"873\",\"checked_out\":\"873\",\"checked_out_time\":\"2022-01-15 19:49:35\",\"publish_up\":\"2022-01-15 15:24:49\",\"publish_down\":\"0000-00-00 00:00:00\",\"images\":\"{\\\"image_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_caption\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_caption\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"urls\":\"{\\\"urla\\\":false,\\\"urlatext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targeta\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlb\\\":false,\\\"urlbtext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetb\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlc\\\":false,\\\"urlctext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetc\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"attribs\":\"{\\\"article_layout\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_titles\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_tags\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_associations\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_create_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_modify_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publish_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_item_navigation\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_icons\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_print_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_email_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_vote\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_hits\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_noauth\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urls_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"alternative_readmore\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"article_page_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publishing_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_article_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_backend\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_frontend\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"version\":18,\"ordering\":\"0\",\"metakey\":\"\",\"metadesc\":\"\",\"access\":\"1\",\"hits\":\"1\",\"metadata\":\"{\\\"robots\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"rights\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"xreference\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"featured\":\"1\",\"language\":\"*\",\"xreference\":\"\",\"note\":\"\"}',0),(3365,984,1,'','2022-01-15 19:52:45',873,37743,'58061fbe52c9fb7ec950e2656294cc10778b5765','{\"id\":984,\"asset_id\":\"1274\",\"title\":\"Don\\u2019t just do something, stand\\u00a0there! - DR. MALCOLM KENDRICK\",\"alias\":\"don-t-just-do-something-stand-there-dr-malcolm-kendrick\",\"introtext\":\"<header id=\\\"masthead\\\" class=\\\"site-header\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/drmalcolmkendrick.org\\/\\\"><img src=\\\"https:\\/\\/drmalcolmkendrick.files.wordpress.com\\/2015\\/07\\/drmk-blog-header.jpg\\\" alt=\\\"\\\" width=\\\"\\\" height=\\\"\\\" class=\\\"header-image\\\" \\/><\\/a><\\/header>\\r\\n<div id=\\\"main\\\" class=\\\"wrapper\\\">\\r\\n<section id=\\\"primary\\\" class=\\\"site-content\\\">\\r\\n<div id=\\\"content\\\" role=\\\"main\\\"><header class=\\\"archive-header\\\">\\r\\n<h1 class=\\\"archive-title\\\">AUTHOR ARCHIVES:&nbsp;<span class=\\\"vcard\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/drmalcolmkendrick.org\\/author\\/drmalcolmkendrick\\/\\\" rel=\\\"me\\\" class=\\\"url fn n\\\" title=\\\"Dr. Malcolm Kendrick\\\">DR. MALCOLM KENDRICK<\\/a><\\/span><\\/h1>\\r\\n<\\/header>\\r\\n<div class=\\\"author-info\\\">\\r\\n<div class=\\\"author-description\\\">\\r\\n<h2>About Dr. Malcolm Kendrick<\\/h2>\\r\\n<p>Malcolm Kendrick is a Scottish doctor and author of The Great Cholesterol Con (2008). He has been a general practitioner for over 25 years and has worked with the European Society of Cardiology.<\\/p>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<article id=\\\"post-10944\\\" class=\\\"post-10944 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-covid-19\\\"><header class=\\\"entry-header\\\">\\r\\n<h1 class=\\\"entry-title\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/drmalcolmkendrick.org\\/2022\\/01\\/14\\/dont-just-do-something-stand-there\\/\\\" rel=\\\"bookmark\\\">Don\\u2019t just do something, stand&nbsp;there!<\\/a><\\/h1>\\r\\n<\\/header><\\/article>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<\\/section>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<p>106 Replies<br \\/>14th January 2022<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>A few months ago, I resolved not to write anything more about COVID19. I was having zero apparent effect on anything, or anybody, and I was just getting increasingly despondent at the destruction of science, debate, logic, humanity, personal freedoms \\u2026 life.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>However, my New Years resolution was to not have any more resolutions. Which lead to an almost inescapable logic loop from which I have only just managed to extricate myself.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In truth, I believe that I still have a few things left to say about COVID19 that may be useful in stopping some of the most egregious nonsense being repeated. [Fat chance, says the little man on my shoulder].<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What I am about to write, I have written about before, in various different guises. However, I think it is worth going back over some old ground again. Hopefully in a more effective manner.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In this blog what I want to do is to look at how we think about a few things, primarily in medicine, and medical science. To try and highlight how some repeated flaws in thought have influenced the reaction to COVID19.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>I hope that by doing this, it may help to prevent some us travelling down the terribly well-worn \\u2018<em>paths of pointlessness\\u2019&nbsp;<\\/em>again. Or, at least, to get people to stop and question<em>&nbsp;how<\\/em>&nbsp;they are thinking, before throwing themselves into the fray.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>To begin.<\\/p>\\r\\n\",\"fulltext\":\"\\r\\n<p>What I saw happening with COVID19 is a pattern that repeats in medicine over and over again:<\\/p>\\r\\n<ul>\\r\\n<li>We have a serious illness \\u2013&nbsp;<em>panic<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Something must be done \\u2013&nbsp;<em>grab the pitchforks, run about screaming<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li>An influential person, or organisation, grabs the initiative \\u2013 \\u2018<em>\\u2018experts\\u2019 move in.\\u2019<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li>I\\/We know what to do, you must follow me\\/us \\u2013&nbsp;<em>simple idea +<\\/em>&nbsp;<em>soothing<\\/em>&nbsp;<em>paternalism<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Frightened people latch onto their ideas \\u2013&nbsp;<em>two legs good, four legs bad<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li>A path is chosen \\u2013&nbsp;<em>along the side of a cliff<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Momentum builds \\u2013&nbsp;<em>the unstoppable charge of the light brigade<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Those who object to the path taken are crushed \\u2013&nbsp;<em>1984<\\/em><\\/li>\\r\\n<\\/ul>\\r\\n<p>Fast forward a few decades\\u2026 \\u2018<em>Oh, it seems that the thing we always do as standard medical practice\\u2026 Turns out it does more harm than good<\\/em>.\\u2019 See under: removal of toxic colon, the radical mastectomy, strict bed rest following a heart attack, cutting teeth, use of radium water, plombage, mercury for syphilis, pre-frontal lobotomy etc.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Of course, this pattern is not true of every medical intervention, not by any manner of means. Sometimes the influential person, or organisation, promotes the best course of action. This has been known to happen from time to time\\u2026 believe it or not. In addition, medical practice does eventually auto-correct \\u2013 and ends up doing the right thing. Almost always. We no longer remove toxic colons to cure female neurosis.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>But what never, ever, seems to happen is OODA. Defined as \\u2018<em>a practical concept designed to function as the foundation of rational thinking in confusing or chaotic situation\\u2019<\\/em>.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>OODA stands for. \\u2018<em>Observe, Orient, Decide Act<\\/em>.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>It was developed by the Air Force Colonel, John Boyd.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What John Boyd taught was simple. If you don\\u2019t know what is going on, do&nbsp;<em>not<\\/em>&nbsp;make immediate decisions. First, work out what is happening, then orientate yourself \\u2013 before you decide what to do. That way you avoid most, if not all, stupid mistakes. For many years, without knowing anything of OODA my own medical strategy has tended towards \\u2018<em>don\\u2019t just do something, stand there.<\\/em>\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Unfortunately, the medical profession has always battled ferociously against doing nothing. It has always greatly favoured the \\u2018<em>You must do something, anything, I don\\u2019t care what it is so long as it sounds like a good idea<\\/em>.&nbsp;<em>Chaaarge!<\\/em>\\u2019 Strategy.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This, the \\u2018<em>do something strategy\\u2019<\\/em>, has always proven far more seductive, and almost always wins. It is easier to attract followers to do something, than to than to do nothing. Why not whack a hole in the skull and split the brain apart to cure various mental diseases? Why not\\u2026 indeed. Ah yes, the good old pre-frontal lobotomy.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><strong>A.N. Other doctor:<\\/strong>&nbsp;<em>\\u2018If you do nothing people will surely die. You cannot just stand there doing nothing.<\\/em>\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><strong>Me:<\\/strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \\u2018<em>But what if those things we do end up causing more damage, or killing more people?\\u2019<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Many years ago, my father said to me. \\u2018<em>You will always be blamed for failures of omission, rath than commission.<\\/em>\\u2019 At the time I was young, &nbsp;I knew everything, and thought he was talking rubbish. In truth I didn\\u2019t really understand his point. Now that I know that\\u2026 I know nothing, I fully understand how profound his comment was. I wish I had listened to him more.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yes, doing something will always be looked on in a positive light. Effort has been made, decisions have been taken, activity carried out. In medicine this is reflected in a comment that I have had directed at me, from time to time. \\u2018<em>At least you tried, doctor<\\/em>.\\u2019 Well, seeing as they are now dead, my efforts achieved very little. But thanks anyway.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In addition, if you do nothing, you can be accused of laziness, of being uncaring. You just stood there and watched them suffer, even die. You cruel swine. I see this overwhelming urge to do something, anything, in the person who cannot swim, jumping into a river to try and save their dog from drowning.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What exactly did they think they were going to achieve? Oh well, at least they tried, you may say. No\\u2026 they were stupid. They drowned along with their dog. But who can stand on the riverbank watching their dog die?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Well, me, actually.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This also moves into the area of survival guilt. How am I still alive when others have died? Better to die trying than to have done nothing? It all further wraps round into it the almost irresistible urge to be seen to be doing something. I think it is hard-wired into our psyche. We must fight to protect those in our tribe and be seen to be doing it. Chop, chop, busy, busy, work, work, bang, bang&nbsp;<sup>1<\\/sup>. &nbsp;<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>I am, however, reminded of the philosophy behind recruitment to the German army in the good old days \\u2013 as recounted to me. Men were divided in to four categories:<\\/p>\\r\\n<ul>\\r\\n<li>Intelligent and lazy<\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Intelligent and hardworking<\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Stupid and lazy<\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Stupid and hardworking<\\/li>\\r\\n<\\/ul>\\r\\n<p>At which point<\\/p>\\r\\n<ul>\\r\\n<li>Intelligent and lazy men were taken for officer training<\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Intelligent and hardworking men were turned into NCOs (non-commissioned officers)<\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Stupid and lazy men became privates \\u2013 squaddies, to use the UK vernacular<\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Those who were both stupid, and hardworking, were taken out and shot, before they could do too much damage<\\/li>\\r\\n<\\/ul>\\r\\n<p>Doing things, doing things, doing things. We place great value on it. Too much.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As Kurt Vonnegut Jnr noted in Cat\\u2019s Cradle:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u201cWe do, doodley do, doodley do, doodely do,<\\/em><br \\/><em>What we must, muddily must, muddily must, muddily must;<\\/em><br \\/><em>Muddily do, muddily do, muddily do, muddily do,<\\/em><br \\/><em>Until we bust, bodily bust, bodily bust, bodily bust.\\u201d<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Of course, if there are things to be done, they should be done. But that does not mean we should rush around doing stuff, just because it seems better than doing nothing. Here is what Vinay Prasad has to say in his blog \\u2018<em>Will science do better post COVID19?\\u2019<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u2018When faced with a pandemic, we re-treated to all the old delusions. Bioplausibilty was sacrosanct\\u2014 that\\u2019s why #maskswork! We can\\u2019t run RCTs\\u2014 these are parachutes.&nbsp;<strong>Doing something is always better than doing nothing!<\\/strong>&nbsp;More is better than less! Keep boosting, young man!! Newer is better than older. Disease bad; treatments good. Bad people (John Ioannidis) are always wrong (never mind, that a year ago we all thought he was brilliant).\\u2019<\\/em>&nbsp;<sup>2<\\/sup><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The additional problem with doing things is that, once you have started doing them, it becomes damned difficult to stop again. After you have decided to blow four hundred billion pounds on lockdown, or thereabouts, then you are pretty much stuck with it. Or else, you are going to look pretty stupid. \\u2018<em>Sorry, ahem, I seem to have wasted a teensy bit of money<\\/em>.&nbsp;<em>Sorry, my mistake.<\\/em>\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>If everyone is ordered to wear a mask, on pain of death, you are stuck with that too. Back pedalling from instant decisions is very, very, difficult. For the scientists and politicians involved you cannot be seen to have been wrong. Reputations&nbsp;<em>must<\\/em>&nbsp;be protected.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>At which point, vast amounts of time and effort are expended in trying to batter down anyone who dares to suggest that we rushed into doing things that were completely pointless, even damaging. Science then becomes twisted and bent to justify the errors made. Those in power must retain power. The narrative must be supported:<\\/p>\\r\\n<ul>\\r\\n<li>COVID19 is really, really deadly<\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Lockdowns really, really, work<\\/li>\\r\\n<li>Masks really, really, work<\\/li>\\r\\n<\\/ul>\\r\\n<p>If you question these narratives, people will demand an answer to this rhetorical question. Do you want people to die! (That\\u2019s always an effective weapon). The correct answer to this question by the way, is usually no \\u2013 although I am willing to make exceptions.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The other terrible flaw in thinking here, especially in medicine, was also mentioned by Vinay Prasad. It is Bioplausibility. Often closely associated with fast thinking a.k.a. jumping to conclusions, because they just seem right.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Masks, indeed, must surely work. Because? Because they prevent the virus from spreading. In fact, masks represent an almost perfect example of bioplausibility a.k.a. sheer common sense. No-one can argue against using them. If you do, your arguments must be pure sophistry, or simply nonsense.&nbsp;<em>\\u2019You do not understand science<\\/em>.\\u2019 That\\u2019s a good one, I get that a lot.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u2018I think you will find it is not I that fails to understand science.\\u2019<\\/em>&nbsp;I think to myself. But I don\\u2019t say it, because it makes you sound like a prat.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Let me remind you of a time when, after a heart attack you had to rest in bed doing nothing for six weeks. The heart has been damaged and must be given a chance to rest. Yes, perfect Bioplausibility, believed by virtually everyone. To question it was to be cast into the outer darkness.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>It is now known that the worst thing you can possibly do is to enforce strict bed rest post heart attack. This advice, in place from 1912 to about 1960(ish), killed tens of millions. Maybe hundreds of millions.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As for masks \\u2013 the sort of masks worn by almost everyone.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u2018The use of cloth facemasks in community settings has become an accepted public policy response to decrease disease transmission during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet evidence of facemask efficacy is based primarily on observational studies that are subject to confounding and on mechanistic studies that rely on surrogate endpoints (such as droplet dispersion) as proxies for disease transmission.&nbsp;<strong>The available clinical evidence of facemask efficacy is of low quality and the best available clinical evidence has mostly failed to show efficacy<\\/strong>, with fourteen of sixteen identified randomized controlled trials comparing face masks to no mask controls failing to find statistically significant benefit in the intent<\\/em><em>\\u2010\\u200bto<\\/em><em>\\u2010\\u200btreat populations. Of sixteen quantitative meta<\\/em><em>\\u2010\\u200banalyses, eight were equivocal or critical as to whether evidence supports a public recommendation of masks, and the remaining eight supported a public mask intervention on limited evidence primarily on the basis of the precautionary principle.&nbsp;<strong>Although weak evidence should not preclude precautionary actions in the face of unprecedented events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, ethical principles require that the strength of the evidence and best estimates of amount of benefit be truthfully communicated to the public.<\\/strong><\\/em><strong>\\u2019<\\/strong><sup>3<\\/sup><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>How can masks possibly fail to work?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Well, unfortunately, our brains work one way, and the world often works in quite another way. As does, therefore, science. For centuries people thought that heavier than air flight would only be possible if you flapped things that looked very like wings. Why, because birds and bats were the only flying things people had ever seen flying [apart from lemmings] and they mostly flapped about like mad \\u2013 using wings.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Except that, if you looked closely, they didn\\u2019t \\u2013 not really. If you thought flapping was the key to flight, you were not really looking. An albatross can stay aloft for hours, gliding above the waves, using the wind and updrafts, and barely moving its wings at all.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yet, and yet, no-one was able to see this. When I say \\u2018see\\u2019 this I mean \\u2013 look beyond the obvious, in your face, flappy stuff. Observe properly, deeply, to really understand what you are looking at \\u2013 in this case aerodynamics. Eventually, of course, some people did. Et voila, the Wright Brothers.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>With masks\\u2026 Yes, it is both true, and self-evident, that a mask stops droplets being catapulted across a room after a cough or sneeze, or suchlike. So, they must stop spread\\u2026mustn\\u2019t they? I mean, you can even see it working in slow motion videos. A man coughs in London, virus ends up in New York \\u2013 or something. Ah, the dreaded Bioplausibility\\u2026 that can also be visualised. Double bubble.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>But a mask can also turn droplets into an aerosol by breaking the droplet down into far smaller particles. Particles will float in the air for longer, and thus be inhaled for longer. Possibly, probably<sup>4<\\/sup>. You didn\\u2019t think of that, did you?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>A mask can also become damp and keep viral particles viable for longer. Once discarded \\u2013 as many masks are \\u2013 they represent receptacles for viruses and can spread disease when picked up. What happens when masks are used and used, and re-used? As they often are. Superspreading here we come. Blowing viral particles out of a wet mask.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As a wise man also said. Using cloth masks to prevent viral spread it like trying to pick up sand with a tennis racket. Virus particle size \\u2018x\\u2019. Holes in mask size 1000x.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>A mask can also mean that people stand closer to each other than they otherwise would. A mask may, simply, never had had a chance to work at all. After all, we breathe in and breathe out the same amount of air whilst wearing a mask than not.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>If there is virus in floating in the air, we are still going to breathe it in, and out. Masks do not stop us breathing, and the air has to come from somewhere. Unless masks act as a type of black hole, trapping, then transporting viral particles from here into another universe\\u2026 I\\u2019m not putting much money on that hypothesis.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Some months ago, I wrote about the last people to be infected with smallpox. In one hospital, in Germany, a patient with smallpox was being treated on the ground floor. The patient in the room above, and then the room above that, become infected. Which means that viral particles must have got out the window, drifted upwards and infected those above.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Which just gives you some idea of how few viral particles were needed to spread a disease that was, up to that time, not even believed to spread through the air. No droplets required.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Early on, with COVID19 it was noted that ferrets could be infected with the virus. So, researchers put one ferret in a cage, with another ferret above with a solid barrier between them. The one below was infected with COVD19.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The only route for COVID19 to travel from one ferret to the other was through a tube that bent through ninety degrees, bent again to go upwards through the barrier, then across, and back round through ninety degrees<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In essence, this tube was specifically designed to ensure that droplet spread was impossible. As droplets cannot go round corners, travel upwards, turn another ninety degrees\\u2026 and suchlike.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Despite this, all of the uninfected ferrets became, very rapidly, infected. Conclusion \\u2013 COVID19 can travel and infect through aerosol spread. Secondary conclusion \\u2013 masks cannot stop this. At least not the sort of masks that virtually everyone wears, and then re-uses.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Of course, there are masks that you can use to prevent the spread of viral particles. But they have to be airtight, they have to have filters. They are uncomfortable to wear for any length of time, and they need to be changed regularly. They also prevent a great deal of communication, as people hard of hearing will tell you. Oh yes, there are serious downsides to mask wearing.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>I only focus on masks here to make the point that masks appear totally \\u2018Bioplausible\\u2019. If, that is, you don\\u2019t think about all the issues too deeply. Also, getting everyone to wear masks represents doing \\u2018something.\\u2019 Doing something, especially something visible, is always better than doing nothing.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yes\\u2026 doing something, anything, and Bioplausibility. Two bear traps in human thought. Traps that seem impossible to eradicate.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>There is another, major trap, which is the urge to draw ourselves into tribes. Then attack and attempt destroy anyone who does not agree with us. Humiliate and silence. Turn the \\u2018other\\u2019 into someone with evil intent. I am not getting into this in any depth here. We have all seen too much of it. The terrible seductive pleasure of righteous anger. Which so easily flips into hatred.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As also mentioned by Vinay Prasad.&nbsp;<em>Bad people (John Ioannidis) are always wrong (never mind, that a year ago we all thought he was brilliant).\\u2019<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As we all know, it is not just Ioannidis who is attacked. Dare to breathe one word of caution about vaccines and you become&nbsp;<em>\\u2018dirty anti-vaxxer scum. You deserve to lose your job. Ha!\\u2019<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This is no way for humans to act towards each other. Crush debate, silence those who dare to think differently. Bring in the Spanish Inquisition a.k.a. fact checkers. All bought and paid for by those who have vested interests in obliterating the opposition, of course.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><strong>Question:<\\/strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When is a fact checker not a fact checker?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><strong>Answer:<\\/strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When they are called a fact checker. [Especially if they work for a company that used to begin with Face and ended in Book. Or Witterpedia]<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Also Meta\\u2026as in, I meta &nbsp;\\u2018n\\u2019 idiot \\u2013 who think it\\u2019s okay to silence anyone they disagree with, and claim this is science. Spare me.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Anyway, what do we do next time? How do we do better? How do we think better? Well, I suppose that first of all you have to get those in power to accept that they made mistakes\\u2026. Ho hum.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Frankly, that ain\\u2019t going to happen. Therefore, we need new people in power. People who can understand that things are complicated. That the immediate Bioplausible and simplistic \\u2018answer\\u2019 is as likely to be wrong, as it is right. More likely in truth.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>We really need people to think better:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u2018We have a crisis in medicine when it comes to understanding and appraising science. We do not teach this explicitly in medical schools, and it gets short shrift to mechanistic science. Our overemphasis on molecular mechanisms fuels the cognitive distortion that a reductionistic view is superior to empiricism<\\/em>*\\u2019&nbsp;<sup>2<\\/sup><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>*empiricism is the view that all concepts originate in experience, that all concepts are about or applicable to things that can be experienced, or that all rationally acceptable beliefs or propositions are justifiable or knowable only through experience.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Were there any examples of doing things better from which we could learn? In Sweden they did things differently \\u2013 at least from most of the rest of Europe. Anders Tegnell, the state epidemiologist (yes they have such a post) was the man who led the Swedish response. It was to bring in very few restrictions and make almost everything voluntary. Lockdown \\u2018lite\\u2019 if you like.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>He was ruthlessly attacked from all directions, but remained superficially calm. Although I imagine he felt most terribly bruised and battered inside.&nbsp;<em>TIME&nbsp;<\\/em>magazine ran a story about the Swedish response entitled&nbsp;<em>\\u2018The Swedish COVID-19 Response Is a Disaster. It Shouldn\\u2019t Be a Model for the Rest of the World.\\u2019<\\/em><sup>5<\\/sup><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You don\\u2019t really need to read the article. The title makes it entirely clear what tone was adopted, and also what the conclusion was going to be. Sweden = death and mayhem, run for the hills. Frankly, I am amazed that the Swedish Government held firm in supporting him.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>At one point even the Swedish King, Carl XVI Gustaf \\u2018<em>Gustaf \\u2013 &nbsp;the eminent epidemiologist\\u2019<\\/em>&nbsp;as I believe he is also known \\u2013 had a pop at poor old Anders. But the Government did support Tegnell\\u2019s light touch strategy \\u2013 mostly. They held their nerve.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>What was Anders thinking, the mad mass murdering fool? As he calmly stated in the British Medical Journal, after COVID19 deaths in Sweden had settled into the lower half of European figures. Not as good as some, better than most:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u2026&nbsp;<\\/em>there is still disagreement among scientists about which measures are effective against the spread of infection<em>. \\u201cThis is what we are still struggling to understand: some measures work in some places, but it is difficult to see patterns.\\u201d<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>\\u201cCountries that went through lockdowns are not doing that much better,\\u201d<sup>6<\\/sup><\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Yes, he is describing his OODA journey. Anders is still observing and attempting to orientate, but he cannot see what to do. He still believes that the evidence for severe lockdowns, and mask wearing, simply does not exist. To put it another way, he cannot yet decide what should be done. So, he isn\\u2019t doing it.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Good man. We need far more like Anders Tegnell, and less of those like the members of SAGE in the UK. Screaming blue bloody murder with threats of hundreds of thousands dying if WE DO NOT ACT NOW! The sky is falling, the sky is falling. OMCIRON will kill us all\\u2026&nbsp;<em>all<\\/em>&nbsp;I tell ee\\u2019. Beware the black spot Cap\\u2019n.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>We also need more people to be sceptical. To look at the science and the evidence. We need, quite frankly, to learn to think\\u2026 and grow up. Also, importantly, learn the incredibly difficult trick of doing nothing at all.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As they used to say in a UK advert. \\u2018<em>Nothing acts faster than Anadin<\\/em>&nbsp;(a painkiller)\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Solution\\u2026 take nothing<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><em>Nothing acts faster than a damn good lockdown<\\/em><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Solution\\u2026do nothing<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Or, to quote the famous physician William Osler. \\u2018<em>One of the first duties of the physician is to educate the masses not to take medicine.\\u2019<\\/em>&nbsp;I shall now leave you with two things to consider. The first is an open letter, written by Professor Ehud Qimron, head of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Tel Aviv University and one of the leading Israeli immunologists:<\\/p>\\r\\n<div>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em><strong>Ministry of Health, it\\u2019s time to admit failure<\\/strong><\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>In the end, the truth will always be revealed, and the truth about the coronavirus policy is beginning to be revealed. When the destructive concepts collapse one by one, there is nothing left but to tell the experts who led the management of the pandemic \\u2013 we told you so.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>Two years late, you finally realize that a respiratory virus cannot be defeated and that any such attempt is doomed to fail. You do not admit it, because you have admitted almost no mistake in the last two years, but in retrospect it is clear that you have failed miserably in almost all of your actions, and even the media is already having a hard time covering your shame.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>You refused to admit that the infection comes in waves that fade by themselves, despite years of observations and scientific knowledge. You insisted on attributing every decline of a wave solely to your actions, and so through false propaganda \\u201cyou overcame the plague.\\u201d And again, you defeated it, and again and again and again.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>You refused to admit that mass testing is ineffective, despite your own contingency plans explicitly stating so (\\u201cPandemic Influenza Health System Preparedness Plan, 2007\\u201d, p. 26).<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>You refused to admit that recovery is more protective than a vaccine, despite previous knowledge and observations showing that non-recovered vaccinated people are more likely to be infected than recovered people. You refused to admit that the vaccinated are contagious despite the observations. Based on this, you hoped to achieve herd immunity by vaccination \\u2014 and you failed in that as well.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>You insisted on ignoring the fact that the disease is dozens of times more dangerous for risk groups and older adults, than for young people who are not in risk groups, despite the knowledge that came from China as early as 2020.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>You refused to adopt the \\u201cBarrington Declaration\\u201d, signed by more than 60,000 scientists and medical professionals, or other common-sense programs. You chose to ridicule, slander, distort and discredit them. Instead of the right programs and people, you have chosen professionals who lack relevant training for pandemic management (physicists as chief government advisers, veterinarians, security officers, media personnel, and so on).<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>You have not set up an effective system for reporting side effects from the vaccines, and reports on side effects have even been deleted from your Facebook page. Doctors avoid linking side effects to the vaccine, lest you persecute them as you did with some of their colleagues. You have ignored many reports of changes in menstrual intensity and menstrual cycle times. You hid data that allows for objective and proper research (for example, you removed the data on passengers at Ben Gurion Airport). Instead, you chose to publish non-objective articles together with senior Pfizer executives on the effectiveness and safety of vaccines.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>Irreversible damage to trust<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>However, from the heights of your hubris, you have also ignored the fact that in the end the truth will be revealed. And it begins to be revealed. The truth is that you have brought the public\\u2019s trust in you to an unprecedented low, and you have eroded your status as a source of authority. The truth is that you have burned hundreds of billions of shekels to no avail \\u2013 for publishing intimidation, for ineffective tests, for destructive lockdowns and for disrupting the routine of life in the last two years.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>You have destroyed the education of our children and their future. You made children feel guilty, scared, smoke, drink, get addicted, drop out, and quarrel, as school principals around the country attest. You have harmed livelihoods, the economy, human rights, mental health and physical health.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>You slandered colleagues who did not surrender to you, you turned the people against each other, divided society and polarized the discourse. You branded, without any scientific basis, people who chose not to get vaccinated as enemies of the public and as spreaders of disease. You promote, in an unprecedented way, a draconian policy of discrimination, denial of rights and selection of people, including children, for their medical choice. A selection that lacks any epidemiological justification.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>When you compare the destructive policies you are pursuing with the sane policies of some other countries \\u2014 you can clearly see that the destruction you have caused has only added victims beyond the vulnerable to the virus. The economy you ruined, the unemployed you caused, and the children whose education you destroyed \\u2014 they are the surplus victims as a result of your own actions only.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>There is currently no medical emergency, but you have been cultivating such a condition for two years now because of lust for power, budgets and control. The only emergency now is that you still set policies and hold huge budgets for propaganda and psychological engineering instead of directing them to strengthen the health care system.<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>This emergency must stop!<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #c20505;\\\"><em>Professor Udi Qimron, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University7<\\/em><\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<\\/div>\\r\\n<p>I suppose I should say that the opinions of Professor Udi Qimron are not necessarily those of the senior management of this blog. I, in exactly the same way as Google and Facebook (Sorry, Alphabet and Meta. \\u2018<em>As I was going to St Ives I meta man with seven wives\\u2019\\u2026 how many idiots were going to St Ives<\\/em>), and suchlike, am merely the repository for information, and articles. A warehouse if you like. I have no editorial control over content, so you cannot sue me for anything written.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Unfortunately, I am not rich enough to employ Fact Checkers and unleash them upon anyone who disagrees with me. Yet. You have been warned.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The second thing, that I shall leave you with, is the fact that doing nothing can be very rewarding, and sometimes pretty hard work. As outlined by this article in&nbsp;<em>The International Journal of Doing Very little<\\/em>:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018We\\u2019re busy doin\\u2019 nothin\\u2019<br \\/>Workin\\u2019 the whole day through<br \\/>Tryin\\u2019 to find lots of things not to do<br \\/>We\\u2019re busy goin\\u2019 nowhere<br \\/>Isn\\u2019t it just a crime<br \\/>We\\u2019d like to be unhappy, but<br \\/>We never do have the time,\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018I have to watch the river<br \\/>To see that it doesn\\u2019t stop<br \\/>And stick around the rosebuds<br \\/>So they\\u2019ll know when to pop<br \\/>And keep the crickets cheerful<br \\/>They\\u2019re really a solemn bunch<br \\/>Hustle, bustle<br \\/>And only an hour for lunch.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>La-la-la-la-la-la<br \\/>La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la<br \\/>La-la-la-la-la-la<br \\/>La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018We\\u2019re busy doin\\u2019 nothin\\u2019<br \\/>Workin\\u2019 the whole day through<br \\/>Tryin\\u2019 to find lots of things not to do<br \\/>We\\u2019re busy goin\\u2019 nowhere<br \\/>Isn\\u2019t it just a crime<br \\/>We\\u2019d like to be unhappy, but<br \\/>We never do have the time.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018I have to wake the Sun up<br \\/>He\\u2019s liable to sleep all day<br \\/>And then inspect the rainbows<br \\/>So they\\u2019ll be bright and gay<br \\/>I must rehearse the songbirds<br \\/>To see that they sing in key<br \\/>Hustle, bustle<br \\/>And never a moment free.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018We\\u2019re busy doin\\u2019 nothin\\u2019<br \\/>Workin\\u2019 the whole day through<br \\/>Tryin\\u2019 to find lots of things not to do<br \\/>We\\u2019re busy going nowhere<br \\/>Isn\\u2019t it just a crime<br \\/>We\\u2019d like to be unhappy, but<br \\/>We never do have the time.\\u2019<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u2018I have to meet a turtle<br \\/>I\\u2019m teachin\\u2019 him how to swim<br \\/>Then I have to shine the dewdrops<br \\/>You know they\\u2019re looking rather dim<br \\/>I told my friend, the robin<br \\/>I\\u2019d buy him a brand-new vest<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Hustle, bustle<br \\/>We never do have<br \\/>We never do have<br \\/>We never do, never do<br \\/>Never do, never do, never do have the time<br \\/>Never do have the time.\\u2019<sup>8<\\/sup><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>And if that don\\u2019t cheer you up, nothing will. And follow my motto. \\u2018<em>Don\\u2019t just do something stand there\\u2026.<\\/em>\\u2019 Whilst observing and orientating of course. Think first, act later.<\\/p>\",\"state\":1,\"catid\":\"59\",\"created\":\"2022-01-15 15:24:49\",\"created_by\":\"873\",\"created_by_alias\":\"\",\"modified\":\"2022-01-15 19:52:45\",\"modified_by\":\"873\",\"checked_out\":\"873\",\"checked_out_time\":\"2022-01-15 19:52:32\",\"publish_up\":\"2022-01-15 15:24:49\",\"publish_down\":\"0000-00-00 00:00:00\",\"images\":\"{\\\"image_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_caption\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_caption\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"urls\":\"{\\\"urla\\\":false,\\\"urlatext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targeta\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlb\\\":false,\\\"urlbtext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetb\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlc\\\":false,\\\"urlctext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetc\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"attribs\":\"{\\\"article_layout\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_titles\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_tags\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_associations\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_create_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_modify_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publish_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_item_navigation\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_icons\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_print_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_email_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_vote\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_hits\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_noauth\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urls_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"alternative_readmore\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"article_page_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publishing_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_article_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_backend\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_frontend\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"version\":20,\"ordering\":\"0\",\"metakey\":\"\",\"metadesc\":\"\",\"access\":\"1\",\"hits\":\"1\",\"metadata\":\"{\\\"robots\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"rights\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"xreference\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"featured\":\"1\",\"language\":\"*\",\"xreference\":\"\",\"note\":\"\"}',0),(3366,980,1,'','2022-01-15 20:01:32',873,14445,'a358045e9a9478f1bf4cdea04021d21a0fa313b9','{\"id\":980,\"asset_id\":\"1269\",\"title\":\"Analysis Overview: COVID-19 Genetic Vaccine Safety in Children\",\"alias\":\"home-rna-vaccine-inventor-blog-podcasts-speaking-events-newstories-current-page-genetic-vaccination-in-children-patents-and-papers-robert-w-malone-md-analysis-overview-covid-19-genetic-vaccine-safety-in-children-even-as-experts-expressed-concern-about-a-marked-jump-in-hospitalizations-an-increase-more-than-double-that-among-adults-doctors-and-researchers-said-they-were-not-seeing-evidence-that-omi\",\"introtext\":\"<p><span style=\\\"font-size: 14pt;\\\"><strong><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.rwmalonemd.com\\/\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\">Robert W Malone MD<\\/a><\\/strong><\\/span>&nbsp;<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.rwmalonemd.com\\/\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\">Home<\\/a> | <a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.rwmalonemd.com\\/rna-vaccine-inventor\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\">RNA Vaccine Inventor<\\/a> | <a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.rwmalonemd.com\\/blog\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\">Blog<\\/a> | <a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.rwmalonemd.com\\/podcasts\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\">Podcasts<\\/a> | <a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.rwmalonemd.com\\/speaking-events\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\">Speaking Events<\\/a> |<\\/p>\\r\\n<p><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.rwmalonemd.com\\/newstories\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\">Newsstories<\\/a> | <a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.rwmalonemd.com\\/mrna-vaccination-in-children\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\">Current Page: Genetic Vaccination in Children<\\/a> | <a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.rwmalonemd.com\\/general-4\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\">Patents and Papers<\\/a><\\/p>\\r\\n<p class=\\\"sqsrte-large\\\"><strong>Analysis Overview: COVID-19 Genetic Vaccine Safety in Children<\\/strong><\\/p>\\r\\n<blockquote>\\r\\n<p class=\\\"sqsrte-large\\\" style=\\\"text-align: justify;\\\">\\u201cEven as experts expressed concern about a marked jump in hospitalizations \\u2014 an increase more than double that among adults \\u2014 doctors and researchers said they were not seeing evidence that Omicron was more threatening to children.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p class=\\\"sqsrte-large\\\" style=\\\"text-align: justify;\\\">In fact, preliminary data suggests that compared with the Delta variant, Omicron appears to be causing milder illness in children, similar to early findings for adults.\\u201d<\\/p>\\r\\n\",\"fulltext\":\"\\r\\n<p>&nbsp;<\\/p>\\r\\n<\\/blockquote>\\r\\n<p class=\\\"sqsrte-large\\\" style=\\\"text-align: justify;\\\"><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">NY Times, \\u201c<\\/span><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.nytimes.com\\/2021\\/12\\/28\\/health\\/omicron-kids-hospitalizations.html\\\"><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">Omicron Is Not More Severe for Children, Despite Rising Hospitalizations<\\/span><\\/a><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">\\u201d <\\/span>By Andrew Jacobs Dec. 28, 2021<\\/p>\\r\\n<p class=\\\"sqsrte-large\\\" style=\\\"text-align: justify;\\\">The risk of death associated with COVID-19 in healthy children is virtually non-existent, as children have significant immunologic advantages relative to the older adult population (&gt; 65 years) which comprises the high risk cohort for COVID-19 (<span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">see <\\/span><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/rwmalonemd.substack.com\\/p\\/omicron-has-cracked-open-the-overton\\\"><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">Omicron has Cracked Open the Overton Window<\\/span><\\/a><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\"> , <\\/span><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/rwmalonemd.substack.com\\/p\\/were-never-going-to-learn-about-how\\\"><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">\\u201cWe\\u2019re never going to learn about how safe this vaccine is unless we start giving it\\u201d<\\/span><\\/a><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\"> , and <\\/span><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/rwmalonemd.substack.com\\/p\\/covid-19-today\\\"><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">COVID-19 Today<\\/span><\\/a><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">)<\\/span>.&nbsp; The risk of death and disease in children has become even more rare with Omicron. Yet even prior to the advent of Omicron, a peer reviewed study clearly demonstrated (using safety data accumulated during past variant circulation) that the genetic COVID-19 vaccines carry a risk\\/benefit ratio of five deaths in the older, high risk cohort for every one life saved from <span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">COVID-19 (and those data did not account for the reporting bias inherent in US deaths due to COVID consequent to inappropriate use of PCR tests). See \\u201c<\\/span><a href=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.sciencedirect.com\\/science\\/article\\/pii\\/S221475002100161X?via%3Dihub#sec0175\\\"><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">Why are we vaccinating children against COVID-19?<\\/span><\\/a><span class=\\\"sqsrte-text-color--white\\\">\\u201d (Toxicology Reports, Volume 8, 2021, Pages 1665-1684 ).<\\/span><\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u201cThus, our extremely conservative estimate for risk-benefit ratio is about 5\\/1. In plain English, people in the 65+ demographic are five times as likely to die from the inoculation as from COVID-19 under the most favorable assumptions! This demographic is the most vulnerable to adverse effects from COVID-19. As the age demographics go below about 35 years old, the chances of death from COVID-19 become very small, and when they go below 18, become negligible.\\u201d<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The new variant of COVID-19, Omicron, has exploded onto the scene. What was already an inverted risk benefit ratio for genetic vaccination in children and adults (greater risk of death from vaccine than from COVID-19) will become even more inverted since the risks of COVID-19 are further reduced with Omicron. The Omicron variant is different in five essential ways:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>More infectious and will soon be the dominant variant in the USA<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Less pathogenic<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Poorly matched to currently available vaccines<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Natural immunity is providing good protection against Omicron<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Disease symptoms are more similar to the common cold<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The issue of COVID-19 gene therapy technology -based vaccine mandates for children is a pressing issue confronting parents, grandparents, and public health officials throughout the world. Unfortunately, the topic has become highly politicized, and active censorship by legacy media outlets has made it difficult for parents and stakeholders to obtain access to the actual data required for the full informed consent prior to acceptance of a medical procedure required by law (see for example members of the Trusted News Initiative including Thompson-Reuters).<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Presented herein on this website is a large collection of information and data from both primary sources and analyses which will allow parents, grandparents, and other stakeholders to make their own determination concerning the risks and benefits of the genetic COVID-19 vaccines for their children. This compilation of references, primary information, and analyses represents the collective work product of hundreds of physicians and medical scientists. It supports the consensus Physicians Declaration of the 16,000+ strong International Association of Physicians and Medical Scientists, which includes the following resolution:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>_______<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>RESOLVED, THAT HEALTHY CHILDREN SHALL NOT BE SUBJECT TO FORCED VACCINATION<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Negligible clinical risks from SARS-CoV-2 infection exist for healthy children under eighteen.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Long term safety of the current COVID vaccines in children cannot be determined prior to instituting such policies. Without high-powered, reproducible, long term safety data, risks to the long-term health status of children remain too high to support use in healthy children.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Children risk severe, adverse events from receiving the vaccine. Permanent physical damage to the brain, heart, immune and reproductive system associated with SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-based genetic vaccines has been demonstrated in children.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Healthy, unvaccinated children are critical to achieving herd immunity. Natural immunity is proven to tolerate infection, benefiting community protection while there is insufficient data to assess whether COVID-19 vaccines assist herd immunity.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This data collection and analysis has been prompted by an inquiry by the Thompson-Reuters factchecking organization which was sent to Dr. Robert Malone, MD, MS on 28 Dec 2021, and has been assembled in part to respond to that inquiry. However, by placing this information in a central location available to all on the World Wide Web rather than merely as a written response to Thompson-Reuters, we have attempted to insure that all have access to the full spectrum of information required for parents or guardians to make informed decisions concerning whether to have their children vaccinated with these experimental, unproven products.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>This information is summarized and structured into multiple sections below, each with a separate tab.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Reuters factchecking<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Risk\\/Benefit: What is the ratio of COVID damage\\/risk of vaccine damage for children<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Death Reports: Reports of vaccine-associated deaths and disability in children and young adults<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>VAERS and Yellow Card: Safe and effective in children? National database information<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Myocarditis consequences: Is there evidence that the vaccine-associated myocarditis in children is not going to lead to long term damage?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Applicable standards: Have normal standards for vaccine safety, quality and effectiveness in children been met?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>COVID-19 in children: What is the evidence of long term damage in children from COVID-19?<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Illegal mandates: US Federal Mandate law<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>References on Adverse Events<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>*********************************************************<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>On a personal note, I wish to speak to you as a parent, grandparent, physician and scientist. I stand by this statement with a career dedicated to vaccine research and development. I\\u2019m vaccinated for COVID and I\'m generally pro-vaccination. I have devoted my entire career to developing safe and effective ways to prevent and treat infectious diseases.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>You can find video of this statement as well as a subsequent town hall discussion with parents, physicians, and medical caregivers at this website<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Before you inject your child - a decision that is irreversible - I wanted to let you know the scientific facts about this genetic vaccine, which is based on the mRNA vaccine technology I created:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>There are three issues parents need to understand:<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The first is that a viral gene will be injected into your children\'s cells. This gene forces your child\\u2019s body to make toxic spike proteins. These proteins often cause permanent damage in children\\u2019s critical organs, including<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 Their brain and nervous system<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 Their heart and blood vessels, including blood clots<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 Their reproductive system, and<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 This vaccine can trigger fundamental changes to their immune system<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The most alarming point about this is that once these damages have occurred, they are irreparable<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 You can\\u2019t fix the lesions within their brain<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 You can\\u2019t repair heart tissue scarring<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 You can\\u2019t repair a genetically reset immune system, and<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 This vaccine can cause reproductive damage that could affect future generations of your family<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The second thing you need to know about is the fact that this novel technology has not been adequately tested.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 We need at least 5 years of testing\\/research before we can really understand the risks<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>\\u00b7 Harms and risks from new medicines often become revealed many years later<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Ask yourself if you want your own child to be part of the most radical medical experiment in human history<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>One final point: the reason they\\u2019re giving you to vaccinate your child is a lie.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>Your children represent no danger to their parents or grandparents.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>It\\u2019s actually the opposite. Their immunity, after getting COVID, is critical to save your family if not the world from this disease.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>In summary: there is no benefit for your children or your family to be vaccinating your children against the small risks of the virus, given the known health risks of the vaccine that as a parent, you and your children may have to live with for the rest of their lives.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>The risk\\/benefit analysis isn\\u2019t even close.<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>&nbsp;<\\/p>\\r\\n<p>As a parent and grandparent, my recommendation to you is to resist and fight to protect your children.<\\/p>\",\"state\":1,\"catid\":\"59\",\"created\":\"2022-01-14 01:54:51\",\"created_by\":\"873\",\"created_by_alias\":\"\",\"modified\":\"2022-01-15 20:01:32\",\"modified_by\":\"873\",\"checked_out\":\"873\",\"checked_out_time\":\"2022-01-15 19:55:22\",\"publish_up\":\"2022-01-14 01:54:51\",\"publish_down\":\"0000-00-00 00:00:00\",\"images\":\"{\\\"image_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_intro_caption\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"float_fulltext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_alt\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"image_fulltext_caption\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"urls\":\"{\\\"urla\\\":false,\\\"urlatext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targeta\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlb\\\":false,\\\"urlbtext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetb\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urlc\\\":false,\\\"urlctext\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"targetc\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"attribs\":\"{\\\"article_layout\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_titles\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_tags\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_intro\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"info_block_show_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_parent_category\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_associations\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"link_author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_create_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_modify_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publish_date\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_item_navigation\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_icons\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_print_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_email_icon\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_vote\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_hits\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_noauth\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"urls_position\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"alternative_readmore\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"article_page_title\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_publishing_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_article_options\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_backend\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"show_urls_images_frontend\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"version\":8,\"ordering\":\"1\",\"metakey\":\"\",\"metadesc\":\"\",\"access\":\"1\",\"hits\":\"2\",\"metadata\":\"{\\\"robots\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"author\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"rights\\\":\\\"\\\",\\\"xreference\\\":\\\"\\\"}\",\"featured\":\"1\",\"language\":\"*\",\"xreference\":\"\",\"note\":\"\"}',0),