I'm sorry, but I need to point out that the analysis presented by dadominate is
not "highly educated and informed". Dado is saying that the doctors and medical team who exhaustively studied Bronny James, and diagnosed him with congenital heart disease, and linked it as the cause of his cardiac arrest episode, did not consider the fact that something else might be going on. Of course they did. That is what they do every day. This is their field. Saying "two things are not mutually exclusive" is not the same thing as saying vaccines played any role. I have still not seen anyone report whether or not he even had received the vaccine. Fear uncertainty and doubt are not facts. This is a biased political agenda pure and simple.
As for the "expert" that dadominate presents in the video, it is laughable. "Dr." John Campbell is a nurse, trained many years ago. He has an advanced degree in nursing. He is not in even the slightest way an expert on medicine, cardiology, epidemiology or infectious disease. If you want to follow the money, as td128 urges us to do, I suggest you try and figure out how much money he makes from his YouTube channel, where he pedals his nonsense. Over 2.6 million views and counting.
and so begin the ad hominems, chu!
while on the topic of comparative “expertise” on covid... shall we compare resumes?
might i ask what federal, state, or local health departments have sought your expertise on covid prevention or treatment policies?
have you formally engaged with fda in any of the above?
how many acgme-approved medical education institutes have invited you to lecture and provide education on the prevention or treatment of covid?
have you provided expert testimony in court cases related to covid prevention and treatment?
have you been sought in covid-related health insurance participation and coverage issues?
i have been involved in all of these areas of the covid response since early in the pandemic. this is an anonymous board, so perhaps you do indeed have some qualification of expertise on comparative evaluation of the safety and efficacy of prevention and treatment of covid.
i suspect you will claim treating patients is “expertise”… but following rigid guidelines in patient care is hardly expertise in the sense of evaluating what does and doesn’t work. clinical opinion is the lowest form of evidence, as it is rife with bias and confounding. physicians sadly have little latitude to deviate from standard of care in general if they wish to participate in health insurance plans. this was exacerbated when it came to covid as medical licenses were threatened for those that deviated. i was involved in legislation aimed at providing physicians like you more latitude to exercise clinical judgment, as i felt and still feel that the treatment guidelines were overly restrictive and led to many deaths, particularly when remdesivir was the only allowed option despite high expense, limited efficacy, and serious adverse events.
claiming that my arguments are "political" is absolute nonsense. i have worked with republican and democrat administrations before and during covid and don't align with either political party. I am currently working with the biden administration on school health issues, which is why I got into the covid fray early on. there was absolutely no compelling evidence for closing schools, mandating that young children wear masks, and that covid vaccines provide any clinical benefit for children. there still is absolutely no compelling evidence in any of those areas.
and for dr. john campbell - using quotes around "dr" is dismissive and ignorant. arrogant and completely misguided attitudes like this is why trust in medicine is being lost.
seriously, do you think this kind of thing is pulling rank? campbell and others are not bound to rigid standards of care at the risk of losing their license or participation in insurance plans and can thus evaluate treatment options and related evidence far more critically.
since you began the character assaults, how many peer-reviewed medical publications do you have? what medical research training do you have? do you honestly think that md's in clinical practice - the vast majority of which have miniscule clinical research training and even less training in evaluation of health policy - are better qualified to speak on the subject of critical appraisal and comparative evaluation of covid prevention and treatment strategies than someone like him who has dozens of publications and is expert in medical evidence and policy appraisal?
i truly had to laugh about the conflicts of interest. hundreds of billions of dollars have been made on covid vaccines and patented therapeutics and you're talking about campbell's conflicts of interest? are you serious?!? in the same breath, your naivete regarding the irreconcilable conflicts of interest in the fda and cdc is on full display in this thread. any comment on their conflicts of interest and the revolving door to industry?
i don't mean to be harsh, but you started the personal attacks and i will most certainly defend myself and others in the field who are FAR more qualified to opine on the safety and efficacy of covid prevention and therapeutic adverse event profiles than you are. most of us do so at financial risk, certainly not financial gain.
since this has nothing to do with holy cross basketball, if so desired, i will also publicly debate this topic with you or anyone else via Zoom who chooses to engage on the subject. the rule being that all parties leave ad hominems at home and focus on the evidence, in many cases the lack of evidence, the events that informed public health policy, and the breadth of surveillance that is being deployed to identify adverse events related to covid vaccinations, as in james’ case.
we can discuss any of the following, citing clinical evidence and the manner in which it was collected:
- do covid vaccines prevent transmission of covid, as was expressed by nih, cdc, and major medical authorities?
- do covid vaccines prevent infection, as was expressed by nih, cdc, and major medical authorities?
- do covid vaccines prevent death and hospitalization, as was expressed by nih, cdc, and major medical authorities?
- did the evidence really "change", and if so, what was the evidence that supported such strong statements to begin with?
- are vaccine-related adverse events as rare as was expressed?
- how are vaccine-related adverse events monitored and reported, with a focus on the mechanics of vaers reporting and the now discontinued vsafe program?
- as we contemplate the potential of reimplementation, what evidence do we have that lockdowns, mask mandates, and vaccines reduced covid infection, morbidity, and mortality?
- what evidence do we have that vaccinating young people provided any clinical benefit to themselves or others?
- how do the covid outcomes of institutions (schools, countries, employers, etc.) that had vaccination mandates compare to those that did not?
- why do certain countries - including many in africa who bear some of the largest burden of disease in the world - have better covid outcomes than countries that featured a strong-handed vaccination campaign?
- how do outcomes of Denmark and Sweden, who had far more relaxed covid vaccination and lockdown policies, compare to those of other western European nations?
- what was the evidence for ivermectin, fluvoxamine, hydroxychloroquine and other inexpensive repurposed medications?
- how does fda’s position on these medications align with the evidence? what might have influenced any misalignment?
- how has fda’s position on ivermectin changed, and what evidence did or did not influence that position?
- we knew early on that body weight, vitamin D status, and glycemic and blood pressure control were the greatest predictors of adverse covid outcomes. why were none of these measures emphasized by any public health agency in the united states, with one exception?
- what compensation did nih, fda, and cdc received from manufacturers of covid vaccines and how might that have influenced their positions?
- what employment have leaders of regulatory agencies worldwide
billions of dollars of vaccine have been purchased by governments across the world and rest assured there will be another push for mass vaccinations. critical thinkers are owed the presentation and discussion of pros and cons that have been prohibited at the point of clinical care. suffice to say i am beyond busy in my involvement in this field, but I will gladly debate anyone on this topic in early october when i finish a few major responsibilities.
while i disagreed on many aspects of covid, i had respected your posts until this one. ad hominems take us nowhere.