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I just happen to have looked into Dr Eric early on, and it was difficult to separate his professional (and not a long-term epidemiologist) from his partisan position. As I said, maybe he's changed. As of 3 weeks or so ago, Dr Gottlieb had changed his tune measurably.
For better or worse, much of what he has analyzed and shared on twitter has come to pass, at the very least directionally.
I wont disagree his approach on there can make him a less than ideal messenger for some, but that doesn’t change the underlying interpretation of the data. And we have 20/20 hindsight to look back on what he has said. Two of the links cited in that wiki footnote were written right after the world stopped and some of the hawt takes look at best, contrarian just for the sake of it or at worst, bitterly envious that some guy “out of his lane” was saying what he was (and would largely be proven right).
I believe one of the leading “Oracles” of COVID transmissibility is a Mathematician by education and profession; her ability to analyze and project accurately COVID hotspots isn’t diminished because she isn’t an infectious disease expert.
In what context has Gottlieb changed his tune in recent weeks? Admittedly hadn’t heard much from him until this morning about the Delta variant and the South (if you assume the UK is a few weeks ahead of us).
Well, the last I checked, none of the Southern states are "frightened" enough by the reporting of covid and any of it's variants to get a vaccine. Many people, admittedly mostly the young, get their "news" from Twitter (and soon to overtake that news "source" is instagram). Not exactly the "mainstream' media.
I know that some folks of late have a lot of scorn for the "mainstream media" but the style of reporting is merely a reflection of us. This has been stated by others here on CD. We are a disengaged, apathetic, low information population with the attention span of fleas. Hate to break it to you but Americans are not "frightened" about the current Delta variant. Cause they've probably never heard of it.
Last edited by Shallow Hal; 06-15-2021 at 04:25 AM..
Hate to break it to you but Americans are not "frightened" about the current Delta variant. Cause they've probably never heard of it.
Yes - in fact, my sister's boyfriend has now agreed to get vaccinated after my sister showed him yesterday's news reports about the Delta variant. He is not a shining example of American society but apparently he was unaware that there were any variants at all. Literally in a bubble of his own making. Has not been the least bit worried about COVID despite his diabetes and his disabled family members for whom he is the breadwinner. He will now get the vaccine but they think he has to wait three weeks for an appointment for his first jab. Will it be too late? Who knows.
Unfortunately there are a lot of people not paying attention, still, or rejecting facts.
Well, the last I checked, none of the Southern states are "frightened" enough by the reporting of covid and any of it's variants to get a vaccine. Many people, admittedly mostly the young, get their "news" from Twitter (and soon to overtake that news "source" is instagram). Not exactly the "mainstream' media.
I know that some folks of late have a lot of scorn for the "mainstream media" but the style of reporting is merely a reflection of us. This has been stated by others here on CD. We are a disengaged, apathetic, low information population with the attention span of fleas. Hate to break it to you but Americans are not "frightened" about the current Delta variant. Cause they've probably never heard of it.
Reminds me of an Isaac Asimov essay written in January 1980 (pre me, so this isn't exactly a new phenomena, merely one exacerbated by the digital world).
"Americans right to know is a meaningless slogan when hardly anyone can read"
Unfortunately there are a lot of people not paying attention, still, or rejecting facts.
Yep. It's easy to imagine everyone in the Triangle sitting around fretting over every WRAL news headline, but clearly there's a sizable portion of the population that doesn't watch or read the news.
So I went through the few patients we have with a COVID-19 diagnosis, regular medical floor and the ICU. Only 18 patients total today. The range in the last 2 weeks has been 16-30 patients at any given time.
Did a quick calculation for the last 2 weeks - how many of these hospitalized patients have gotten the COVID-19 vaccine?
99.3% of them have NOT gotten the vaccine.
Those who don't want the vaccine, it's your choice and probably you are ruining it for the people who did get the vaccine. Get a clue.
The issue/problem with the great unvaccinated is not that they get sick or die. So be it.
But, every person (almost said a bad word there) that fails to get vaccinated is one more Petri dish for a further Covid mutant leading to a much more dangerous variant. If the disease cannot spread, it cannot mutate. If one is vaccinated, the disease cannot spread.
So you believe that a person's political persuasion impacts their "expert" level?
Did you even read the referenced footnotes denoted by [7][10][11] in your Wikipedia search for him? Or you just good with a line that you found without finding the source of the line?
ETA - as for your daughter, I wish her nothing but the best outcome with whatever she and your family decide is the best course of action.
one's political persuasion doesn't affect their level of expertise at all. But he's a shining example of his politics affecting his output and opinions.
one's political persuasion doesn't affect their level of expertise at all. But he's a shining example of his politics affecting his output and opinions.
Ya that was one I mentioned in my subsequent reply which screamed envy and bitterness that Eric didn't stay in his lane. Not so much "Left or Right", but more "hey get off my lawn". Which is funny, because Thomas' background isn't in disease either; even remotely. Most of his articles are about College sex scandals.
So if I "deduce" and flow that piece and the timing of it, its basically something like this
1. Person with dual PhDs (one of which in Epidemiology but doesn't professionally work as one) makes a "ZOMG!!!!!!" twitter thread in January 2020; where all he basically does is analyze data being released by Public Health organizations from around the world and adds "his take" on what the data is showing.
2. Thread goes viral; partially because of how counter it was to Official DHS/CDC proclamations at the time and partially for the "superfluous dramatic effect" it has.
3. Two months later, a dude who writes articles basically about college professor scandals comes in hot with his take on what Ding did and questions the validity of what Ding said because of what he does professionally. "Hey this guy ain't a professional epidemiologist in infectious disease, whatchu talkin' bout Willis??"
4. Over the next 18 months, Ding's original thread has basically come true (and in some cases wasn't dire enough) as well as subsequent threads prognosticating what data is showing as it pertains to COVID and it's coming impacts. There are multiple "toll gates" Ding as basically nailed (in so much as how one could possibly nail a prediction in this space) prediction wise.
5. Ding isn't a single side "hater". He's been crapping on "Biden's CDC" as recently as this week for their unwillingness to state that Delta is a a "Variant of Concern" (which the CDC has now applied said label to Delta as of this AM; meanwhile other Public Health agencies had done so weeks before).
So, from that admittedly overly simplified flow above, you are sticking at #3 as a potential "road block" to listening to what Ding has and is saying (that's fine, certainly your and other's prerogative)....but by doing so, are ignoring that he has been right far more than he has been wrong....even though he isn't professionally in field as an expert currently. This is basically akin to ignoring your best Salesperson; who has a Masters in Finance and Business Management, warning you about the cash flow of your company because the head of your Finance org missed the signs but the Salesperson didn't because they're out in the battle on a daily basis and sees whats coming (and is trained to know what that means).
Again, I'm not claiming Ding is Nostradamus. Nor am I ignoring that he has a bias. But that doesn't mean he's Sean Hannity or Chris Hayes either.
nah, I quit paying attention after about 2 weeks - like late February '20? when he was laying all the blame on the POTUS (when IMO it's the CDC and the FDA and whatever intelligence they had that really screwed it up). The article from the non-medical beat writer cites anonymous and actual medical/science people questioning his "enjoying the fame" aspect.
and just because he wants to complain a couple of times about "Biden's CDC and Delta" doesn't make him equal-opportunity.
It's about like IHME. I quit paying attention to their forecasts when it became clear they were way off. That would be around May of '20
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