An informative and respectful debate about vaccination featuring Robert Kennedy Jr. and Alan Dershowitz, moderated by Patrick Bet-David - a highly recommended watch!

“LOCKDOWN LUNACY: The Thinking Person’s Guide”

This is a thoroughly written article by J.B. Handley which summarizes COVID-19 information and whether or not our reaction has been based in fear or reason. It is a long read but definitely worth it – take a look!  

Science-based does not mean science, which is usually the word it is being substituted for.
 
Ever see a movie where it starts out by saying “based on a true story”? The authors then precede to insert various scenes which never happened and twist the true story for dramatic effect. The result is, hopefully, a very entertaining and convincing movie which is technically based on a true story but in reality may not even convey the same original meaning of that story.
 
The word science-based follows a similar fate. It is not the science or “true story” itself, it only professes to be based on that. Instead, it takes a kernel of science and runs with it, often twisting the “true story” or science by omitting details, taking things out of context or sometimes actually adding things which never happened. It takes the objectivity of science and enters it into the human subjective mind where anything can happen.
 
So when someone uses the word science-based or its close cousin, fact-based, don’t take their word for granted. If it is science based there should be scientific references – read them and do your own search, engage your critical thinking! Otherwise we may end up doing something silly or even harmful to our health and community, like well… I’ll let you use your imagination.

It is now May. After almost two months of quarantine in New York and Connecticut we all wait with bated breath to see if restrictions will finally be lifted as executed orders expire on May 15th and 20th, respectively. Previous April expiration dates have already come and gone and these new deadlines are likely to be extended as well. While nothing official has been declared on Connecticut’s next step, New York, on the other hand, has already laid out their extension on their webpage, ny.gov, with the governor’s “phased plan” to reopen.
 
This “phased plan” has four main steps and is too lengthy to go into full detail in one post, so I’ll keep it to the first step: “Do no harm”. This step includes the current quarantine protocol of economic shutdown, social isolation (distancing), and now wearing makeshift masks in public places. The original purpose of this plan was to slow the rate of infection, not stop it, so that the hospital system did not become overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases.
 
This great “NY Pause” seems to be a rational decision in light of an unprecedented time when all governments were negligently under-prepared to deal with a pandemic, but to title it “Do no harm” is a grave misrepresentation of the consequences of this shutdown. While the initial shutdown is likely to have resulted in an overall reduction of harm by protecting the hospital system, this positive effect quickly reverses if continued in such a severe manner for too long. The shutdown reduces the spread of the infection which is, initially, a good thing as vulnerable populations can be identified and the hospitals can change gears and prepare. The bad part: all the harms caused by stopping life as we know it. While data on these harms is currently very limited and many of the “do no harm” effects will not be realized until later, it is still possible to create a tentative list of harms that have and continue to occur, one likely to expand in length and severity the longer this goes on.
 
This includes things like decreasing access to healthcare and increasing death from non-COVID-19 related conditions; increasing poverty and debt; increasing crime as criminals are released from jail and police are diverted to enforce new mandates; poor or absent education for youth as remote education proves a poor substitute for real education; increasing panic, fear, depression, anxiety and the resulting violence and suicide; disruption of food supply causing rationing and starvation around the world; increasing domestic violence; and isolation, separation and other violations of our fundamental human nature and rights.
 
What is really needed is an informed consent for the “do no harm” mandates. Inform people of the benefits and risks of what is being mandated and then give them the choice to stay isolated or to go out into life. After all, how one lives their life is truly their choice.  

I originally was not going to write about masks and when, or even if, you should wear them as their everyday usage provides little benefit or even possible harm (more on that later). Then New York and Connecticut’s governors mandated that people had to wear a mask or cloth covering when social distancing was not possible – in stores or public transportation. What was once a free choice is now an order, something we are used to seeing in totalitarian regimes like China – not in the United States of America.
 
Before continuing it is important to clarify what actually qualifies as a mask these days and what they are intended for. The state executive orders mandating mask wearing are not referring to N95 masks or surgical (medical) masks, these are to be saved for individuals in healthcare. The orders are referring to masks or cloth coverings, in other words, makeshift masks made in various ways out of various materials. There are instructions and a video on the CDC’s (Centers for Disease Control) website demonstrating how to make a mask out of cotton sheets, for example. That’s right, the sheets you sleep in every night – the CDC is saying they are going to help reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2. The evidence that the CDC cites for using these masks is not based on their efficacy (like you would think) but on the fact of asymptomatic transmission which has been document with COVID-19. They are not meant to protect the user of the mask but rather the other people in the mask-wearers vicinity as it is assumed to decrease the amount of virus a potentially infected/asymptomatic person projects during their normal breathing, talking, etc. The only problem is that these recommendation are based on assumptions, not evidence.
 
The scientific backing for mass mask wearing is scanty to none. There have been studies exploring the filtration ability of various materials in simulated settings with some positive and some negative results. It is a mistake for officials to translate these findings to real-world universal mask mandates – they are not the same. In fact, the only randomized clinical trial to explore cloth masks was in a healthcare setting and they found them likely to be more harmful or have no effect rather than having any benefit. This is part of the reason that the WHO (World Health Organization), contrary to the US’s CDC, does not recommend mass mask wearing. Some have argued that having everyone wear masks reminds each other to practice social distancing and other effective measures. Personally, I have seen masks (not just cloth/makeshift masks but masks in general) lead to relaxed behaviors and more people touching their face which can actually increase the spread of SARS-CoV-2. While makeshift/cloth masks likely don’t work, even if they did, it would still depend heavily on people being highly cognizant of hand hygiene, not touching their face, proper donning and doffing of masks, frequent and consistent mask decontamination, and social distancing – a very tall order for anyone.

At a young age we are all exposed to some version of the same cartoon lesson. For me it was Looney Tunes, good old Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. The lesson is this: at any moment an anvil can fall from the heavens and land on your head causing serious injury or death.
 
Well surely this is an exaggeration, after all it is a cartoon and anvils generally don’t fall from the sky and land on people – actually, I don’t think I have ever even seen an anvil in real life. Today, the anvil is a metaphor for the death that comes out of nowhere and catches us by surprise, possibly killing us or someone we care about.
 
So what do we do? Do we live in perpetual fear of the anvil, making sure to isolate ourselves indoors with a roof over our heads so that it cannot claim us or those we love? This seems unreasonable at best. In today’s world we are constantly reminded by the threat of death in the form of COVID-19. Every time we turn on the news, listen to a government official, or talk to a neighbor the looming threat of death is emphasized – as if the anvil had completely blotted out the sun leaving us to live in it’s shadow, a ‘new normal’.
 
The thing is, this isn’t a ‘new normal’. The anvil has always been there, whether we have realized it or not. Death is a part of Life. If we live our lives in fear of death, we cease to actually live.

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is a respiratory virus – it infects individuals by invading the respiratory system. Not everyone who comes in contact with SARS-CoV-2 will necessarily become infected – like most infections, it depends on how much of the virus you come in contact with and for how long, if it can make it to suitable tissue for it to replicate (the respiratory system) and how susceptible you are (how healthy is the immune system).
 
The virus is not absorbed through the skin, it must make it to respiratory passages to cause infection – the eyes, the nose or the mouth. To prevent this, practice good hand washing (removes virus from the skin that you may have come in contact with) and do not touch your face (so that potential virus on your skin does not get a free ride to your eyes, nose or mouth).
 
Wearing gloves leads to a false sense of security and generally discourages proper hand-washing and body awareness (not touching your face, not contaminating your clothing). Virus that is picked up on the gloves stays on the gloves, so now the glove has become a potential source of infection! Proper hand washing means not just rubbing the palms of your hands together – you need to get the back of your hands, the webbing in between your fingers, your thumbs, wrists and your cuticles (nails) also. Soap and water is effective at removing the virus – you do not need antibacterial soap (it will not help and just contributes to bacterial resistance – these should only be used in healthcare settings).
 
People may think, “Well, if healthcare providers need them then I must need them too. They must know something that I don’t.” Healthcare providers are dealing with much more than just corona virus. They need the gloves to act as barrier protection for a litany of other infections which can be absorbed through skin as well as using the gloves as part of an overall infection control protocol not applicable to daily life. They are not holding out on you!

It seems to be a foregone conclusion that ever increasing quarantine measures will continue to be put in place to battle COVID-19 – the stricter the quarantine, the less fatalities. But is this necessarily true? Humanity seems to generally focus on the carnage at hand and leave all thoughts of the future to the wind. Deal with the impending crises and then we will deal with the consequences of our actions. So let us take a look at some of the possible consequences of quarantine.

Mass panic and fear is reinforced by constant sensational media bombardment, political rhetoric and public measures taken by government officials. More fear equals more stress and stress is a direct contributor to chronic health conditions as well as directly suppressing immune function. Panic can also cause rushes on stores for food and essentials creating unnecessary scarcity and further panic.

Then there is the seemingly rapid decline of the economy as people are told to stay and work at home. The majority of the population does not have a job that lets them work from home so instead they simply lose their paycheck for the coming weeks to months. How many people can actually afford to live without income for that long? In addition, markets decline and can lead to dwindling retirement funds and other savings. To cover costs, people are forced to incur more debt. All of this contributes to more stress and fear.

Educational facilities are closed and switched to remote learning. Not every student has the stable internet or equipment for remote learning, especially in lower income and rural areas. Is remote learning from a computer screen really as effective as learning in person? What about the social component and its role in the development of students? Students have graduations and numerous social events postponed or cancelled further adding to stress. Social interaction is very important for children learning how to be in a world together – not as isolates.

‘Social distancing’ measures cause isolation which can lead to difficulty in developing natural herd immunity, which in turn may draw out the course of this pandemic (and quarantine). Humans are naturally social and are healthier when they embrace this in their lives – isolation generally predisposes an individual to more chronic health conditions and negative emotions which lead to more stress (and hence depressing immunity further). This is also encouraging a general distrust of your neighbor, something fundamental and necessary to foster in any totalitarian movement.

Then there are the restriction or elimination of rights guaranteed by the Constitution. The first which comes to mind is the right to public assembly – with public gatherings restricted to no more than 10 people at a time (no gatherings at all in certain states), it is quite hard to worship together or protest any legislation which may be enacted during these times, among other things. Another thing potentially at risk is the right to informed consent in medical diagnostics or treatment. If there is a new drug treatment (like a vaccine) will this be mandated on the population for the sake of the pandemic? Will people have to take a diagnostic test in order to be allowed back to work or public spaces? The Declaration of Independence proclaimed the right of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”. How does that factor in when many are not allowed to work by order of the government?

None of the above points are guaranteed to happen, and this is certainly not an exhaustive list of potential adverse effects. This is an evolving crisis where the only certainty is what we don’t know. It is simply important to be aware that while COVID-19 can be devastating for some people, so can the consequences of quarantine. My hope is that we did not jump off a cliff in reaction to a bee sting… no one knows for sure if the cliff is shallow or deep.

To recite the clinical picture and other outcomes from patients with COVID-19 would take more than a few paragraphs and, to be frank, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) does a great job of summarizing these and keeping them up to date. I encourage you to check out their website to get the facts:  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

Interesting things to note include the populations affected and the case fatality rate (CFR). As of now, and with the data that is available for confirmed and suspected cases (and this data generally lags behind real-time data) the case fatality rate (the amount of people dead from COVID-19 divided by the total amount of reported cases of COVID-19) rests around 1.4% in the United States. This is far from the doomsday numbers that were predicted and still thrown around in the media carelessly. Now the second interesting point, the populations affected. The age-related CFR for older individuals and those with comorbidities (especially heart and lung conditions) is higher than younger populations (so looking at the overall CFR can be very misleading). In addition, all of these numbers are likely inflated as there are thought to be many undiagnosed cases that are asymptomatic, mild or already recovered. This will change as more people are tested, but it is likely that there are many people who will never report at all as they either have no symptoms or decide to ride it out at home (like most do when they get a ‘flu’). In short, it will take more complete data to fully understand the risks involved with COVID-19 in the US, but as of now they seem below the initial hype.

So is COVID-19 a serious problem? For most people, not really. But for those that it is, it can be very serious and fatal. The largest problem, and the reason (so much as I can tell) for the various levels of quarantine is the potential overwhelming of medical facilities. There is a sizable amount of chronically ill people in the United States. If the virus’s spread is not mitigated (slowed down) then the speed at which these at risk individuals become infected and potentially need hospital care can overwhelm the facilities and lead to more deaths due to improper or inadequate care. We have seen the beginnings of this in China, although their totalitarian enforcement of quarantine seems to have effectively squashed the infection since then. Italy has also experienced this although the overwhelming of their system may be due to the high number of elderly in their population.

All this being said, while you should be concerned, think what you would do if you had any other flu-like illness – you would stay home and rest unless your symptoms became severe (especially trouble breathing). COVID-19 is no different. In fact, because this can be transmitted easily the best place you can be is home unless you need special care. Acting calmly goes a long way in helping to prevent the overwhelming of our medical system and is also the best way to care for yourself. If you do have a concern or are uncertain call your healthcare provider first.

Is there anything tangible that you can do right now to reduce your anxiety, fear or panic? Yes! Stop watching the news – CNN, FOX, NBC, etc. stop it all! Don’t even bother with the newspaper or social media, it all runs off the same engine. Listening to the media serves to heighten anxiety about the current COVID-19 situation as they take things out of context and sensationalize them. Is COVID-19 serious? Yes. Should you inundate yourself with it 24/7? No.
 
At the same time, it is important not to stick your head in the sand as the world rolls by. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) has done a good job when it comes to COVID-19 and factual information. If you are curious about the disease itself and how to stay safe and help your community, start here:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html
Additionally, you can visit your state’s webpage to get up to date information on executive orders being issued locally. Check the federal government’s webpage for national information.
 
Reducing your media exposure will help you to keep your mind calm and out of the fight or flight mode that many of us find ourselves in. Most important of all remember that this too shall pass. This is not the end of the world, it is an opportunity to see life in a healthier way.