The bottom line is presidents do not cause epidemics. We can delay the onset of an epidemic by restricting travel, but it's just a matter of time before the borders are breached. We see that happening already. States and local governments have responsibilities here too. They along with the federal government need to start ramping up our capability to care for a lot of sick people that means critical care facilities and quarantine if necessary.
What do you expect from a nation whose population is too stupid go metric, refuses to control assault rifles (what kind of country is it where you can buy AR-15s, AK-47s... at GAS STATIONS?!?!), accepts that people should be denied healthcare, or be financially ruined by hospital bills....
The list goes on and on. The larger point is that in the name of its founding 19th century myths and related ideologies, America remains locked in a deeply flawed past.
7
Question: Why can't Fox TV and Limbaugh stop the coronavirus?
Answer: The coronavirus is airborne, but it is not airwaves born.
thanks for reminding us the facts about swine flu 2009-10, and the since then studied impact of right-wing blowhards like Limbaugh infecting red state Republicans to doubt it was real. How? See the Q&A above. Our most dangerous political equivalent to the way a virus acts is human transmission of rightwing blowhards
31
If you take medical advice from Rush Limbaugh, not much can be done for you.
94
The real problem is not that "blowhards" were skeptical of governmental decrees, but that the writer of this essay, one among many, had virtually splashed essay after essay all over the Times all designed to convince the public that Mr. Trump had somehow conspired with Russia and that the whole Mueller investigation was saving our country from a menace. The real truth is, and just like here, Mr. Kristof neglected to actually investigate what was happening, what the truth was and is — the real truth is that Mr. Kristof, for all his heartfelt concern, doesn't find out the truth first. It seems to be agenda and political aims first, and truth maybe later. And does he ever really acknowledge his shameful neglect? Of course not. So, actually, let us beware writers who are strangers to the truth. It is they who spread deadly contagions.
5
The Lusitania II
Sink the Grand Princes with cast and crew,
Torpedo the virus, no one will sue;
All the old folks, it’s their final go round –
Torpedo abaft, they’re Davey Jones bound;
Obsequies - natch – wreaths on the ocean
Handle with care, preach with emotion;
Survivors, a few, will get a heads up -
Free lifetime cruises if they shut-up;
Final words for the cameras; what’s there to say?
Cruise a day ferry; it’s safer that way.
6
Listening to Trump and others of his attitude shows how some people will continually hear what they want to. They are the most unscientific bunch to date. Children in grade schools know more about our planet and health concerns. Panic starts when the president fabricates fiction and then is found out when the actual doctors, and healthcare professionals speak up. Instead of coming out and telling the facts he makes up lies to make himself look good. Fear reigns. Markets drop. He is worse than the virus.
38
@PDJ. Yes, you'll not get Limbaugh to abandon the cancer treatment science, and thus we have another example of the Republican far right / alt right hypocrisy. Take the office for pandemic defending out of the WH, lower funding to science and medical parts of government, but take care of the people in power. Call our respected West Coast governor Jay Inslee a "snake" just when he and the State most need support, are working round the clock to contain the virus, and have first responders and medical staff at risk of the virus. This is so irrational, I wonder what dark contamination pushes the Republicans to say these things in public. For Rush Limbaugh, it's greed. It's how he earns his money.
34
Education based in humble acceptance of facts goes a long way toward inoculation against the conspiracy theories and oppositional defiance too many right-wing shock jocks and anti vaxxers preach. We are hurt by having a president who confuses humilty with humiliation and is so clearly insecure and embarrassed by the natural occurrence of being in the presence of people who know other or more information than he does (assuming no one knows everything, this happens to all of us). I was just speaking to someone about how Trump's railing against "elites" " academia" and "experts" is a total misunderstanding of the humble process of learning, trying, failing, and developing understanding and skill. How his constant insistence that his supporters stay where they are in life suits him, because they may stay stuck and unhappy, as well as his tendency to recoil from the new and different. We were discussing people we know who were arguing because one gave advice out of concern and basis in fact and, as always, the other stubbornly interpreted that as "I think you're stupid, have no respect for you and want to spoil your plans/good time/autonomy." When I have been in challenging educational environments- whether it was graduate school or learning welding, those moments felt vulnerable but rewarding. Neither room celebrated by mocking anyone else. The misinterpretation that knowledge is only used as a weapon to misinform or shame is so wrong and clearly dangerous.
9
Rush Limbaugh probably thought all the hype about lung cancer was a 'deep state hoax' — until, that is, he was diagnosed. The Presidential Medal of Freedom isn't a cure, but it is badge of honor. In this case, "I am one of the blowhards and I sear it around my neck." The response to coronavirus has been ignorant, political and damaging. If it wasn't a looming pandemic before Trump and his criminal syndicate got their hands on the misinformation microphone, it certainly is now. It would be sweet irony of Mar-a-Lago were teeming with coronavirus. Just desserts.
21
Even in the 1918 Flu epidemic that affected 1/3rd the globe’s population the death rate was less than 1%. And that was before vaccines and modern health infrastructures. And there’s no reason to believe we’re in any worse shape than the annual Flu which kills 12,000 to 60,000 yearly in the U.S.
The most interesting “conspiracy” theory is one in Iran’s newspapers with their government accusing both the US and Israel as making “biological warfare” against Iran using the Coronavirus. Who knows ?
4
The continued politicization of the issues isn't helping anyone. Where are the plans to quarantine nursing homes and other facilities with suspectible populations? Encouraging the stockpiling of dry goods isn't helpful (first of all, you may actually get the virus while waiting in Costco & secondly toilet paper isn't really that important).
Now we have young and healthy members of the population clamoring to get tested (which may bring the infection into the hospital).
Here is an idea, why not ask for a few thousand young and healthy volunteers to choose to get the virus and build natural immunity. That way, in 4 weeks we will have a population of people who can help the elderly without being carriers of an active viral infection. Short of having a vaccine, we need to have a way of caring for the actual sick people in a few months.
Way too much worry about people who don't need to worry, and very little worry about the people who need our concern (the elderly and infirmed).
3
Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck have dominated right wing disinformation for years. Where has this gotten us? Corporate corruption, mass shootings, and an entire nation in the grip of PTSD are about all we have to show for their efforts. Patriots? At least Benedict Arnold fought for his country before he betrayed it. Not so Rush and Glenn.
31
When the Romans encountered the Northwest European Celts, they came upon a culture that had a shared belief in the afterlife. The Romans believed that this "ideology" made the Celtic tribes fierce warriors because, since they did not believe that death was final, they had no fear and fought wrecklessly.
Fast forward to today, and you can compare and contrast the response rates to the coronavirus crisis between those nations whose cultures embrace an afterlife, i.e. the Christian West, versus those that do not, i.e. East Asia. My observation is that the governments of the religious West appear to have much less urgency than the more secular countries of East Asia is rolling out programs to address the crisis.
For all practical purposes, the US is now a faith-based Republic and hovering behind most policy decisions are values and assumptions that reflect this. Mike Pence, a devout Evangelical, is in charge of the effort. At a deeply personal level, does Pence believe that prayer is more effective against a pandemic than a vaccine? Is the horror of potentially thousands of US deaths mitigated by the belief that all good souls go to heaven? How would these views shape his response?
Belief systems (ideology) - not science - drives this country.
14
"Matthew Baum of Harvard found that people in red states were indeed less likely to get vaccinated — and more likely to die of swine flu. "
Good.
21
I know. Can’t happen fast enough. Dear God I cannot believing have succumbed to having such feelings.
15
Quick, what's the name of the U.S. Surgeon General?
Even well-informed readers might be stumped. But at last, it seems to have occurred to the administration that there's someone whose job description already covers pandemics and is medically more knowledgeable than VP Pence. USSG Jerome Adams was allowed to speak to Jake Tapper on CNN.
Compare to Everett Koop and AIDS; Joyce Elder and swine flu; and other surgeons general in administrations that made public health a higher priority than public health messaging.
11
Over the weekend Trump said "Anybody that needs a test, they are there. Anybody can get a test and the tests are beautiful." Then Pence said, "We trust in a matter of weeks the coronavirus tests will be broadly available to the public and available to any Americans."
So what does this tell us? There is a complete contradiction in this coronavirus management starting at the very top. Any Kellyanne Conway and that joke Larry Kudlow both telling Americans the illness is "contained" is extremely dangerous, to say the least. Just the fact that Donald Trump is golfing in the sunshine at his Mar-a-Lago resort this weekend instead of working with the White House team on how to improve things with this very serious problem tells volumes about him. Of course, after his behavior in the last four years it would be nice to close the book on this irresponsible and totally incompetent man but his attitude, his fudging with the numbers, his constant FAKE NEWS with the facts is not only alarming, it has to stop. We need the facts from Dr. Tony Fauci and the other expert scientists from now on. Period.
28
Can't think of a reason to listen to the president or the vice-president on a matter of heatlh. Both are ignorami on any matter of health, and the vice-president puts his faith in ahis god the same way an ayatollah does ("god's will, let us pray).
Virus and bacteria don't respond to ignorance and prayers.
Listen to the advice of the leading practitioners of health in the US and that of the WHO.
Cover the sneeze or cough with a disposable tissue or your elbow and protect others, then wash your hands with that portable sanitizer you have in your purse or pocket, avoid cough and sneezing people by 10 feet (especially the ones who prevent their infectious particles from being projected your way, stay home if you are sick.
If you want to put your religion into the equation, then say "cleanliness is next to godliness" and practice what you preach
19
"The implication: While right-wing blowhards may infuriate Democrats, they sometimes pose the greatest danger to their own true believers."
Once again, Darwin got it right. Survival of the fittest.
19
Sadly, because DJT engages on most occasions in magical thinking, the resources of the CDCP & the NIH were idle during a time when they could have been creating testing devices for widespread use in the USA. The preparedness of these bodies was defunded at a time when they needed to be brought to bear in advance of a possible pandemic. This is the result of feeding the already sated wealthy with more tax breaks and starving the organizational structure of the federal government. The gears of public health & safety must be well lubricated to maintain the functionality of the machine, just as much as it is necessary to exercise ones body to keep arthritis and other inflammatory responses at bay. Threats in the microscopic world are just as malignant as those in the macro sphere. While one can see the effect of a bomb spreading it’s destruction in the seeable world, imagining that same destruction in the unseeable world of microbes & cellular biology is just the same. Instead of blowing up a building, microbes blow up cells in one way or another. Testing kits are like miniature bomb sniffing devices that ought to be developed & readily available before an epidemic strikes, in the same way that an army prepares for battle before it is deployed. The science should be in the hands of the scientists, not in loud mouthed idiots who try to impose their will upon things they have no grasp of or control over.
9
A scant few months ago, although the Trump Presidency has the observed effect of making time slow down, we have become like school children watching the clock in the afternoon, our President received an encoded message from his home planet which he then posted on twitter. It was a one word warning of the coming pandemic : covfefe. such fun was made of the word , that the President in his wisdom let the affront go, not wishing to expose the origin of the warning. But you can be sure he has been working on this problem longer than anyone and has a plan in mind.
4
There will come a time when these obscene denials of science will be looked at as criminally negligent behavior on the part of this president and his administration. As Criminal behavior seems to thrive in trumps Petri dish of a swamp we can start to prosecute him and a few close associates and, added to the list of supposed criminal behavior, lock them up. A clear message to our nation that such criminal negligence has a price.
Meanwhile leading doctors are getting their voices heard and some progress is being made. Let us hope science and medicine prevail along with non political
Common sense.
18
We should do less hand-wringing over Trump and more hand-washing instead.
Trump has been very clear; let’s review.
1) He does not want the Grand Princess to dock because he wants to keep infection numbers low.
2) Similarly, test kits aren’t available to keep infection numbers low. All he wants are low numbers.
Trump is a known known, using Rumsfeld parlance. He is being utterly consistent.
Coronavirus still an unknown unknown. So, stay safe, wash hands, keep tissues around (use them toss) , stop face-touching, few/no hugs, clean those surfaces, etc until this becomes a more known known.
My favorite advice, so far, is to keep a loose rubber-band and snap it every time you touch your face as a reminder to stop touching your face. Developing these habits...even starting today...will improve outcomes, hopefully.
6
COVID-19. Also known as ProQuid-45.
Sad.
9
Why don’t we divide Americans geographically? : one side of the country Democratic voters; the other side Republican voters.
We can divide into essentially States Rights Territories. Let the science-denying Republicans pay their own taxes, elect their own President, create their own healthcare system and public schools, build their own infrastructure, regulate their own environment, etc.
Let the rest of us do the same in the Democratic Territory — but without having to constantly make up for, or pay the price for, the mistakes of the Red States. Let their system and it’s ideology thrive, or possibly even kill them all off.
I’d support this idea.
16
From childhood, Donald Trump has lived in a mythological cocoon. He has grown up with no idea how the balance of humanity lives and interacts with others. He fears everyone and everything. In his mythological world, he reject what most of us agree is factual. He thinks science is some politically motivated conspiracy to harm him. If he did not hold the highest office on earth, his personal beliefs would be meaningless. But now, this mythology is preventing scientists from controlling the spread of this virus. Trump is actually murdering people. It is harsh to realize and admit this, but some or all of these deaths flow from this one man's ignorance and inability to accept reality.
15
Mr. Kristof writes: "Democrats must avoid the converse tendency to predict the worst just because Trump is in charge...." I agree with most of what the piece. but this line seems like a gratuitous sop to the Blowhard-in-Chief, What, in fact, does the writer offer as evidence to support what the B-i-C tweets about his nemeses of first resort, those pesky Democrats? Is there, in fact, any reason to believe that this episode will be less bad as a result of any action taken by Trump? We are watching a slow-motion disaster unfold. the public interest is well-served by encouraging anyone who points out the incompetence, folly, ignorance, and irresponsibility exhibited by Trump, and ill-served by giving him a ready-made excuse for ignoring sane advice and questioning the credibility of those who offer it.
5
" “As states become relatively more Republican, swine flu-related deaths rise,” Baum wrote in a 2011 article in The Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law."
This is nature's way of culling.
8
Trump is treating COVID-19 the same as swine flu in 2009. Yet another marker that the man will never mature intelligently despite his education.
7
I think Andy Borowitz got it just right in his satirical column in the New York on March 5th. Headline "Washington, D.C., Man Linked to Community Spread of Coronavirus Misinformation"
6
I want all the 'cons to take Failed 45's advice, and act like it is all a hoax. Book a cruise, catch a strip show and get a daily massage in china town, have a blast!
11
In addition to being my favorite columnist across all my reading material, Nick Kristoff actually reads comments on his articles and RESPONDS to them! Is he the most responsible journalist or what!
7
Imagine if government officials and the right-wing behaved this way during the 1950s polio crisis!
9
I love reading Fox News just to see how low they can go in their defense of Trump. Today I think they hit a new personal best. They are running an opinion piece from KT McFarland declaring Trump’s response to the virus is his “finest hour.” Who knew Trump is uniquely qualified to deal with this pandemic because he once led an effort to save the Wollman ice rink in Central Park.
You can’t make this stuff up. Check it out. Thanks FN. I needed a good laugh.
14
If it wasn’t so sad I would laugh. My one question for Fox is how could you choose? He’s had dozens and dozens of “finest hours.” So many let’s see ! Nope can’t pick just one. Someday we’ll publish volumes of his impact on not only our country but this planet. He definitely will go down in history.
7
The right-wing denials are simply part of their continuous effort to control the information flow, something they have become very good at.
7
Small wonder that when the most powerful man in the world, who openly uses fear to govern, (the people of color are coming for your hard earned money), we now have a world where fear is gripping most of the planet. Coincidence? Not likely. Good for Warren that she called out the bros for doing the same thing. Throwing red meat to the base is not going to work any more, and we need someone to unite us. Biden is looking pretty good at the moment.
7
We have a vaccine injured son. We have never been "anti-vaccine." All of us have been vaccinated and would take any new vaccine which is required to protect us and the entire population.
I have fiercely advocated for safe vaccines and a change to the NVICP laws enacted in 1986. They protect Big Pharma from liability. That is mistake. It has led to a kangaroo court ( USCFC) where petitioners ( plaintiffs) are summarily dismissed 99% of the time. Needless to say it is underfunded and mismanaged.
We should not play God and decide who should live and who should die.
I would urge my government to not allow Big Pharma off the hook, by granting them complete immunity in the development and administration of a new vaccine.
We are either all in this together or we are not.
Be careful of the profit motive in this turbulent and dangerous time.
9
And to think that Trump calculated that making Pence the spokesperson about the coronavirus would keep any official messaging smooth! It is Trump’s pathological lying and deep ignorance, not science and facts, which make the administration look pathetic.
35
in your email communique on this article, you called Rush Limbaugh a 'conservative blowhard'....wow...didn't he just get some big medal during the State of the Union address?...your review of conservative admonitions in response to the swine flu vaccinations gives credence to my referral to these folks as 'black magicians'....deliberately doing the greatest harm to the greatest number...and that ain't superstition, that's a fact. Know the score.
7
@brian lindberg, the fact that Trump bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor, on a racist bigot who spreads lies and disinformation, says it all about Trump. It’s no honor, none, its a travesty, a charade. And actually debases the solemn award, which in sane times, is reserved for those exceptional Americans who greatly contributed to a better America and to a better world through their contributions in art, literature, science, dance, music and other noble pursuits. Rush Limbaugh has contributed NOTHING of this to our American culture. And of course, these are not sane times.
51
@Kan Hit the nail on the head Rush the racist, common man who makes over $30 million a year. He gave the medal to Tiger Woods who what exactly has he done except be a business partner and do commercials for the Trump Golf courses. Gave a pardon to a man named Scotter Libby who outed a CIA agent and even George Bush refused to give Libby a pardon. I live in Canada and he gave a pardon to another crook Conrad Black his friend who stole $70 million of his newspaper shareholders, the list is endless and I am sure in each case a fat envelope was pushed across the table. By the way Black gave up his Canadian citizenship to become a Lord in the House of Lords now he sings how great the country is trying to get it back. His last pardons showed the man he is white collar crooks, crooked police commissioner and front man for Chief Gallagher and any other thugs. Now, he talks of inviting the Taliban to the White House how disgusting does it get. By the way the money for this Wall that Mexico was paying for is coming out of defense funds that were allocated for on base housing which on many bases is a disgrace, day care, community centers, water treatment plants. By the way Rush also had some bogus doctors letter that kept him out of the Vietnam War. I served in the Marines with honor. The Medal of Freedom now is trash like everything the clown touches. Oh, he did not touch his face for a week can't even tell the truth about that. Jim Trautman
14
Donald Trump is not a real a leader, he is a real BLOWHARD. And a total failure.
31
@Darkler
Could he be a blowhard and a leader? He's changed the conversation about forever wars, China, and trade. Bernie and Liz changed it regarding a $15 minimum wage and a living wage for a working family, on income inequality, money in politics, healthcare as a human right, Justice, and socialism too.
That's what leaders do - they get the ball rolling.
Tell me - on what subject has Biden changed the conversation?
Donald Trump didn't run a covert stealthy subtle campaign for President of the United States.
Donald Trump hasn't governed as a covert stealthy subtle President of the United States.
Donald Trump has primarily followed the 'wisdom' arising from the cheeky terminus of his gut.
Along with the advice and consent of his high school graduate cheerleader entertainer allies and friends Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh.
Plus the smarts of Senior White House advisers Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump.
Coupled with the insights of Kellyanne Conway and Stephen Miller.
While Mike Pence will either pray away the coronavirus and/or suggest an income tax cut or an increase in military spending.
What could go wrong?
31
@Blackmamba Blind religious faith in science by the privileged class who obtained a university degree like in the media and apparently you is one thing that can go terribly wrong.
In this case, in spite of increased CDC funding this year, the expert scientists that you are telling us to trust gave us completely botched unreliable tests at first try that are now only being remedied.
1
@Dan
If you had an education in science, you’d understand that confidence stems from knowledge, not the sort of blind religious faith that typifies the superstitious masses.
11
I wondered how long it would take before Donald claimed he knows more than public health officials.
Ten days, including the golf weekend.
42
Yep, that seems to be about the incubation period with this guy.
11
I see your point.
But in the case of the coronavirus, I think it's more a matter of
Trump's "reputation" (poll numbers) versus science.
2
I was very disappointed that you invited Melinda Gates to write your newsletter for International Women's Day. Of all the choices. The wealthy have upended our economy, bludgeoned the middle class and eviscerated the poor. Those who pay the biggest price are women. And then their philanthropic largesse is supposed to rectify all of this. You know better, Nick, as do we all. So, what we get is anodyne advice dispensed by those whose authority is based solely on their wealth. I am really not interested in having an isolated conversation that may lead to, in Melinda's own words, "nothing." This is an old tactic: avoid corporate blame by making the individual feel personally responsible. It would have been so much more productive if Melinda had taken her own advice and engaged her husband in a meaningful conversation—about Elizabeth Warren. Imagine Melinda supporting Warren. That would have been change.
4
Melinda Gates has dedicated her entire adult life to help in the eradication of diseases that plague the world, especially in Africa. She and her husband have committed most of their wealth to education and medical research. Melinda Gates walks her talk. I would be proud to have someone like Ms. Gates as a daughter.
15
I am reading "Midnight in Chernobyl" by Adam Higginbotham and I find myself constantly comparing the almost total incompetency of the Russian government and the Trump administration. My country is in peril.
117
@Carolyn
The GOP is controlled by the Russian government. I can't believe anyone still doubts this.
20
I am a nurse practitioner and, sadly, among my colleagues (including physicians) the seriousness with which COVID-19 is being taken aligns with political views. The virus has no political opinions.
133
@Mary-Jo Everyone should be listening to Dr. Anthony Fauci at the NIH. He is a disease expert and will tell Americans the facts and not do a bunch of gaslighting like Republicans. He also won't make fun of people and wear a gas mask while people are dying from the virus.
26
This is perhaps, a bit of basic thinking, but I've been using it to try to explain to people a little bit about stats presentation, and logic. A tiny effort to put a crack into closed minds that are perfectly capable of handling the concepts.
A friend of mine pointed out that the whole reason to test for the virus is to verify that the person does, or does not, have the virus. So as more people are tested, we should expect the number of confirmed cases to rise. And the number of confirmed deaths to rise.
If you have a virus spreading, and you don't test to confirm that virus is causing deaths, the official death rate from that virus is zero. But that doesn't mean people aren't still dying from it. Conversely, if only one person is tested, and subsequently dies, that makes the confirmed death rate 100%. Or, if only one test is done and the person survives, the virus is not fatal.
It's frustrating that people can't think these sorts of things through...
103
Swine flu isn't a hoax, but fear and panic over it were. The swine flu is not just part of our standard mix of influenza we get every year, and nobody is alarmed by "swine flu" today despite it's ongoing power to infect.
And it's part of the standard flu vaccine now.
If you don't care for the vaccine, that's your choice and should be your responsibility (like for all others too) to live and die by the choices you make. Everyone dies from something sometime, and there's nothing better about more days on Earth for any given human individual. Smarter folks will get vaccinated.
Let free markets make kits and test them and you'll see it grow nicely compared to just the CDC that cared not for the WHO kits, built a broken kit, and then centrally planned that only it could run the tests...so we all suffered lost time due to a reliance on government control and need for permission to act in our best interests.
@Terry Lowman
Re: shingles vaccination
Somewhat off topic, but this comment speaks to being aware.
I awakened a number of years ago with a painless belt of red around my waist. I don't believe in asymmetry so I was at our rural health centre within one-half hour, and then on the best shingles drug in another half-hour which must be taken within forty-eight hours of onset. (The doctor was amazed; he said most patients just stare at it for a few days.)
The result? No pain..no nothing...except for a general sense of weariness for three weeks; I just slept and survived on hot cranberry juice with lemon.
When the shingles vaccine was introduced a year or so later, I was literally the first in line at the pharmacy when their supply arrived.
5
@PaulaDodaro
Oops! I wasn't clear about the red belt. It was only halfway around my waist which the doctor immediately noticed. Shingles is always asymmetrical.
4
What makes the control of the spread of COVID-19 is that the US does not have enough testing kits, and started testing people way too late, that is why the Blowhards wish to minimize the spread to cover up the lack of timely actions by the Trump administration. The shortage of testing kits means that there are more people infected than the confirmed cases.
I am a university professor, I worry that after spring break, some of my older colleagues (60+, especially those with underlying health conditions) might be infected by students returning to from all sorts of place. My university will not close the school, until there are confirmed cases, the it will be too late!
4
trump needs a dose of scopolamine, but there may not be one strong enough to stop his lies.
the president should be protecting all Americans and national security.
can his actions result in charges of negligent homicide?
6
“The bombast of people like Limbaugh and Trump in this case was lethal — but only if you believed them.”
Well, they probably preferred death over following any suggestion from the Obama administration that they so despised.
8
Anti-vaxxers should be made aware that the age of the parent is a strong indicator autism in their children.
Older parents are more likely to have autistic children than younger parents.
This has been well studied for years and is conclusive.
Donald Trump was 60, Melania Trump was 36 when their son Barron was born. Statistically this put the young man in the group that are at greater risk for autism.
I am not saying that their son has autism. Not at all.
But, DT does everyone a great disservice by not telling the whole truth. Put some science in there Donald.
This leaves it to other people to make themselves heard over blowhards like Trump. The public has a right to know.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2638544/
https://www.nature.com/articles/mp201570
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/668208
5
Mr Kristof, I admire that you are willing to engage your readers in the comments section. You are taking a chance swimming in this cesspool, but it does feel good to be able to share our feelings directly with a columnist - whether we agree or not. Thanks for your openness!
5
I wish all the deniers of science and evolution would all just fall off the edge of the earth already!
7
I just read several comments on WAPO and every one of them was exactly the same message.they are copy pasting verbatum what the trumpski admin wants them to put out there.its pretty amazing.
4
"The implication: While right-wing blowhards may infuriate Democrats, they sometimes pose the greatest danger to their own true believers."
I've coined the phrase "suicide by ballot."
4
What has always bewildered me is that America harbours and has produced some of the world's best scientists, and some of the world's best scientists, not born in America, would line up to come to work in America. Yet at the same time, America has some of the most anti-scientific people and politicians I ever heard of. How to square that circle?
8
"This was completely incorrect, and [Mr. Trump] piled on more narcissism ... " The man is a disgrace, plain and simple.
5
"Beware the Deadly Contagion Spread by Blowhards."
Make that, "Beware of Blowhards." In particular, that one in the Oval Office.
4
Mr. Trump is as delusional as ever, but he might keep this wise old utterance in mind: you're doing a heck of a job, Brownie.
3
Right and smoking doesn't cause lung cancer, just ask Limbaugh.
6
The swine fu was first here in the 1970's, I had the shot as a kid, and evidentially it was still good. I'm still wondering why cruises aren't all stopped for awhile, they seem to be floating petri dishes, maybe they should take the time off to clean and tighten up their infection control... Secondly, the government should buy and give out face masks, one or two boxes per family. Come up with infection control for nursing home and hospital facilities today to be in effect until there is proper testing and a vaccine is well on the way to completion and distribution. Make sure stores don't let hoarders take too much, place emergency regs on how much essentials one family can take. Sue Limbaugh for using the airwaves to send out improper information that could hurt people.
3
@Missy I never took a cruise with my late wife simple reason. Those large ships dock and they unload and then within two days are out again. Does anyone really believe they can clean an entire ship in that short space. It is like when your airplane comes in and they turn it around in an hour think how much cleaning they do. It is about money and greed. Jim Trautman
4
Got a medical question? Ask Dr. Trump! This malignant narcissist thinks he knows more about public health threats, military strategy, taxes etc than the experts. 16,000 lies in 3 years...
Trump's malignant narcissism/soul sickness: The instincts of a natural authoritarian.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPEBB8EGPAw
#GoJoe
5
We live a mere 20 minutes from the epicenter of this outbreak. What’s sad is that despite the amount of media coverage here, questions still remain as to exactly how this started and how many are still affected. The senior center looks like a war zone.
The Vice President visited earlier in the week and had productive conversations with our Governor and other public officials. The talks were serious and somber, but in the end the cordiality between Governor Inslee and Vice President Pence was palpable and we did get some good information from their press briefing.
But then the President called our Governor a “snake” and his narcissism was at full throttle. He even called out his Veep, having warned him about Governor Inslee’s ulterior motives.
What most folks don’t realize is that there’s a huge disparity in the amount and tone of news coverage about this issue. If you were here you’d think it was already a pandemic. Elsewhere many who may have heard something about it still have their heads in the sand. Trust me, please: This is serious and needs far greater “informed” attention or we’re going to be in for a long run.
I’ve always taken the advice of my medical advisors and received an annual flu shot. I’d jump for joy and be the first in line for one to combat the Coronavirus. It’s a no brainer.
8
One thing for sure. By and large, high flying elites cause and spread bad stuff, ordinary neighborhood folks suffer the fall out.
This virus is one more reason Americans need health care for all as a human right, something status quo corporate establishment politicians don't want.
That more than 20,000 Americans each year die due to lack of health care is unacceptable. And that problem could get worse.
6
It is also a philosophical framework about people's believe in society, if you see yourself as a member of society you'll believe in science, if you do not see yourself a member with responsibilities, you see yourself as an independent individual, then you don't believe in science.
3
Donald Trump preferred to keep the cruise out in the sea because he didn't want to add more cases to the US tally. All he cares is that it "looks" like he's doing a beautiful job controlling the coronavirus epidemic, and he can only do that if the numbers are low.
Russia has 15 cases, even though they share borders with China. I wouldn't be surprised if Trump had a quick chat with his friend Putin and asked him how was he able to control the infection so beautifully. Putin's answer? "Very simple, dear friend: don't look, and you shan't find."
I wouldn't be surprised if we find out later that testing has not been available, not so much out of incompetence, but malice, so Trump can inflate his ego at the expense of the lives of thousands of Americans.
3
Bill Maher. I’m a long time fan, but you’re just wrong about the vaccine situation.
8
This is an old story. For decades, Republican politicians and blowhards have been pretending to be more expert than obstetricians and gynecologists in matters of reproductive health. They lie about everything in order to force their delusions / beliefs onto girls and women and curtail our right to decide when or whether to have children, as if we are brood mares.
The well-being and welfare of actual people doesn't matter to them. It never did. That's why everyone who values their autonomy and scientific literacy needs to pay attention and vote for the people who TELL THE TRUTH. It's not complicated. Republicans lie and don't care whom they hurt as long as they make money doing it.
7
These attitudes aren’t really left vs right; they are educated vs ignorant. Honestly, the problem here is that scientists are by definition well-educated. Their logical explanations for getting vaccinated will be best understood by an educated public. But when communities are poorly educated or disrespect those who are well educated, this is what happens. It’s ignorance, not partisanship!
8
Is there any limit to the blockhead stupidity shown by ideologues, mostly now on the Right but also on the Left?
I don’t think so, which is why I depend upon authorities who have scientific knowledge and on publications that are open to public criticism — like the free press aka newspapers.
I now also turn off the sound and refuse to insult my hearing and waste my time listening toTrump who knows nothing about anything and can barely speak in complete sentences using actual words. The man has also shown himself to be filled with hate toward others who aren’t blond and blue-eyed. His ignorance and narcissism are dangerous to our health and pocketbook and his attitudes provide encouragement for others who also hate or feel disempowered to act out on their feelings against others, hence the rise in bias crimes.
6
" From the beginning, when Trump suggested that warming weather would solve the epidemic, his aim has been to ..." regulate and minimize the spread of criticism of Trump.
7
Great article..I like also reading what exactly is the root philosophical difference that gives such divide..
3
There is no question about respiratory virus infections being dangerous. Most of the time they start with a cough and fever with shortness of breath. It takes some time to recognize this cough and fever is different from others and identify the specific virus. The SARS epidemic in 2003 started off with flu like symptoms. Within a month it was identified. Once that was found, the Chinese, as they are doing now, instituted significant actions. But would we be willing to quarantine Seattle? Testing has begun all over the world. Our first test was flawed because of a chemical component. Once that was realized, new testing kits were available. It takes time to produce over 327 million tests. If other sites, besides the CDC could make the kits, progress would speed up. But we have so much red tape, that option is diminished. Even so, 2.1 million tests have been sent out. Other countries will probably have a vaccine before we do. Our progress is limited because of the testing we demand. We have at least four companies working on a vaccine and testing has either started or will start in April. We do have a vaccine against the flue. During the 2017-2018 flu season, 61 thousand people died and 45 million were infected. We have about 300 cases of the corona virus. There is no doubt, this virus is dangerous but we are actively fighting it. Some are hoping that it will sink Trump. But so far, the spread in the U. S. has not been overwhelming
2
We spend $3.6 Trillion a year on healthcare.
That is about $11,000 per person and 18% of GDP.
And it is about twice as much as the rest of the first world countries both per capita and % GDP.
They get some form of universal healthcare. Healthcare in the US ranks around number 10 depending on the study.
We have to fight with our insurance companies, get surprise medical bills, and have medical bankruptcies. We have parts of the US with infant mortality rates of a second world country.
And we are the richest industrial country on the planet GDP / capita.
Why don't we have universal health care?
We are already spending the money. The money is there.
The money we are spending with for-profit insurance would go to Medicare for All.
And we would save money by eliminating profits.
And we would eliminate the hassles having to argue with insurance companies why they won’t cover something because they are motivated by profit.
And doctors and hospitals wouldn’t need an army of medical coders trying to figure out what each insurance policy does and doesn’t cover.
Yet people continue to call Medicare for all extreme.
15
1. Medicare for All is a form of universal coverage, and not the only form.
2. Around the world, countries use a wide range of different systems. Full Medicare is relatively unusual.
3. While we spend more than anybody else, it’s not twice as much. It’s about a third more.
4. Sanders’ plan is radical because a) he proposes to throw out Obamacare and do away with private insurance very quickly, and b) he proposes to pay for everything with no shared costs at all, which no other country does.
When I see people who know what they’re talking about arguing for M4A, I pay attention. Otherwise, not so much.
6
@Robert I wish more people understood this. The Canadian system is a mix of public insurance organized at the provincial level, private insurance, and private payment. It’s good, but not perfect, and it reflects 50 years of compromise and adjustment. It would be a major step forward (and a difficult one) to implement Canadian style health care in the U.S. To leapfrog all the way to a 100% single-payer M4A system is practically impossible.
10
So do I.
3
I get the point - but the 1976 swine flu vaccine actually made the disease worse. Attempts to develop vaccines for SARS have also had this problem (its documented in peer reviewed journals). Rush Limbaugh's bloviating aside, brand new vaccines can be dangerous.
1
This is simply nonsense. The prob with that vaccine was it came with an increased risk of Gullian-Barré, not that it, “made the flu worse.”
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/12/1/05-1007_article
4
Good article overall, but it takes time to make and trial things for a new bug. We still don't have any way to treat the common cold or a vaccine for it. Elderly people who are compromised may get pneumonia and die from a common cold that makes the rest of us feel bad for 1-2 weeks. There's little advantage to dissect what Trump said. He rarely speaks well but that doesn't mean he doesn't do the right things. They are treating with Remdesivir at this time so small hope there. We can easily make flu vaccines and will have one for the covid - just not sure how long it takes.
3
The virus doesn't care how we argue the finer points of vaccination. It's going to do what it does in this population. Preparedness helps but whistling past the graveyard only makes one feel better.
5
I doubt whether we have the infrastructure (beds, equipment, supplies, trained health workers) to handle this thing properly. If so, this alone could probably increase the fatality rate. We're lucky it's not a lot deadlier than it is. H1N1, HIV, Ebola, the Spanish Flu, we don't appear to heed the warnings and those who do are considered alarmists.
1
It is not the time to be talking about vaccines. Let the experts work on the vaccine.
Here and now we should be talking about prevention, test availability, test accuracy, treatment, management of the epidemic.
7
Trump has a dual problem. He is not strategic - he has no concept of an extended plan. He reacts without considering the consequences. Secondly, he ignores advise from experts.
He put us on the brink of disaster with his ordered assassination of Soleimani. As it was, American soldiers have been severely affected by TBI (which Trump dismissed as short term, benign headaches) when Iran retaliated. Thankfully we did not go to war.
Now, Trump is trying to insulate himself from near term concerns about COVID-19 as declaring it a hoax; an overreaction; inconsequential; and politicization of a soon to disappear health concern. Instead of taking expert advice as to prudent cautions, Trump denies the threat that is pushing us toward a calamity.
He may be correct. I am petrified that he is wrong.
7
The Age of Enlightenment (the Age of Reason) lasted from the seventeenth through the nineteenth century. Science, knowledge and reason came into public discourse and immediately collided with religion. That struggle goes on to this day, particularly in the United States.
Most of us accept the fruits on scientific knowledge when it makes airplanes fly or cars start on a cold morning. But anti science is still quite strong in other areas, especially medicine. The burden of proof is always on science, since religious belief is divinely inspired and not subject to rational thought.
I resolve the conflict between science and religion this way: I put the phrase "as if . . . " before biblical passages, like Moses and the burning bush ('it was as if the bush burned . . .')There is a lot of wisdom in the Bible, and you will miss it when you reject it entirely because it conflicts with science and reason. Wisdom and science can augment each other.
5
Science is not without inherent wisdom, and Thomas Aquinas might have a thing or two to say about the notion that Christian faith is impervious to reason.
Sometimes I do a forehead-slap at the ability of people to disregard solid science, i.e. the anti-vaxxers. Then I think, well, if they want to ignore warnings regarding their personal health, so be it. It's called natural selection and culling the herd. However, it's most dangerous and unfair to any children they have for whom they are also making health decisions. As a parent of four adult children, I followed medical advice from valid professionals (no chiropractors, holistic or natural healers) regarding vaccinations, even though I worried and really hated sticking them with a needle. But I made the decision myself because I'm scientifically educated.
This country's lack of scientific literacy among its population is the real danger.
8
Does anyone really think that there are no corona virus cases in Mississippi, Alabama and other southern states? How about some reporting on the testing being done there? Because if the virus is there it is spreading undetected.
4
As President Trump so eloquently stated in his remarks at the CDC:
"I just think this is something that you can never really think is going to happen. You know, who--I have heard all about--this could be, you know, this could be a big deal from before it happened. You know, this--something like this could happen...
The thing is you never really know when something like this is going to strike, and what it is going to be. This is different than something else. This is a very different thing than something else."
So there you have it, the coronavirus is something that could happen, that did happen, but that you don't know "what it is going to be".
Whatever our partisan differences, I think we can all agree as a nation that the coronavirus is "a very different thing than something else."
I can't think of a better rallying cry for our country, as we confront this global pandemic.
11
Republicans are anti science/anti vaxxers and Democrats could have stopped the spread of this new virus better?
It will take a year to develop a vaccine for this strain,with no guarantee the virus hasn't mutated by then. This should be a wakeup call to more of such threats in the future and how to address them.
One look at Democrat strongholds with large homeless camps and third world sanitation reveal obvious vectors for disease outbreaks that are allowed to exist. Open border policies are threat to introduce new virulent strains of diseases of the past and more drugs.
What is the science behind allowing defecation on the streets of San Francisco?
Pretty sure this article doesn’t say any such thing, though it does cite the public health and vaccination rate numbers. And quote several of the more florid comments from right-wingers.
Seems to me that the effective counter would be to show what they got wrong, in their numbers or in their citations. Otherwise you end up sounding like Newt Gingrich, who I once heard on NPR spluttering that his interviewer, “Lied....lied about me by quoting me accurately!”
As for the diatribe about San Fran or whatever, that’s a pretty good argument for taking better care of the poor and the crazy, not howling as though there were no homeless and crazy people in, say, Mobile, Alabama.
1
What a misguided analogy. Being poor isn’t a medical condition. It’s a social condition and other countries already have a cure.
"While right-wing blowhards may infuriate Democrats, they sometimes pose the greatest danger to their own true believers. The bombast of people like Limbaugh and Trump in this case was lethal — but only if you believed them. Doubting them conferred some immunity."
Ain't it the truth. Its long been a self-inflicted problem for red state/district residents, that they vote, even before Trump, against their own best interests. Always preferring to strike a blow at "others" even if it costs them as well. Which is what they got with Trump, again. He has yet to fulfill any of his more important promises to them, but he has managed to score a bazillion points (that cant be traded on the open markets) in their preferred sport of "owning" the Libs.
They'd much rather chant and stomp, many in their "jack-boots," at a rally where he's denigrating and lying about A-Z, as long as its - in their minds - "owning them Libs!"
Its become obvious these last 4 years, that despite the evidence that Trump has mostly failed in his promises, and in fact has hurt more of his true believers then helped, and has burdened their children and grandchildren with increasing economic and even potential health threats (easing pollution rules) - that as long as they can "feel" like he's paying them attention - it's all that matters. Credit must be paid to Trump in having that sort of "personal touch" charisma with his fan base.
Its bumfuzzling to the rest of us, but it surely gets him and them off.
The University of Georgia should ask Rep. Gingrey to send back his MD diploma (yes he is a physician). That ideology should overrule science and even common sense completely mystifies me. That red states almost uniformly have lower life expectancy and higher rates of infant and maternal mortality than blue states tell us pretty much all we have to know. You can thrown in gun violence as well. Stupidity kills.
4
Wouldn't it be ironic if the thing that brings Trump down is a bacterium!
3
Or a virus. But I wholeheartedly agree with the principle.
1
Great article Mr. Kristof. Maybe it’s just me, but I have never been able to make the connection between political ideology and dismissal of science. I grew up in two different countries - India and the US. Much has changed during my time in India. The Modi government is equally dismissive of Coronavirus. When I was a child, both the Congress and the main opposition - the Janta Party were not dismissive of science. They disagreed on the extent of central planning, but there wasn’t any hard core science deniers as far as I know. Indeed there was a massive push for vaccinations between the 1960s and 1990s in India. In the US the science deniers have become more and more vocal in the past few years. I don’t remember it being like this in the 1980s and 1990s. Wonder what has changed? Is it because of religiosity? Is it the proliferation of vocal rabble rousers on the right?
1
@jen, the Indian Government is NOT dismissive about the virus. All the states have been put on high alert, travel and screening advisories have been issued, testing is being made available widely and national level trainings for the healthcare workers have been organised. The PM and many of his colleagues have decided not to participate in festivities during Holy (festival of colors) celebrations to discourage public gatherings
Limbaugh and crew are convincing MAGA fans to avoid the vaccination when it's available, which will take at least another 18 months. This is when Wave 2 hits. Because of all that fancy science and stuff they hate so much, the second wave will be much more deadly and a number of them will die. Maybe a large number. Pity.
3
Important column, but it's hard to agree with Mr. Kristof that "it's not fair to blame all the bungling and lack of preparation on Trump". According to Fortune magazine's Chris Morris, "in 2018 Trump called for $15 Billion in reduced health spending that had previously been approved, . . .cutting the global disease-fighting budgets of the CDC, National Security Council (NSC), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and Health and Human Services (HHS) in the process".
We are seeing the effects of these cuts in the sluggish response to the COVID-19 phenomenon--"only three of the country's 100 public health labs have been able to test for coronavirus," according the Mr. Morris.
The very safety of millions of Americans is at stake here, and we have an Administration whose sole interest seems to be to protect Trump from criticism. Republicans have betrayed their country again, and this time it may result in a devastating loss of life.
19
Read Ross Douthat, who brilliantly says we should blame “the regulatory state.”
Seek and you shall find.
If, on the other hand, you don't seek and don't do any testing, then yes, the number of infections in the most populous city in the country will hover around a dozen, which is ridiculous and clearly false. We have to assume there's already hundreds if not thousands of infections in NYC and act accordingly.
It's ironic that Covid-19 doesn't really kill health young adults, doesn't affect kids, has a mortality rate of just over 1%. In short, it jus't doesn't have what it takes to be "The One". Yet in the USA we've already bodged our response against it with the lack of adequate testing alone – almost like we're making sure we give this virus a fighting chance to do as much damage as possible.
4
As a former chemistry professor at a community college, I understand the reticence of some citizens to be skeptical of vaccines. They have not been exposed to science, and many students have not taken a course in biology, chemistry or physics (often because it is just too much work.) Indeed, blowhards like Hannity and Limbaugh are college dropouts and get paid for their ability to provide entertainment not understanding what they are talking about much of the time. Like Trump they express opinions and the so called "right" believe them. This is particularly true in the South where levels of science education are lower than the rest of the country. I wonder what Limbaugh thinks of medical science when he has treatments for cancer.
35
Mr. Kristof is right. However, the problems go beyond blowhards. The Times has published op-ed columns comparing the Covid-19 epidemic to the Black Death and the post-World War I flu pandemic. These comparisons are grossly misleading. Bubonic plague is a problem of a different order of magnitude from anything we've seen from Covid-19. The flu pandemic took place under conditions in which there was an unusually high level of serious malnutrition and crowding of people together in military encampments, on ships and on trains. On the opposite side of things, there was far less global travel even 100 years ago. Things that seemed to have worked then aren't necessarily going to work now (and our information from that time comes heavily from surviving press records of doubtful accuracy).
1
1. “Comparing,” takes many forms, including ye olde “compare and CONTRAST.”
2. Bubonic probably came out of Asia every generation or so, after the shipping trade started going global. Which happened around, what, a thousand years ago?
3. Bubonic has a higher fatality rate, that’s true—if you don’t know what you’re doing. In the modern world, it is far more-easily treatable, and FAR more easily contained. Here’s a tip: do something baout the rodents.
4. The “Spanish,” flu, like the flu a couple years back, worried epidemiologists because it was killing a disproportionate lot of young, healthy folks. COVID-19 appears to be far more typical, whacking those over 70 and those with underlying conditions, and hitting kids and the young hardly at all.
This essay says to me that if it were not for "slopover" effects of refusal to vaccinate into the general population, believers in science would be smart to encourage the anti-vaxxers to continue to drain their gene pool. Not "Be fruitful and multiply," but "Be willfully vulnerable and die."
1
Yes, the rest of us are the 'herd' in the herd immunity. But the un-vaxxed will be the primary vector and will bear the brunt of a mutated resurgence. Wait for it.
But I am shocked, SHOCKED that you suggest that clearing the herd of the mentally infirm would be a good thing. Appalled, I say!
There is no cure for idiocy and no vaccine for bigotry
22
Make America smart again. Be skeptical not cynical. Thoughtful not kneejerk. Open- not close-minded. Engaged not isolationist. Discerning not credulous. Realistic not ideological.
8
I grew up in the 60s when scientists were revered, a president could challenge them to go to the moon and they did it, when computer technology made tremendous advancements, when lasers added whole new dimensions to controlling devices and many other uses, and when medical science made leaps and bounds in discovering more about the human body and its operation and how to cure or control disease. The sciences continue their march of progress, but they do not receive respect from certain ideological elements. We need to restore that respect for science particularly in the Oval Office. Ideological blowhards should lose their following and their propagation by media owners interested in promoting blowhard mentality.
16
Even now the President is challenging the science people. But instead of scientists, science itself is answering the challenge -. too loudly and too clearly. There only the lack of reading this.
3
Let us not forget that the focus in this excellence column on the coronavirus outbreak is but one example of a broad pattern of deceit on the part of Republicans. Just today there's an article in the Times about Facebook banning a misleading advertisement by the Trump campaign regarding the census, and another article about a group associated with Trump (and his Secretary of Education) paying spies to infiltrate liberal groups. Then there's Republican gerrymandering to skew elections, the administration's attempts to drum up false "evidence" against Joe Biden in Ukraine, and Bill Barr's distortions of the Mueller report, not to mention the endless stream of falsehoods coming from Donald Trump himself on every subject under the sun. The examples of Republican dishonesty are endless, aided and abetted by their allies in right-wing media. Remember the title of Al Franken's 2003 book? "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them." Granted, politics has always been a dirty game, but in our time what stands out is a complete abandonment of integrity by one party: the GOP.
14
Let go of grasping and rejecting.
Stay in this moment.
Let go................
If you are whining and complaining, you are part of the problem.
Go help someone.
The H1N1 swine flu epidemic was lethal to thousands before Trump was selected White House Occupant with the help of FoxNews' blathering heads like Limbaugh. But now the country faces a potentially more deadly coronavirus epidemic and Trump is in charge. He has already belittled scientific predictions based on his own very stable genius knowledge of virology and epidemiology. Maybe enough Trump voters will actually believe the nonsense coming from the Trump administration and die before the November election. That will insure that whoever the Democratic presidential candidate might be, that person will win the popular vote and even the electoral college vote. So let Trump et al go on condemning the scientific predictions based on some knowledge if not total knowledge as a media hoax meant to scare the public and harm Trump's re-election campaign. The more Trump rallies and spreads his brand of illness among his base of adoring deplorables, the less likely there will be enough Trump voters to influence the electoral college.
1
While it's undoubtedly sad and, for some, tragic, I do like the karma aspect of the deniers getting sick.
5
Huh. Seems their big stockpile o' gunz won't help fight off this threat. They prayed for another Civil War in which they could..., well, let's not be morbid. They will be wiped out without a shot being fired.
1
I've been saying this all along. it's clear that the faithful Trump supporters and those suspicious of anybody who is not someone they consider "one of their own" isn't going to listen to common sense from anyone, let along medical experts! It's equally clear that Trump doesn't give a hoot for his faithful because he's urging them to attend his pep rallies. But I can imagine the angst and hysteria in the White House right now as attendees at the CPAC meeting where it turns out someone with the SARS-CoV-2 virus was in attendance worry about whether they might have "it." And I'm sure they won't have to jump through all kinds of hoops in order to get tested as many times as they want!
2
It's always that we can't know everything and must act as though we knew enough. And knowledge of the physical universe and moral imperatives are so inextricably entwined. Science and ethics are in a double bind - of having to present authoritative guidance in the context of providing provisional answers. Showing how it's done may be their best lesson.
For some knowing that you can never be certain and must always take responsibility gives a great sense of freedom to explore and to improvise - we can figure it out. While for others, relief is only in allegiance to infallible doctrine - here's the answer.
The danger of the first is in running amok.
The danger in the second is authoritarianism.
Donald Trump personifies the worst of both and Republicans' enthrallment with him presents a great danger. They are instituting an unsustainable vision of society and government which is doing irreparable harm at every level - from our most vulnerable neighbors to our fragile planet.
One thing is clear - we can and must put an end to it in November.
5
Actually, it’s more a matter of finding out what words such as, “certainty,” and, “theory,” actually mean in contemporary science, and avoiding the aging pitfall of confusing insights about relativity and quantum uncertainty with new-agey notions about dancing wu-li masters and such.
Sorry, and you’ve got a good general point. It’s just that phenomena such as global warming don’t actually raise Big Questions about the essential nature of the universe, and can be handled perfectly well by good old Newtonian physics, uncertainties and error bars and all.
1
@Robert
Thank you Robert. You are right. Thinking off the top of my head here. Sounds like you are on the front lines.
Yes, on every level, new age fuzzy mindedness and pseudo science would fall into my category of running amok.
Though there's no question the Trump administration has mishandled this pandemic, the truth is that we would be in the same grim position regardless. There is virtually no surge capacity in the US healthcare system, and there never has been. This is an uncontainable virus that is both more infectious and ten times more lethal than the flu. There have been 34 million flu cases so far this year. If Covid-19 approaches this incidence, and there is no reason to think it won't, the results will be catastrophic despite the fact that most individuals will still be fine.
Viewing an event like this through the prism of politics, as so many are doing, misses this essential point. Fifty million people, if not more, could die from Covid-19. Its significance utterly dwarfs current political concerns, and I say that as an avowed democrat.
12
To paraphrase Trump, there are many who voted for him "who, I assume, are good people." But, there are the MAGA hats who would probably rather go down with the ship rather than admit one degree of separation between themselves and Trump. This is a cultural/tribal stance of defiance based, in many cases, on years of indoctrination by Fox News, Limbaugh and thousands of AM radio stations across America. De-programming is not in the cards.
Covid-19 will not yield to these tactics to Trump's tactics of attack, criticize, undermine with rumors and then brag about how great he is and what he is doing. Something new is required, quickly.
We need a responsible committee of citizens to take a leadership role in what is about two steps away from becoming a crisis. This committee can make recommendations to the government for specific actions and can help keep the public informed with factual information. Mike Bloomberg, where are you? Bill and Melinda Gates? A donation of ten million should start the ball rolling.
If running for president was worth 500 mil to Bloomberg, what is saving your country worth?
11
The only benefit from the science-denying right wingers and their blowhard trumpeters like Beck and Limbaugh is that many of them are in the group most vulnerable to the coronavirus--men over 70 with preexisting medical conditions. I share their vulnerability, but their political are anathema to me.
Of course, consider that if this Administration continues to demonstrate its usual gross incompetence, the Social Security and Medicare rolls may be substantially reduced. That would allow more tax cuts for the wealthy without having to shred the social safety net for those remaining. What a win for the MAGAts (yes, I loved that and borrowed it from another poster).
4
The tragic irony of the Republican Party, reaching its apex in Trumpism, is that their most ardent supporters are the ones hurt the most by their policies.
12
Someone should go deep into figuring out the bottleneck in the supply chain for something as simple as hand sanitizer as it disappeared quickly from the shelves of stores.
Will it take someone robbing a person at gunpoint not wanting money but their handsan before we get action on this transition product between hand washing with soap and touching potentially coronavirus surfaces?
Lest one think the laissez faire approach is unique to the USA, note that the Japanese government follows in the same pattern of a weak response. But the Abe government leaders are the lineal descendants of the regime that regarded their own people as "100 million bullets" to be expended in World War II.
It is the policy of governments who hold "the economy" as literally more important than anything else. "The economy" of the USA and Japan kills literally tens of thousands of its own peoples every year with the daily, ordinary functions of their "economies". So it is understandable that these governments would think, what's the big deal if a few more, mostly older people, die from a virus?
If some of their politicians do anything, it is only for political appearances due to public demand for action. The truth is, they don't really care about us.
1
It’s somewhat ironic to read that conservatives were doing the opposite of what government recommended during the swine flu crisis, when a Democrat was in the White House; now I’m in exactly that situation with the Trump White House - I believe and do the opposite of what they say. But I’m confident that the conservatives’ response to Obama was based purely on ideology and racism, to their detriment as some died. My response to the Trump administration’s advice is based on my knowledge of science (I’m a former R.N.) and the well known fact that they lie constantly for perceived political advantage.
5
I found the most telling line in this column to be "While right-wing blowhards may infuriate Democrats, they sometimes pose the greatest danger to their own true believers."
We who distrust what the president says can still be astounded by such utterly self-serving statements no normal politician would ever say out loud--essentially telling staffers to keep sick Americans on the cruise ship off SF, lest their debarkation "throw my numbers off."
So much for managing a health crisis.
One wonders how the CDC managed to so completely mess up the testing kits, until you realize who Trump put in charge at CDC. I was wondering who that large man with glasses, seemingly laughing at Trump's remarks was, only to find it was Dr. Robert Redfield, the actual CDC director--an arch conservative with a poor track record of managing medical issues.
A picture speaks a thousand words.
10
General George Washington HAD his soldiers vaccinated for smallpox during the Revolutionary War. Note the word HAD. Why, because vaccination worked. I just finished a great scholarly book: Lakota America. The Lakota Sioux accepted the vaccination theory in the mid-1800's and saved their lives and went on to dominate the other Plains Indians until of course they lost the war after Little Big Horn. Vaccination, it's proven.
3
Edward Jenner created the first vaccine in 1796 quite a bit later then the revolution so this must have been post war move. He did not have Fox to deal with but there were no doubt disbelievers in the germ theory as there are today
1
Actually, it was in 1721 that Lady Mary Ashley Montagu brought vaccination back from Constantinople, where she had observed it in use. There were others before Jenner as well.
What Jenner really did was to “scientificize,” vaccination, report it pretty accurately, and get the technique widely known in Europe.
Mr. Kristof,
"It’s not fair to blame all the bungling and lack of preparation on Trump, but his “nothing to see here” tone certainly hasn’t helped, and he is once again joined by a chorus of hard-right enthusiasts like Limbaugh, who assured listeners that “the coronavirus is the common cold, folks.”
I would hope that, with all that we learned during Impeachment proceedings, that Trump's "nothing to see here" tone is about as meaningful as his perfect Ukraine call.
I can't believe that even DJT supporters could be happy that the health welfare of our Country is in this man's hands.
...and speaking of Limbaugh, giving him a Congressional Medal is an insult to all who deserved it.
4
So much harm has been caused by Fox News and right wing talk radio, I wonder AGAIN why the FCC or some other agency hasn't taken them to task.
There are two times when First Amendment rights stop. One is the equivalent of yelling "Fire!" in a crowded venue when there is no fire, and the second is the equivalent of "fighting words" -- incitement to violence or other harm.
The words spoken on Fox, Rush, Beck, etc., have been demonstrated to have inspired at least two mass shootings and created enough hysteria that over sixty million Americans voted for a conman and TV personality over any actual substance, and many more will disregard sensible advice/warnings about a pandemic happening right now.
I'd wonder why the FCC or some other agency doesn't come down on the above broadcasting culprits for the latest outrage of dangerous claims, except all those agencies that are supposed to protect us have either gone unstaffed, or put under the charge of people who have sworn to destroy them.
4
@Entera the fairness doctrine was removed during Reagan's presidency. it was one silly law standing in the way of legal 24/7 propaganda over the airwaves. it needs to be brought back and it needs to apply to cable and streaming. you will not hear any candidate talking about this however..... because it doesn't poll.
8
Great column, as usual.
It's infuriating that the "leaders" we elect to spend our money to keep us healthy and safe would rather play juvenile political games while people literally die as a result. I would never wish death on anyone but I do find myself thinking it wouldn't' be such a bad thing if some of the blowhards wind up in an ICU so they have plenty of time to contemplate their role in all of this and to be frightened out of their minds. Maybe Rush, Hannity, Carlson, the entire Cabinet and some members of the Murdoch family can all share a wing.
2
Trump and republicans quite simply have chosen money (the Economy) over public health. Entirely predictable for this group of grifters. How many will they endanger? Anybodies guess at this point.
The next shoe I figure to drop is travel bans on Americans if and when reliable testing ever gets done.
2
I have been watching Trump closely during his mini news conferences. In actuality he cannot speak longer because it involves facts and data. His recall is terrible. I think he believes what he is saying, at that moment. His people only look at that moment anyway so it doesn’t matter. His longer diatribes are all fantasy and story telling so he can go on forever. And his people love it.
5
Well, Trump eliminated the global health unit responsible for exactly this sort of crisis, slashed the CDC’s budget, violently opposes universal health care and has repeatedly lied about the severity of this epidemic. So I think it’s actually quite fair to blame him for the bungling and lack of preparation.
6
Ideology has always been getting in the way of science and technology. Religious or political ideology and their ideologues, and in the case of Trump demagogue, have long been obfuscating reality and the sciences descriptions and prescriptions, to suit their desires to control and in turn assuage the masses to believe in ONLY them.
"Only I/we have the proper, and important description of reality. Listen to us and you will be blessed! Everyone else are heretics, believe only me/us!"
This was basically a bigly part of Trumps 2016 campaign message? And he's not given up on it, pounding that cracked bell for 4 years now. As well his minions.
When a high-level WH staffer offers the public their "alternative facts", you know the train has left the station and the inmates are running the asylum. Which is what we have in the WH, an asylum run for one man, one patient, where the staff is being paid (and threatened) to treat him like his reality is THE ONLY reality and one that must be communicated to the outside world as the truest reality.
We can look to numerous analogies in old fairy tails, myths and folklore...but at the core, the WH is run by a bunch of enablers to a Crazy man. Whose Ego must be stroked, who must be coddled, and reassured as to his magnificence on a minute by minute basis. Or else...or else feel his Twitter wrath and eventual by proxy firing. To be caste out of the decrepit Castle of Zany.
Which residence in, is inexplicably attractive to a select few.
2
Sir, there’s something happening here. It’s beyond the usual gross incompetence of this Regime, which we’ve come to expect. Does anyone actually believe the refusal to “ allow “ even testing of Patients the last few weeks was a mere mistake ? Or, that the extremely slow pace in producing actual testing Kits was just an oversight ? Absolutely NOT. If you don’t Test, you can’t Confirm. They are cooking the Books, fudging the numbers, downplaying the Threat.
This entire Regime is attempting to reduce the actual Numbers of Patients and the threat, to us ALL. They are risking lives for His Re-Election Campaign.
DEPLORABLE.
3
Although I agree with you Mr. Kristof about the blowhards, I think you're missing a confounding factor which is poverty. Red states in which deaths were higher were also poorer. Poverty and thus, healthcare inequality, is also deadly during epidemics.
1
How soon before we see Trump's most vocal defenders on FOX either phoning it in, or taking a "previously scheduled hiatus"?
1
America has a much more damaging, long term virus than its current Coronavirus. It’s a virulent political infection that’s weakened our democracy. Trump is just one of its worst symptoms.
Any wealthy country that in the 21st century, under any pretext, withholds affordable medical care and paid sick leave from multi millions of people, and keeps this policy at the center of its politics, is a diseased system.
The news of dozens of healthier democracies in the world who have not succumbed to America’s disease, and have universal HC, and mandated paid sick leave as centrist policy, is mostly left out of our news media.
Then when a few candidates dare to propose antidotes to our political virus, they're put down as “radical, left wing, big government interference in our Freedom.”
Millions of Americans who vote to keep spreading this ailment, don’t even know they are sick. We have to trace the cause, before we can find a cure.
It’s a syndrome, connected to big money politics equated with American Freedom. Powerful judges on our highest court, with corporate mega donors, lobbyists and dependent politicians have set up a system that’s contaminated our democracy with this debilitating infection.
So the very thing that debilitates our democracy is touted as protecting it. And the main media, trying to stay centrist, aids in the spread of this disorder.
4
Seems a fairly gruesome way to fix the inherent gerrymander of the Electoral College.
2
Trump: "Anyone who needs the test can get tested." Dr. Fauci "We don't have enough tests." Who should we believe? It's time to put Fauci before Congress to show all of us the plain truth instead of hearing Trump and his minions continue to lie.
1
We should award some credit to Rush Limbaugh. He has helped prove, conclusively, that smoking cigarettes does not necessarily cause lung cancer.
1
Staggering swine flue infectious cases worldwide,60 Millions infected in USA alone with 274000 hospitalizations and 12,469 deaths in US alone along with 400,000 deaths worldwide. Who were the victims? Perhaps ordinary citizens in most nations. Does politicians care for them? Not at all except their votes ya silences against such tragedies in dictatorial ya communist states. Powerful people have their own ways to get treated/ vaccinated @ own places,perhaps with government funding while opposition for the same for their poor fellow citizens.
There is no vaccine right now. Likely there will be but when these guys get sick they will cave and get the medicine no matter how much rhetorical bravery they display. Now let's get the test kits!
Understanding and living with risk is hard for people with high contrast thinking, and ideologues cultivate exactly that. There is a predominance on the right, though, and you can index that against other things, such as religiosity.
1
Has anyone noticed that we live in a city where, every single day, millions of people pack themselves onto buses and subway cars and stand 6 inches away from each other? Not to mention we are one of the world's central hubs of international travel?
How about LA, where tens of thousands of homeless people are living on top of one another on the sidewalk?
It's becoming obvious that the spread and the danger are being overhyped, and that the media is gleefully hoping for President Trump's "Katrina moment". That is what he means by "hoax" and he's exactly right.
1
What about the possibility that the response has been completely bungled but that also this is a case of mass hysteria around what, in fact, does seem to be a moderate cold. I think here in the west coast there was a massive amount of people with the exact covid-19 symptoms... in late December/early January. It has gone largely unnoticed...but also we're fine. In this case the bungled response has not so much impacted public health but instead allowed imaginations to run wild with what appears to be the tail end of the spread.
1
More than any other form of media, I depend on the frequently updated NYT maps for insight into the spread of Covid-19. But the maps are deceptive. Minnesota, for example, is completely filled in giving the erroneous impression that a large section of the upper-midwest is doomed. In fact, there is only one confirmed case in Mn.
A better way of presenting the data would be to use a "heat map", in which the frequency of cases is indicated by the shade of a color (on a log scale; darker indicates more cases). To avoid the spatial ambiguity caused by the largeness of Western states, the entire country should be broken down into relatively small equal-sized hexagons (e.g. 100 km on a side). Thus, Mn would show one very pale hexagon centered on Minneapolis and the rest of the state would be white indicating absence - a much more accurate portrayal of the state of the epidemic.
If we're going to beat this, we need to focus on effective communication - data presentation is important!
1
As an MD, PhD with 40+ years of experience, I can tell you that life is not risk-free. Just as when driving your car somewhere, you can never reduce your risk of something bad happening to zero. Someone can run a stoplight/stop sign, drop a concrete block off an overpass, etc..
Point 1 - Absolutely no one can predict how bad the pandemic is going to get at this stage. All pundits are doing now is spinning it to their political advantage with no basis in science.
Point 2 - The risk of immunization is far lower than the risk of the disease, even if vaccines are not 100% effective. Whether or not to get a vaccine is a choice between two different risks, it is never a choice between risk and NO risk.
Point 3 - Right now, we have no vaccine and no apparently highly effective treatment. This leaves quarantine as our only weapon. Unfortunately, coronavirus is fairly easily transmitted and infected individuals are contagious for a long time before becoming symptomatic, if they become highly symptomatic at all. This makes it very difficult to stop spread.
Point 4 - As far as we know, Influenza is still a much bigger threat to public health than coronavirus, but few Americans seem to care.
Point 5 - Draw your own conclusions, but with the information available to me, the US response to coronavirus looks woefully inadequate, largely because opinion is guiding major decisions, not data driven science. Science may not be perfect, but it is by far the best way to handle this.
9
@BDR50
“The risk of immunization is far lower than the risk of the disease, even if vaccines are not 100% effective. Whether or not to get a vaccine is a choice between two different risks, it is never a choice between risk and NO risk.”
That's right. The problems arise when you don't have adequate information to correctly evaluate the risks. People are emotional thinkers and so they jump into the vax-everyone-now or the anti-vax camp. Both extremes force their viewpoint on other people.
Sir, this opinion piece is a fine example of why you write as well as why we read what you write. Thank you and pardon the interruption. We need more!
3
the virus is bad for the president because the virus is based in reality and doesn't react to his opinions or his schemes, it just keeps doing what a virus does, which is spread and infect more people.
7
It does seem strange that the right wing media is conspiring to ensure there are fewer GOP voters in November.
8
Whomever employs Mr. Limbaugh was just set up by Rush for a good many liability suits.
Die from corona virus?
Your estate needs to allege your loved one followed the 'expert advice' of Mr. Limbaugh, assumed there was no need for treatment as he assured him or her it was 'just a cold'.
In the absence of treatment, something Mr. Limbaugh assured the deceased he/she did not need, your loved one died.
2
Here's the thing: The coronavirus will probably get worse. Trump and his ilk will claim the exact opposite. And the people in his cult will believe it.
Just another situation that's lose-lose for all clear-headed, rational people -- as it has been for the past 4 years.
6
Once grandma dies, it is going to be pretty hard to convince the family it was nothing to worry about.
1
How do they know the death rate when so many are not diagnosed? If someone had a mild case or the flu how will and recover how will the CDC know? An interview with an actual scientist in today's nytimes showed how the numbers were inaccurate. He never once said the "science is there".
Obama took the experts advice when they were calling the 2008 flu an outbreak. Today they're calling it a pandemic. It affected many but killed few. When it was over it was a panic over nothing. Go to the record. Obama wasn't happy with his advice.
If this doesn't turn into the big one as it's being hyped in the media what then? We won't listen. If they underestimated we'll be panicking for decades. I'm not saying they are crying wolf, that requires hind site, but not touching your face and sanitizing your hands going to help on the subway? Closing down everything and going into self inflicted quarantine isn't for everyone.
1
The Trump Administration is a clear and present danger to the American public. It is a virus that has infected the minds of millions of Trump followers and reinforces the anti-intellectualism, anti-science, and paranoia of the right. I encourage all readers to listen. and read only information generated by reputable sources of information. Sadly, Trump's mishandling and politicization of this crisis only lowers the credibility of the US worldwide.
4
I can never understand how people who live in the US still consider the "government" as some alien entity which is out to get them. Folks our government is by, for and of the people. If you don't believe that, you should pack your bags and go to Russia maybe, I don't know? As a liberal, I don't for a moment believe that the right is going to "get me". Yes they have different points of view than me but we all share the same fundamental values of a democratic nation. Unfortunately there are many more people on the right who really believe that somehow the left (and by some obscure connection, the government) is somehow on the verge or taking their guns and their rights. This when the POTUS, Senate and SCOTUS are all under Republican hands. Go figure!
2
Trumps Hurricane Katrina moment. Richly deserved. His narcissm when he tries to talk about the science of the epidemic is revealing and comes into sharp relief, doesn’t it?
If only so many people wouldn’t die because of his gross negligence, I might find some comic relief. Instead I’m saddened, unsurprised and angry.
2
There is also a little bit of ideological blowhard on my side of the fence. We live in a progressive area where far too many families have not vaccinated their children. Senator Sanders sometimes says things that the studies and data don't support, because of his ideological leanings. For example, he still falls back on the long since disproven idea that immigrants, undocumented or otherwise, decrease the wages of citizens. That topic came up during his endorsement interview with the NY Times. What's-his-name often makes baseless claims like that about immigrants. We Democrats must do better.
Trump tried to blame the Obama administration for the lack of a proper response. He seems to think that blaming the Democrats for everything is the answer to problems large and small. What will he do when he wins a second term and all those lovely chicken eggs he laid hatch and come back to haunt him?
2
I suggest Nick & Maddie cancel their trip as Nick doesn't appear to trust the USG to get the job done re. the coronavirus.
Recently, I have been reading Yuval Noah Harari's book "Sapiens", which is subtitled "A Brief History of Humankind". Early in the book he discusses how Homo Sapiens beat out other humanoid species, including the Neanderthals. Harari opines that the most important reason is, as part of the Cognitive Revolution, Sapiens learned to transmit larger quantities of information and, through cooperation, organize larger numbers of other Homo Sapiens to accomplish a common goal, like hunting or taking over territory. Neanderthals and other humanoids before them did not have this skill and, hence, eventually ceased to exist.
It is, therefore, fascinating that Republicans seem to be evolving backwards, back toward behaviors of the humanoid species that eventually became extinct. They seem to mostly believe in the power of the individual. They don't want to cooperate and work together in groups toward a common goal, and they dislike structures, like government. In this case, they refuse to cooperate in ways that are better for the health of larger numbers, like being vaccinated.
So perhaps the answer is to allow the reddest of red states to follow their leaders: Don't be vaccinated, now or ever. Eventually the Blue State Sapiens will be all that are left. The Red State Neanderthals will be gone. Yet another triumph of the Cognitive Revolution will take place.
1
Trump has said he loves the uneducated; and they love him right back. Same with Fox News.
3
People who refuse scientific facts are more dangerous than this virus. We have just seen how inept this administration is in dealing with Covid. What happens when the next one comes and they bungle that one? Uncertainty and fear, doubts, and confusion. More will die unnecessarily, more will be hospitalized. And at a time in our lives that healthcare is so bad and broken.
1
Yesterday's New York Times:
"Early on, people looked at total current cases and deaths, which, as I said, is a flawed calculation, and concluded that the case fatality rate must be 2 percent based on China data. If you run the same calculation on yesterday’s totals for China, you get an apparent CFR (case fatality rate) of near 4 percent. People are speculating that something is happening with the virus, where it actually is just this statistical illusion that we’ve known about from Day 1. I’d say on best available data, when we adjust for unreported cases and the various delays involved, we’re probably looking at a fatality risk of probably between maybe 0.5 and 2 percent for people with symptoms."
Who knew that Trump's hunch was correct? I am not a Trump person but, to be fair, no one on the left will ever admit that Trump got something right, even if it was by accident. The fatality rate at 4% is just not true. This quote is from a news story, not an opinion story.
1
The deaths occur around 30 days after infection. You can't divide current total deaths by current total infections. The true ratio is dead to alive or more days after infection.
You also have to account for the flooding of hospitals and loss of medical staff through infection if the situation gets out of control. How bad will it be when tens of thousands extra patients need intensive care?
1
First, a quibble: Do not refer to Rush Limbaugh and Donald Trump, and their ilk, as "conservatives." They are not conservatives. Conservatives have public values, though they may differ from yours. Donald Trump and Rush Limbaugh are radical nihilists, motivated by their ratings, by splattering their egos around the world, by cynicism, and by hatred.
Now, to move from "micro" to "macro": can we remind ourselves that any system that produces a president whose behavior and blather are so detrimental to public health and welfare, is broken?
"The Constitution is not a suicide pact," goes the old saying. Except that the Constitution IS a suicide pact, when it leads us to Donald Trump as president. Can there be any doubt that we need to change the Constitution to eliminate the possibility that such a monster could ever become President again?
2
This is so reminiscent of tribal response to outside advice in places like Afghanistan. If you try to help them, they might kill you. Here, some "conservatives" would literally rather die than admit some "liberal" knows more than they do. Well, they are welcome to their pride. It's just too bad that they take down innocents, like their children, with them.
1
The vaccine industry is booming, and it’s become clear that profit potential is the driving factor behind it. One of the reasons for this is because vaccine patents do not expire like drugs do.
Vaccine makers also enjoy a high degree of immunity against lawsuits — and in the case of pandemic vaccines, absolute immunity — so the financial liability when something goes wrong is exceptionally low.
Do you trust the information from government agencies, when a year after working at that agency, they move into the very company they exonerated from any wrongdoing and end up making $20 million in stock options, plus a gigantic salary?
Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2002 until 2009, left the CDC to became president of Merck’s vaccine division in January 2010.
In January 2020, she sold half her Merck stock options for $9.11 million.
Gerberding also cashed in her company stock options in 2016, when she sold $5.1 million-worth of Merck stock, and 2015, when she made $2.3 million.
In total, Gerberding has made $16,592,144 from selling off her Merck stocks — and she still owns Merck stocks worth $9 million.
And we’re supposed to believe she has been impartial about vaccine safety?
You’d have to be really naive not to see the enormous influence former high-level ties to the CDC can have, considering Merck makes a majority of the pediatric and adults vaccines recommended by the CDC.
1
I appreciate this comment. As a Democrat, I feel my party had been arrogant and naive on this issue. The press has consistently favored a Pharma point of view insisting it represents “science” when major red flags have been raised by two former editors in chief of the New England Journal of Medicine on the very disturbing nature of industry influence on medical research, publication and even medical school curriculum. Our children are the most vaccinated in the developed world yet rank last in some key international measures of health among that population. Japan which ranks at the top has stopped recommending the HPV vaccine. In New York, Democratic politicians are seeking to mandate it even though it is not transmissible in a classroom setting. Another bill seeks to allow HPV injection in schools without parental knowledge or consent. By the way, manufacturers have no liability for this vaccine. This story is not one sided. “Science” is not always science either.
1
Bernie Sanders is abysmally ignorant of why USA spends twice as much per capita on health care as the other developed counties. However, his Medicare-for-all plan is about the best way to enact a monopsonistic health care system that America must eventually adopt to limit the growing share of GDP spent on healthcare.
Likewise, Trump is abysmally ignorant of climate science and energy policy. However, his climate and energy related policies are probably about the best possible ways to prevent the possible damage that climate fanaticism could do America's economy and standards of living.
".The reason that no nation, including the wealthiest can allow markets to set the prices of medical care indefinitely is that demand for medical care is inelastic. Basic economics tells us that sellers facing inelastic demand will continuously raise prices until prices reach the elastic portion of the demand curve. Consequently, in every developed country in the world, all goods or services with inelastic demand have their prices regulated by government. Medical care in the USA being the only exception.
Health care is one of the very few things where the sellers face inelastic demand. The prices of all other goods and services facing inelastic demand in the USA are regulated by government. Retail electricity service providers face inelastic demand. Consequently, their prices are strictly controlled by all governments worldwide, including the USA..."
http://seekingalpha.com/article/1647632
1
It's tempting to go all Malthus and Darwin here and say that right-wingers' aversion to vaccines should be allowed to run the natural course, but that would be morally and ethically wrong. That leaves us with trying to educate these benighted souls, which is a challenge for the ages.
1
More like rejoicing because their end of the boat has the hole. They will drag everyone down with them.
Mr. Kristof, why not take Donald Trump with you on your travels in Zimbabwe,India and (most especially) those left-behind areas of the U.S.? Perhaps he might learn something.
2
Think about it. Swine flu infected 60 million in the US. Only 12469 died from it. The mortality rate is so insignificant it’s not worth discussing. You can do the math yourself. Divide 12,469 by 60,000,000 and see what you get.
1
The mortality rate for swine flu was higher in red states than blue states. I think the same can be said for present day opiate addiction, alcoholism, obesity, diabetes and a host of other maladies.
I do not wonder why this is and neither does anyone else. That the solution is a ‘revolution’ inspired and supported by blue state ‘coastal elites’ is an irony beyond rich.
So, I guess one could argue that this is a case for Darwinian selection of ideology.
1
Trump has treated the coronavirus with the inept, petty and dishonest paths that define his failed presidency. In the past week alone, Trump has:
- Blamed President Obama for unspecified mistakes (so cliched);
- Lied that a vaccine would be available much sooner than it will;
- Cancelled, then went on, a trip to the CDC, after saying that there might have been an exposure at the facility;
- Admonished Mike Pence for praising WA Governor Inslee, for his response to the outbreak, whom Trump called a snake.
Trump’s pathologically sick idea of leadership is more frightening and incurable than anything.
1
The coronavirus is here thanks to American oligarchy's greed. While Trump may be the face of it, the responsibility rests on the entirety of his class and the extractive policies they've long exacted from the political parties in exchange for money.
Industries have been allowed to extract resources wantonly without regard for consequences to our planet or the collective well-being of its inhabitants. The current oligarchy in power, in its first acts after January 20, 2017, were to roll back any and all protective regulations put in place to minimally protect us from harm - all in the name of even greater profit.
When Democrats were in power, conservatives concocted climate denial, ergo science denial. This is all about profit over everything. Under the Democrats, profits were hindered by basic regulations. Under Trump, those regulations have suffered death blows, even those that protect us from the direct poisoning from chemicals released into our air, water, and soil.
Mother Earth is now unleashing her fury.
In November, it is my hope, that the electorate, with the young spearheading the effort, will send the oligarchy packing and will install a progressive leadership in its place.
That Trump is a nincompoop is a given. That his minions are nincompoops is also a given. That the GOP is property of the oligarchy is a given.
These blowhards are paid snakeoil men. They need to be defeated and prosecuted for their crimes against humanity.
5
Moderate democrats don't want people to have health care. That is pretty deadly and cruel.
2
Pestiferous Virus: How to Deal
Pestiferous virus, a primo infection
Made to order per the Good Lord’s direction,
Our maker, its maker, all things large and small
From sniffles and rashes that are nothing at all
To the painful and deadly that simply appall;
I’ll go with mild sniffles; had many a bout -
Pop junk foods, all sugar, until you grow stout,
In good time – the wind shifts – you’ll come about;
Stay far from cruise ships unless you’re the captain,
Stay home like the old folks and nothing will happen,
Except bad TV, nothing primo to watch,
So, spend your time swilling single malt Scotch.
As Democrats self-quarantine, trump's base self-culls from the herd. For a group that largely dismisses evolution, conservatives are going out of their way to provide a demonstration of how it works....
1
The most deadly contagious disease this country, as well as the rest of the world, faces today is Kakistocracy: Government by the corrupt and the inept. While the only antidote to this plague of aristocracy is democracy, it seems there's a woefully low and rapidly diminishing supply of the vaccine known as freedom available to get the job done.
November can't come soon enough.
1
Trust in government has left the building. This administration has one, and only one, objective - minimizing damage to tRump’s reëlection campaign. All government communication is filtered through a science-denying toady, Mike Pence. As a result everyone should regard pronouncements from CDC/NIH/FDA as quite possibly unreliable. I have no doubt that the situation is much worse than they lead us to believe. Truth has no place in this administration and agencies that are supposed to be apolitical, all the way from DOJ to CDC have lost all credibility. How ironic that the Complainer-in-Chief who always cries “fake news” has become the chief purveyor of it.
2
Só, people who lean right are less likely to follow scientific advice and take care of themselves. They don’t get vaccines to protect themselves from a potentially fatal disease and therefore get sick and die. Seems like Darwin was right.
1
I'd bet just about anything that Limbaugh and Trump both got vaccinated in the H1N1 epidemic, but they knew they'd benefit from stoking the anti-vacc line in the media. They're both carnival barkers.
Virus doesn't respond to bullying.
Virus doesn't respond to bribes.
Virus doesn't respond to lying.
Trump has no tools with which to fight the virus.
1
Trump once said that the swine flu was going to go away. Now Trump says that the coronavirus is going to go away. I wish Trump would next say that he’s going to go away...
1
Thank you for pointing out the danger of marching in lockstep to the tune of ideologues. You expose another example of the lack of critical thinking that is so rampant in our society.
If the bloviards didn't get vaccinated and died of swine flu, I'd chalk it up to survival of the fittest. The sad thing is that all of us are affected/infected through their ignorance.
“Ideology is getting in the way of science.”
yes.
that is what ideology does.
it gets in the way of science, philosophy, and theology and turns them rancid.
2
A long time ago Jimmy Breslin wrote a book called The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight. I’m beginning to think of it every time I read about the escapades of this administration, except that this isn’t funny.
Trump’s legacy ain’t going to be pretty. That’s how Jimmy Breslin would have put it.
This piece only underscores how important a balanced approach to problem solving is which is something you do not get from condervative Trump republicans nor progressive Sanders Democrats.
I’ve seen so many of these medical panics and they all follow a similar trajectory. We are currently at the point where people will give up their normal lives and even civil right for a modicum of protection. At this point in the AIDS epidemic, people were proposing putting gays in quarantine to protect against infected toilet seats. So let’s close the airports, theaters and sporting events because you can’t be too careful. Except you can and over time we will see Caronavus as another Y2K virus, or Swine Flu, or H1N1. We will laugh at how easily manipulated people are by guys in white coats saying it’s better to be safe than anything.
Bill Maher is well known as being ignorant about vaccines, and does not represent the Left. I believe the Republicans own this anti-vax position nearly 100%.
Well, one can easily say the swine flu and vaccine naysayers named in this excellent piece are disgraceful. One could envision, even argue, that this past "experiment" is the exception that proves the rule, Darwin's theory that is. I hope those less-evolved will heed the scientists this time, else there will be a larger pool of nominees than usual for future Darwin Awards.
The most consequential damage trump and his cronies are doing to our country has to do with the destruction of trust in government experts .. repubs and other right wingers absolutely hate knowledgeable people because that knowledge contradicts their ideological control of the population. Right wingers have nothing to offer the country so must rely on lies and cheating...it is all they know. By destroying trust in actual experts they cause people to lose trust in all government. That is destroying our government. A vote for trump or any republican supports that destruction.
1
If we can just get rid of Trump and fossil fuels, everything will be hunky-dory. Of course, we will be freezing to death in the north with no heat (not enough sun or wind to replace coal, oil and natural gas) and no money (all taxed by Dems to pay for free stuff for everyone) and fleeing the un-air conditioned south. 21st Century Leftists live in a fantasy that, if implemented, will make Venezuela seem like Disney World.
1
'It’s not fair to blame all the bungling and lack of preparation on trump'
Really? So it's pence's fault?
Surely, ignorance and prejudice kill? It seems a stiff price, especially when there is no penalty for Rush Limbaugh or Donald Trump, who maliciously increase the risk of infection and death.
1
The truth shall be known: Is the pResident frightened of needles? Also, it is true that the common cold is due to corona virus infections. But COVID-19 is due to a novel corona virus, namely, SARS-CoV-2.
1
This is baloney. Nothing is any different here than if a Democrat were President. This is desperation.
1
one can only hope that the majority of victims of coronaviruswill be found in the right.
Trump placed Pence a science non-believer in charge of the virus efforts. Somehow, the GOP believes any health crisis is a DEM hoax. The pres says go to work even if you feel sick..
Our own government will contribute to some of the fatalities.
Vote DEM in Nov 2020.
2
"but more likely around left-behind areas of the United States."
Nick, as a regular reader of your column, I would recommend this trip. Your readership should know more about the communities left behind. It may surprise people to know they are all not in the Midwest or the South.
1
The idea that anyone in their right mind, with even a nanogram of common sense, would take medical advice from the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck just completely blows my mind. I mean, I can’t even...
1
At about the same time Trump was trashing Obama for warning us about the Swine flu virus, he was also beginning his campaign to paint President Obama as not born in this country, his none stop lies and his winning the presidency on the backs of the gullible. And Rush Limbaugh was right there all along the way culminating in Trump awarding him the medal of freedom, a complete travesty of that award. But in the end it is not the words of blowhards that make this story matter, but that people actually listen and support the blowhard. Orwell would know our society very well, at least the GOP part.
1
“... and Democrats must avoid the converse tendency to predict the worst just because Trump is in charge.”
Yes, yes and yes. Despicable as Trump is, we might look back on this period of $500 bottles of Purel and cancelled everything as an insane reaction to just another virus.
Or not. Who knows? But let’s get a grip, OK?
1
However dismaying it is that Trump supporters seem oblivious to fact, they don't deserve to get sick or die because they are being intentionally mislead for political purposes. Who will step in to say the people come before a president's ego?
2
Nick, thanks for this. It would be helpful, though, for you and/or the NYT editorial board to set out its criteria for which it would support the National Guard imposing a Milan/Northern Italy-type quarantine(s) on any geographic area. What infection rate? What percentage rise in infection rate would be enough? This is an area where the newspaper of record could help to guide the policy of the nation.
1
In fairness, my side of the aisle also has folks who refuse to vaccinate. In that case, is it part of a more general pattern? For example, those folks are, generally speaking, more distrustful of government, experts, professionals, government, science. Are such attitudes one of the things that, for instance, divides Sanders supporters from Biden supporters? Race is certainly one of those things. 92% of self-identified "very progressives" are white. In most ways, however, the Democrats are quite similar. For example, in 2016 the per capita average annual incomes of Sanders and Clinton supporters were virtually the same. The number was $10,000 higher for the supporters of what's his name. Speaking of which, do the Republicans even have an ideology? They are mad for power, driven by greed, too clever by a country mile, and seemingly willing to do anything at all in order to preserve the unmerited and unearned dominance and entitlements of white conservative Trump Republicans. Yep, science certainly does come last to all of that.
3
I would recommend Nick & Ms. Bender travel to China especially to the city of Wuhan, the Covid-19 epicenter, and see the first-hand situation, and then report back.
Although I think Nick's reporting sometimes biased, but he is still a great reporter. I would like to hear his comments on cities lockdown affecting the freedom & privacy issues. Now Italian government is doing the same. I am sure there are other countries will take the same draconian measures in the future to combat Covid-19 spreading.
In the end, I would like to say that there is no perfect solution for every system tackling all kinds of problems. Maybe Nick can be more flexible in the future to commenting on things.
Media bias gets in the way of science.
3
I loathe Trump and don't think the coronavirus a hoax, but I DO think the media is hyping it for ratings. Though it's too early to be sure, it seems to me the Swine flu a decade ago was deadlier but had FAR less coverage and panic. I think the media coverage is too much and ultimately harmful.
4
The Coronavirus is dangerous but self righteous anger that listens to nothing but it’s own voice and considers anyone not on board with its plans as irredeemably corrupt is the most dangerous viral infection going around.
2
Why are political figures commenting at all?
This piece reminded me of an episode of "WKRP" where a DJ joked on air that if people did not like what they mayor was doing about garbage collection, they should take their trash to City Hall. Of course, many listeners did.
1
Interesting visit to the past. I do wonder, if talking heads on TV, radio show hosts, content generators, and opinion writers might be blowhards, what can I consider a medical doctor with flu-like symptoms who continues treating patients until his viral infection is confirmed as COVID-19? I want to say arrogant fool? What about the medical providers who are saying "everybody in the medical field works sick?" Blowhards are not physically spreading an illness but they are behaving as if they actively wish to harm others. When does it become permissible to muzzle them? When do we get to cut off the 45 twitter feed?
There's something worse, much worse, out there. It will kill thirty thousand in the US before it's done this year. It's everywhere. It's a robust virus. It will go dormant for a few months and next fall it'll come back.
It's the flu.
For sure, we should be careful, but I believe this panicdemic will pass. If we devoted this much attention to influenza, we'd die from anxiety. Still, we should examine the wisdom of unrestricted travel from a country that creates these viruses because they have unsanitary live animal markets.
Mom is always right, wash your hands....
2
It probably won’t cost Trump any votes except for supporters who die and everyone else who survives will just continue to follow him like sheep.
1
The ideology of the Republican party is that government exacerbates rather than ameliorates problems. Thus, when in power Republican presidents often appoint persons who are more interested in dismantling their agencies than in making them effective (e.g., Betsy DeVos, Ben Carson). Then when a crises occurs, we get a “Heck of a job Brownie” response. If past is prologue to the future, in a few years we will be reading books about how hundreds, if not thousands, of our fellow citizens died because this administration weakened our preparedness for this crisis and then responded incompetently when it was upon us.
4
My father religiously listens to Rush Limbaugh. I distinctly remember one episode where Rush was railing against anti-smoking efforts. ‘Liberals can pry my cigar out of my mouth before I’ll ever stop.....’ / My mother was appalled I wasn’t sad when he was recently diagnosed with lung cancer.
4
One more reason, if Bloomberg wants to be useful, for him to buy FOX News and make it stop spreading balderdash.
4
Psychologists point out that child abuse and neglect -- which exist on an infinite continuum from blatant to near-invisible yet are always damaging -- can set up the person to grow intellectually over the years but to remain suspended in his childhood emotional development. I have no doubt that this description fits the Oppositional-Defiant blowhards Nicholas mentions.
Neither Trump nor Limbaugh have any credibility regarding coronavirus or anything else.
6
I call him ‘Rush Limbo.’ As Chubby Checker sang, ‘Don’t move that limbo bar; you’ll be a limbo star... How low can you go?’
Pretty darn low, apparently.
Come on, this is nothing new. The global warming/climate change deniers have been and will keep spewing their nonsense to protect the big oil and gas interests for whom they shill. What is really sad is that so many people lack the education and critical thinking to recognize the lies for what they are.
2
Trump says he is safe from the virus.
That is all that matters.
Both sides are rooting for his rallies to bd very very well attended.
1
It's difficult to imagine any other administration making a bigger mess of this pandemic. It's exposing the president, his minions, and the entire republican party as incompetent frauds. In November an overwhelming majority of Americans will show all of them the door.
4
Science has been under attack by conservative republicans primarily because the bible thumpers are convinced that the ancient myths are under attack by all those annoying facts, and without the support of the snakeoil televangelists, the GOP melts away into oblivion. Without their bibles, guns and fear of "those other people" the agenda is...nothing. Facts are a hoax. Critical thinking is wicked. Astonishingly, that's about half of us.
4
How did our Republic degenerate into this "coup"? Answer: Money the drug of choice. If all we have left is converting nature into capital we are a flawed, greedy and self serving anarchy; a return to slavery in an economy to nowhere. neo-liberal capitalism or world markets and development unite us all in the same sickness; destruction of the biosphere.
Matthew Baum of Harvard found that people in red states were indeed less likely to get vaccinated — and more likely to die of swine flu.
More clear evidence that Darwin was right that a majority of folks in those states will reject. Accept I'm not sure if the stupidity is cultural or genetic. I hope it's cultural.
Here's another sign of at least cultural stupidity- denying the undocumented health care. Let them take their dry-coughs to the restaurants they may be employed at, perhaps washing dishes.
1
Blowhards exist on both sides of the political aisle on what should be a public health issue, administered in a manner commensurate with national and international threat levels to a global public.
As we witness hysteria in Costco parking lots by panicked souls carting off a lifetime of toilet paper and enough disinfectants to sterilize the national sewer system it would be refreshingly wise to consider the facts and look for sensible direction from our epidemiologists and public health experts. And shut off both the White House and a news cycle that has done little more than to fan pandemonium.
According to Globalmeter, as of 4pm PST these are the corona virus stats, world wide:
Total Cases: 106,016 Deaths: 3,591 Recovered: 58,626 China: 80,652 Deaths: 3,070 Recovered: 55,529
All Others: 26,564 Deaths: 521 Recovered: 3,097
USA 434 Deaths: 18
Authoritative sources have found that children are not at risk, but that those with pre existing health conditions are at risk, especially those in the 60 and above age groups. However, age alone is not a risk factor. There are those with positive findings who have no symptoms and those who have high fever, shortness of breath and fatigue, when measure the non at risk cadre.
As of now, there are no new deaths in China and a significant decline in new cases. Aggressive measures seem to work.
I intend to keep my hands clean and keep my travel arrangements intact.
1
Who else but Donald Trump and his administration deserves the blame for all the bungling and lack of preparation? Is this an attempt at fair and balanced where none really should exist.
Donald Trump lies multiple times daily, has minimized the role of science in our government, called the Governor of Washington a 'snake' and is now in Mar-a-Lago for the weekend and on our dime.
All the blame goes to Trump and his frightened sycophants who walk back facts in fear of upsetting the stable genius.
Recently traveled overseas. Male in his 70s. Spends weekend in in state where there have been Cocid-19 deaths. Not in best of physical health. Looks like has fever (flushed face). If pale baggy eyes are an indicator Pence may have more duties on his hands soon.
1
Demagogues like Trump will pervert anything including motherhood, apple pie and this virus.
Basically this virus is very similar to a strain of the flu and should be dealt with in a similar way carefully and without panic.
It is not the Black Plague but Trump first goal is to make himself look good and doesn't care anything re this virus.
If he looks good by saying it is nothing he will say it.
If he looks good by saying it is the black plague he will do that too.
1
Did you actually just write an entire book that points out the opportunity hoarding that fails much of America and then select as your trip winner...one who benefitted from it? How about selecting a winner from UO next time? This lack of self awareness is just...just!! (Obviously a very accomplished young lady, but looks like she has already had lots and lots of opportunities to shine.) Think what an opportunity you could offer to a top student at state school who hadn't had multiple fancy internships, Ivy league contacts, etc. Practice what you preach!
1
Health, schmealth!
One problem is that political charlatans are more enamored by the sound of their own voices than by scientific evidence. Consequently, an uneducated public goes with the ideological myth-making, to everybody's peril.
On the one hand, we have Presidential Medal of Freedom-winner Rush Limbaugh telling us that COVID-19 is nothing more than a head cold. On the other, we have the President sliming a state governor, whom he should be recruiting as an ally, a "snake."
For such "leaders" the volume of their bombast is the only point that matters to them. Facts? Evidence? Guidance? Diagnosis? Don't nettle them with such trivia. Ask only? Will their battery-powered megaphones keep their followers stupid and sick enough to keep them in power?
The president loves the uneducated at the same time as he imperils their safety and health.
When will we ever address the danger of conservative news? These flat-earthers proudly declare their ignorance on a daily basis based on nothing but . . . "a hunch". This is yet another reason why it's so vitally important to eviscerate the Republican Party from each and every pillar of government, they simply cannot be counted on to govern responsibly. An entire political party collectively sticking their heads in the sand is no virtue - it's cult-like behavior.
2
Thanks for the clear thinking here, and an honest examination of the complexities. I only wish we could establish something like a herd immunity to protect us from willful and contagious stupidity.
Since Rush Limbaugh says that measures to control coronavirus are unwarranted let's invite him to broadcast from Kirkland WA. And let's find out how much hoarded Purel they use to disinfect his studio. I suspect that as a cancer patient with a compromised immune system he's changed his own behaviors-- as his physicians would have recommended-- even if he hasn't restricted his dangerously stupid advice to other people. Surely he understands that his audience's lives matter as much to them as his matters to him.
1
This is nothing new. I just about remember when the vaccine for polo came out. The city school I was in was going to give it and my parents were in turmoil because there was talk it could give you polo. In the end I got it!! As for today, I often wonder if the talking heads like Limbaugh, Trump etc. really believe the stuff they say. If they do they are really unintelligent and extremely closed minded, if they don't, if they know its all hot air they are very very evil people.
2
It's not the 2009-10 swine flu outbreak we should be looking to for an informed comparison, but rather the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. So, allow Dr Richard Hatchett, of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations explain, quietly and in all seriousness, the implications of Covid-19 coronavirus:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcJDpV-igjs&feature=emb_logo
Yeah, old Rush wouldn't take the Swine Flu vaccine but he had not problem being addicted to narcotics.
1
"One lesson of that 2009 outbreak is the paramount importance of relying on information from scientific experts, not from ideological soul mates."
But... scientific experts are part of the "Deep State" and are "elitists". How could you possibly trust them? Better to go with a voice you know? (Sarcasm implied)
"I’ve been speaking to epidemiologists and other health experts, and they emphasize that in a crisis like the present one, the government must protect its credibility and the public should rely on experts rather than partisans on either left or right."
Too late! Credibility is gone. On purpose - I should add. It appears to me that this is taken from a Russian playbook. The final outcome is "There is me and mush", indicating that all sources of information have been so thoroughly undermined, that nobody knows what to believe anymore. There is no more "truth". Doesn't matter who made the statement. Once that is done, you have free reign.
And when elections, oh horror, would come out "wrong", then there still is no "truth". Once credibility is gone, it is very difficult to get it back.
NYT - I will keep sending you money.
1
"Matthew Baum of Harvard found that people in red states were indeed less likely to get vaccinated — and more likely to die of swine flu."
In light of the coming election, I can't really say I'm all that upset by this particular fact.
1
Bill Maher is a liberal who is a little crazy in some of his beliefs. Bread, sugar and vaccinations are not for him and thus, everyone should shun them. Get real Bill, especially about vaccinations.
Trump thinks everything that draws criticism of his administration is a “hoax.” The “stable genius” just can’t admit others know more than him because it threatens his narcissistic image of himself. I, for one, will be thankful when he leaves the Whitehouse in 2021.
Dr. Marc Siegel has said over and over again that Trump’s response to this impending pandemic has been the best response he’s ever seen by any president. They are focused and prepared.
Obama waited until 1000 Americans died before he declared a state of emergency in late 2009 for the “swine flu”. Dr Siegel said Obama’s response was the worst he ever seen.
2
It's a sad day for Americans when the president'sresponse to a pandemic is a marketing campaign to stimulate the stock market. We need new leadership.
1
Sorry, As long as there are 34 countries healthier than the USA i remain skeptical. Yes Trump is bad but most people that I know that have tried to loose weight by eating artificial sweeteners and low fat foods have become obese.
In fact people that raise lab animals know the easiest way to get an animal to increase weight is to feed it aspartame.
for other mistakes see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_the_Food_and_Drug_Administration
Our President has already "suggested" that his ban on immigrants currently in place is a reason why America is "safe". Yeah, because it's only people of color and/or Muslims who carry the virus. And yet, apparently there were people - white, far right, christian - at the CPAC conference last weekend who have tested positive for the virus. Will that fact be just another one ignored by the Trump/GOP?
The POTUS is using the coronavirus for political gain by spreading lies and hate and bigotry. Given his racism, it is no wonder that his 'plan' would exclude people he feels are worthless. Trump is to blame for our government's lack of preparation, lack of response and supplies and lack of information to the public.
1
The Red states also include a higher percentage of people who don't have health insurance and who can't afford to take time off from work to self quarantine.
In addition to being, often, less educated and less likely to do independent research - and more likely to be susceptible to blowhards with an agenda.
I think they know exactly what they're doing. A virus like this kills the old, the sick and the poor, not the GOP's demographic.
Nick, I am glad you've had the opportunity to vent your spleen.while at the same time being so self-righteous as to concede that Democrats should be os so careful not to politicize this.
Ed Burchianti
Independent
1
Science? Who needs it. What good has science ever done for us?
^Submit post instantly to worldwide communications network, using handheld electronic computer device.
When idiocy meets science, science (and reality) usually wins.
Phil Gingrey and Paul Broun are both Medical Doctors as well as Republicans from Georgia. Interpret that however you can.
Rush Limbaugh doesn’t have lung cancer he is just losing weigh. If we didn’t cut education we would have citizens who actually had critical thinking skills vs believing in slogans and delusions from a snake oil salesmen. However we realize that the rich GOP care not for America but their bank accounts.
Many of us want competent leadership we have not had that since President Obama left the White House and we do miss it everyday
We have do nothing , know nothing GOP politicians who can’t even create policy that makes sense. Conservatives judges, red states who are backward just like their leadership,
Lamar Alexander haven’t heard a comment out of your mouth lately. Treason and now the deliberate suppression of testing kits by Trump and Pence must have your approval since your vote showed how much you dislike this country
1
Visit less-traveled place in the States - no overseas flight for the sake of the planet. And, when you find places you love, don't write about them. Travel journalism is already destroying so many unique and natural places.
Coronavirus is Nature's little reminder to humanity about who really runs the show. Trump is restricted to a Kool-Aid regimen that has him hallucinating visions of imperial grandeur and babbling inanely about them in turn. Too bad Ummurica the complacent won't be able to do anything about Trump in 2020 because of course Putin has already set the stage for him to become--President-for-Life as he has lusted after this meme so long...
2
It's all part of the "government is the problem" fantasy that got Reagan elected.
When he became the government Reagan fulfilled his prophesy by ignoring AIDS as thousands died.
Do we ever learn?
1
I too would agree that Maddie Bender is a smart deserving young adult, but to see the New York Times in 2020, perpetuate the ugly narrative of white kids from Ivy League schools getting all the breaks, seems really tone deaf and disappointing. Not to mention it's just so boring and unoriginal, as we already have one white Ivy league perspective on the this project: Nicholas Kristof.
It is always the ones that are most protected and can afford to isolate themselves , that pooh poo science or medical facts . It remains to be seen how affected we will be in this country , and whether we are being told the entire truth of how serious this is . I can say that the Trump surrogates will parrot whatever he wants them to say and does not inspire any confidence . Perhaps Rush Limbaugh's cancer was caused by genetic predisposition or environmental , but wait , he doesn't believe in science .
Rush Limbaugh recently announced that he has stage four lung cancer.
He is now in a highrisk group in case he gets covid19.
Somebody might consider asking him "If there were a covid19 vaccine available now, would you take it?" ( or, "would you take when it became available?").
Any bets as to what he would choose?
PS thank you for reading these comments and actually replying! This is a pleasant surprise!
"my 2020 win-a-trip winner"
What was the competition about? How about a link?
Congrats to Maddie and you.
Anyone who believes a word out of trump’s lying mouth deserves whatever they get. He and his cronies are turning this virus into insanity. Limbaugh should take care of his own cancer and there should be some penalty for comparing this sometimes deadly virus to a common cold. Maybe there’s another unearned medal that can be bestowed on him before he finally dies to shut him up. Just when you think the rabid trumpers have reached an all time low, you see how much more despicable they can be.
Satire On The News-- from The Borowitz Report (New Yorker Magazine)
“Washington, D.C., Man Linked to Community Spread of Coronavirus Misinformation”
By Andy Borowitz March 5
“WASHINGTON —A resident of Washington, D.C., has been identified as the source of the community spread of coronavirus misinformation throughout the United States.
Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday that the man had ignored the advice of public-health experts and spewed a toxic strain of ignorance, potentially infecting millions.
The man, believed to be a fact-resistant organism, travelled last week to South Carolina, where he came in contact with thousands of people who, as a result of community spread, now believe that coronavirus is a hoax.
The epidemic of cluelessness expanded last night, when the man called in to a Fox News television program to encourage people with coronavirus to go to work rather than stay at home, as scientists have urged.
A C.D.C. spokesperson in Atlanta said there are steps that the public can take to avoid becoming infected by the man’s noxious contagion of falsehoods.
“According to the data we have, the most virulent misinformation is transmitted via this man’s oral cavity,” the spokesperson said. “If you turn on your TV and see him open his mouth, move as far away as possible.” "
"The implication: While right-wing blowhards may infuriate Democrats, they sometimes pose the greatest danger to their own true believers. The bombast of people like Limbaugh and Trump in this case was lethal — but only if you believed them."
Well, they clearly don't believe in Darwin...
Mr. Kristof is a millimeter away from putting his finger on it.
When people live in a perpetual state of “unnatural fear” , and I stress “unnatural “, they...
1) discount the facts of Science
2) ignore public health warnings about virsuses
3) do not get vaccinated
4) hold tightly onto their guns
5) ridicule and stalk school shooting victims
6) vote for Trump consistently
7) rant on the public airwaves
8) dwell in conspiracy theories to the exclusion of everything else
9) repeatedly dare you to take their gun
10) do not care that our children are dying through gun violence
11) listen to Fox News
12) declare that anything related to Science is “Fake News”
13) hate Obama
14) hate Hillary
15) adore Vladimir Putin
16) listen to 4Chan, Anon, et.al.
17) grab women by the genitalia
18) lie the Public at every turn, if in Government Office
19) erect Border Walls
20) ban Muslims and other immigrants from entering the country
21) ignore and discount Climate Change
22) all of the above*
*there are a few more that I cannot list due to political incorrectness, and ‘young readers’ viewing
Did I miss anything?
1
republicans will happily cut off America's nose to spite it's face!
I mean, happily refusing to get a vaccine specifically because a black president urged you to do it?
It reminds me of my grandpa, an immigrant from Germany. He refused to have a painful tooth pulled because the dentist wouldn't pay him a debt. He got an infection and lost most of his lower jaw. With his poor tongue hanging out, he STILL cursed the dentist that could have saved him.
Keeping 'lesser' citizens from health care is just dumb.
1
The virus debate brings to mind George Carlin's timeless maxim "Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups."
Anti-vaxxers and Trump supporters somehow thrive in their fear-inspired, self-imposed absolute darkness, fighting stubbornly against what to them must appear to be the unbearably painful bright light of objective, scientific truth.
Armchair quarterbacks and 20/20 hindsight in this newspaper. There are blowhards all over the place. Certainly Trump. Michael Bloomberg claiming funds had been cut and professionals fired. Media whipping up anxiety. Destroying the economy might help Democrats, but then we’ll have a destroyed economy.
Even though Maddy is young, it would be more appropriate and supportive to refer to her as Ms. Bender, particularly as she starts her professional work. Thanks for a great article!
"The problem is that we are all asking questions — How bad will this get? Should I cancel my trip?"
Will spring break be cancelled? Not if airlines can sell seats and booking sites can sell rooms and rent cars. Those would be the things not selling lately.
My guess is, these kids will all survive, with nothing more than hangovers and the occasional sexually transmitted disease.
What are the key elements in dealing with an epidemic? Science, management, data, and transparency. Trump fails on all of these.
4
Having been born when polio was still around and other various diseases, we do get our vaccinations as did our children and now our grandchildren. My military service gave me all sorts of vaccinations. If vaccination reduces our probability of getting infected by a disease (even if it is not 100% effective), and the probability of side effects is small, we will get them.
7
Mr. Kristof,
Thank you for mentioning Bill Maher's vaccine hysteria. This also needed to be called out (and I am a dedicated Maher fan as most of his cutting humor is spot on). Maher cannot tout himself as pro-science on religion and climate change, while dismissing vaccine programs as a government conspiracy program.
6
People can choose disease and death if they want, but I'm taking the vaccines. I grew up with friends who had polio and I remember the vaccine on the sugar cube.
6
It is important to understand that the response to highly contagious diseases must be collective or "socialistic" - the free market can't handle it. Patents and profit-taking can only impede the process. Vaccines don't contain disease unless a critical large fraction of the population receives them. The superiority of government-controlled non-profit health care systems in general tends to become more evident in epidemics. This is probably one reason the right wing tends to start by denying their existence.
4
Nick, the article and the subhead are at odds. Ideology is not getting in the way of science. That ship has sailed. Currently, there is a pitched battle between ideology and reality, and judging from who is in the White House, reality has finished a distant second.
5
If you have a society that is indoctrinated from a young age to accept things on faith, especially religious dogma, then the science and the experts are always going to be under fire.
Whether we are talking about atmospheric science, medical, or even astronomical (i.e., Galileo's observation that the Earth is not the center of the Universe or even our Solar System), anything that contradicts the dogma based on faith will be attacked vociferously at the minimum.
The root of the problem is not the Red States, Trump or even his cult of personality worshippers. The root lies in the celebration of blind faith as a virtuous human character attainment, most expressed through religion as a requirement. This is the true root enemy of science, logic and reasoning, and not Rush Limbaugh who ironically is being kept alive from his stage IV lung cancer by medical science.
3
In fact, yesterday I received an email from my Greek Orthodox church that is a model of sanity.
Not religious, not a churchgoer, I donate to this church in honor of my family, who were very much involved in its early days. Given this email, I might just contribute extra.
The priest wrote to apprise parishioners of new hygiene measures, of new procedures, what not to do, and when to stay home. He added that very religious people who object to these new procedures, which temporarily supersede Orthodox traditions, should feel free to speak directly to him.
More impressively, the priest made a distinction between God's control of the world and human beings' responsibility to control what they can.
He added that scientific achievement is a gift from God and to be respected. He added links from the archbishop.
That's what I call a rational, responsible religious leader.
9
Any Democrat running for President could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and I’d still vote for them over Trump...
4
Ideology is an infectious meme that renders its host unfit for human company.
2
Trump and his Regime wasted something very valuable. We had weeks and weeks of advance warning from China about this Virus. It was obviously spreading quickly and growing exponentially, the very definition of an Epidemic. They squandered this opportunity to get ahead of the curve, and prepare. What’s worse, corruption or stupidity ? With Trump, we never have to choose. We eventually get Both.
NOVEMBER.
5
We do have a pandemic on our hands. It's one that's been developing for some time, and almost entirely under the radar. A pandemic of Stupidity.
So it goes.
John~
American Net'Zen
1
..let’s see - 32 million Americans contracted influenza in 2019 - of which approximately 18,000 died from the flu virus.
Coronavirus is another flu virus - it will be added to the others...however, it’s not as deadly as many other types of flu viruses.
..what would you call influenza in general - a pandemic - it killed thousands last year - no, it’s just the flu to millions of Americans.
There will be a vaccine by year end - unfortunately tens of thousands of Americans will contract coronavirus and thousands will die.
It’s the flu.
Coronavirus Precautions
A story to tell re Michael Crichton
A virus, most fell, made deadly to frighten
Old folks and wimps who’ll stock up on wipes
Cleaning back where no skeeter bites;
Cough hard as you please on your near neighbor,
Sneeze with abandon, dispense any flavor;
No one in this life will get out alive –
Don’t Puerile first, let’s have a high five.
Trump gets the double whammy dummy prize for his assurance that warming weather will take care of the virus, the implicit message being that global warming ain’t necessarily a bad thing.
2
Bias article from the very beginning - now saying Republican states have higher rates of sickness - how ridiculous is that - how low can journalism go - to the cellar with this reporter.
32 million Americans contracted the flu in 2019 Mr Kristof - how many deaths do you think resulted from those who had it?
18,000 Americans died last year from influenza.
Mr Kristof, with your infinite wisdom, please tell us how many of those Americans were Republicans and how many were Democrats.
You’re such a loser for bracketing people in such a bizarre way - you must stay up at night thinking of ways to incorporate Trump or the Republicans for everything that’s bad in our Country.
Your opinion is bad for our Country- divisiveness is bad for our Country- you’ve taken sides like the politicians and refuse to compromise.
Both parties are acting ignorantly and it’s hurting America - you’re feeding into the hate only makes it worse.
Actually, I believe mortality rates by State are quite easy to locate, and the statistical difference in contracting and/or dying from a virus in red VS blue States is factual evidence, not bias.
6
As we know, stupidity is the enemy of civilization. Meanwhile I have to wonder how long Limbaugh lied to himself about his lung cancer symptoms? Another good one, Nick.
2
Could this be natural selection at work ?
2
You can listen to scientists and medical experts, or you can listen to Donald Trump and Rush Limbaugh. Really, it's your choice.
3
Thanks for looking on the bright side of this pandemic.
Showing diversity, it is not surprising that the author chose someone from Yale as his winner.
So conservatives in red states "were indeed less likely to get vaccinated — and more likely to die of swine flu."
Darwin was right and stupidity can be deadly.
Such as the opinion that it's a good idea to deny the undocumented health care. Given how many work in the restaurant industry it is now quite apparent how utterly stupid that approach is.
Has your dishwasher been to a physician lately?
2
Trump, Maher, limbough and the rest are buffoons. Listen to medical professionals.
2
And now the right wing nut case, Baker, is trying to sell his "elixer" as an answer to the virus. As one doctor remarked on NPR the other day, he (the doctor) just waits for these goons to come out with something like this the moment a medical emergency emerges. Baker- anything for a buck, even if it means putting lives at risk. And there's one born every minute, as Barnum once remarked.
1
China says it has developed a test for the antibodies to the virus that is cheaper and faster than nucleic acid testing. We ought to get that pronto, see if it worls. https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202003/04/WS5e5eefefa31012821727c112.html
1
@larry seriological IgM and IgG testing, combined with PCR testing is the surest way of eliminating false negative and false positives. But seriological antibody tests are most effective and efficient in studying how the epidemiology on populations is playing out. See Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore.
Good Lord, Mr. Kristof! Can you write something useful, not just one more unending anti-Trump diatribe?
1
Well that's natural selection in action.
I will sue if either my mother or father dies from this virus, I will sue Fox and Limbaugh for brain washing both my elderly parents that this virus is mild and a hoax. The only way to get these buffoons off tv and radio is by there pocket book
Given the narrow margin by which Mr. Trump won his race in 2016, I urge him to hold more and larger arena gatherings where his supporters can scream and slather spit all over each other. More power to them! To heck with corona virus! It is an obvious media/democrat plot. May the better man win!
5
The war on expertise continues apace
1
Anomie: Our Saving Grace
No handshakes or kisses except for the missus
Its time for enclosure, no hits and no misses;
Stay where you bunk, stay put in your home –
Best course health-wise to live all alone
With no aspirations to brighten your gloom –
Be happy, my boyo, content in your room;
Best outcome - what’s best is worst for your soul,
Disease free you’ll prosper while death takes its toll.
It appears that Darwin will help resolve the vaccination issue....by thinning the ranks of non-believers
4
“As states become relatively more Republican, swine flu-related deaths rise.”
Sounds a little like natural selection at work.,,
2
Know who else approached problems like this based on ideology? The good ol' Soviet Union.
All you GOP members must be so proud.
2
Ignorance, arrogance and stupidity are everywhere, especially in what used to be a legitimate political party - the GOP.
I cannot make people smarter, nor can I make them believe in truth and fact any more than any flavor of religion, yet their tendency to follow the preachings of the lowest of the low like Limbaugh seems to capture their beliefs. I don't understand why, but it is a disgrace and disgusting. Limbaugh, Trump, Hannity, Carlson, Ingraham, Graham, and the other TrumpTV defects have more sway than Einstein, Ghandi and Jesus put together. That says a lot about this country at this time, and it is horrifying for the future of our children and their existence.
My randomly chosen “words with friends”, friend In rural Oklahoma, posted on FB a photocopy of DJTs recent salary cheque which 100k he apparently donated to coronavirus vaccine research and he was thanked by my friend; and DJT’s tremendous compassion was noted and liked multiple times.
When I pointed out that DJT is actually a hypocrite because he hates vaccines and believes that they cause autism, I was vilified for using “the usual Democrat disinformation” and asked to cite when he had Evah said that! Well there’s a Tweet for everything and when he doubles down he doubles down, down. So I posted a screen shot of the easily findable Tweet By the Tangerine Tyrant in 2014 where he specifically stated that I three crystal clear sentences...a far cry from current Aderollbabble.
It set them thinkin’. Which was my intention because I love these people. In their 60s 70s they are the prime targets of this Covid disease. One response was Oh, did not know that ...thank you.
I further set the cat among the pigeons by referring them to Ms DeVos’ recent decimation of aid to rural schools which will definitely affect OK schools ....which “ news”, as Fox devotees they had not heard, despite being retired teachers. The only comfort I could offer was that there is a bipartisan effort in Congress (during this election year) to prevent this.
These are decent people and they are blind. It’s really worrisome.
I’m not American, don’t live in the US and my stomach churns daily.
2
Mr Kristof: I love your columns, and I have seen you a few times on the Bill Maher Show. I think the reason behind the mistrust of vaccination may be things like the 1930s study ("Syphilis in the Negro Male"), where they infected some 600 black males without their consent.
In this case the right wingers are the idiots, and as a person on the left, that is a nice narrative.
But let's not fool ourselves. There is a lot of anti-science among liberals. There are a alot of anti-vaxxers, for example, on the left.
The politicization of science is doing none of us any good.
3
Donald Trump is to the presidency what Ron Burgundy is to News Anchors.
2
Blowhards don't kill. Ignorance kills. Mistrust of scientists and doctors and others with professional expertise kills. Disdain for facts and evidence kills.
Blowhards are not the disease but a vector of disease—like ticks or mosquitos. Mindlessly, they spread ignorance, mistrust, and disdain. And it's contagious. And it kills.
There is no vaccine.
4
Oh Nick, you are being so unfair to the crybaby in the White House. No wonder he feels victimized. Here he is, intent on important stuff like building a border wall, worrying about Bloomberg's height and trying to stop Joe Biden's son from corrupting the Ukraine, and you go reminding everyone of a national health crisis. Why won't you believe the soothing spin of KellyAnn Conway and follow Larry Kudlow's advice to "buy low and sell high?"
2
My brother-in-law (age 85) who is a dialysis patient and lives in CA watches only Fox News. Every time my sister asks him to take precautions when he goes out or goes to the dialysis center, he sneers. If he is infected, I am not sure he would survive, he would infect my 73-year-old sister. This is a microcosm of what Trump and right-wing blockheads do to their supporters!
When I heard what the "blockheads" said, at first, I was shocked, as I heard more, I was angry. Now I am very angry, for they, because of their political ideology, put the lives and health of Americans at great risk.
8
The day Donald Trump cut the federal agencies he became responsible for every government failure. He fails to lead and republicans failed to check him or impeach him - their complicity will cost real lives and real economic losses.
18
I am perplexed by your stating that its not fair to blame all the bungling and lack of preparation on Trump. I realize the right-wing media doesn't help however Trump is in charge. He is the one who is the point man. He is the one who should let the CDC and the scientist lead the way. It seems to me that he is directing his administration to lie about what is really going on.
6
Thank you, Mr. Kristof, for addressing the concerns about anti-vaxxers in some of your replies to comments about your OpEd today. I am a polio survivor with the primary residual manifestation of scoliosis. Interestingly, I have been in conversations with friends who have remarked that they don’t know anyone who had polio. All are shocked when I tell them my history. I have been approached by and spoke to Rotary chapters in our area about polio and the importance of immunizations. In light of Covid19, there is so much danger in ignoring science, especially the critical importance of herd immunity.
12
@EW My mother was crippled by polio when I was three. She caught it from her sister who caught it while on a school outing. There were epidemics, and nobody would take three little kids who came from a DOUBLE "polio home", so we ended up in a Dickens-themed foster/orphanage where we were tied to chairs to keep us quiet and made to fight over food.
Yes, those pre-vaccine days were a horror and very real. And yes, too many people under the age of seventy still don't know what happened and disbelieve that anything like that "can happen here".
Unfortunately the scientific experts failed us in this case with the botched science that led to the faulty CDC tests at first try. The CDC had their funding increased this year in accordance, so the extra money did not help the poor science.
As a scientist I can tell you that science is not infallible and blind faith in scientists is a problem with many in the media such as Nicholas.
1
Nothing about the piece recommends “blind faith” in science.
And science itself doesn’t have blind faith in science. The very nature of scientific enquiry entails questioning assumptions and testing hypotheses.
One mistake by the CDC doesn’t mean science in general is somehow a faulty system.
2
@Dan
It's not just ignorance about science, it encompasses ignorant remarks about the cuts in the CDC budget for world health programs. Totally ignored is that this is actually a move to INCREASE the comittment of the world nations to support the WHO, significantly. Sadly, like enabling a drug addict with monetary support, world governments have relied on the US to carry to the load, when in fact every country should support health orgs worldwide, especially the ones who need it most.
When I consider what the danger may be from Corona Virus, I think in terms of relative risks and dangers. If you do a google search on how many people in the USA die from a normal flu season, its about 13,000 to 60,000 a year, over the last 10 years.
Therefore, in a population of about 330 million people, 40,000 deaths could be expected due to "normal" flu. We take precautions against flu, but we do not panic over it. We do not cancel our every day activities.
Keeping things in relative proportion, I would not attend a conference with participants from all over the planet. But hiding in your house for the next three months seems an over reaction.
5
thousands die of flu ONLY because MILLIONS of people get a flu vaccine, which keeps the numbers down, both in terms of the spread and the actual cases. without an annual flu vaccine the fatalities would be much, much higher. I am not panicking, but I am also not tossing my brain out the window when I consider this developing situation.
18
@carr kleeb
I think you are proving my point. Without any vaccine, Corona Virus may have fewer fatalities than normal flu would have with vaccine. I think it is premature to think that we cannot get through this with normal, common sense every day precautionary alteration of behavior. I don't think this is the Bubonic Plague that some make it out to be.
Newsflash. Guy in Vermont with no medical training says he feels we’ll be fine. Carry on.
1
COVID-19 captures our attention, but we need to view the whole picture. While epidemics and pandemics do appear and must be addressed, globally, the burden of disease is shifting to non-communicable diseases (NCD) like cancer and heart disease.
Today, NCDs are the leading cause of death and disability globally, killing more than 3 in 5 people worldwide and responsible for more than half of disease morbidity. Economically, NCDs alone produce a cumulative loss to economic productivity estimated to be $47 trillion between 2011 and 2030 (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2019).
The vexing reality is that at any point of time inside this economic and epidemiological bubble, health care is a zero sum game. If hospital beds, pharmaceutical production, and health care workers are necessarily shifted to deal with a serious outbreak, those resources are not as available for those with asthma, hypertension, melanoma, etc. Moreover, other infectious issues can go unaddressed during the crisis. TB and malaria cases in Liberia went undetected and untreated during the Ebola crisis.
We keep discovering that our health care systems are routinely (in poor countries) or periodically (in rich countries) overtaxed to address our health care needs. We need to view this crisis as another reason why we need to build bigger and stronger systems of care in poor countries and improve efficiency in rich countries.
These outbreaks just prove over and over that we are doing it wrong.
2
More and more I think that it is probable that conservative denial and debunking of crises that are only explicable and battled via scientific methods are actually feigned responses. Am pretty sure many of these powdered wigs that stand to lose the most by a major course correction dealing with climate change or pandemic have a private, healthy belief that it is all too real. Watch how commercial fisherman behave when they know a fishery is going to collapse — they rush out to beat the other guy to catch the last cod or salmon. By feigning disbelief in things like climate change or novel coronavirus pandemics, they achieve a number of ends: First, they can continue to greedily exploit Earth and keep getting richer, all the while privatizing the profits of doing so but socializing the costs; second, disbelief and conspiracy-mongering curries favor with whichever base of dullards and Know-Nothings that allows them power or legitimacy; and third — and best of all — this pretended disbelief allows them to do ... nothing! If you don’t believe in climate change or vaccines or pandemics, it follows that certainly no ameliorative action is required or expected from you.
And anyway, remember that in the Third Reich there was German science (the REAL science because it was based on the ‘blood and soil’ of belonging to the master race) and there was Jewish science (diabolical, degenerate, in the pay of Bolshevism). Sound familiar?
7
Well, Donny, this is another fine mess you've gotten us into.
10
I don't understand. Why did you have to pick just ONE win-a-trip winner? Seems so boring, so uninteresting. Why not 1 a month? Or 2 a month etc? Don't ya ever wonder about what ya didn't do?
Is there any other term to describe the rants of Limbaugh, and Trump and the rest of that whole pack of willful idiots than "gleeful stupidity"? They can't possibly be that stupid, yet they must be. People can't possibly actually believe 90% of the drivel these "thought leaders" spout - yet they do - in mindless massive droves. Despite so many being demonstrably worse off on so many levels for just paying a minimum of attention. It's all so maddeningly far beyond sad!
6
@Ted
"The beast, the multitude…they love nothing that is right and proper; the farther it runs from reason and possibility, the better."
Ben Jonson, circa 1600
1
@Ted Ahh, but Glenn Beck summed it up perfectly in his testimony during his trial a few years ago, by describing his harmful, on air diatribes and lies as "playing a character" and his nonstop barrage of daily outrages as simply being "performance art".
1
@Retired Faculty Member
H.L. Mencken presciently said; "On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."
They voted for Trump, they revere him, they love him.
What do we do with these yahoos?
17
Unfortunately Americans are idiots and fools by the many millions. They're busy gawking-- and not thinking-- as their country falls apart right in front of them.
6
I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that Limbaugh and the rest of those right wing blowhards actually got vaccinated.
9
May Rush Limbaugh die a slow and painful death
2
I should not be nasty, but the I am 73 and unlike the buffon in the White House served in the Vietnam War. i am enjoying terrible to say now knowing that it was at the socalled Conservative convention last week and is probably spreading among those that were there. Trump and his puppy dog Pence maybe will get the smerk wiped off their face. This note is not deemed I am sure proper, but the clown with the yellow hair and gee he did touch his face for a week even lies about that or did someone shave and put on his fake yellow tan for him Possible I guess he probably uses food tasters as well. He deserves no respect and I am from NYC knew his family and know a Coney Island conman fraudster as well as gangster. My high school friend shot Joe Columbo Jerome Johnson. So, knew them when I see them. He has been bankrupt four oh, wait five times he bankrupted an entire football league in the early 80's and has now bankrupted an entire nation. I also believed we should have never been in Afghanistan, but how disgusting for him to talk and then say he may invite them to the White House. They killed thousands and face facts this is so he can win the Nobel Prize before the election. Once gone like Nam the Taliban will be back in control. Another Kim kiss face deal. By the way his track record on winning deals one can count on one hand. The money for his border wall is being pulled from base housing, daycare, hosp. and water treatment. Jim Trautman
5
How does the Blow Hard....with a Chaotic and Dysfunctional Administration with...an over 80% turnover rate still have so many supporters ? It's been years...years ..of one drama after the other!! I read that China has locked down an area where the virus is believed to have begun and quarantined nearly 60 million residents. 60 million....that's approx. the number of Trump supporters in the US. How in the world did this inept man become President?? Fox Nation Voted for it that's how!! MAGA...what a mess!! What in the world are Trump supporters supporting...Failure?? What an embarrassment and strain on our Democracy and sanity!! I thought we were promised better....more affordable Health Care?? Over and over we've heard....Obama was a disaster....no...the Disaster is the Trump Presidency !! Trump support is simply...UnAmerican...and UnPatriotic...and at this point...getting more and more....Dangerous!!! Vote Blue No Matter Who !! How much more can our Democracy take and still stay intact?? Vote Blue !!!
8
...and Rush got what he deserved...lung cancer, a malignity he could portray at a pageant of diseases.
Who cares? If Republicans want to kill themselves, why not? After all, Democrats get to kill their unborn babies. Fair trade, right?
much as I would like to be a benevolent humanitarian with universal love for my fellow man... There is schadenfreud in seeing the outcome of deliberate antagonism to science and the results of unfounded hostility to common sense whipped up by ignorant blowhards. In other words, serves 'em right. LET the morons who put party before Truth suffer the consequences... of coal mining, swine flu, lack of herd immunity from refusing vaccinations, trillion dollar deficits, incompetent officials, etc, etc... It's a basic premise of evolution: learn from, and adapt to change... or die.
4
The only reason we don't have test kits is because Trump doesn't want the numbers to rise.
He didn't want the people get off that ship in California because that would make the numbers rise!!
This is such idiocy!
People are dying.
South Korea Italy are all doing a better job than the US.
How can be get people to stand beside him and praise him all the time.
Where are the adults in the room. Are they all neutered?
7
How dare you belittle a Medal of Honor (Rush Limbaugh) winner. Have you no sense of dignity. As rotten, racist, and stupid as Limbaugh may be he still has that Trump bestowed medal.
4
Freedom, not Honor.
And the fact that he has it, and that Trump gave it to him, has put a permanent stain on that honor that will never be washed off.
244 cases and 14 deaths out of 315,000,000 people, plus all the uncounted illegals, is not something to 'wrestle' with. Question here is, who is the 'blowhard'?
1
The number is probably so low because we have so few test kits. A patient in Utah went to a doctor’s office twice & was only tested the second time. Think of all the people in the waiting room & the healthcare workers who were put at risk twice!
2
@LHP
And about three months ago there was only one case in Hubei with a population of 60 million, and there are now 67 thousand infected and nearly 3 thousand dead despite huge government restrictions on free movement.
6
Epidemiologists worldwide should be studying those people in close contact with Coronavirus victims who do NOT get sick and ask -
- how do their diets differ, especially in dietary fiber, organic foods, probiotics, vitamin D and E, minerals, sugars, synthetic ingredients, types and amounts of fats, meat, vitamin/other supplements
- how does their their blood chemistry differ, especially in selenium, magnesium, insulin, thyroid hormones, hemoglobin?
- how do their sleep patterns differ?
- are they routinely in contact with young children in school or daycare?
- are they routinely in contact with agricultural/garden dirt?
- how does their daily activity/exercise differ?
- and use molecular tools to characterize their gut microbiome and skin/nasal microbial populations
We have a very valuable worldwide population opportunity to study/define parameters for health and resilience in conjunction with a new threat.
Let’s don’t waste this chance!
Let us learn more about why some people remain healthy, why they don’t get sick, when known to be exposed to a virulent new virus.
Ultimately, that would be far more important and useful than developing a vaccine!
2
@organic farmer
Particularly interested in their D3 levels which will correlate with the strength of their immune system.
“Through the VDR, vitamin D can also modulate the innate and acquired immune system. This has prompted the idea of exploring the impact of vitamin D on the efficacy of our immune system in fighting off difficult-to-treat viral infections, such as influenza, especially because reaching an optimal level of this “medicine” is cheap and easy for everybody.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6121423/
Everyone's D3 level is suboptimal and I speculate that this coronavirus has always been around in the background but it's now popping up because our species immunity has decreased below a certain threshold, due to our processed food lifestyle.
In 2010, the Institute of Medicine estimated that a vitamin D level below 20 was considered a vitamin D deficiency but they were just looking at calcium regulation and not the 3,000 other enzymatic reactions that D3 motivates, including your entire immune system. There is no cheaper, easier, and smarter way to possibly protect yourself against this virus.
Your PCP should automatically order a D3 test which is very cheap and should read at least 60 nanograms per milliliter. Any person who cannot stand on one foot to put their socks on is deficient.
In Switzerland we the elderly, 65 and upwards, have been told by our government to isolate ourselves as much as we can. Schools are not yet closed because we are the ones at the most risk, not the children. If schools closed we grandparents would become the carers while their parents would continue to work though there is now developing more at home electronic work. Usually we have 2 of our grandchildren every week for 2 days while their father goes through a nasty divorce. (Their violent mother has lost all her rights.)We met yesterday to explain to them, the boys are 12 and 17, and we had a little cry and some good laughs. We talked about our love for one another and promised to stay connected with our phones. Our two children, their partners and older our grandchildren have all shown their concern but we feel privileged. They are the ones on the frontline not us.
126
@Jo Ann
So happy to hear that your country approach this problem the rational way, i.e., by advising those at risk to self quarantine.
8
There is no surprise that Trump has the attitude that he has. After all, this is the man who denies global warming and climate change. This is the man who flies to my state and blames our every-increasing devastating fires on us for not raking the needles or leaves of our forests and open spaces. Preposterous, but nevertheless proclaimed by this showman and believed by his loyal MAGA family. But this particular coronavirus is a whole different game for him to play. Climate change as of yet is not affecting many Americans...again, "as of yet." For too many it is an ephemeral threat or a "conspiracy theory." Not so with an epidemic, and in this case pandemic. There is no one who is assured that s/he will be spared, even the VP himself. I do not wish this on any one. However, just think what Trump could do if he separated his ego from an ominous disease, and his people would believe him if it came from HIS mouth. He has the opportunity to teach how to protect oneself. Instead, and as he has done over and over again, he turns his back on his own. Everything is just hunky-dory as long as HE does not become ill.
200
@Kathy Lollock More to the point, this is the man who denies anything that reveals his ineptitude.
31
Just saw a great Rick McKee cartoon, in which a man looking at his computer says, "That's odd. My Facebook friends who were constitutional scholars just a month ago are now infectious disease experts."
We no longer listen to experts. And some of us will die because of it.
309
@Elizabeth A
What do the experts have to say other than wash your hands and don't touch your face? Have you heard a more concrete way of avoiding infection?
So, what other listening to experts must we do? Barricade ourselves at home? For how long? That's right, they can't tell us that either.
@Pat said "So, what other (than) (sic) listening to experts must we do? ... That's right, they can't tell us that either."
I consider it a virtue when someone admits they do not have all the answers, instead of spouting from ignorance.
Therefore, I'll listen to experts above ignorant politicians, even when the experts stay silent.
15
@Pat - experts have somewhat more than that to say, especially if you are a member of a more vulnerable population. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html
10
I am very grateful to all who made sure that H1N1 was part of the flu vaccine in 2010 and later. I caught that virus on a short flight from NYC to Myrtle Beach, SC, where I intended to help my 93 year old father. Instead, I was ill and he had to take care of me. No doubt I would have been far sicker if I had not had that flu shot. Still I ended up in the ER getting fluids. But Dad never got sick.
Now we have Trump saying that people can go to work when they have the coronavirus. The contrast with Obama is stunning. How many people will die because Trump is afraid of vaccinations and convinces them that this virus is not a big deal?
Yes, I know we don't have a vaccine right now, but eventually we will and those who listen to Trump won't take it, to their possible regret.
I hope that older people like me and those with weakened immune systems follow best practices and don't travel if it's not entirely necessary. I'm staying home, washing my hands and hoping my friends do the same.
209
@Barbara
I'm washing my hands, using hand sanitizer often, on my face too. And I'm not just 'hoping' my friends to do the same, I'm handing them hand sanitizer, with a smile and a 'thumbs up for staying healthy'.
6
The more I learn about the swine flu, the more I realize how disconnected I was in 2009-10. I remember hearing about it and some of the people I was working with were very scared. But I was just so oblivious to the threat. I didn't consume objective news sources at the time. It's shocking to learn so many people were infected and died. I know there are a lot of people now like I was then, who for whatever reason don't read the news or don't trust it. My advice to them would be to find a source you trust that isn't a crazy conspiracy site. There are even good sources for people on the right like the Wall Street Journal or Reason.
177
@David
And a quite new one The Dispatch. For a leftie, I really enjoy reading it every day.
@David Why aren't all objective sources good for people on the right?
9
Until this government gets the necessary kits in the hands of the front line doctors, can we we order testing kits from South Korea?
Doctors across this country are still being prohibited from testing people unless the fit a certain criteria. There is no way we can get this virus under control until we know the scope of the problem.
THIS is short sighted small government philosophy on display. It is not a bug, it’s a feature.
268
@Donna Mac Or, develop your own test as Stanford University has. See: https://www.stanforddaily.com/2020/03/06/stanford-developed-coronavirus-test-to-be-used-at-stanford-hospital/
"The Stanford Medicine Clinical Virology Laboratory launched a new diagnostic test for detecting coronavirus on Wednesday. The new test, which can deliver results within 12 to 24 hours, will rapidly identify infected people and could help limit the spread of the virus."
66
@Donna Mac
The UW has also developed a test. Not only that, the entire virology lab has pivoted in order to test up to 3000 - and they hope more - kits a day. In comparison, the one accredited CDC lab in the Seattle area can test 200-300/day. The UW test also has an 8 hour turn-around, unlike previous tests that required weeks to turn around.
Check out the excellent science coverage in the Seattle times.
68
@CaliMama Thumbs up...(sorry) But good going.
5
I’m wondering where we go next. The US numbers today are about where Italy was 11 days ago. Yes we have 5x the population and a much larger land mass, but we have multiple clusters: so it is akin to several Italys, 13 days ago. Italy just quarantined a whole region. China did the same and now has declining infection rates. Will America find the political courage when it is needed?
1
According g to the Washington Post, President Trump and Mike Pence were exposed to the virus at an American Conservative Union conference last week. The fact that they were attending political conferences instead of focusing on a potential pandemic is startling. That they both got exposed and haven’t reported it, nor used themselves as examples of how other Americans should take precautions and get tested if exposed is a dereliction of duty, but to be expected give how we know they manage all issues—- by trying to protect the president political interests above all else.
8
Great topic and good to revisit history to put the current situation in perspective.
I think history will show that Trump's greatest impact has been his acceleration of sowing distrust for institutions. Healthy skepticism is good in a democracy but trusting the government to protect public health is an imperative. We have learned to never believe anything that comes out of Mr. Trump's mouth. Which is exactly opposite what we need to fight COVID 19. Even worse, the guy in charge, Mr. Pence clearly does not believe in basic science. He deserves no trust.
8
When President Trump said he would prefer the cruise ship off California not come ashore because it would make our numbers go up, he said a mouthful. Is testing being deliberately slowed to keep our numbers down? Lower numbers would certainly support his initial containment response. Those first steps were important (though meeting the Diamond Princess passengers without protective gear was irresponsible and indicative of their knowledge and experience). But then what happened?? Nothing. Valuable preparation time was wasted on poor political messaging trying to convince us it was just a passing flu when they should have been coordinating efforts regarding tests and supplies. How can we protect older and/or medically compromised Americans from this disease if we can’t test and identify it in our communities. I’m pretty healthy and not too worried for myself, but what does worry me is that I could pass I undo harm onto someone else without realizing it because there have been no identified cases in my community. We’ve lost our opportunity to be proactive and have moved to reactive.
1
Several issues are contributing to the hysteria about the covid-19 epidemic. First, every diagnostic test has an inherent experimental error that results in a false positive test result. Although the error associated with most validated diagnostic tests is low, it is never zero; most diagnosticians would consider an error rate of 1% to be acceptable under most circumstances. However, even with an experimental error of 1% , hundreds of tests results are likely to be declared falsely positive when one is testing thousands of individuals indiscriminately. To minimize the risk of false positive results, the CDC recommends that testing be done only on individuals/groups/populations where there is a reasonable risk of having contracted the infection.
Secondly, the diagnostic test used is based on the detection minute amounts of DNA specific for a given virus. Although such a test is extremely sensitive and can detect small numbers of molecules of such DNA, it can give false positive results if the specimen (blood sample) is contaminated by extraneous DNA that, not specific for the virus in question. That is why the CDC recommends that such tests be conducted in approved facilities where the risk of such contamination is low. To avoid mass hysteria and misdirected efforts, decisions about who to test, what tests should be used, and who should do them must be made by knowledgeable scientists -- those who understand the risk factors-- not the politicians.
2
@Phillip J Baker
You suggest a false positive rate which is lower than most estimates of the mortality rate. Are you sure you are focusing on the right numbers?
1
@Gerard
The mortality rate is another matter. What I'm saying is that if the false positive rate for a given test procedure is 1%, what conclusions can one draw if 1% of a given population tests positive? One can not conclude that they are truly positive unless the percentage of positive tests significantly exceeds the percentage attributable to experimental error or chance. Calculations of the mortality rate must be based on the number of deaths in a population that is truly positive.
@Phillip J. Baker
Note that in early March, the CDC stopped listing the number of tests conducted for Covid-19 on it's website. At that time, the CDC reported 164 cases of infection in the U.S. Although the actual number of tests conducted is not known, the Atlantic Monthly reported an estimate of 1,895 at that time. Based on this information alone, 8.6% of the tests conducted were positive. Although I used an error rate of 1% in my example, suppose the true error rate of the test is 10%. Then, most -- if not all-- of these test results would be falsely positive.
Surely, data on the number of cases reported based on the results of these tests, as well as the total number of tests conducted within the same time frame must be available. It is incumbent upon the CDC and other government agencies to do a rigorous analysis of the data before government officials recommend draconian prevention measures that would be an enormous economic burden to our citizens and the economy. Doesn't that make sense?
"It’s not fair to blame all the bungling and lack of preparation on Trump," Well that's awfully nice.
Every crisis, whether hurricane, flood or health gives us reason to look back and say what we might do differently or quicker. It may be perfectly fair to argue that had testing been pushed out 2-3 weeks earlier it may have made a difference in the speed of the spread, but that can't exist in a vacuum. Nationally we have also learned that "climate fighter" Governor Inslee and his predecessor had slashed Washington state's health services to the bare bone - Washington state was ill prepared to act even if we had testing in place as they had few people and even less money.
The virus will spread, its just a matter of whether the spread can be disrupted by the most basic thing: social distancing. In our society that is difficult to do while still functioning, but it's really our best option.
Wasn't it the Republican majority State legislature that slashed the funding? I know they have cut funding to many services in a cabin attempt to comply with the State Constitution's requirement to fund basic education, which they are in contempt of court for failing to do..
Anyone who is a Democrat and lives in a red state knows that the kneejerk reaction of Republicans against vaccinations recommended by the federal government when a Democrat occupies the White House is always predictable.
Even when the president is a Republican, the negative reaction occurs when career scientific experts in the government urge inoculation.
As someone with two homes, both in red states, I have seen the Republican resistance to government warnings of health risks follow the pattern described by Nicholas Kristof. In one of those states – Florida – the G.O.P. resistance is particularly stubborn, and that may be because Florida is redder than Ohio.
There is another factor in Florida, where Donald Trump spends so much time. The tourist industry in Florida is a very important economic engine for the state, and the cruise line industry in South Florida is an important component. Leaders of that industry are heavy political donors.
Donald Trump falsely made light of the COVID-19 epidemic to help his friends operating cruises out of South Florida and also hotels and related businesses. The actual extent of the health threat has now emerged, and Republicans in Congress are pressuring the White House to start telling the truth and to assign sufficient funds to fight COVID-19.
Ideology and business cronyism are finally being pushed aside.
4
"Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe." Thus spoke H.G. Wells, the amazing, autodidact Renaissance man, whose entire education came from reading libraries' offerings.
And yet more than half of the American population believes in angels and some public schools still teach so-called "intelligent design". Scientists are still considered oddities and "influencers" have more sway with some folks than physicians do in matters as crucial as vaccinating infants. Ignorance by choice.
4
When I went to nursing school, I learned to go where the science said. That sometimes means uncertainty and the anxiety that goes with it.
Still, better than knowing what isn’t so.
Pathogens are entirely indifferent to religious, national, or political persuasion. The sooner we learn that, as if we ever will, the less sickness, suffering, death and grief we’ll know.
7
There's a Spectrum Mobile TV commercial featuring Ellen DeGeneres circulating depicting 2 medieval characters on one side of a canyon and a rider heading towards the cliff on the other side. One of the chaps recommends building a beam (implying bridge) across the divide so people could cross without continuing to hurl themselves to certain death in a vain attempt to make it to the other side. The other chap wonders with little hope, wanly asking, "You think that would help?" Meanwhile, the onrushing rider rushes over the edge, screaming all the way down. This is how I feel as the menace of this virus spreads and we have Trump at the helm and science taking a back seat to his political popularity.
7
I was wondering about Trump’s claim that with warmer weather this new virus will simply go away. If so, then why would anyone need to get vaccinated in nations in tropical areas? Wouldn’t the climate protect people from viruses?
I would hope our high IQ president would see the faulty logic instead of politics but by now I realize that isn’t going to happen.
6
logic? normal people use logic to solve issues. Trump is devoid of logic.
A statistic that rarely is mentioned in the media when reporting the number of patients requiring hospitalization or who die during an epidemic is the percentage who have or have not been vaccinated. So far in the current flu season about 20000 people in the US have died of flu. How many of them had not been vaccinated recently? How many had other compromising conditions? Reporting those numbers might make more believers in
vaccination.
3
What does a successful public health campaign against the virus look like? It looks like normal. It's a win-lose situation. If the virus wins, lots of people die and the critics can say, "See. All of our efforts didn't work." And if public health measures win they'll say, "See. It wasn't a big deal, like we said. All bark and no bite."
To the vast majority of our population, this virus might as well be magic or divine wrath. A virus is invisible. It's not even technically alive. It's just a computer program randomly looking for a computer to run on. Instead of prayer beads we are told to keep our hands busy washing themselves. The ritual even has an ironic prayer– "Happy Birthday dear Vi-rus. Happy birth-day to you."
In the 1950's, my mother was one of the last victims of a now obsolete disease: polio. As a result of her experience, all of her 4 kids got every vaccine available the minute it came out. The same is true for my children and grandchildren. Vaccines save lives and prevent diseases that can debilitate survivors for a life time. Take the vaccines.
44
@Susan
I have a close friend who was born in 1954 and because his father was a military man stationed in Europe, wasn't able to get the initial polio vaccine that Salk and others developed and that parents across America rejoiced to provide to their children. He acquired polio shortly after his family returned to the United States and despite recovery in childhood, now in his 60's is dealing with the ravages of post-polio syndrome and will likely spend his last years in a wheelchair. His parents took the guilt over what happened to their son to their graves....
2
@Chris Conklin
I am very sorry to hear this. It is a devastating disease. The fact that there is a vaccine is a blessing. No one should go without it.
1
At 71, and a believer in science, fact, and skepticism about many voices that come via popular media -- I am at sea now when it comes to Covid-19. Trumpism and media's coverage on left and right have done little to deepen my belief that the sun will either rise or set in east or west -- I now wait and see on my own, and will do the same with CoronaV.
We have dear friends outside of Seattle, our age and older, quietly panicked at the disease. Yet in a local Subway a customer and I complained about the hysteria, then I quietly bought his sandwich, thinking the few extra dollars would not matter in a viral apocalypse. But it felt right just making a small connection beyond a reporter's beamed data about another death aboard a cruise ship.
I do think we have to plan but take a deep breath. Prepare but not obsessively. And worry less about comparisons to previous pandemics that have wiped out millions. The politicians are the 'experts' at weaponizing this thing -- let them exhaust themselves -- we have lives to live right now.
6
The fact is - most of us will not get sick from Coronavirus, just as most of us did not get swine flu.
We will never know why we are ‘passed over’, especially if we also did not choose to get any vaccines, take avoidance measures, or even wash our hands.
Perhaps now is a good time to talk about what little we know about tending a healthy immune system, about a a diet to maintain a healthy microbiome, enough sleep, stress reduction, regular exposure to good clean dirt and other probiotics, avoidance of certain chemicals, substances, behaviors etc.
There are many thing we can DO to be healthier and more resilient. Resilience and health is at least partly, our choices each day, and intervention from medical professionals should be our last (not first) resort.
In any kindergarten class, some kids will get lots of colds while others sail through winter never getting sick.
Why is that? We should know! Our best and brightest should be studying the healthiest among us, not the sickest.
We should know what population of organisms in our microbiome confer the greatest protection, and then how our actions/inactions/choices alter them.
We should know which nutrients best support a resilient immune system (selenium?) and what is the optimal doses?
We should know how to be healthy, instead of always chasing the latest rescue from impending disaster.
8
@organic farmer: Taking antibiotics for viral infections can open people up to complications by disrupting their microbiomes. Perhaps the CDC should remind people not to take antibiotics if they suspect they have covid 19.
4
We need trusted sources of information about COVID19. It's very clear that Republicans, in general, are downplaying the problems for political purposes. But I agree with you that there is a serious trust problem brewing with the Democrats: "Democrats must avoid the converse tendency to predict the worst just because Trump is in charge". Hyperbolic statements by Democratic pundits and leaders do not protect the public, and actually play right into Trump's (frequently washed, I hope) hands. I would like to see scientists, unaffiliated with either party, receive the most press coverage.
14
My heart goes out to fellow healthcare providers. We went onto serving others as our profession, but we never bargained being ruled by a reckless, thoughtless monster who took our lives and the lives of millions in his inept hands.
There has been sadness in our hearts before, but this health crisis attack is becoming overwhelming. The poor planning and ignorance of critical timing by leaders in our country is obvious now and pretty unbelievable.
We are helpless and becoming hopeless. No one at the top seems to be able to get their act together, not even with Dr. Birx, who stands before us, mute. What lies ahead for my daughter and her husband and all their fellow healthcare providers?
45
Excellent, balanced tone. I've resigned myself to the infantilism of the Trump cohort as we enter into pitched battle with this virus. As with Russia and North Korea, the "common colds" of adversaries, they view COVID-19 as a mild nuisance we can certainly deal with in a friendly, non-confrontational manner.
When you call a governor of a state in the vanguard of those opposing this virus a snake because he asks for an adult in the room at the federal level, well, the actual adults just have to move on as best we can.
Congrats to Maddie, Nick. Timely choice for your win-a-trip, which I hope is not postposed!
8
Here is something I wish someone could explain:
The US have close to 500 confirmed cases, with 19 deaths as of now. Germany has close to 900 cases, with 0 deaths.
Is that vast discrepancy just coincidental, or are there any factors that could account for it? And if so, what are they?
The only certainty right now seems to be that, unsurprisingly, advanced age and pre-existing conditions increase the risk - but what about poverty and access to medical care and even sound advice/information?
All of this is scary and my heart goes out to everyone, in any country, who has lost a loved one.
11
@Elisabeth We don't know the actual number of cases in the US because of the limited testing that has been done. There may have been people who died, especially those attributed to flu or pneumonia, who weren't tested for corona virus but may have had it.
In the meantime, we should all practice the CDC recommended habits: hand washing, avoid touching your face, etc.
And take what donald trump says for what it's worth: a man panicked over his reelection chances if the economy goes into recession and/or the stock market craters.
7
When Trump said,“The virus that we’re talking about having to do, a lot of people think that goes away in April, with the heat, as the heat comes in, typically that will go away in April,” he was also parroting what the Chinese government was saying.
3
Some historical antecedents to this pandemic might be worth considering: In the early 1950s, America’s greatest fear besides nuclear war, was Polio, caused by a virus. In 1952 we had the worst outbreak in our history, with 58,000 cases, of which 5.5% died and 36% had mild or major paralysis. The public treated it like a yearly plague, which happened every summer.
Jonas Salk spent seven years working on a vaccine, and as noted in his Wikipedia article, it was “the most elaborate program of its kind in history, involving 20,000 physicians and public health officers, 64,000 school personnel, and 220,000 volunteers.”
Bill Gate’s foundation is still trying get some slacker countries to accept the vaccines. He’s spent a ton of his own money on that effort. This could be a chance for Trump to MAGA, if he can super-charge our research engines and devote the needed money. We and China are already working on a vaccine. The race is on!
5
Re "One lesson of that 2009 outbreak is the paramount importance of relying on information from scientific experts, not from ideological soul mates."
The universe works the way it works, and is indifferent to whether we can predict it or whether we believe we can wish its behavior away through politics or religion. Science is our attempt to rigorously understand what the universe does and is going to do so that we can (sometimes) engineer our way around it. Politicians ignore science at their own peril and that of their constituents.
12
Covid19 appears to be particulately dangerous for older males with coexisting health problems. Rural areas in general have less access to health care, lower levels of education (which is associated with lower health status). Rural, male, older, less educated, sounds like a Trump demographic profile. The geographic areas of Trump support also have higher rates of smoking, diabetes, and obesity. I wonder if Trump country will see higher rates of death from the virus?
29
@Peter: We will probably only know how many people died of Covid-19 complications when we can look back and calculate "excess deaths" in each state/demographic. The death rate in epidemics and natural disasters is often a lagging indicator.
2
I am a massive admirer of Mr Kristof’s, but I wish he would stop picking people from and promoting Ivy League schools and elite institutions in his articles and on his win a trip. I say this from the University of Oxford (hertford college). I think there are plenty of amazing people in universities all over the states to choose to profile, these schools already get plenty of attention and their students tons of opportunity, and he propagates some strange myth, and the class divisions that come with it, about these institutions. I know Kristof is a Harvard graduate and Rhodes scholar, and both have certainly served him well in capacity and morals, so I understand his reverence for these universities, but there is more out there. A small and somewhat benign critique, but I hope somewhat meaningful as well.
23
@Daniel Brown Excellent points. Having worked in the New York corporate world for more than 30 years, I've certainly met many capable people from the Ivy League. But hands-down, and in no particular order, my "go-to" brightest colleagues came from Rutgers, Salisbury University, Florida State University and Arizona State University. People from plenty of other schools also make my list. But the point is, we are a big country with a lot of talent.
9
Would it satisfy you if the application essays were ranked blind? And would it surprise you if the winner was then discovered to be from institutions that are the hardest to enter?
@Daniel Brown
Quoting Nick above, in a reply to a similar comment:
"Maddy is actually the first winner from an Ivy League school, although there have been winners from Stanford and Notre Dame and Northwestern. But there have also been winners from Millsaps College and Arizona State and others."
We just had a referendum here in Maine on whether parents can choose to NOT vaccinate their children. The anti-vaxxers used deceptive and confusing wording (if you voted NO you were saying YES to keeping a new law banning non-medical exceptions), and they tried to rally people around an anti-Pharma sentiment which was a smokescreen. Thankfully, it was resoundingly rejected. It's a relief to see that a majority of us still believe in science, and recognize something called the common good.
136
No matter what Trump does (or fails to do) in response to any given situation, he will say
“We have it so well under control. I mean, we really have done a very good job.”
Oh the bitter irony of this, coming from a man so evidently out of control, someone governed, over a long disgraceful career, by ignorance, arrogance, narcissism, self-delusion, inability to pause long enough to consider what informed, decent and experienced people might have to say. The unending changes in his Administrative line-up (most recently, elevating Mark Meadows to Chief of Staff) reveal so very clearly that "having things under control" means to him "having people under control."
57
It seems simple enough: vote Republican and die.
It’s not just Trump; red states that refused to expand Medicaid have a weakened healthcare system, especially in rural areas. Hospitals and clinics are cutting back or shutting down. Underfunded public health departments lack the resources to respond.
But the one thing to remember about the Scientists we are supposed to listen to in the Trump administration is this: their most important qualification is total commitment to whatever Trump wants. If delaying test availability and not reporting the number of tests keeps the numbers of infections reported low, and Trump looking good...
32
We actually need more than science, test kits, quarantines or even vaccines. In the U.S., about 2,800 people already die each day from self-induced pleasure-seeking causes. They didn't need a new germ. Consider some causes of death each year:
Smoking: 480,000
Alcohol: 88,000
Homicides: 11,000
Car crashes: 40,000
Drug overdoses: 70,000
Suicide: 47,000
Obesity: 300,000
11
So...your theory is, let’s throw more sticks on the fire.
Oh, my goodness.
You forgot gunfire: 35,000 per year.
1
As the fast-spreading deadly epidemic turns into a pandemic, creating a dire national public health emergency, something which has already occurred in some states, it can be urgent and necessary, to prevent avoidable infections and deaths.
This may require ending mass gatherings, such as the political conventions, and folding this election cycle into the next, to ameliorate a disaster of worsening this dire deadly crisis.
9
Public Health experts study the results between those vaccinated and unvaccinated (and this is one reason vaccines take time to develop because that study takes time). But when 97% of those vaccinated for measles don't get sick and 90% do get sick, I'll go with science and get vaccinated. Besides being at lower risk, those with the vaccine have milder cases and are less contagious.
Look at obituaries from the early 1900s--over half the people died from infections--but today infections kill only 1.6%. I suspect this success has inured us to the reality of the danger of infections.
BTW, I really recommend the new shingles vaccine. I've had several friend who've had shingles and they all report how horrific it was.
17
Sure, as Kristof says, the Rush L/Trump ideology "already cost lives once, and probably will again."
But it's much deeper. Americans are victims of a long, consistent ideological blockage to what all other democracies have as accepted centrist policy.
Our center has been that HC should be profit based, depend on income and employment. And that guarantees our Freedoms.
Our general HC system has already cost lives---of untreated citizens who can't afford to see a doctor as illness starts. Compared to nations with HC as a right, our system results in earlier deaths, more disability, and more medical bankruptcy---- even with ACA.
If these American had lived in other advanced democracies, they'd have a better chance of still being alive, working, and financially safe.
See NYT op ed The Fake Freedom of American Health Care, by a Finnish journalist living here, coping with our complex HC system.
She says, "life expectancy at age 65 is higher in 24 other developed nations, including Canada, UK, and most EU nations.
And "Overall, Americans spend far more of their hard-earned money on health care than citizens of any other country, by a very wide margin. This means that it is in fact Americans who are getting a raw deal."
Now, a new virus only exposes entrenched weaknesses – in our HC, and our politics, and media.
Our media must expand its coverage and commentary. Our HC must expand coverage. HC reform is our 21st century civil rights movement-- for all Americans.
18
@Meredith I can't read comments this lengthy, but I have a feeling you're on the right track.
The lower vaccination rate in Republican states could in part be related to the lower income of those regions. 2011 was before Obama Care, and there could well have been many without insurance. So right-wing anti-vaccination commentary could provide a good justification for those who don't have the money or ability to take time off work to see a doctor to get vaccinated.
1
“We have it totally under control,” Trump said on Jan 21 “It’s one person coming in from China. It’s going to be just fine.”
On Feb. 2, two days after the administration announced that it would restrict travel from China in response to the viral threat, Trump said, “We pretty much shut it down coming in from China.”
As new cases mushroom all around the country,
Trump continues to claim that “we have it so well under control” and that his approach is succeeding “because of quick action on closing our borders”.
He told reporters on Friday “we’re doing a really good job in this country at keeping it down.
Everyone loves a clueless leader disconnected from reality.
178
@Socrates
Instead of hugging and kissing in India the Trumps should have been here planning for this country’s upcoming health crisis. Reckless, clueless, thoughtless, dangerous narcissists.
In your words - November 3, 2020.
MIMA
9
@Socrates trump is trying to calm the stock market.
4
@Socrates
Unfortunately, we have a president who is inept. I hope we will be able to change things after November 3,2020.
Go to OUR LADY OF THE LAKE and pray for our national health and our political leaders of the future and our inept president.
3
Samoa had a massive measles outbreak this fall. The death toll there was over 80 deaths, in a population of just over 200,000 a rate of 14.3 deaths per 1000 infections. Can you imagine if that happened here, because whole swaths of the country refused vaccines.
17
All through Trump's presidency, his deliberate weakening of the federal government's capacities for acting and advising on infectious diseases has been puzzling in view of his germaphobia. Sure, he sees the bureaucracy generally as an obstacle to his will, but you'd think he'd keep that part of it strong for his own protection. Now he's actually obstructing an effective national response to a specific threat.
There doesn't seem to be such a term as "panic denial", but it's hard to find another shorthand for what seems to be going on in Donald Trump's mind.
19
“One lesson of that 2009 outbreak is the paramount importance of relying on information from scientific experts, not from ideological soul mates”. Will the Pence led/Trump inspired approach muffle the scientific experts over the ideological shouters to polish their PR agenda? I fear the answer is FOX obvious.
7
At times like these, I am reminded of this quote:
“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'”
Isaac Asimov
Frankly, people's ignorance and support for messages based in ignorance will get some of them, their at risk family members and a lot of others dead in the next few weeks and month.
142
The only reason to rely on Rush Limbaugh for information is to get a high from liberal bashing. Once your addicted to Limbaugh it is painful to withdraw. Unlike following Limbaugh, listening to what scientists are saying is not addicting and is usually informative. There is no liberal bashing high but the information should be credible, something Limbaugh cannot offer. When it comes to the coronavirus, or any scientific matter such as climate change, listening to what scientists have to say is the best thing to do, the worst thing to do is listening to conservative talk show hosts such as Rush Limbaugh.
26
@Bob Once you'rE addicted......
"Don't trust he government!"
I never knew Donald Trump was not part of the government!
Since this type of virus disproportionately affects older citizens, they may look at this as a way to cut spending by having us folks drop off the radar screen. Good bye to Social Security, Medicare and taxes on the rich!
Rush and Donnie are no spring chickens! They may want to remember that.
25
BTW, Stanford historian Walter Scheidel says that French-Revolution-style economic rearranging is rare. More common? Leveling as a result of pandemics.
6
@Blair Very true. It's well documented that medieval European peasants who survived the Black Plague discovered that their drastically reduced numbers meant that the surviving labor force had much better leverage to demand better wages and working conditions.
6
Since the WHO had already approved a COVID-19 test that had been developed in Germany, why didn't the US (CDC and others) adopt this assay rather than developing a new one, thus avoiding the problems attendant to the test the CDC was trying to develop? Using an assay that was already in place would seem to have sped up the capability to test significantly more potentially infected patients.
47
@EC Because American corporations don't profit from foreign business.
It may take longer this way and more Americans may die this way, but at least Trump's U S backers will make tons more money.
3
"In fact, the United States bungled the response to the coronavirus, in particular with delays in testing"
How many people have actually been tested for the coronavirus in the USA?
As of March 5, 2020, 1,583 patients had been tested at CDC. This does not include testing being done at state and local public health laboratories, which began this week.
And while the American capacity to test for the coronavirus has ramped up significantly over the past few days, local officials can still test only several thousand people a day, not the tens or hundreds of thousands indicated by the White House’s promises.
In South Korea, more than 66,650 people were tested within a week of its first case of community transmission, and it quickly became able to test 10,000 people a day.
The United Kingdom, which has only 115 positive cases, has so far tested 18,083 people for the virus.
Why the delay in testing in the USA?
“I don’t know what went wrong,” a former CDC chief told The Atlantic.
51
Congratulations Maddie Bender. One of the things I learned from my friend Charlie Hamlin of Denver is that you don’t have to leave the US to visit a third world country. I’ve seen it first hand in the Southwest. Enjoy your year. I look forward to reading about your travels.
19
Thank you Nick. Yes, science and vaccines should never be dismissed out of ignorance, but panic is not the solution either, There is no concrete evidence (yet) that coronavirus mutations are particularly deadly or overly contagious. To healthy people and children the symptoms are actually as or even less severe. The swine flu was a true epidemic but it neither crippled the economy or caused mass hysteria. Fear sells and the media knows it. I despise Trump but don't fault him from trying to calm people down. Hundreds of Americans die each day from influenza during flu season - can you imagine if the press ran updates every hour ? People would lose their minds and lock themselves indoors. 99% of Americans have nothing to fear and should go on with their lives. In the meantime the lawyers are lining up to sue any public official who doesn't declare a state of emergency - it's a vicious circle. Trump will never be the voice of reason but taking a political stand on one side or the other doesn't do anyone any good.
5
Bill Maher is a celebrity that no one really agrees with. He is funny, but not a deep thinker, and generally he is a wealthy man with wealthy man concerns. He does not represent the left. If anything he represent the status quo, having donated to Obama and supporting Hillary and now supporting Biden.
3
I wholeheartedly agree that "living with the wise uncertainty of scientists is preferable to the ranting certainty of demagogues." But I gotta say that the CDC has been issuing so many announcements about how long and how often we should be washing our hands that its name ought to be changed to the OCDC.
6
I, like some others who have commented here, recognize that it is impossible to convince a Trump supporter that hard science ... ahem ... trumps uninformed opinion every time. So I won't waste my breath trying to make them see reason; rather, I will simply keep up to date on the latest from the CDC and other experts, and follow their advice.
7
The military doesn't ask whether you want a vaccine or not. If the military wants you to have a certain vaccine, you're getting the vaccine. Some are experimental. You still don't have a choice. Strange that conservatives would support this theory in one context but reject the same theory in another. The military herd is safe with immunization but the civilian population is not? Hmm...
This is Trump's Katrina moment. He's working tirelessly to ensure the truth isn't discovered in real time. If that means you die, Trump doesn't care. Grim but true.
57
What, exactly, is this truth that President Trump is working so tirelessly to conceal?
Sadly, this virus is an example of why Trump's belief that he knows more than any expert no matter the topic and that, as he told Bloomberg, no one is smarter than he is. It is also sad, but certainly not surprising, that he is concerned only about himself. He talks about Wall Street and tries to wish it back up.
When he talks about a few thousand Americans stuck on a cruise ship off San Francisco, what is his concern? He doesn't want them to land because it will rise the "number" of cases the United States has. He seems to think that the country with the fewest cases "wins," though wins what is anyone's guess. The man has zero capacity to care for or about others - any others.
116
@Anne-Marie Hislop
So true regarding the San Francisco cruise ship "numbers"and Trump's obsession with "winning". Winning is the only thing for him. With international trade he talks of "beating" our trading partners, not about achieving fairness.
With every issue he focuses on numbers and finds a path -- however convoluted, or simply false -- to declaring himself the winner.
Bellicose and transparently narcissistic -- the ultimate blowhard indeed.
3
Americans might be closer to socialised medicine than they know. If this epidemic really takes off, which is looking more likely by the day, then the healthcare insurers will go bust, and perhaps some re-insurers as well. So what then?
Well, the bureaucratic apparatus to process claims will still be in place, so something must happen with the bankrupted insurers to continue the cover of millions of Americans who have paid their premiums in good faith; and millions of uninsured will have to receive the same care or the exercise will be unfair.
The government could give the insurers a money shower so that when the epidemic subsides they can continue on their merry way overseeing the most expensive healthcare system in the world, or, alternatively, buy their bureaucratic apparatus from the receiver.
There is two sorts of opium in America, the poison peddled to millions by the pharmaceutical companies, and the free money addiction on Wall Street. So the solution to the insurers problems will be more likely a money shower at taxpayers expense, which will represent a socialisation of medical expenses.
2
It is just a matter of time before SARS-2 turns up at an indoor Trump rally. At that point we may properly think of Trump as an active facilitator of the disease.
8
@Shillingfarmer
Somebody at the last Republican conference which Trump and Pence attended has been diagnosed with the virus. He was infected roughly a week before the conference began.
4
Congratulations to Maddie on her win, and to Nicholas Kristof for continuing his annual contest. May she derive the inspiration she needs for a wonderful career.
It's nice to write the word inspiration in considering a topic as this one. That we have an egomaniac putting his needs above those of the country is depressing.
I wonder how long it will take for some supporters to realize the enormity of Trump's misdirection and mismanagement?
Sooner or later, some might get sick because they didn't take proper precautions, believe the media, or see through the president when he proclaimed that the virus would be gone by spring.
In terms of messaging, Trump and Pence are cancelling each other out. I personally want to hear more from our real health experts, instead of "hunches" from a man who, for a self-professed germaphobe seems incredibly sanguine about COVID-19's gravity.
7
Thank you for pointing out that those who have spouted vehemently against vaccination have fed a culture of ignorance, supporting various debunked conspiracy theories.
Unfortunately, this has led to unnecessary suffering and sometimes death for those who go without vaccinations and are vulnerable to infectious disease. Now Trump is advocating the speedy manufacture of vaccine for the corona virus, while before tweeting debunked notions that vaccines cause autism ("Healthy young child goes to doctor, gets pumped with massive shot of many vaccines, doesn't feel good and changes - AUTISM. Many such cases!"). Curing public ignorance may be more difficult to cure than the coronavirus, especially when politicians and media personalities are obfuscating the truth for short-term political or personal fame.
19
@Mike
Last year we had a measles epidemic in my that spread like wildfire. Ignorance was fueled by social media and branded names who have no problem just like Trump to infect regular citizens to punch they agenda.
This virus is being fueled by Trump ignorance. He is suppressing information to feed his own delusional agenda
Trump created this issue and his base will suffer from this virus because he just doesn’t care about the country
"That [right-wing] ideological approach to health care already cost lives once, and it probably will again."
I'd say not probably, but certainly. And a lot of lives. The American Hospital Association just shared an expert's prediction of 96 million (yes, million) infections in the U.S over the next few months, some 5 million hospitalizations, and 480k deaths. Let's all hope that's a worst-case scenario that turns out to be way off the mark, but even a much better scenario will be catastrophic.
Maybe we'll finally learn as a nation that there are more frightening words than those Ronald Reagan deemed the 9 scariest words in English: "I'm from the government, and I'm here to help." Like, for example, "Donald Trump is still the president of the United States." Or, "No, the Trump administration still hasn't acted to provide an adequate supply of tests for this pandemic."
35
There may have once been Republicans who were real statespersons, but today they are from the school of Flat Earth, whether by nature or nurture. I'm sure Mitch McConnell and Elaine Chao know better, and it's how that knowledge is used that should disturb their base. But that story has already been written.
24
If there are 25,000 influenza deaths per annum in the United States, and this bug is ten times more contagious and ten times more lethal, then arithmetic suggests that this epidemic could kill two and a half millions if unchecked.
6
Many thousands of Americans will die of this coronavirus, because of Trump's willful ignorance, his hubris, and his insistence on toadying sycophants surrounding him.
The "preparation" this administration has done thus far is to decide on a strategy that tells us the problem doesn't really exist, and to persuade his rabid base that the virus is a hoax. Under this "president" our federal government has done nothing but worsen the problem. Expect our "president" to continue to lie to us about this virus. Expect our "president" to continue saying it is all a "hoax", even though several hundred community acquired cases have already been documented in this country. Mike Pence as "Virus Czar"? Positively Kafkaesque.
And expect that all of the "president's" supporters will believe him. This means that 45% of our citizens will not take even the most basic of sensible precautions. Trump has, with his reckless talk, primed tens of millions of his adoring fans as nothing more than disease vectors. If this virus spreads rapidly, they'll be to thank for failing to take the crisis seriously.
So expect that the truth will not be reported. Expect that medical resources will not be available when they are needed. Expect hospitals to be overrun by the many tens of thousands of folks (or more) without health care coverage, or who cannot afford their deductibles. In short, expect to see this virus play out as it would in any Third World country.
20
@Orion Clemens
In many respects, we ARE a third World Country. It’s called Trumpistan.
Sad.
2
Neither President Trump nor anyone else has called the possible coronavirus pandemic a "hoax". What the president did call a 'hoax' was the immediate misinformed and/or lying Democratic negative reaction to just about every word that he spoke at a press conference concentrating on the possible pandemic. Mr. Kristof knows better, but pushes forth the Democratic 'hoax' just a bit further.
3
@Joe Pearce
So now we can’t believe our own ears. Just owe up to what your white old man leader stated. Believe it or not their is a little something called tape when you can’t listen to the mouth live
He said it now own it and be a adult
2
@Joe Pearce
trump refused to let the cruise ship docked off the coast of San Francisco disembark its passengers since it would raise the amount of corona virus cases in the USA. That is NOT spin or a hoax but fact!
his handling of the response to the possible pandemic, criticized by the left, is what his "hoax" comment was about. his handling and response has been abominable. That is not a hoax!
1
Give the right-wing politicians and conservative media blowhards their due.
It takes a strong commitment to extreme partisanship and purposeful ignorance to be willing to repeatedly elevate the mortality risk of your political base and core audience in pursuit of staying on brand.
27
I would also add that although stressing the fact that "if you have flu-like symptoms stay home and do not go out to work/public places" is a good advice, but it does not solve the problem of millions who work on hourly basis and showing up is how they get paid. The government should structure some sort of pay insurance/monitoring for both employers and employees to cover the quarantine period. well, maybe this restructure is too late for this pandemic, but maybe for the next one...
7
Nick, you write that "It’s not fair to blame all the bungling and lack of preparation on Trump." Why not, exactly?
Trump made catastrophic blunders that set the stage for this disaster. He should be held responsible for these blunders.
In 2018 Trump abolished the pandemic preparedness planning offices in the National Security Council and the Department of Homeland Security, headed by Rear Admiral Timothy Ziemert and Tom Bossert, despite many warnings that this would bring disaster when the next pandemic inevitably occurred.
Without these planning and coordination functions in place it's no wonder that the Trump administration has committed epic errors--most tragically its catastrophic failed rollout of coronavirus test kits.
Then Trump compounded the folly of abolishing the pandemic preparedness offices by failing, over the last 6 weeks, to ensure that CDC efforts to make and deploy coronavirus test kits was on track. CDC's blunders could have been corrected, had anyone been minding the store. Nobody was.
Untold thousands of Americans will lose their lives as a result of these blunders.
And President Trump is fully responsible. Nick, you should say so.
144
@Rod Edmonds ,
Exactly right. Thank you for speaking out.
30
Something people are not talking about much yet is the effect of an epidemic on polling day. Who wants to go into a confined space and breathe the air of thousands of voters when there is an epidemic raging outside. Moreover, what about the problem of people obviously sick forbidden to enter the polling station to exercise their franchise?
The obvious solution is to delay the election by executive order, but that could be mistaken for a coup d’état by the incumbent.
1
@Pelasgus
Juast as long as order doesn't cancel the executive's rallies, we'll be fine. No?
Ideology gets in the way of just about everything - not just disease outbreaks like this. And yet there is a delicious comfort that comes with the certainty that is proffered by folks like Limbaugh, or Trump, or the many religious leaders who offer their own brands of certainty. I think that's what makes so many of us abandon our inherent caution and throw our lot wholeheartedly in with these charlatans.
But while certainty may offer comfort, it is supremely arrogant to think or say that we are certain about almost anything. If any of us are honest with ourselves, we must admit that we know very little. Scientists tend to have this awareness, as it is an essential component of the scientific process. But politicians generally avoid recognizing or admitting fallibility, since the vast majority of us prefer to vote for those who are absolutely certain that they know what is best, and will of course provide it.
So therein lies the dilemma: we voters crave certainty, but what we really need is the uncertainty that is the cornerstone of wisdom.
Of course at this point I can't help inserting a tongue-in-cheek reference to Darwinian principles: when it comes to listening to people like Limbaugh or Trump in matters of life or death, we can simply watch the process of natural selection play out. Obviously this is a cruel and heartless consideration, but it certainly does give us pause.
19
Gratitude, once again, to Kristof for trying to grapple with an issue that lies at the intersection of sociology, psychology, and immunology and one that I've given up trying to discuss with people in L.A. I still have my little blue vaccination booklet from the '60s, a time when our parents and grandparents remembered deadly flu, polio, and a world before antibiotics. Listening to a celebrity or political dynasty scion's half-baked beliefs about vaccines would have seemed madness then. How did we lose our way?
60
Just for the record, only cable TV, and this page, would regard Bill Maher as a leftist.
If only public discourse wasn't so thoroughly constrained, with permissible debate somewhere between Rush Limbaugh and Bill Maher, or between Bret Stephens and Nicholas Kristof, Americans might have better sense of what's possible, and of how other people live.
But that's not to be.
18
This quote from the article can be applied to so many current issues:
"Living with the wise uncertainty of scientists is preferable to the ranting certainty of demagogues."
It underscores the conceit that politics is less conservative vs. progressive, and more close-minded vs. curious.
68
Nick...great piece. Most of the people who are against vaccines and the government were never in the military. There, the government (in my case Navy) lined me up every week with my soon to be shipmates and injected us with all sorts of stuff so we could do our job to keep the country safe while we were "in." I have, since then, always done what the government told me to do to stay healthy and I have been, too...for 78 years.
623
@Retired in Thanks for your comment. I certainly don't believe in always believing the government, but I do believe in generally trusting public health experts -- and they overwhelmingly support vaccination programs. The problem with the anti-vax groups is that they risk not only their own children but also other children: There are some kids who for one reason or other (e.g. suppressed immune systems because of cancer) can't get vaccinated. They depend on herd immunity from other kids around them getting vaccinated. In my reporting abroad, I see parents willing to hike for miles and stand for hours to get their kids vaccinated, and then in America i see parents who refuse vaccinations when it's so easy to get them. Sigh. And this is a case where we see that the anti-science blowhards like Rush Limbaugh and Donald Trump appear to have lowered vaccination rates in red states in ways that resulted in higher deaths from the flu. The lesson for this year seems obvious: Listen to the experts, not the blowhards.
697
@Nicholas Kristof
That's wrong.
Herd immunity doesn’t work the same way for vaccines like it does for naturally acquired immunity, which confers a more robust, longer lasting immunity that may be life long.
While herd immunity often occurs in populations in which a majority has had the infection, vaccines confer only temporary immunity, which means that herd immunity is unlikely to be fully achieved even if nearly 100 percent of the population are vaccinated.
Several studies show disease outbreaks in populations with very high vaccine coverage, where vaccine acquired herd immunity should have effectively prevented the outbreak - but did not.
Listen to the experts, not the blowhards.
4
@Fourteen14, People who are actively sick and shedding pathogens like flu virons do not provide heard immunity, but its opposite, they provide community transmission of the disease. So, while your point about naturally acquired immunity being superior to vaccine immunity has some validity for some diseases like seasonal influenzas, natural immunity only applies to those who survive the disease, not to the vulnerable people whom the disease has killed because there was not enough vaccination levels in a population to cause the herd immunity effect in the year that they died. Scientists are working on a new generation of influenza vaccines that will cause both cellular and humoral (antibody) immune responses in people, rather than just the antibody producing response current vaccines engender. This should make future flu vaccines more effective as they will more closely mimic a flu infection without actually causing disease.
113
"In the United States, it infected 60 million people, caused 274,000 hospitalizations and killed 12,469 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."
The swine flu was not terribly lethal; killing only about two one hundredths of one percent of those infected.
We really don't know the fatality rate of the corononavirus because there are likely so many people who are infected but asymptomatic or with only a mild case. But it is frightening to think what the numbers might be if current fatality rate estimates aren't wildly overstated.
17
@Sparky It is highly likely that the calculated death rate will fall as the number of mild infections becomes known. However, from the estimates I've seen, it's likely to be around .7% compared to the flu at .1%. The estimates of the death rates among those older than 70 is 3 times that .7% or 2.1%.
As the number of mild cases are added, it will show a much higher infection rate than is being reported i.e. it may well be more contagious than the flu.
19
@Karl
I believe the over 70 fatality is 10%, and over 80 is 14%. Under age 10 is zero so far.
But these are current fatality rates not adjusted downward by the mild cases.
3
@Karl Certainly, if mild cases go undiagnosed and untested, the true mortality rate is lower. But there is a corollary: If fatalities go undiagnosed and untested--deaths attributed simply to pneumonia or respiratory failure--the rate would adjust upward.
Without adequate testing, we just can't know.
6
Although I always appreciate Nick's efforts to show both sides of a situation, I'm sorry to say I see a case of what Paul Krugman pejoratively calls media "bothsideism" here. Bill Maher does not in any way represent the left when it comes to vaccines. People on the left overwhelmingly favor vaccines. Bill Maher is a smart guy, but for whatever reason, he's definitely an outlier when it comes to vaccines.
367
@Dan I think my column made that clear, but it would be intellectually dishonest not to mention that some on the left made similar arguments. More broadly, the anti-vaxxers started on the left (Santa Monica was an initial hub, and Robert Kennedy was an initial leader) but scholars have found that more recently the hostility to vaccinations has migrated to the right and is now more prevalent on the right than on the left.
233
@Nicholas Kristof As a long time resident (now moved on) I remember when Ashland Oregon was profiled on Frontline as one of the least vaccinated towns in the country. Very liberal, generally intelligent but with high rates of measles. Smart does not always mean understanding science and following CDC guidelines.
43
@Nicholas Kristof:
Nit: RFK, JUNIOR.
9
And you didn't even mention the catastrophes wrought by climate change that continue to rage virtually unchecked fueled by the Republican's blind romance with big oil and gas. How many lives will be lost as the climate worsens due to their misinformation campaigns and inaction? Brace yourselves.
79
Rather than down playing this, a real leader could better have said that at this time, we don't know how things are going to go. That would of course require honesty.
47
@SB and a modicum of humility.
3
@SB
And humility!
3
@SB If only we had a real leader.
4
The real worry is that there is no effective answer available, to be used by any President. There is no hint of a vaccine any time soon, and so far nothing known about cures or even full details of transmission. We are not even sure who has the disease.
Using this in politics excites people who live by politics. But as a health issue, we face a black hole right now. That is where the attention ought to go, how to learn ASAP all that we don't know. And that requires acknowledging what we don't know rather than "who is to blame."
20
@Mark Thomason Try telling that to Trump.
2
@Mark Thomason
It would be easier to discover what we do not know if leaders, like Trump, stopped denying, silencing (and defunding) science. Also allowing the scientists to speak, rather than having an (evangelical) blowhard as the mouthpiece for the control effort, would be a huge step forward.
1
The lesson: Don't waste your breath trying to convince MAGAts that the coronavirus is not a hoax. Some people cannot learn empirically.
Remember, the margin of votes in 2016 in swing states was only 77,000 in aggregate in three states.
280
@Robert Henry Eller I don't know whether to laugh or cry at this comment. But in any case, this is different from H1N1. At that time, those who listened to Trump/Limbaugh were less likely to be vaccinated and thus were more likely to die from the virus. But at this point, there's no vaccine, and the Trump administration's failure to prepare hurt everyone regardless of your respect for science. So in this case the mortality rate for those who respect science and those who disrespect it may not be so different. I don't think Darwinian processes help you.
111
@Nicholas Kristof
Yes, of course coronavirus is different than H1N1. But @Robert Henry Eller still has a point.
With H1N1, the vaccine skeptics failed to be innoculated and thus endangered themselves and the public at large.
With coronavirus, the analog to avoiding vaccination, is to take Trump's word as gospel, ignore personal hygiene and join public crowds.
Pretty similar consequences.
49
@Nicholas Kristof I suggest both laughing and crying. That's what I'm doing.
And while anyone can get infected, those who take the virus seriously, and take precautions, may be less likely to get infected in the first place.
I understand Darwinian processes may not help me as an individual. But if people take voting more seriously -- non-voters may learn to vote, those who vote to "stick it to the libs" may learn the cost of hate voting -- maybe people will take citizenship more seriously, will demand their elected representatives be more honest, honor their oaths of office. History shows, apparently, that democracies respond more effectively to such health crises than do authoritarian regimes.
When you're finished laughing or crying, or trying to decide whether to laugh or cry, you can read Michael Lewis' recent "The Fifth Risk," which I think of as the "anti-Atlas Shrugged."
21
Does anyone believe trump can objectively look at anything? Everything is viewed through the lens of how can I make myself look good and my ideological enemies look bad. His media brethren are no different. My confidence that our federal government will respond with reason and responsibility is very low.
202
@Ben
Trump's only ideology is narcissism, so his ideological enemies are those who don't see what he sees in the mirror. Hence "fake news", "hoax" etc.
What do you expect from a nation where many do not believe in evolution and also think the planet is 6000 years old?
How many more deny man-made climate change?
Elizabeth Warren was probably the most qualified candidate and was rejected in part because she came across as too professorial.
Ain't that America, something to see?
924
@Kevin Rothstein
Pink Houses, Red States. No difference.
Sad.
18
@Kevin Rothstein
"As states become relatively more Republican, swine-flu related deaths rise."
This could be seen as a form of red-state 'natural selection'
Spite, meet the recently cut-off nose. 'You're welcome'
Ain't that America, home of the free,.....for you and me.
(Hey there Phyliss)
25
Science is not just conjecture and measurement. Science uses mathematics to model real-world phenomena like pandemics and epidemics. The mathematics and mathematical tools behind such models have a long history of development and real-world validation. The science and underlying math are apolitical.
Trump, Limbaugh and the rest are merely good ole American anti-intellectualism in action. Ask Rush if he is willing to abandon the science and experts behind his cancer treatment. I suspect that you will get a different story.
681
@PJD
True.
Every time I hear one of these climate change deniers or coronavirus doubters pontificating as to how the science is not to be trusted I ask them if they are willing to give up their cell phones or automobiles.
Always get back silence.
90
@PJD
Actually, so-called science is not science at all when considered in the context of politics and economics and profits. For example, would you believe a scientist from Merck?
Let's not confuse physics with its controllable and finite variables with the confounded statistical bunk used to coerce belief and dollars.
Academic competition (politics) and research grants (economics) affect science in every way - you can't be naive and believe that science is science just because it has numbers.
Most of medical so-called science cannot be replicated and Big Pharma may throw out 20 studies until it gets the results it wants after changing the cohorts, experimental design, and increase or shorten the trial length of time to get their results.
The heads of the NIH and CDC and FDA are industry insiders, with stock options.
The data sets that medical schools use (and much of their curriculum) come from Big Pharma. Industry ties and special interest funding debase science.
Studies show the Journals are all affected by advertising and funding and medical journal editors are paid big money by Big Pharma every year.
“It is simply no longer possible to believe much of the clinical research that is published, or to rely on the judgment of trusted physicians or authoritative medical guidelines. I take no pleasure in this conclusion, which I reached slowly and reluctantly over my two decades as an editor” - Marcia Angell 2009
That's the non-ivory tower real world reality.
15
@PJD
You are correct, sir! Think about it. The science that goes into making textiles, airplane parts, safe drugs -- the exact same process of hypothesis, experiment, data, conclusion and the feedback cycle from testing -- is accepted by all those people who wear clothes, fly on planes and use pharmaceuticals. Yet many of them deny science, at least rhetorically. Selective reasoning, to be polite, by some. Intentional demagoguery by many. And sheer stupidity by the rest.
21
It’s so bizarre conservatives are supposed to be, conservatives, more cautious, less willing to take risks..but here we have the opposite. Conservatives instead of being cautious on a potential outbreak are dismissing it as, wave hand, it will go away as the temperature rises. Shrug
103
‘Conservative’ is a cover-name for people who can only think in binary terms, and belong to one (or more) of the Three Circles: Venality, Stupid/Ignorance, and Animus. None respond to reason.
8
These are not classical conservatives. They have morphed into something else. Ignorant, unethical, Trump sycophants. Neo Fascist anti-science conspiracy theorists. True conservatism is dead or on life support. Read George Will’s book on the subject. AM radio talk show hosts? The worst of the worst. Preying on ignorant listeners. Classical conservatives accomplished a lot for this country. There are some left, but they have been driven from the field by loud mouths like Jim Jordan and Sean Hannity. Sad to see it, but is been heading this way for more than a few years. Thanks, Mitch, for your part.
7
@petey tonei Their desire to stick it to the educated, elite "libruls" exceeds their interest in self-preservation. How else would you explain their support of Trump?
5
This is a frightening excerpt from a British newspaper:
'In the note, sent to the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine, critical care experts Professor Maurizio Cecconi, Professor Antonio Pesenti and Professor Giacomo Grasselli, from the University of Milan, revealed how difficult it had been to treat coronavirus patients.
They said: “We are seeing a high percentage of positive cases being admitted to our intensive care units (ICUs), in the range of 10 per cent of all positive patients.
“We wish to convey a strong message: Get ready!”'
138
I have sometimes wondered if the right actually believes their own conspiracy propaganda. The real test to see if they really believe their claims that the coronavirus pandemic is a hoax will come when it becomes clear that it could spread at political rallies. Will Trump continue to hold rallies? Will his base attend the rallies? It will be a real world psych lab experiment in human belief systems and behavior. My bet is that they will still claim the pandemic is a fraud but they will stop holding rallies. I think George Orwell was right that people can believe two conflicting ideas without real effort.
444
@JS
Nobody has claimed the pandemic is a fraud, only that we don't yet quite know what it is, or what will be its ramifications. Last night I was in the company of people who had made up a Met Opera audience of some three thousand people, this for late dinner and talk. Not one of them even once mentioned the coronavirus, refused to shake hands, didn't touch their own faces, etc. These are quite intelligent people, almost all of them falling on the liberal side of any agenda. Obviously, they don't consider themselves in panic mode and are unafraid to attend large gatherings. I imagine Mr. Trump's political rallies will still draw as before. Maybe only the media will stay away, since having primary responsibility for the panic (as against simply reporting the facts), they may have become its most likely victims.
12
@Joe Pearce Didn't Limbaugh & Trump call it a hoax? When Trump heard someone at the CDC had it, he decided he wasn't going there. When that proved untrue, he did go.
Trump is a do what I say, not what I do guy, and his followers just do what he says.
101
@Joe Pearce perhaps you haven't been paying attention. I live in Italy and the authorities, medical professionals and population are taking this situation very seriously. Perhaps you think "facts" in the U.S. are different from facts in the rest of the world, but here in Europe, where people have a greater respect for science and common sense, government and citizens are acting as they should. I sincerely hope you're all ready there in the U.S. with your great leadership.
132
I'm sure Maddie Bender is a fantastic young person and will contribute a great deal to your reporting, as well as getting a fabulous opportunity to further her own education.
But, I'd love to see you select a student from CUNY, or from a rural community college--a kind of student who is often seen as an appropriate *object* for journalism, but rarely given the opportunity to offer their own perspective on the national stage. There are many students in such environments who could really use the leg up--and many readers who could benefit from their perspective.
256
@A Professor As you, I wish Ms. Bender well. As a graduate of a fsncy private school who has taught at public universities, I agree with you take about selecting wonderful students from CUNY or any state university.
I'd also urge Mr. Kristoff and Ms. Bender to travel to "left-behind" areas of the U.S. at this time. I am NOT saying "America first"; on the scale of human suffering , the U.S. still ranks low-ish. I guess I just still believe that suffering here matters.
78
@A Professor It would be interesting to know if past winners were also from elite schools or a mix. But I certainly agree there are many terrific students who are not at Ivies who would be very worthy recipients of this opportunity.
46
@Sparky Thanks for your comment, and I take your point. Maddy is actually the first winner from an Ivy League school, although there have been winners from Stanford and Notre Dame and Northwestern. But there have also been winners from Millsaps College and Arizona State and others. It has been quite a mix.
212
Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson was a guest on last evening's Steven Colbert show. When asked his thoughts on the Covid-19 scare, Dr. Tyson took the 30,000 foot view and said something like this: 'We're doing a great experiment right now; will we listen to the scientists?'
This column basically echoes Tyson's point of view!
Thanks for the 2011 study about the difference in vaccination rates in red v. blue states for the swine flu and the resulting differences in mortality. Sad, so very sad.
The Age of the Enlightenment seems to be dead in some quarters of America.
712
@Retired Faculty Member That people like Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck, who have no medical training, glibly tell people what to do regarding a potentially lethal illness is beyond appalling.
How do they possibly live with themselves?
169
@Sparky They don't respect their audience - if they did, they wouldn't lie; they would sell something else. Since Beck and Limbaugh know they're lying, they view the people who believe them as suckers and useful idiots. And if their audience are suckers, their fates don't matter because the supply seems endless.
37
@Sparky How do they live with themselves? Very easily it seems. They have utterly no shame, no medical expertise, no sense of ecency, and a fevered desire to make money from their demagoguery.
26
Thanks for this researched (or at least informed) opinion piece. Sharing the stark evidence that far right commentators, including trump, lead to actual deaths in republican areas is startling and disturbing.
Two thoughts:
Maybe, with their eye to increasing voters, they'll be more willing to adhere to science, for their own good.
Maybe, with a respect for truth instead of rants that have fatal effects, we should rescind Rush's medal of freedom.
351
@Nathan I had that same thought about Rush Limbaugh's Medal of Freedom when I was researching this column: We really want to honor a man who preached a hoax and as a result got people killed? And in this case it seems particularly appalling because the reason he and others called H1N1 a hoax was because a black Democrat was in the White House. Shaped by bigotry, they deceived their listeners in ways that were lethal. Doesn't sound like an optimal Medal of Freedom recipient to me.
1159
@Nathan: I do not think more of Limbaugh because trump gave him the Medal of Freedom. I just think less of the medal.
Trump has managed to tarnish that along with everything else he has touched.
222
@Nathan. The Medal of Freedom was an important way to celebrate and encourage one of the cherished ideals of the nation when it was inaugurated in 1945 by Harry Truman and then revised in 1963 by J.F.K. Considering where we are in 2020, perhaps we have a greater need for a Medal of Responsibility.
63