For the past 3.5 years, I’ve been going 2,000 mph just trying not to crash into the guardrail. Emergencies will do that, particularly in spaces that aren’t prepared. I’m finally able to slow down and process the good and bad in both my roles: being on the front lines of the response and publishing YLE.
You did an outstanding job. The politicization at the scale that occurred is directly related to one man that cared only about his own ratings, not the people he was elected to serve. There is no good answer on how to deal with a man that had no problem trashing our CDC like he did or anyone that crossed his path. That is what America voted for it an cost many their lives, like healthcare workers and people that followed the conspiracies over science. I valued your knowledge and appreciate your clarity. Thank you.
He could mean the VP who as a candidate said she would never take a Warp Speed vaccine then changed after elected. But as Katelyn said, Public Health should help people overcome political bias with facts; not by attempting to shutdown voices like Standord's Ioannidis or UCSF's Prassad who were much more accurate in retrospect. You play into fears when PH uses a meat axe rather than a scalpel to combat bad information.
Yeah. Although, I don't know how you'd avoid policization in a year that's both an election year and a census year. That's a 1 in 20 probability, on top of a pandemic.
I have really appreciated (and continue to appreciate) your balanced, direct, concise information sharing. Thank you for humbly sharing, admitting mistakes when they were made, and persevering through our generation's worst public health crisis (yet). Keep fighting the good fight.
We are all humans and are vulnerable to shortcomings. Science on the run is always confusing, it needs time to percolate. The best reporters and advisors are the ones who can easily admit their mistakes and oversights. This behavior adds to their dependable integrity - your valuable integrity!
No one in public health was really prepared to see the awesome complicating, often negative, impact of the human response factor. In retrospect, the political manipulation of the pandemic was both tragic and destructive (but not unprecedented - see 1918). The fear and uncertainty of the first year were Biblical. You jumped in to make sense of it all. Brava!
Yes, it is easy for us to say what we should have done, but it is easy to forget how little we knew and how scary it was. I don't really like the phrase "I believe in science" because that implies that science isn't as fluid, constantly changing, and complicated as it is. Then people get angry or said scientists "lied" to us when they really just had changing information.
Personally I like the phrasing, for me, because I do. But I believe in it warts and all. I don’t think it’s perfect, but I think it’s the best tool we have to try and separate fact from fiction in the presence of uncertainty. But I agree it’s wrong as a dogmatic phrase to beat others over the head with. If that’s what’s happening it’s usually directed at someone who doesn’t appreciate the warts and will respond exactly as you said treating it as analogous to a religion. I guess I believe in the process. And the phrase doesn’t capture that.
Agree, part of believing in science is also accepting its limitations. If the 5pm weather forecast says it's going to rain today and then it doesn't, that doesn't mean the meteorologist lied.
I don't "believe in science" -- that makes it sound like a religion, which is in fact a charge that anti-intellectuals routinely level at scientists all the time.
I believe in the scientific process. It works. The process is what separates us from the animals
Thank you so much for this summary. It's important to me that we continue to evaluate what we learned so we can -- hopefully -- be better prepared next time. I'd also like to see us heal the useless divisions that made it harder to protect people and save lives. You're right to remind us how terrifying this was. We didn't know what we didn't know. Still don't. I remember trying to figure out who to listen to, who to trust. From the beginning, yours was a voice that I listened to and could trust. Still do! Yours is a voice of integrity, honesty, sanity and humility. I am so grateful for your work and your voice.
It is the mark of a great soul that it can look at itself and admit its shortcomings. Congratulations! You are an inspiration! - Thank you also for all you did during the pandemic. Your column was our go-to place for the best information. Was it perfect? No. We were not looking for perfect. Only fools do that.
Wow! How I wish our elected officials could write something similar. I always admired your ability to say “I don’t know” and now admire you even more for publishing this very introspective article.
Only wish you would send it as an opinion piece to WSJ, NYT and others.
Where do the scientists that questioned policy, and were later proved right, go to get their reputations back? Where is the accountability for those that knowingly misled the public?
Oh please. If this weren't happening, we wouldn't have had a nation wide injunction placed on the current administration to stop colluding with tech companies to suppress information. Also, I did name some in another blog and was simply dismissed because they were "right wingers".
Dr Gupta has a perfectly fine reputation and is a vaccine advocate and believes everything antivaxers don’t, Malone and McCullough are grifters and spread dangerous misinformation throughout the pandemic and we’re wrong about everything that came out of their mouth, Dr Bhattacharya’s reputation is fine, Dr Kulldorff has not shown any scientific data to back up his idiotic claims, but his reputation is fine, Dr Makary is a fine doctor, but I don’t need to apologize to him about anything, Dr Atlas is a right wing, political hack that Velveeta Voldemort decided should be his coronavirus advisor even though he has zero experience in infectious diseases, but was chosen because he was a hack just like his boss
And your qualifications to determine who and who aren't "credible" are? This sounds more the rant of a Saul Alinsky disciple who can only attack the messenger when they are confronted with facts.
My qualifications to determine e who is and who isn’t credible are the same as the above people you named. But, just to not sound arrogant my qualifications are the thousands upon thousands of other scientists and doctors who have said the exact things I have. All of those people you named other than maybe that quack Kulldorff are fully vaccinated and followed protocols.
But, arguing with you and your same right wing talking points is not serving any purpose.
Please help us navigate endemic COVID. I’m finding it difficult to avoid infection, live my life and not feel marginalized. I’m older, have health risks but also don’t want to be isolated. I had a lovely exchange with Bob Wachter about his advice on this.
I do feel nuts when I mask , but I value my health too.
Recently there was tremendous hate on Twitter amongst the COVID concerned, and I learned about narcissism of the minority-- where a small minority turns on itself.
I just read Twitter, and not often.
Thank you for this reflection and all that you do.
I am so thankful for all you have done. As to being sloppy and checking sources in particular, but also all your items on your second list: I appreciate the honesty and reflection and also hope you see that by acting as a good scientist, you continue to seek where the weaknesses are and address them. You’ve done that time and time again. And been transparent (and humble) when doing so, which actitud think has set a far better example of good action than if you were perfect. You are a light throughout this pandemic. Your star is bright, but only starting to shine- and who knows if we would have gotten the chance to see your shine without this virus. While I could have done without COVID ... I remain grateful for you.
Jul 11, 2023·edited Jul 11, 2023Liked by Katelyn Jetelina
As a healthcare professional I couldn’t wait to read your next newsletter. You have always provided a valuable source of information which saved me time and confusion during a time where I really needed accurate information as quickly as possible. Thank you for all you do.
Great column. It may be insulting to say that you have matured a lot during the pandemic since I didn't know you before, but you are now a very articulate scientist and this post shows your depth of understanding. It is unfortunate that Republicans are so anti-science. Ted Budd who Trump propelled to the Senate came out against Many Cohen for the head of CDC because her covid policies got in the way of making money.
To end with a trivial thing: there is one wierd sentence that spolis an otherwise beautifully written post: I’ve also started a list my phone.
First, know that you and Dr. Bob Wachter were the two best guides in dealing with the magnitude of the Covid risk issue, what to do and how to do it. As an Industrial Hygienist for 50 yrs, knew that masks and ventilation/filtration were key control elements, with vaccines necessary. CDC failed for a number of reasons and truly hope they can change for future risks. Thank goodness for you and Dr. Bob.
Jul 11, 2023·edited Jul 11, 2023Liked by Katelyn Jetelina
One lesson I hope the US government has learned: never force people to do something. For instance: vaccine mandates.
Often, whatever force is being applied creates the opposite behavior. Not only are people now skeptical of and refusing mRNA vaccines, but the government has created hesitancy with tried-and-true “traditional” vaccines.
Force comes in many forms and is not limited to mandates. Creating charts based on cherry picked data, or omitting data that goes against The Narrative, is another form of manipulation that the American public can sniff from a mile away.
YLE, you’ve been a bright spot for many during this pandemic. I admire your intelligence, ability to communicate, courage and perseverance. You always learn and seek to do better. Good things are ahead for you!
"One lesson I hope the US government has learned: never force people to do something". Ah. So, no laws then, right? Because that's the logical outcome of that statement.
Or - Option 3 - have mandates, but just have a slightly less heavy handed approach. Like a nice clean tax incentive. Instead of expecting frontline workers to put their lives on the line by checking vaccination cards.
You did an outstanding job. The politicization at the scale that occurred is directly related to one man that cared only about his own ratings, not the people he was elected to serve. There is no good answer on how to deal with a man that had no problem trashing our CDC like he did or anyone that crossed his path. That is what America voted for it an cost many their lives, like healthcare workers and people that followed the conspiracies over science. I valued your knowledge and appreciate your clarity. Thank you.
Are you referring to the Governors of NY, IL and CA?
He could mean the VP who as a candidate said she would never take a Warp Speed vaccine then changed after elected. But as Katelyn said, Public Health should help people overcome political bias with facts; not by attempting to shutdown voices like Standord's Ioannidis or UCSF's Prassad who were much more accurate in retrospect. You play into fears when PH uses a meat axe rather than a scalpel to combat bad information.
"much more accurate in restrospect"? Really? More "accurate" than whom? And in what way(s)?
Stephen, I think you need to reread the article.
Agreed, you did an outstanding job, Katelyn.
Yeah. Although, I don't know how you'd avoid policization in a year that's both an election year and a census year. That's a 1 in 20 probability, on top of a pandemic.
You left out your role as mother. You weren't watching this from the sidelines as a disinterested party. You had all the same fears as the rest of us.
I have really appreciated (and continue to appreciate) your balanced, direct, concise information sharing. Thank you for humbly sharing, admitting mistakes when they were made, and persevering through our generation's worst public health crisis (yet). Keep fighting the good fight.
We are all humans and are vulnerable to shortcomings. Science on the run is always confusing, it needs time to percolate. The best reporters and advisors are the ones who can easily admit their mistakes and oversights. This behavior adds to their dependable integrity - your valuable integrity!
No one in public health was really prepared to see the awesome complicating, often negative, impact of the human response factor. In retrospect, the political manipulation of the pandemic was both tragic and destructive (but not unprecedented - see 1918). The fear and uncertainty of the first year were Biblical. You jumped in to make sense of it all. Brava!
Yes, it is easy for us to say what we should have done, but it is easy to forget how little we knew and how scary it was. I don't really like the phrase "I believe in science" because that implies that science isn't as fluid, constantly changing, and complicated as it is. Then people get angry or said scientists "lied" to us when they really just had changing information.
Personally I like the phrasing, for me, because I do. But I believe in it warts and all. I don’t think it’s perfect, but I think it’s the best tool we have to try and separate fact from fiction in the presence of uncertainty. But I agree it’s wrong as a dogmatic phrase to beat others over the head with. If that’s what’s happening it’s usually directed at someone who doesn’t appreciate the warts and will respond exactly as you said treating it as analogous to a religion. I guess I believe in the process. And the phrase doesn’t capture that.
Agree, part of believing in science is also accepting its limitations. If the 5pm weather forecast says it's going to rain today and then it doesn't, that doesn't mean the meteorologist lied.
I don't "believe in science" -- that makes it sound like a religion, which is in fact a charge that anti-intellectuals routinely level at scientists all the time.
I believe in the scientific process. It works. The process is what separates us from the animals
Thank you so much for this summary. It's important to me that we continue to evaluate what we learned so we can -- hopefully -- be better prepared next time. I'd also like to see us heal the useless divisions that made it harder to protect people and save lives. You're right to remind us how terrifying this was. We didn't know what we didn't know. Still don't. I remember trying to figure out who to listen to, who to trust. From the beginning, yours was a voice that I listened to and could trust. Still do! Yours is a voice of integrity, honesty, sanity and humility. I am so grateful for your work and your voice.
It is the mark of a great soul that it can look at itself and admit its shortcomings. Congratulations! You are an inspiration! - Thank you also for all you did during the pandemic. Your column was our go-to place for the best information. Was it perfect? No. We were not looking for perfect. Only fools do that.
Outstanding introspection.
Wow! How I wish our elected officials could write something similar. I always admired your ability to say “I don’t know” and now admire you even more for publishing this very introspective article.
Only wish you would send it as an opinion piece to WSJ, NYT and others.
Thanks for all you do.
I mean, they sorta don't have to. We hold them accountable by voting them out of office
You were and are my go-to for this topic. Getting your views during the worst of it was a comfort.
Where do the scientists that questioned policy, and were later proved right, go to get their reputations back? Where is the accountability for those that knowingly misled the public?
Name me one scientist that questioned policy that was proven right that lost their reputation
Oh please. If this weren't happening, we wouldn't have had a nation wide injunction placed on the current administration to stop colluding with tech companies to suppress information. Also, I did name some in another blog and was simply dismissed because they were "right wingers".
Name me one credible scientist
Here are 7 off the top of my head. Drs. Bhattacharya, Kulldroff, Gupta, Malone, Makay, Atlas and McCullough. Care to offer them an apology?
Dr Gupta has a perfectly fine reputation and is a vaccine advocate and believes everything antivaxers don’t, Malone and McCullough are grifters and spread dangerous misinformation throughout the pandemic and we’re wrong about everything that came out of their mouth, Dr Bhattacharya’s reputation is fine, Dr Kulldorff has not shown any scientific data to back up his idiotic claims, but his reputation is fine, Dr Makary is a fine doctor, but I don’t need to apologize to him about anything, Dr Atlas is a right wing, political hack that Velveeta Voldemort decided should be his coronavirus advisor even though he has zero experience in infectious diseases, but was chosen because he was a hack just like his boss
And your qualifications to determine who and who aren't "credible" are? This sounds more the rant of a Saul Alinsky disciple who can only attack the messenger when they are confronted with facts.
My qualifications to determine e who is and who isn’t credible are the same as the above people you named. But, just to not sound arrogant my qualifications are the thousands upon thousands of other scientists and doctors who have said the exact things I have. All of those people you named other than maybe that quack Kulldorff are fully vaccinated and followed protocols.
But, arguing with you and your same right wing talking points is not serving any purpose.
That happens rather automatically from the “and later proved right” process. It doesn’t happen for those who just imagine that latter part though
Please help us navigate endemic COVID. I’m finding it difficult to avoid infection, live my life and not feel marginalized. I’m older, have health risks but also don’t want to be isolated. I had a lovely exchange with Bob Wachter about his advice on this.
I do feel nuts when I mask , but I value my health too.
Recently there was tremendous hate on Twitter amongst the COVID concerned, and I learned about narcissism of the minority-- where a small minority turns on itself.
I just read Twitter, and not often.
Thank you for this reflection and all that you do.
Oops, narcissism of small differences
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissism_of_small_differences
I am so thankful for all you have done. As to being sloppy and checking sources in particular, but also all your items on your second list: I appreciate the honesty and reflection and also hope you see that by acting as a good scientist, you continue to seek where the weaknesses are and address them. You’ve done that time and time again. And been transparent (and humble) when doing so, which actitud think has set a far better example of good action than if you were perfect. You are a light throughout this pandemic. Your star is bright, but only starting to shine- and who knows if we would have gotten the chance to see your shine without this virus. While I could have done without COVID ... I remain grateful for you.
As a healthcare professional I couldn’t wait to read your next newsletter. You have always provided a valuable source of information which saved me time and confusion during a time where I really needed accurate information as quickly as possible. Thank you for all you do.
Great column. It may be insulting to say that you have matured a lot during the pandemic since I didn't know you before, but you are now a very articulate scientist and this post shows your depth of understanding. It is unfortunate that Republicans are so anti-science. Ted Budd who Trump propelled to the Senate came out against Many Cohen for the head of CDC because her covid policies got in the way of making money.
To end with a trivial thing: there is one wierd sentence that spolis an otherwise beautifully written post: I’ve also started a list my phone.
First, know that you and Dr. Bob Wachter were the two best guides in dealing with the magnitude of the Covid risk issue, what to do and how to do it. As an Industrial Hygienist for 50 yrs, knew that masks and ventilation/filtration were key control elements, with vaccines necessary. CDC failed for a number of reasons and truly hope they can change for future risks. Thank goodness for you and Dr. Bob.
One lesson I hope the US government has learned: never force people to do something. For instance: vaccine mandates.
Often, whatever force is being applied creates the opposite behavior. Not only are people now skeptical of and refusing mRNA vaccines, but the government has created hesitancy with tried-and-true “traditional” vaccines.
Force comes in many forms and is not limited to mandates. Creating charts based on cherry picked data, or omitting data that goes against The Narrative, is another form of manipulation that the American public can sniff from a mile away.
YLE, you’ve been a bright spot for many during this pandemic. I admire your intelligence, ability to communicate, courage and perseverance. You always learn and seek to do better. Good things are ahead for you!
"One lesson I hope the US government has learned: never force people to do something". Ah. So, no laws then, right? Because that's the logical outcome of that statement.
You might want to rethink that one.
Or - Option 3 - have mandates, but just have a slightly less heavy handed approach. Like a nice clean tax incentive. Instead of expecting frontline workers to put their lives on the line by checking vaccination cards.