I think you're trying to be measured and responsible and adult and calm and all that. And I get it. And I also get that even suggesting increased funding in this day-and-age opens you up to screeds from some sections. But... speaking as an informed (voting) citizen without nearly the expertise that you have, I think you aren't being nearly as loud and screaming as you (need? should?) could be. Again-- my somewhat uninformed opinions-- but we need to realize that we (collectively, nationally, internationally) need moon-shot level spending to identify targets, treatments, and preventatives across a range of infections agents: Corona, sure; but many other viruses, bacteria, and fungi. It's sad that COVID hasn't been the necessary wakeup call.
I like YLE's level of rational engagement. Screaming too loud is like yelling at a screaming child. All you get in return is more and louder screaming from the child.
Funding is also desperately needed for Long COVID research and treatment. There has been a mass disabling event. Understanding post-viral illnesses is critical -- not *only* to help those in need now (which should be motivation enough), but to prepare for future impacts. As much of your writing has indicated, viruses are not going anywhere.
Yes, only Congress can fix this...but not with the degree of dysfunctionality currently on display daily. I wonder if it were even possible to get ALL our CongressCritters to agree that the sun rises in the East and sets in the West.
While your posts are always measured and reasonable, I am certain that you are screaming inside. Thank you for staying the course and not abandoning your mission...for our good health and yours. ❤️👍❤️
Wasn't there some money for next generation vaccines? Was that slashed too? We're at a horrible state right now--the virus circulates and there's zero data. I recently had to help a very ill friend with no health insurance get treatment for Covid and there are NO tests/treatments/clinics--the safety net is gone. It's just plain wrong. And I'm a provider at a health clinic--I worked so hard to help and I have the resources to help. It's just wrong. The burden of endemic falls on the people who can't afford it.
I think your efforts to communicate this information on SubStack is a start. You are reaching the right audience without having to go through editors and publishers. Too bad public health funding isn’t a line item in the defense budget - you’d never have to look for dollars again. It’s just the way this country rolls today. When I read “The Premonition” by Michael Lewis I first realized how unorganized our public health system is (and how many capable and talented people there are who could change this). Keep informing us. You are being heard.
I recently was ill and though tested negative for Covid I was shocked at the providers lack of care or concern that it could be (or have been) Covid. They are acting like the virus is gone but it hasn't gone anywhere! Please keep reporting and letting us know when we should be on guard again.
I had a an experience that strip me as similar, I was having significant lung problems, had tested negative on a home antigen tests and my doctor insisted that there was not reason to authorize the PCR because it wasn’t diagnostically significant.
I like the link to defense spending and believe that public health should be considered a part of national defense, analogous to the origin of the interstate highway system. Then-President Eisenhower conceived the highway system as important to national defense, not just convenience in personal and business transportation. Many more factions got on board and money flowed once the interstate highways were envisioned as important to national defense as well as the usual transportation needs.
Public health is important to national defense - just look at all the money that the military spends on infectious diseases. Their goal is protecting soldiers but all citizens need protection against Covid and SARS.
Actually, I think "Americans" do value health care and science. It is their political representatives that can not be trusted to. Americans expected we would be prepared. They did not expect CDC failures, flip-flop scientific messaging and general unpreparedness of our states, counties and city leadership.
The CDC did not fail. Our political leader threw them under the bus to pretend a pandemic wasn't happing during his watch. There wasn't flip flopping, data was learned about this new airborne pathology and protocols were updated accordingly as more was known. After a vaccine was available, more changes took place, that was not flip flopping.
I think this argument would be stronger with some more rigorous fact-checking. Some of the terminology isn't accurate. The debt ceiling deal is not a budget; it's a budget plan. The budget itself will now be crafted through the appropriations process. That distinction may seem like a quibble, but it's is a very fundamental aspect of this discussion. Also, I think it's very significant that much of the pandemic funding was not rescinded. HHS retained ~$10 billion, including the NextGen funding. That's real money, so I don't think the description of "slashing" is accurate.
I would like to contact my Members of Congress about this. Can you provide some specific things I should ask them for? Thank you--for everything you do.
I haven't had the courage to read Laurie Garrett's book documenting the wreckage of the Public Health system in our country. After forty years in medicine, that wreckage is ever so clear. And what to we expect from a nation of poorly-evolved and poorly-educated descendants of chimpanzees, a nation with a phobic resistance to the idea that community matters. As always, you hit that lousy, stinking nail directly on its head.
Well, there were several human species, we're the ones that out-bred and likely ate the others. That was cool when Mother Nature was in charge of our development, but now that we've eaten major portions of her, the frustrated drive to 'out-eat and out-breed' is pointing us to either a horrific meltdown via multiple avenues, or the use of rare-earth wonders to find ice on the Lunar poles.
How many trees would it take to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere given that 9 Billion humans each produce a kilogram per day ?
A cogent analysis reflecting a country dedicated to diversionary "values" issues so the wealthy can make bank, while our citizens get more agitated and angry from being overlooked and insecure across the board. This does not bode well.
Here's a thought... stop electing republicans who go out of their way to deny science and gut public education
I think you're trying to be measured and responsible and adult and calm and all that. And I get it. And I also get that even suggesting increased funding in this day-and-age opens you up to screeds from some sections. But... speaking as an informed (voting) citizen without nearly the expertise that you have, I think you aren't being nearly as loud and screaming as you (need? should?) could be. Again-- my somewhat uninformed opinions-- but we need to realize that we (collectively, nationally, internationally) need moon-shot level spending to identify targets, treatments, and preventatives across a range of infections agents: Corona, sure; but many other viruses, bacteria, and fungi. It's sad that COVID hasn't been the necessary wakeup call.
I like YLE's level of rational engagement. Screaming too loud is like yelling at a screaming child. All you get in return is more and louder screaming from the child.
Funding is also desperately needed for Long COVID research and treatment. There has been a mass disabling event. Understanding post-viral illnesses is critical -- not *only* to help those in need now (which should be motivation enough), but to prepare for future impacts. As much of your writing has indicated, viruses are not going anywhere.
Yes, only Congress can fix this...but not with the degree of dysfunctionality currently on display daily. I wonder if it were even possible to get ALL our CongressCritters to agree that the sun rises in the East and sets in the West.
But, but....."Politics is the highest science of Man".
But, but ..... that leaves out half (if not more) of humanity, Woman.
Nah, they are a separate species, here to lord it over us.
How can that be? The earth is flat, right? And vaccines cause autism. You do, I hope, catch that I'm being sarcastic here, right?
Ya gotta be kidding...at least 30% are convinced that West is South and South is North, if you can possibly imagine that...
While your posts are always measured and reasonable, I am certain that you are screaming inside. Thank you for staying the course and not abandoning your mission...for our good health and yours. ❤️👍❤️
Indeed. 👍❤️
Wasn't there some money for next generation vaccines? Was that slashed too? We're at a horrible state right now--the virus circulates and there's zero data. I recently had to help a very ill friend with no health insurance get treatment for Covid and there are NO tests/treatments/clinics--the safety net is gone. It's just plain wrong. And I'm a provider at a health clinic--I worked so hard to help and I have the resources to help. It's just wrong. The burden of endemic falls on the people who can't afford it.
How do you know Covid is on the rise?
Kids wear masks to school and Paxlovid commercials air on tv. Now that CDC has quit, kids and Pfizer are our new surveillance system.
I think your efforts to communicate this information on SubStack is a start. You are reaching the right audience without having to go through editors and publishers. Too bad public health funding isn’t a line item in the defense budget - you’d never have to look for dollars again. It’s just the way this country rolls today. When I read “The Premonition” by Michael Lewis I first realized how unorganized our public health system is (and how many capable and talented people there are who could change this). Keep informing us. You are being heard.
Thank you for your timely and well thought out information.
I just sent a gift subscription to my congressman (a Democrat) whose staff can surely find time to read it.
I recently was ill and though tested negative for Covid I was shocked at the providers lack of care or concern that it could be (or have been) Covid. They are acting like the virus is gone but it hasn't gone anywhere! Please keep reporting and letting us know when we should be on guard again.
I had a an experience that strip me as similar, I was having significant lung problems, had tested negative on a home antigen tests and my doctor insisted that there was not reason to authorize the PCR because it wasn’t diagnostically significant.
I like the link to defense spending and believe that public health should be considered a part of national defense, analogous to the origin of the interstate highway system. Then-President Eisenhower conceived the highway system as important to national defense, not just convenience in personal and business transportation. Many more factions got on board and money flowed once the interstate highways were envisioned as important to national defense as well as the usual transportation needs.
Public health is important to national defense - just look at all the money that the military spends on infectious diseases. Their goal is protecting soldiers but all citizens need protection against Covid and SARS.
Very sad that Americans don't value health care and science, until they personally get sick. Even then many ignore care.
Actually, I think "Americans" do value health care and science. It is their political representatives that can not be trusted to. Americans expected we would be prepared. They did not expect CDC failures, flip-flop scientific messaging and general unpreparedness of our states, counties and city leadership.
The CDC did not fail. Our political leader threw them under the bus to pretend a pandemic wasn't happing during his watch. There wasn't flip flopping, data was learned about this new airborne pathology and protocols were updated accordingly as more was known. After a vaccine was available, more changes took place, that was not flip flopping.
Very succinctly put !
I think this argument would be stronger with some more rigorous fact-checking. Some of the terminology isn't accurate. The debt ceiling deal is not a budget; it's a budget plan. The budget itself will now be crafted through the appropriations process. That distinction may seem like a quibble, but it's is a very fundamental aspect of this discussion. Also, I think it's very significant that much of the pandemic funding was not rescinded. HHS retained ~$10 billion, including the NextGen funding. That's real money, so I don't think the description of "slashing" is accurate.
I would like to contact my Members of Congress about this. Can you provide some specific things I should ask them for? Thank you--for everything you do.
I haven't had the courage to read Laurie Garrett's book documenting the wreckage of the Public Health system in our country. After forty years in medicine, that wreckage is ever so clear. And what to we expect from a nation of poorly-evolved and poorly-educated descendants of chimpanzees, a nation with a phobic resistance to the idea that community matters. As always, you hit that lousy, stinking nail directly on its head.
Whoa there... Bonobos, not chimpanzees.
It would have been better had we followed the bonobos' gentler and sexier way.
Well, there were several human species, we're the ones that out-bred and likely ate the others. That was cool when Mother Nature was in charge of our development, but now that we've eaten major portions of her, the frustrated drive to 'out-eat and out-breed' is pointing us to either a horrific meltdown via multiple avenues, or the use of rare-earth wonders to find ice on the Lunar poles.
How many trees would it take to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere given that 9 Billion humans each produce a kilogram per day ?
A cogent analysis reflecting a country dedicated to diversionary "values" issues so the wealthy can make bank, while our citizens get more agitated and angry from being overlooked and insecure across the board. This does not bode well.
Absolutely. I feel afraid that we are at the apex of the tipping point in this country.
Think maybe it might be deliberately designed that way?