Comment by matwood
6 years ago
I don't know if you are implying that I'm from the left. I'm not either left or right, although as the right has moved righter I guess I have become relatively more left by staying in the middle :)
> With the continuously widening scope of what could be considered "racist" or "anti-science"
I agree this is a danger. But in my original comment, I'm referring to basics. Evidence has mounted that masks work, yet people still physically fight over wearing one. Evidence has mounted (IMO overwhelmingly) that HCQ does not work and is even dangerous, yet people keep saying that's all they need to survive COVID. Then there are the anti-vaxxers. It's a concern that even after a vaccine is found, it's possible not enough people will even get the vaccine to reach herd immunity[1].
[1] https://www.snopes.com/news/2020/05/04/a-majority-of-vaccine...
IMHO, the left has moved at least as far left as the right has moved to the right. The polarization has increased markedly. The other change is the vast increase in the speed of interaction and the number of vocal, anonymous individuals involved. There’s no time for reflection anymore.
Regarding HCQ, it’s only useful in combination with zinc, and only useful before hospitalization. The studies often cited seem to studiously ignore this. Given those caveats, there have been many successes.
Successful valid studies? This summarizes the issues with all the earlier studies, even ones with zinc [1].
The problem with all the success anecdotes is correlation does not mean causation. The odds are low that I'm going to walk outside and die. If I walk outside while picking my nose and don't die, it doesn't mean picking my nose is stopping my death. The large majority of people recover from COVID doing nothing at all. Finding efficacy of any drug requires controlled studies.
[1] https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/miracle-cure-testimonials-a...
Well, looking at that article, it appears the author is out to debunk HCQ. The language is hyperbolic - when I see something like that, I don't give it much credence.
For an alternate take from the blogosphere,
https://scienceblog.com/516960/suppression-of-chloroquine-is...
I've been following HCQ/Zinc long before it got politicized.
It's well known that covid is a disaster in nursing homes, often resulting in 30% deaths. Here's some anecdotal evidence of early treatment with HCQ in that setting:
https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/texas-e...
Here's a journal article claiming positive results. It's had over 300 citations, so there's probably some interesting reading there:
https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/bst/14/1/14_2020.01047/...
Causation generally requires some theory to support it:
https://www.jewishpress.com/news/us-news/ny/scientists-study...
I'm 78, so I'm paying attention. Here's the best guidance I've seen so far. (They have backed off on HCQ because of all the political flap.)
https://www.evms.edu/covid-19/covid_care_for_clinicians/#cov...