14) But it was already too late. People were harmed/killed by Vioxx, a multi-billion $ drug, because world found out too late. Learned a lesson, as 23 year old @HarvardEpi doctoral student, that in whistleblowing, you can’t do it too late & muffled, but must do it early & audible
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25) A program akin to a basic income, but with a catch during the pandemic - that it needs to be spent immediately within 2020, and locally. Immediate spending stimulus is critical - and in economics we know it will have an immediate multiplier effect in revitalizing communities.
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26) Only such a program will ensure it will help the poor, the working class, improve local communities, & help families fast enough. My family has lived thru hunger (partly why I also pursued another Nutrition degree), and direct cash infusion into poor communities is critical.
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27) And for reopening, we need a more targeted RED, ORANGE, YELLOW, GREEN system being debated. But it should be implemented on a more local level that is more county/city level specific, rather than statewide. Rural PA is very diff from Philly, and rural Virginia diff from NoVA.
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28) This should be driven by local factors like healthcare infrastructure, testing volume/positivity rates, pop density, climate, work conditions, community economic resources, food pantries, COVID severity risk factors, and more. But it should be driven by the data, not punditry
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29) This is why science must still prevail- but driven by not just infectious disease epidemiology alone, but also social/behavioral epidemiology, clinical epidemiology, health economics, food/resource economics, and evidenced based public policy -which politicians should follow.
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30) Short of these key reforms in our thinking and strategy- I’m very worried we might soon run into some sort of major unrest that could lead to mass casualties from poverty, decimation of our communities, & social upheaval of our democracy— If we don’t make the drastic changes.
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31) Now is time for science driven good national/local leadership to enact the bold changes. Because without it, there will be blood. I’m reminded of the great 1995 movie, “The American President” in which there is an excellent scene:https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_American_President …
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32) Michael J Fox’s character says to President Shepherd: “People want leadership, and they are so thirsty for it, they will crawl thru the desert towards a mirage, and when they discover there’s no water, they will drink the sand.” President Shepherd (Michael Douglas) replies:
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33) “People don’t drink sand because they‘re thirsty; they drink the sand because they don’t know the difference”. https://youtu.be/pf7aoj_Xcs0
We need science to drive & inform leaders & public so that we know the difference between punditry & evidence based policy!
Goodnight.Show this thread
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