Results for: ioannidis
Contrarian Doctors: The Pandemic is Over, Again
I can’t help but wonder if one of the reasons the pandemic isn’t over yet, is because contrarian doctors repeatedly said it was.
What the heck happened to The BMJ?
Last week, The BMJ published an "exposé" by Paul Thacker alleging patient unblinding, data falsification, and other wrongdoing by a company running three sites for the massive clinical trial of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. It was a highly biased story embraced by antivaxxers, with a deceptively framed narrative and claims not placed into proper context, leading me to look into the broader...
State medical boards vs. COVID-19 misinformation, an update
The disinformation epidemic about COVID-19 has pushed state medical boards to consider disciplining physicians who promote COVID-19 disinformation. How would that work? What are the obstacles? Is it even possible? It should be, but it will be messy and complicated.
Lions Led by Donkeys, 1917
Those who sent unprotected children into classrooms filled with COVID-19 must be remembered for more than their unparalleled capacity for self-pity, inglorious oppression fantasies, and juvenile trolling of public officials.
Intubations and Accusations: Doctors were “just going crazy, and intubating people who did not have to be intubated”
It's problematic when a paragon of evidence-based medicine claims vaccines spread disease and amplifies internet rumors that doctors killed COVID-19 patients through premature intubations.
Cognitive Illusions and How Not to Write About COVID-19 and Children
Many people minimize the deaths and damage COVID-19 has wrought on children because it is "worse in adults". While it is true that more adults suffer due to the disease, that does not make the harms done to children vanish in a puff of smoke.
“We’ll Have Herd Immunity by April”: Reflections on a Failed Prediction
Surgical oncologist Dr. Marty Makary predicted in February that we would have herd immunity to COVID-19 in April. In late July now, it is clear that we do not, but Dr. Makary continues to make dubious and outright incorrect statements about COVID-19 on national platforms to which he has access. Why can't he just admit that his prediction had been in error?
How antimaskers weaponize techniques of scientific analysis to attack mask mandates
There's a new paper out analyzing how antimask activists weaponize the tools of data visualization and scientific argumentation to produce convincing antimask propaganda. Antimaskers are claiming that it shows that they are more "scientific" than those supporting the consensus viewpoint with respect to COVID-19 and masks. What it really shows is that they are good at weaponizing the tools of data visualization...
J.B. Handley’s unthinking person’s guide to the COVID-19 pandemic
J.B. Handley was the founder of the antivaccine group Generation Rescue. Unfortunately, in the era of COVID-19 he's started peddling pseudoscience related to the pandemic. Some things never change.
Pitfalls in Research: Why Studies Are More Often Wrong than Right
Here is a course guide to episode 9, "Pitfalls of Research", of my YouTube lecture series on science-based medicine.