FSM News and Articles
A house divided against itself cannot tame the pandemic:
A successful COVID plan doesn’t just say “get vaccinated”.
A successful COVID plan would need to manage the situation with a range of measures that complement each other to ensure positive outcomes.
A successful COVID plan requires ongoing dynamic leadership.
A successful COVID plan doesn’t just say “X% get vaccinated AND THEN FREEDOM”.
“Our prime minister is insisting that with 80 per cent of people over 16 vaccinated we are ‘opening up’. If that is a ‘come what may’ figure we will be sentenced to the same unacceptable outcomes experienced by other countries who tried to do the same. The percentage is only important if it delivers the desired product ie our ability to control this COVID-19 epidemic. It’s infuriating, foolish and certainly counterproductive not to have a national plan to help us emerge from our COVID-19 crisis that is agreed to and championed by all our governments. The truth is that…, there would seem to be little appreciation of the urgent need to have nationwide uniformity in the development and application of the non-vaccination strategies that will be essential for us to live, together, more enjoyable and productive lives despite the continuous presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
The message for us is very clear, unless vaccination success is complemented by continuing adherence to a range of public health initiatives, then the incidence of COVID-19 can still surge among the unvaccinated and 10 to 15 per cent of those who are vaccinated. There is some good news re better controlling this virus. Better vaccines are being developed and particularly interesting is progress with the development of vaccines that can be administered as a nasal spray. These would produce antibodies in our respiratory secretions that should stop the vaccinated from spreading the disease. Good progress is being made in the search for drugs that if given soon after infection would stop disease progression. While we continue our vaccination program, with wiser and united leadership Australia would now, with a sense of urgency, be investing in a myriad of non-vaccination imperatives to maintain, and in the case off NSW, Victoria and the ACT, return to a cautious but acceptable lifestyle.”
FSM Friends’ News and Articles
The world is flat! Bring on reiki, homeopathy and all that other bunk: Have you ever noticed that some beliefs, like belief in the Flat Earth, are extremely easy to recognise as ridiculous? Others beliefs, like Reiki, Homeopathy, and ‘detoxing’ , are just as ridiculous, are completely at odds with reality, and are just as devoid of evidence. As are many other Alt Health beliefs. And yet many of these claims are widely treated ‘believable’ and are even taught at universities. Timothy Caulfield labels these “Flat Earth Like Beliefs” (FEaBel for short). “So, how should we respond to all this FEaBel pseudoscience? In addition to simply encouraging the science-informed community to speak out more often and more forcefully, regulators like Health Canada should be more aggressive and, whenever possible, clamp down on misleading claims and false advertising. Indeed, one way to fight pseudoscience is for regulators to be more creative in their application of truth-in-advertising laws.”
General
Vaccine selfies may seem trivial, but they show people doing their civic duty — and probably encourage others too: “But vaxxies are more than mere selfies, as they have a unique social function. They are likely helping normalise the vaccine procedure, reducing hesitancy around perceived risks and increasing vaccine trust within social circles.”
From crackpot Covid theorists to antivaxxers, hubris and fear haunt the wellness community: “The randomness of illness is far too frightening for many to contemplate – so they rely on a fiction they’re special and can control their bodies.”
Great Moments in Health and Science
The Development of Polio Vaccines – Polio vaccine introduced in Australia: A disease that in most of the world we are fortunate to have no risk of anymore and to not even have to give a second’s thought, thanks to vaccines.