On COVID-19, the U.S. is turning into a dangerous cult of bad information
The technology revolution, which was touted to free and elevate every voice, promoting discussion and strengthening our democracy, has done just the opposite. Information overload from the myriad of texts, tweets, postings, and emails inhibited our critical thinking. We started to rely on our “friends” and how often we heard something to determine what was true and what was fake news.
Some of us formed into online cliques and developed a Jonestown cult mentality in our approach to American life. Added to the toxic mix, foreign agitation placed us on the precipice of one of the greatest ordeals which our society may endure – COVID-19. A study from Carnegie Mellon University found almost half the tweets regarding the coronavirus are likely bots with a playbook similar to Chinese and Russian disinformation campaigns. Reuters reported similar findings, describing a European Union document which concluded Russia implemented an online misinformation campaign, in multiple languages, which was making the EU’s response to the epidemic difficult.
Health Watch USA has had several online accounts which were flooded with lengthy comments quoting misinterpretations of science which sowed seeds of doubt regarding our public health response. The comments appeared to be from trolls whose Facebook and Twitter accounts were merely shells, with little content and connections.
Misinformation has severely hampered our response. The multiple research studies regarding the lack of efficacy of hydroxychloroquine would have been much better spent on more promising therapies. The belief that this is just the flu ignores reports and pictures documenting filled hospitals, some with makeshift tractor trailer morgues and mass graves.
Without mitigation, it is estimated that on average someone who is infected will spread this virus to over 5 individuals. At this rate, over 80 percent of the population would have to become immune before herd immunity would even start. The belief that “herd” immunity will stop a mutating highly infectious virus which provides questionable lasting immunity especially if a patient is asymptomatic is just magical cult thinking.
Even if this could be achieved by having 80% of the population immune, we will have lost a staggering number of our older citizens, parents, and grandparents. Unfortunately, some have viewed our seniors as expendable, after all they will save on Medicare and Social Security. Ironically, some of these same individuals are very concerned about guarding human life at the beginning of human existence, but apparently not so much on the other end.
But younger adults are suffering post COVID-19 symptoms and disability, which we are just now beginning to understand. We have received reports from several facilities that if you are in the ICU about a third of those discharged will have kidney disease. Almost all who need pulmonary support are at grave risk for chronic lung disease, a report out of China found 20 percent of those hospitalized had heart damage and there are concerns survivors can develop chronic fatigue syndrome which has occurred in 10 percent of hospitalized patients with SARS.
In any warfare, it is far more injurious to the enemy to disable not kill its soldiers. The cost to our society of life-long medical care for post COVID-19 patients will be nothing short of catastrophic. The virus knows this, that is why it is winning.
So why did we not learn from the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic, or the experience in China, or our own experience in the Northeast and our nation’s sunbelt? And why are so many citizens willing to engage in cult thinking and drink the Kool-aid? The answer is simple, they emulate those who they follow and trust.
Our national leaders need to put forth a coherent uniform message: Wear a mask, wash your hands, and socially distance. At least two studies have found wearing masks, if embraced by our populous, could stop this epidemic.
Our country needs to heed an old Chinese adage “If you do not change our direction, you may end up where you are headed.”
Kevin Kavanagh is the founder of Health Watch USA.