health

Pandemic decision-making is difficult and exhausting

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By Elizabeth Tricomi and Wesley Ameden

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Decision making in a Covid world? In the above article, authors Tricomi and Ameden caution all that:

Because of the nature of probability, you can’t be sure in advance whether you’ll catch COVID-19 after agreeing to dine at a friend’s house . . . If you weigh the risks and benefits and accept that dinner invitation, only to end up contracting COVID-19 at the meal, it doesn’t mean you made the wrong decision – it just means you rolled the dice and came up short.

On the flip side, if you accept the dinner invitation and don’t end up with COVID-19, don’t get too smug; another time, the outcome might be different. All you can do is try to weigh what you know of the costs and benefits and make the best decisions you can.

Apparently we have arrived at a stage of the pandemic where all must remain constantly vigilant against contracting Covid. A continuing pandemic kabuki.

I recall the words of Steve Templeton, Ph. D., Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at IUSM-Terre Haute, back this past February, in pondering the future of microbial fear and the appearance of safety:

Sociologist Frank Furedi wrote in his book How Fear Works:

Although risk is historically defined as exposure to the probability of loss, harm or some kind of misfortune, through its current expanded usage it has been reinterpreted as the possibility of such adversity. The shift in meaning from probability to possibility has led to a fundamental revision in the conceptualization of risk.

In other words, the importance of the mere possibility that something bad might happen has replaced the consideration of the probability it might happen. Thus, if the probability of something bad happening is very low, it doesn’t help to point that out, because it is still possible, and you will be considered irresponsible if you do not display the socially acceptable behaviors that will (in others’ minds) mitigate the already low risk to zero (which is, in most cases, still not possible).

He then posed the following questions:

As the burden of proof has shifted away from evidence of their efficacy, and more towards social responsibility, the problem of mandates and restrictions is once again when to stop. Politicians and public health officials cannot simply abolish measures when so many have faithfully complied with every edict and credit for their perceived success is due. Aren’t there other dangerous respiratory illnesses? Won’t COVID become seasonal and endemic, yet still kill vulnerable people? If the higher risk associated with COVID infection in a small number of people is everyone’s problem, when does it stop being everyone’s problem?

https://stemplet74.substack.com/p/our-appearance-of-safety-culture?s=w

When indeed?

2 ( +4 / -2 )

I suppose when people have been taken in by the lies of governments and their lackeys, mainstream media and the Big Pharma companies that have done very nicely from this pandemic, their amygdala is in overdrive. Everything feels dangerous, too frequently way out of proportion to the actual risk.

As a result, we see healthy people wearing masks outdoors when there's nobody around, because they've been conditioned that the level of risk is far higher than what it really is. People suffering this level of fear are not hard to control, and are easy to use as pawns to turn on people who aren't so susceptible to the propaganda, thus creating divisions in society. Just another example of divide and conquer.

-1 ( +5 / -6 )

Covid cares not one little bit about your "difficulties" or ideologies.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

The real difficulty is when you are forced or pigeon holed into explaining your decision(s) on Covid. The rationalization often given are more emotional than pertinent to the real issues at hand. I don't like it when Covid policy is like the "Clapper", clap on, clap off. It makes the policies seem meaningless. I will be happy when every man, woman and child is safe. Until then I am masked...

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

I suppose when people have been taken in by the lies of governments and their lackeys, mainstream media and the Big Pharma companies that have done very nicely from this pandemic, their amygdala is in overdrive. Everything feels dangerous, too frequently way out of proportion to the actual risk

Transparent disinformation, misrepresenting the findings and recommendations of the scientific community as if they came from goverments, media or pharmaceutical companies is obviously invalid. Thinking in terms of risk and safety is what the article is talking about.

People can be wearing masks for many reasons, from simply lacking any inconvenience to being aware that putting your mask on and off can lead to contamination. The ones promoting fear (and not rational thinking) are the antiscientific groups that misrepresent everything as an attempt to control and bullying. For example by openly lying about who came with recommendations and the evidence that support them.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Invest in Big Pharma shares and use the massive profits to provide care for your elderly/sick parents and relatives who are vulnerable.

get herd immunity.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

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