Someone asked how I could go to a protest today. Wouldn't Rona be there? Thread:
In general -- in my practice as a physician and in my educational/research/books -- I have tried to be as comprehensive in my understanding the possible reasons that lead people to weigh risks. /1
In general -- in my practice as a physician and in my educational/research/books -- I have tried to be as comprehensive in my understanding the possible reasons that lead people to weigh risks. /1
Because the tricky part about epidemiology and public health is this. Risks are population-based. Decisions are individual. In time of Covid, I have tried not to wax snarky about people seeking haircuts. People have reasons, they always do, even if they are not your type./2
From a public health perspective, would there have been more careful ways, a priori, to organize a demonstration like that? Perhaps (I have seen pictures from Israel of a demonstration with people separated by 6 feet). /3
But that sacrifices effect, and the literature on six feet is not iron-clad anyway. Further, mask wearing was nearly 100%. And it was all outside. Very little was shared of transmissible import./4
From a risk estimation perspective, my contact with any individual not my legal dependent was quite minimal. From a benefit perspective, I found it an effective protest addressing another sort of deadly plague. That was enough for me./end
