Thread by @Laurie_Garrett

Saagar Enjeti claims the public health syst is contributing to "anti-vax" sentiment across the country. And at 5:08 in this vid, he attacks me. His claim? Masks & social distancing aren't key to lowering #COVID19 risk, mixed messages frm @CDCgov suck.
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2/ Enjeti calls me "anti-science".
Self-described "populist right" advocate -- a politics buff, not a scientist or MD. thewire.in/world/american…
He has never been a fan of masking and social distancing, and he argues that the plateau we've reached, downturn in many States..
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3/...is due to the #COVID19 #vaccines.
He blames @POTUS @CDCgov & #TonyFauci for mixed messages leading people to opt for masks etc instead of vax.
The problems w/his argument are many. 1: There is a large overlap between anti-maskers & anti-vaxers. In Dec2020 polls it was..
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4/...liberals who feared the #COVID #vaccines because they didn't trust the #Trump Operation Warp Speed process. But that changed radically After @JoeBiden took office. apnews.com/article/ap-nor… MORE

5/ Analysis of Canada & US anti-mask sentiments finds by far the majority identify as "conservative" or "populist" or "libertarian."
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P…
@PeterHotez has shown anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers in today's #COVID19 crisis overlap heavily …icalodyssey.blogs.hopkinsmedicine.org/2020/09/anti-v… MORE

6/In March a @KFF poll found "Among all groups, #Republicans & white evangelical Christians were the most likely to say they will not get vaccinated, with almost 30% of each group saying they will 'definitely not” get a shot.' khn.org/news/article/c… MORE

7/ #COVID19 #vaccine refusal among African Americans and LatinX has dropped dramatically: the most likely individual to oppose both vaccine and mask use is white, male, and Republican.
nytimes.com/live/2021/03/3… and reuters.com/article/us-hea… and theundefeated.com/features/more-…
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8/ A @KFF survey of health workers done in late Feb saw just 52% had at that time been vax'ed, and 18% had no intention of taking #COVID19 #vaccines.
A March survey saw fewer refusing, & most unvax'ed HCWers in wait-&-see mode. jamanetwork.com/journals/jaman… and
washingtonpost.com/context/washin…

9/ One of the best health pollsters is @HarvardChanSPH Robert Blendon. He concludes, "that clinical physicians, rather than pharma companies, political leaders, or even medical scientists, should be at the fore of education & outreach strategies."
nejm.org/doi/full/10.10… MORE

10/ @pewresearch has been tracking public #COVID19 attitudes towards masks & #vaccines since early '20. Recently, "77% think vaccinations will benefit U.S. economy," & plan to get vax'ed or already have.
But...
pewresearch.org/science/2021/0…
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11/ But, "#Democrats are now 27 percentage points more likely than #Republicans to say they plan to get, or have already received, a #coronavirus #vaccine (83% to 56%)." pewresearch.org/science/2021/0… MORE

12/ Commentators like Enjeti insist "left wing media" has been clinging to mask promotion. But this quick survey shows no such consensus:
slate.com/technology/202…
and
theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…
and

https://twitter.com/LEBassett/status/1387089832732680198?utm_source=CJR+Daily+News&utm_campaign=49e78a793c-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_11_11_06_33_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9c93f57676-49e78a793c-174493233&mc_cid=49e78a793c&mc_eid=e24f84d374

and
slate.com/technology/202…
and

https://twitter.com/DrLeanaWen/status/1387080680182517761?utm_source=CJR+Daily+News&utm_campaign=49e78a793c-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_11_11_06_33_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9c93f57676-49e78a793c-174493233&mc_cid=49e78a793c&mc_eid=e24f84d374

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13/ As for how much #COVID19 #vaccinations may be responsible, already, for the levelling-off in new cases/deaths in the U.S., no place has yet achieved 70-90% full immunization levels. In Israel the major drop in spread happ'ed at 84% vax level. MORE
healthline.com/health-news/he…

14/ We can't reach those levels of vax if conservatives keep telling their followers NOT to take the #COVID19 #vaccine . Popular podcaster #JoeRogan does just that -- specifically telling young adults to refuse.
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mediamatters.org/joe-rogan-expe…

15/Given the large numbers of youth and kids -- even infants -- hospitalized in Michigan's B.1.1.7 surge, this is egregious. freep.com/story/news/loc… and
npr.org/2021/04/10/986…
and
abcnews.go.com/Politics/older…
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16/ Yesterday, for the first time since March2020, I walked in my neighborhood park without a mask on, after reviewing the @CDCgov guidance. I am fully vaccinated. It felt grand. But I won't be mask-less on subways, in indoor public spaces, wherever crowds are gathered. Easy.

Finally, more references for your Wednesday reading list:
healio.com/news/infectiou….
and
washingtonpost.com/world/2021/04/…
and
cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspecti…
and
nytimes.com/2021/04/21/hea…
and
khn.org/news/article/c…
and
vox.com/22381700/pande…
and
medpagetoday.com/podcasts/track…
and
doi.org/10.1038/d41586…