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Mallory Harris (@malar0ne.bsky.social) Profile picture
@malar0ne
Oct 24, 2021 • 12 tweets • 6 min read • Read on X
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Stanford's Jay Bhattacharya has served as an expert witness in many cases opposing mask mandates and other Covid restrictions. Multiple judges have pointed to major flaws in his testimony. A thread.
A judge in Tennessee called his testimony on masks in schools "troubling and problematic" and found that he "oversimplified conclusions" of at least one study.
tennessean.com/story/news/pol…
Crenshaw called Bhattacharya's testimony "troubling and problematic for several reasons". The doctor oversimplified conclusions of at least one study he cited, Crenshaw wrote, “suggesting he may have been apt to do so with other studies upon which he relied."
US District Judge Crenshaw went on to say Bhattacharya was "not qualified to speak" on the issue, and that he may have been "advancing a personal agenda."

"The court is simply unwilling to trust Dr. Bhattacharya."
tennessean.com/story/news/pol…
"He offered opinions regarding the pediatric effects of masks on children, a discipline on which he admitted he was not qualified to speak," Crenshaw said. "His demeanor and tone while testifying suggest that he is advancing a personal agenda. At this stage of the proceedings, the Court is simply unwilling to trust Dr. Bhattacharya."
In Florida, Bhattacharya was the state's only scientific expert witness defending its ban on mask mandates.

Leon County Circuit Judge Cooper said his position was in a "distinct minority" & (again) concluded his interpretation of a study was incorrect.
apnews.com/article/lifest…
Cooper said the state’s medical experts who testified during the trial that masking is ineffective in preventing COVID-19′s spread are in a distinct minority among doctors and scientists. He also said that while DeSantis frequently states that a Brown University study concluded masks are ineffective, the study’s authors wrote that no such conclusion should be drawn. “I don’t say that the governor has time enough to read a report that thick, but his advisers do ... and that statement is incorrect,” Cooper said.
Similar concerns were raised by Court of Queen's Bench Chief Justice Joyal in a case regarding restrictions on religious services. Judge notes several instances where Bhattacharya's testimony is contradicted by further evidence, including his own sources.
winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/manitoba-churc…


On the subject of the spread of COVID-19 by individuals who do not display symptoms, Dr. Bhattacharya admitted that an important part of his opinion rests on the proposition that asymptomatic transmission of the virus is very rare. Indeed, it would appear that Dr. Bhattacharya did not distinguish between asymptomatic transmission and pre-symptomatic transmission, instead characterizing both concepts as “asymptomatic transmission”. It was Dr. Bhattacharya’s position in his second report that the “clear implication of this scientific fact is that many intrusive lockdown policies ... could be ...
While Dr. Bhattacharya had opined in his reports that because of the social isolation relating to the lockdowns and restrictions, deaths due to suicide would increase. He did acknowledge when confronted with Canadian suicide statistics, that there was a drop in suicides in 2020.
Respecting recommendations around religious services and any related restrictions, Dr. Bhattacharya acknowledged in cross-examination that he had failed to note that the WHO has stated that if and where necessary, religious exercises should be conducted remotely and virtually wherever possible.
The judge also notes several cases where Bhattacharya's testimony failed to consider the policies that were actually in effect in Manitoba.
When asked in cross-examination about the reality that in Manitoba, even during the restrictions, persons could always go outside to socialize, walk, exercise, etc., with other persons, he noted that to the extent that those activities were not restricted, Manitoba may not have imposed a true “lockdown”.
On the subject of COVID-19 restrictions in children, Dr. Bhattacharya had earlier noted in his first report, various harms caused by school closures. Dr. Bhattacharya had apparently not taken into account in his analysis, Manitoba’s decision to keep schools open, a decision with which Dr. Bhattacharya indicated he agreed.
The judge concludes that Bhattacharya's views are "not supported by most of the scientific and medical community" and that these views may be "justifiably challenged" bc of his lack of "consistent and more specialized long-term academic focus" on "immunology and virus spread"
I have reviewed carefully the testimony and cross-examination of Dr. Bhattacharya given the importance of his evidence to the position being advanced by the applicants. In considering Dr. Bhattacharya’s evidence, the Court must acknowledge without hesitation his undisputed and strong academic credentials as a professor at one of the world’s leading universities. Despite those obvious credentials and general qualifications, questions can be and were raised respecting the weight that should attach to some of his opinions and views on the specific topics of immunology and virus spread. On thes...
While Dr. Bhattacharya’s contrary and in some cases contrarian views are decidedly not a disqualification from an important role in what has to be a continuing and rigorous scientific conversation and method, the views of Dr. Bhattacharya need be seen as views and opinions that are not supported by most of the scientific and medical community currently advising on and formulating the ongoing public health responses to a pandemic that continues to threaten too much of the world’s population.
The judge also talks about the Great Barrington Declaration, which Bhattacharya co-authored.

"Insufficiently nuanced and unduly simplistic"
"Raises significant ethical and moral questions"
It seems necessary to acknowledge that the reference point for identifying “the vulnerable” in the applicants’ theory of focused protection, excludes many who in Manitoba, according to the evidence, have become infected and potentially infectious. The integration of these more vulnerable persons throughout society makes the applicants’ theory based on the stark marker of age (60) seem insufficiently nuanced and unduly simplistic.
The applicants’ theory respecting focused protection (as a more minimally impairing approach) raises for the Court not only concerns about the practical effects flowing from the resigned acceptance of general community spread in the pursuit of an elusive herd immunity, it also raises significant ethical and moral questions connected to the risks of knowingly exposing any citizen, including some of those most vulnerable persons who are less identifiable because of their integration into the general population.
Not judges, but the plaintiffs in a Cobb County, GA school mask case (parents of medically vulnerable kids) refer to Bhattacharya as a "widely discredited pseudoscientist, whose opinions have been denounced by the public health and medical community.” eastcobbnews.com/cobb-county-sc…
In its reply to the district’s response, the plaintiffs contend (you can read it here) that “while the District claims that it has relied on verified public health data and scientific guidance to inform its recent decisions, it only cites a widely discredited pseudoscientist, whose opinions have been denounced by the public health and medical community.”
Context for TN case. Bhattacharya referenced the Bangladesh mask RCT, but his conclusions contradicted those of the pre-print's authors, including a lead author who was an expert witness for the other side.
ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/7e/16/573e8a1c…
However, Dr. Bhattacharya’s expert testimony is troubling and problematic for several reasons. First, Dr. Bhattacharya’s conclusions conflicted with those of the study’s lead author and designer, Dr. Abaluck. He cogently testified that the study comes to the opposite conclusion to what Dr. Bhattacharya opines. According to Dr. Abaluck, the Bangladesh study was specifically designed to examine the effect of masks on COVID-19 rates. The study found that when masks use increased by approximately 30%, “rates of COVID fell by about 9 percent.” (Hr’g Tr., Doc. No. 77 at 191:10–15). To Dr. Abaluck...
"Replete with contradictions that undercut his credibility"

"Designed to deliberately mislead"
ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/7e/16/573e8a1c…
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More from @malar0ne

Mallory Harris (@malar0ne.bsky.social) Profile picture
May 28, 2023
Bret Weinstein, member of Florida's Public Health Integrity Committee, appears to endorse AIDS denial in this clip. It seems very important to clarify his stance on whether HIV causes AIDS. AIDS deniers have advised governments before. Over 300K South Africans died because of it.
journals.lww.com/jaids/Fulltext…
The committee, "will review research, data, and policies and provide recommendations and guidance to the Florida Department of Health." Weinstein is one of seven members.

floridahealth.gov/about/ssg/publ…
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Mallory Harris (@malar0ne.bsky.social) Profile picture
Jan 25, 2023
From what I can gather, there's been some internecine feuding of late.

McCullough and Malone's Twitter accounts were recently reinstated, having been removed for violating Covid misinfo policies. McCullough immediately blocked Malone.
Malone threatened to sue a bunch of (vaccine opposed) people/orgs for defamation. He is suing for $25M in damages, claiming defendants tarnished his reputation in medical community, losing him "business and income" and "prospects for career advancement."

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco…
Defendants include Red Voice Media, which publishes the Stew Peters Show. Peters made the Died Suddenly conspiracy doc, which also spurred infighting (@annamerlan). According to the legal complaint, Peters has accused Malone of being a "mass murderer."

vice.com/en/article/g5v…
Read 18 tweets
Mallory Harris (@malar0ne.bsky.social) Profile picture
Dec 28, 2022
Martin Kulldorff is part of Ron DeSantis committee issuing public health recs to "counter the CDC" and comes up in the Twitter Files.

He was an advisor to the FDA and CDC on vaccine safety when the Covid vaccines were first evaluated.
He was removed from the position advising the CDC because he published an op-ed making policy recommendations prior to complete review of data (according to a statement published in the Federalist).
The public statement in question included recommending that people under 50 get mRNA vaccines, which he now seems to believe were the "wrong vaccines." He didn't bring up those concerns at the time, when he was helping the federal government evaluate Covid vaccines.
Read 10 tweets
Mallory Harris (@malar0ne.bsky.social) Profile picture
Jun 21, 2022
The @COVIDOversight Committee just released a report on the Trump admin's embrace of a herd immunity strategy, outlining the role of Scott Atlas and other Stanford Professors in promoting the strategy. Reading now and thread to follow here!
coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrat…
As a start, Atlas' first contact with Trump admin on Covid was March 21st, calling their initial response "a massive overreaction" to a pathogen that would only kill "about 10,000". His source for that was Dr. John Ioannidis of Stanford.
That's a reference to Ioannidis' STAT op-ed, where he also predicted 1% of people would end up infected.
statnews.com/2020/03/17/a-f… If we assume that case fatality rate among individuals infec
Read 26 tweets
Mallory Harris (@malar0ne.bsky.social) Profile picture
Feb 27, 2022
SCOTUS on Monday will hear arguments in a dispute that could restrict or even eliminate the EPA’s authority to control the pollution that is heating the planet.

This effort is supported the same groups that fought Covid precautions like vaccine mandate.
nytimes.com/2022/02/27/cli…
And yes, direct links to the Great Barrington Declaration and Brownstone Institute too.

The New Civil Liberties Alliance fought to lift the eviction moratorium. With affidavits from Jay Bhattacharya & Martin Kullforff, it's brought multiple cases against vaccine mandates. Image
Americans for Prosperity is the main Koch lobbying group. Its former VP (who now works for another Koch-backed lobbying group), submitted an amicus brief to SCOTUS against the federal vaccine mandate with Jay Bhattacharya Image
Read 4 tweets
Mallory Harris (@malar0ne.bsky.social) Profile picture
Feb 25, 2022
The Hoover Institution is a right wing thinktank on Stanford's campus.

Its Director, Condoleezza Rice, announced plans to increase its interactions w Stanford scientists who "don't know us very well."

So, let's get to know Hoover's (pseudo)science🧵
stanforddaily.com/2022/02/25/fac… Rice also presented Hoover’...
Hoover Fellow and climate change denier Fred Singer was a textbook example of how contrarian scientists work with right wing thinktanks to stoke denialism for decades — literally, Merchants of Doubt by @NaomiOreskes and @ErikMConway focuses on his work.
desmog.com/s-fred-singer/
Hoover's John Cochrane also has some opinions on climate change. If you think about it, it could actually be good. Because Texas.
johnhcochrane.blogspot.com/2021/09/climat… Looking under the hood of b...
Read 14 tweets

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