The editorial process at @FrontiersIn makes a blunder. A study looking at "Developmental delays in children born during the pandemic" claims that fine motor delay and communication delay were seen comparing 2015-2019 & 2020.
This is very misleading. I see this mistake a lot.
/1
In fact, it is true that comparing 2020 to 2015-19 shows high anomalies in these two delays. But, if i compare 2016 to (2015, 2017-20) I would get the SAME significance testing. 2016 is worse than 2020 for fine motor and on par for communication.
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This is a case of a fallacy "cherry-picking."
The authors compared 2015-19 to 2020 but NOT:
2015 to 2016-20
2016 to 2015,2017-20
2017 to 2015-16, 2018-20
2018 to 2015-17, 2019-20
2019 to 2015-2018, 2020
And intentionally so, due to the cherrypicked "pandemic" situation.
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Had they done proper statistical tests, it would be completely obvious that 2016 and 2020 had similar rates of both delays.
Instead, cherry picking + selection bias leads to an erroneous association.
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The authors suggest they *controlled* this by pooling 2015-2019, but in fact they committed another fallacy!!
This is called statistical underfitting. The average is simply an inappropriate comparator.
You can clearly see the underfit here. By averaging 2015-2019, they created an average line that is supposed to represent all years "on average". But it's clearly underfit, and 2016 sticks out like a middle finger to statistical decency!
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Fortunately, the careful critical reader can see just how variable these numbers are, in the **FIRST FIGURE**. The peer reviewers failed the editorial process by not pointing out how this figure elevates a "possible limitation" to a "statistical failure."
Noisy numbers!
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The communication number is even more shaky.
While the issue isn't underfit of the average, the main issue is that 2020 would NOT be significantly different when compared to: 2016-2019, 2015-2018, 2018-2019, or ANY combination that *excluded* 2017, which seems low.
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In fact, very obviously, the KEY to 2020 being "statistically increased" is not 2020's elevation, but rather 2017's small stature. A simple eyeball test shows this, and yet the reviewers missed it.
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If we look at other measures of delay that didn't test significantly, we can see how fluctuations played such an important role.
Sorry for the scratchy comments, but it's late when I'm composing this and its irritating how obvious this is.
This type of error is *critical* during a pandemic, and undoubtedly adds fuel to the type of misattributed "cause" that drives so much covid-denialism activism.
It's not challenging statistics either, and this is what peer review is supposed to correct.
/fin
the paper in question, which *should* have concluded, if either of the two reviewers considered the obvious statistical issue, that "delay rates were within normal year-to-year fluctuation."
Placebo-controlled trials compare a vaccine to an inactive substance (placebo). This helps measure how effective the vaccine is. In the case of vaccines, often, the placebo is not "saline", but rather a previous vaccine or vaccine solution.
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When a safe, effective vaccine already exists, using an inactive placebo means some participants are deliberately left unprotected against disease. This creates unnecessary harm.
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Ethical standards require minimizing harm and offering participants the best available care. When a proven vaccine exists, denying it to anyone—regardless of location—is unethical.
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In Canada during the Delta wave, vaccination prevented infection (unvaccinated 6x higher chance of being infected). As well, being unvaccinated led to a 22X chance of being hospitalized and an 18X chance of dying.
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For confirmed infections, the IFR for unvaccinated was a whopping 2.4%. The IFR for being vaccinated was much lower, both due to preventing infection and reducing the consequences of it.
Delta was a very deadly strain, and unvaccinated people died/suffered the most.
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When Omicron hit, it was a strain that evaded vaccinations, leading to enormous numbers of infections, even in vaccinated people.
However, the immunity protection vs hospitalization and death was still enormous, and unvaccinated Canadians were 12X more likely to die.
Correcting revisionist history:
"COVID is not a problem for young people in the US"
Covid responsible (not "with", underlying cause) for 2% of all deaths <20. That's 1 out of every 50 deaths of all kids who die. #1 in infectious diseases, 5th in disease overall.
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COVID-19 deaths created 300,000 American orphans, 330,000 if we count "primary caregivers" and 380,000 if we count "secondary caregivers". That's a lot of childhood harm.
2x as common for Black kids
4x as common for Indigenous kids
1.6X as common for Hispanic kids
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Our most vulnerable children, with medical illnesses, suffered the most during the pandemic. Children with heart disease, respiratory disease, neurologic diseases, and chromosomal abnormalities suffered more severe symptoms than did children without those conditions.
Why do you use pronouns in your bio?
Because it's an easy way to promote inclusivity & to increase awareness of gender expression. It costs me nothing, &because I work with kids who are establishing their identity it shows that I don't make assumptions.
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Is being transgender a mental illness?
Being transgender is not a mental illness. It is a natural variation of human phenotype, though some transgender individuals may experience distress, called gender dysphoria, which is addressed through appropriate care.
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Can a man be a woman?
Yes. Some individuals identify as a gender different from their assigned sex at birth.
"What is a woman?"
A woman is a female by identity. This can refer to biological sex identity or social gender identity, depending on the context.
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🧵RFK Jr. is an antivax, AIDS-denying, absolutely antiscientific conspiracist.🧵
ANTIVAX:
“They get [vaccinated], that night they have a fever of 103, they go to sleep, and three months later their brain is gone... This is a Holocaust, what this is doing to our country.”
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ANTIVAX:
"I do believe that autism does come from vaccines"
Metaanalyses involving MILLIONS of children have confirmed there is no link. The lie started with another antivaxxer, disgraced fraudster Andrew Wakefield, who fabricated data.
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ANTIVAX:
"I've read all the science on autism and I can tell you, if you want to know... If it didn't come from the vaccines, then where did it come from?"
Autism primarily from combo of genetic factors & early brain development differences.
Battling Election Misinformation
Part 2: "The Mandate"
Contrary to media/republican pronouncements, the election of Donald Trump was one of the narrowest (by popular vote, +1.73%) in history, with only 7 elections since 1800 being narrower.
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In fact, if we look at the margin of victory when we include all eligible voters, Trump wins with 31.3% of the voting population, compared to Harris' 30.2% and 1% going to other candidates. 37.4% did not vote.
If we only include voters, Trump wins 50.03% to 49.97%
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When we look at the electoral college results, Trump won 58% of available electoral college votes. This would rank his election 41st out of 57 elections since 1800.