Elon Musk is clearly a visionary leader in technology and innovation. He recently endorsed Grok, an AI chatbot designed to provide “up-to-date” information on all subjects. So I asked Grok: Are Covid vaccines safe? Stay tuned for the answer in this🧵 👇🏽 According to Grok (which again Elon says has the most up to date information) the “vast majority of scientific evidence” says covid vaccines are “safe AND effective…” Grok points out the initial trials had “tens of thousands of volunteers…”

By this time next week, @elonmusk could be in change of coordinating US tech and innovation strategy for the next 4 years. So I asked Grok- Musk’s new AI chat engine- a simple question: Do vaccines cause autism?

Here’s what Grok had to say (notice the word “conclusively”)👇🏽 Grok goes on to point out the source of this “myth” (Grok’s words, not mine)- a discredited study by Andrew Wakefield. It highlights “serious ethical violations, incorrect data interpretation,” and notes Wakefield’s license was revoked. 😮

This summer, Americans have seen the biggest summer #COVID19 wave recorded in at least the last two years. This recent rise in COVID cases is a reminder about the importance of staying up to date with COVID vaccinations. Let’s get into it! #WhyIVax
👇🏽🧵 I recently spoke with several local news stations about all of this – COVID-19 continues to pose a greater burden than flu in the US, with significantly lower vaccination rates, despite its more severe outcomes.  msn.com/en-us/video/he…

It will be fascinating to see if
A) Anyone actually ultimate looks at covid infections at the #Olympics (many teams tested)
B) Anyone correlates that to performances (lots of anecdotal reports of “didn’t feel great” or mystery virus)
C) Anyone looks at Paxlovid use by athletes

https://twitter.com/elisaperego78/status/1821214718100390146

Would also be interesting to learn how many knowingly competed (and exposed others) and if they took any specific actions to protect themselves or others when they knew they were positive. This could’ve been (and still can be) a great learning opportunity on “living with Covid.”

Spoke at @AspenInstitute #aspenideas yesterday. Was asked about Tony Fauci, lab leaks, and GOF research. My response:

Tony Fauci is a friend, mentor, and 50+ year public servant, who retired as an Admiral. I’ve personally not known him to be anything but honest + patriotic. 1/ On lab leaks, we’re asking the wrong questions IMO. We’ll likely never know true Covid origins as China has withheld /destroyed information. So practically this is not a question we can answer.

We SHOULD be focusing on China and WHO accountability vs lab leaks and Fauci. 2/

American Indian, Alaska Native, & Black youth face SIGNIFICANTLY higher mortality rates vs their White counterparts- and the gap is widening!

This demands urgent attention, and highlights the danger of abandoning all DEI programs and data collection. 🧵
jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/… Injury, especially from firearms, is primary cause of pediatric death. Shockingly, Black youth saw a 39.2% surge in firearm deaths between 2019 and 2020, with a further 23.0% ⬆️ in 2021. Reasons range from increased gun access to pandemic social upheaval to policing. 😞

The problem with infectious disease scares is a) they happen ALL the time and b) most of them flame out.

But this (H5N1/ Bird Flu) is starting to feel a lot like 2020 again. And we seem to be making the same testing and communication mistakes. 🤦🏽‍♂️

amazon.com/Crisis-Chaos-L… In 2020, we had an incumbent President running for reelection who was loathe to overreact and spoke the public- especially if it meant harm to the economy. Because the truth is, these things really do typically “just disappear” on their own…

Once you get past all the “it’s just a cold” bluster, it’s amazing to consider how many people who will tell you they still have a cough/ wheeze/ are taking an inhaler/ fatigue/ are “not back to normal” long after they’ve had Covid.

I know I’m not the only one who hears this.🤷🏽‍♂️ I get it- people don’t want to give us socialization / have their lives and plans impacted. That’s human nature. I also think most people KNOW covid can be really harmful, and the downplaying of it is really is psychological compensation to justify the risk to themselves.

Bird flu /H5N1 update: 🧵

On April 1, 2024, a Texas resident with exposure to dairy cattle tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1), also known as bird flu and avian influenza. The person was treated and has recovered.

cdc.gov/media/releases… This incident is separate from a March 2024 report confirming this year’s first U.S. human infected with an influenza virus that normally spreads in pigs and not people. This person also was treated and has recovered.

Interesting #COVID_19 stats- a 🧵:

1) 95% of current covid hospitalizations are in people who are not up to date on their vaccinations. So especially if you or a loved one is in a higher risk group, please consider a vaccine or boost. 2) Covid fell from the 3rd leading cause of death in 2021 to 10th in 2023. Things ARE objectively better. And we have to also focus on the other top 9 causes of death (eg opioid overdoses, heart disease, cancer).

Latest update on my @MayoClinic ER visit bill dispute:
They talked to their coding company (whose primary purpose is to maximize THEIR collections), and said they also checked regional average charges… and say they are justified in charging $9000+ for IV fluids and labs. 🤦🏽‍♂️ Disputing a medical bill can feel like facing an unjust justice system, as hospitals are police officer, judge, and jailer. Despite my familiarity with the system, I’ve hit the same dead-end as too many in U.S. - pay up or face collections. 🤷🏽‍♂️

businessinsider.com/former-surgeon…

Recently had an ER visit for dehydration while out of town. Received some labs and 3 IV bags. Here's the bill- AFTER insurance. It's no wonder medical debt is the top cause of bankruptcy in the U.S. 🏥💸 #HealthcareCosts #MedicalDebtCrisis I’m a doctor who is in the top 1% of earners. And even I don’t have $4896.43 lying around. So I clicked “billing options” and was relived to see that I was offered an alternative to “pay us $5k right now or have your credit ruined.” I could go on the $1632.15 per month plan! 🤦🏽‍♂️

ICYMI: A “systematic review to evaluate the evidence for effectiveness of child mask mandates in reducing transmission or disease severity in COVID-19.” 🧵

adc.bmj.com/content/early/… As with the prior Cochrane review, many - including the authors of this study - conflate masking efficacy with mask mandate efficacy.

One is a medical / health intervention and the other is a policy intervention, and it’s imperative to distinguish one from the other…

The pandemic school closure debate is now often framed as being solely about the kids. However, it's important to acknowledge that in 2020, the focus was mostly about using the kids as guinea pigs (ie subjecting them to a new virus) to achieve herd
immunity + faster reopening.👇🏽 Instead of prioritizing learning loss and social isolation, most discussion was about using kids as a means to help the adults. In the future let’s remember to truly prioritize the holistic well being of our kids (especially vulnerable and caregivers). amazon.com/Crisis-Chaos-L…

🌟 Exciting News! 🌟

Hey there, amazing friends! 💙 I hope you're all doing well and staying safe. Today, I wanted to address some frequently asked questions about the COVID-19 vaccine, flu shots, and RSV. Let's dive right in and spread some positivity!👇🏽 🌍 Who needs the COVID vaccine, flu shot, and RSV vaccine? 🌍

Everyone should consider updated Covid + Flu shots ! These vaccines play a crucial role in protecting ourselves and our loved ones from potentially severe illnesses. While each vaccine targets different viruses, they all contribute to building a healthier and safer community.

Hey everyone! 👋🏽
Want to say I absolutely agree with Dr. L about the importance of lifestyle!👍🏽

Unfortunately due to conditions and policies in some places, not everyone everywhere can focus on “making healthy choices.” So today, let's talk about the incredible significance of social determinants of health! 🌈✨


🏠 Did you know that our living conditions, access to education, employment opportunities, and even our social and economic status - all things greatly impacted by state and local government laws and policies- can greatly impact our overall well-being? It's true! So, let's dive into the importance of these social determinants and how they shape our health outcomes. 🌻🌍

Anecdotally (ie family and friends), professionally (in the hospital), and from the data (wastewater + hospitalizations) covid cases are skyrocketing.

Yes- many have some residual immunity and will get milder sickness than past waves, but ⬆️ hospitalization rates don’t lie. Cases will continue to grow exponentially as we end summer, weather events (heat and rain) force people indoors, k-12 and colleges start, and we approach the Labor Day holiday. In other words, it’s going to get worse before it gets better.

Except:
80% not up-to-date on vaccines – worse for black and brown communities.

Updated vaccine is not available for another month at least.

Marginalized communities can’t access treatment / tests/ N95s.

I just don’t understand the reason for such disregard for vulnerable.🤷🏽‍♂️

https://twitter.com/ashishkjha/status/1690774099373559808

Also, it’s not “every new variant” people are worried about. It’s the documented uptick in COVID-19 ED visits and hospitalizations.

As I said, I prefer to address policies over people, but I just truly am baffled at a Dean of public health saying these things these ways.

I try to focus on policies (vs people), but I’ve been asked a lot about this specific article. The premise is YOU CAN IGNORE COVID (…if you’re up to date on vaccines and take Paxlovid when sick…).

But the headline buries the lede, almost to the point of being disinformation. The first problem with the article is, less than 20% of the United States is actually up to date on vaccination.🤦🏽‍♂️

So perhaps the headline should have read: Four out of five in U.S. should think twice before “ignoring covid?” 🤔

(Especially given our recent summer surge...)

A lot of “so what” to the reported covid increases in FL and TX. The so what is that there is currently essentially no testing of anyone who isn’t already sick enough to go to the hospital. So these increased cases likely represent real societal harm- not the sniffles.

https://twitter.com/bnofeed/status/1685797252399308801

Acknowledging this doesn’t mean we’re on our way to “lockdowns” and mask mandates. In fact, most people have at least some baseline immunity. But from a public health standpoint, we should be alerting and protecting the vulnerable among us, and making treatment more available.

I’ve been seeing some posts suggesting doctors and scientists shouldn’t say vaccines don’t cause autism, because, “hey, you could be wrong, and it’s arrogant, and even unscientific to suggest otherwise.” Here’s why this reflects a misunderstanding of the scientific process… 🧵 Science tells us to question previous beliefs, but a) there’s a process to prove or disprove those beliefs. And b) when that process is followed, science says we coalesce around the conclusions. At some point “science” had to agree the earth is round, and the moon is real.