A Salesman’s Trick, Ignoring R0, Shaming, Conspiracy, Premature Declaration, Strategic Omission, and Fanciful Fiction

I can’t stop thinking of a recent analysis that estimated over 300,000 Americans might be alive today had all adults been vaccinated. How did we get here?

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My previous articles have examined several techniques these COVID minimizers use to mislead their readers. These include:

• A salesman’s trick:  Using a number that is larger than the COVID death toll to minimize that death toll.
• Ignoring R0:  Focusing on the infection fatality rate of COVID while ignoring how contagious it is.
• Shaming: Shaming people who try not to get COVID or who are bothered by its death toll.
• Conspiracy:  Claiming the COVID death toll can’t be trusted.
• Premature declaration: Acting as if the pandemic is over.
• Strategic omission:  Omitting key facts that are needed to understand some aspect of the pandemic.
• Fanciful fiction: Just making stuff up.

Source: A Salesman’s Trick, Ignoring R0, Shaming, Conspiracy, Premature Declaration, Strategic Omission, and Fanciful Fiction