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A comment on Harvard, Oxford, Stanford doctors among leaders of global anti-lockdown movement.

Re:Harvard, Oxford, Stanford doctors among leaders of global... by Someone1234 on Monday October 12, 2020 @01:41PM (#24757073)
It was created by a Koch "economic policy think tank"[2], who regularly argues against climate change[3], the minimum wage, and social safety nets, and isn't focused on medical arguments, but rather economic well-being. It stretches credibility to suggest their primary interests are for the poor all of a sudden.

The argument is also predicated on there never being a working vaccine, and herd immunity being the primary mechanism of eventually ending the COVID-19 pandemic/lockdown[0].

> [0]Sunetra Gupta, an infectious disease epidemiologist, has been a critic of the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic lockdown strategy, arguing that the cost is too high for the poorest in society.

That's an economic argument, not a medical one.

Considering at least two vaccines are coming out of stage III trials[1] and may be widely available as early as summer 2021, I'd prefer to wait for that, rather than a scheme hatched by economically interested individuals who want to sacrifice a lot of people for essentially more wealth.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Barrington_Declaration

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_vaccine#Vaccine_candi...

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Institute_for_Economi...

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Institute_for_Economi...

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Harvard, Oxford, Stanford doctors among leaders of global... by k4l3 on Monday October 12, 2020 @01:48PM (#24757164)
If the poorest in society can no longer buy food or medicine, the problem becomes very medical very quickly.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Harvard, Oxford, Stanford doctors among leaders of global... by Someone1234 on Monday October 12, 2020 @02:08PM (#24757454)
Which is where social safety nets, socialized medicine, and a stronger minimum wage come into play, but this same economic think tank as argued against all of them.

They've been on record, numerous times, arguing against benefits to the poor/poorest, and now suddenly we've meant to believe that they're looking out for the poor when it also benefits the wealthiest for the poor to sacrifice themselves?

Seems more than a little disingenuous if you look at whom we're discussing here.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Harvard, Oxford, Stanford doctors among leaders of global... by kevin_b_er on Monday October 12, 2020 @05:35PM (#24759691)
But the concept is run by Libertarians. The philosophy is rooted in the belief that avarice is greatest good.

They don't actually care about the poor.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Harvard, Oxford, Stanford doctors among leaders of global... by verdverm on Monday October 12, 2020 @01:50PM (#24757195)
You might consider that economic policies effect health decisions and people's mental wellbeing, and that in making such a consideration find that they are not orthogonal issues.
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Re:Harvard, Oxford, Stanford doctors among leaders of global... by jMyles on Monday October 12, 2020 @01:46PM (#24757142)
Yes, Sunetra Gupta, that rabid death cult capitalist.
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