Docs Need to Answer COVID-19 Anomalies
Now that Trump is finally leaving, the medical establishment needs to come up with some answers regarding COVID-19.
Now that Trump is finally leaving office, it is about time to reexamine the impact of COVID-19. It is not a bad idea to start with the medical establishment, which was anointed as a saint during the pandemic. This was both a function of recognizing their services battling a pesky pandemic, and in response to Trump’s attacks by the Democrat-leaning media. This may have caused the experts to stray from the ethics of scientific inquiry and analyzing COVID-19 data with the requisite rigor. There are many skeletons in their closet, such as an alarmingly high number of deaths caused by medical errors; disproportionately higher death toll of minority COVID patients; institutional discrimination against minorities and the poor; and mismanagement and questionable scholarly conduct, among other irregularities.
Let us discuss them one by one. The first problem lies in the alarmingly high rate of medical errors, which were the third leading cause of death pre-COVID. It is only logical the errors must have quadrupled with the massive workload the plague unleashed. There has been no scientific audit of the death toll, no independent investigation. The medical community is not immune to fraudulent research practices and associated pitfalls. Instead, we have seen the media celebrating Dr. Anthony Fauci’s birthday, and running op-eds by doctors that advocate public shaming and scare tactics.
The second problem is with the unequal treatment of the poor and minorities. Being a minority can make you prone to maltreatment, even if you hail from the medical community. The tragic death of Dr. Susan Moore, who shared multiple videos of her mistreatment, should have come as a shock to the medical community, especially in this age of (at least superficial) racial awareness. Instead, we witnessed denial by the hospital administration responsible for the treatment, an argument that was quickly dismantled by some docs.
The maltreatment of minorities goes a long way. The infamous Tuskegee syphilis study continued until 1972, full eight years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act. Ethnic minority mothers, especially blacks and native Americans, are three times more likely to die than their white counterparts. It comes at no surprise that there are massive disparities in the treatment based on one’s skin color. When a giant like Serena Williams could not escape medical discrimination, how can an impoverished black woman from the hoods expect to be treated fairly? Actually, it does not matter much even if you are a college-educated black mother, as a white high school dropout is more likely to survive childbirth. Racial segregation and attendant disparities in medical care play a key role.
It is not just women. Minority patients are broadly discriminated against in the medical system. Given they make the biggest statistic of COVID fatalities, it would not be wrong to assume some of these were caused by maltreatment, discrimination and other irregularities.
The ethnic majority does not fare better if they are economically depressed. There is a grave disparity in the availability and quality of medical care across America. Malpractices are common and there is little, if any, recourse for the victims. Some places in California recently advised EMS workers to not transport patients unlikely to survive. It is understandable the poor and minorities will be the biggest casualties of this questionable policy.
Trump has long questioned the veracity of the death toll, and his claims have been quickly shot down by the experts. The actual death toll may be higher than reported, especially among the poor and homeless who did not seek medical care. That said, those treated at hospitals may not all have died of COVID. As the above trends indicate, some of the victims may have succumbed to institutional discrimination and medical malpractices. Once the dust settles, and vaccines are administered fairly, we need an objective assessment of medical conduct during the pandemic. This will bring closure to the families of COVID victims, and for hundreds of millions of others that blindly followed the saintly docs and suffered socio-economic consequences.
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