Vaccines and Viruses

One of my tutoring students came to me with an interesting essay prompt the other day from the Honors College at the University of Michigan. The prompt asked about the responsibility scientists have to engage a skeptical public, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

I found this question very interesting because A) I am going to be a scientist (and like to consider myself one already) and B) a good chunk of the people I interact with in person or on social media are skeptical of science and scientists.

It seems everyone is an expert in vaccines and viruses these days, but few have the degree, medical knowledge, or experience to actually claim that title. Few think that they need the degree, medical knowledge, or experience to claim the title. 

I know there will be people who can't wait to point their fingers and yell "Sheep! Sheep!", or people who will be genuinely sorry that I have been led astray by the evil Democrats' political agenda when I tell you that I trust the CDC, and I firmly believe that they know more than I do about the coronavirus. 

Yeah... not what's actually going on

Let me give you 3 reasons why I believe people should be less skeptical and more trusting of the CDC, doctors, and scientists:

1. They have the degree, the medical knowledge, and the experience to direct public response to diseases. 

• Every single one of the directors listed on the CDC's website has at least one masters degree. Most have more than one. Most have additional certifications. Most are doctors. All are more educated than I am. 

2. The CDC's Pledge to the American People states that they will "base all public health decisions on the highest quality scientific data that is derived openly and objectively"(cdc.gov)

• This pledge means that every action taken by the CDC has been done according to the most recent scientific research, not according to personal political opinions. 

3. The scientific process, when strictly adhered to, yields accurate results. 

• This one is my soapbox. I love science. Everything we do, and everything we know, is possible because of scientists who asked questions and then figured out the answers. Without science, we wouldn't have modern medicine, modern mental health practices, modern environmental practices, etc. etc. We also wouldn't have the capabilities to improve our modern practices. That's what scientists do - they give their lives to search for the knowledge we need to take better care of each other and the world we live in. 

• Scientific studies have several ethical restrictions -- rules the researchers have to follow. Here are a few of them. 
• 1. The research has to be valid. It has to actually study what is says it studies. 
• 2. It has to be reliable. In other words, it has to be able to be replicated. If another study cannot come to the same conclusion, the research is not accepted. 

• Therefore, if multiple, independent studies find similarly significant results, the research is trustworthy. That doesn't mean we know everything, but it does mean we know more than we did before the research was done, and right now, the research says to wear masks, wash your hands, and social distance. And the thing is, the research has always said that these are the best ways to protect yourself against disease. The only difference this time is that for some reason, COVID is a political issue. 

Just to be clear, I am not saying that everyone needs to follow to the letter every restriction the CDC has advocated; heaven knows I don't. However, I do believe that if I were to do everything they suggest, I and my family would have a lower risk of getting COVID than we currently do. That's a risk I am willing to take because I believe social interaction is essential for maintaining mental and emotional health health. We do get together with family and friends, and no, we don't wear masks around them, and we don't stand 6 feet apart at all times. 

But --and this is a big but-- we are careful about taking these risks only in the company of other people who are also willing to take them. We get tested when we have symptoms and stay home when we're sick. When we do go out in public, to the grocery store or church or out to dinner, we wear our masks. We stay 6 feet apart from others unless they approach us first. We do that because we've been asked to; because we want to do what we can to respect people who are high-risk, who are more cautious than we are, and who have legitimate medical circumstances that keep them from wearing their own masks; and because it's not actually that hard. 

So, going back to the original question - what responsibility do scientists have to engage the skeptical public? 

Answer: they have every responsibility to do as much as they can to provide up-to-date, reliable, valid information and to continue to perform research sincerely investigating the claims and questions of the public, particularly the skeptics. 

But I would like to pose another question, which I think is equally valid: What responsibility do we as citizens, not only of the United States, but of the entire world, have to the doctors and scientists? 

Answer: we are responsible to know the research, to read the studies, and to obtain as much knowledge as we can directly from the sources before we erroneously assume that all doctors and scientists serve their political agendas before they serve the people. That is a profound disrespect to people who work tirelessly to ensure that we, the skeptical public, are kept as safe and healthy as humanly possible. We are responsible to be not just informed, but well-informed, not by our social media feeds, but by the scientists who have done the research. 

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.