Biden finds ‘following the science’ not so easy



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President Biden.

President Biden. Illustrated | Getty Images, iStock

Sometimes keeping up with science is not that easy, especially when “the science” is changing.

This is certainly the case with the Biden administration’s plan to roll out COVID-19 booster shots for people already vaccinated. The White House pledged in August to start rolling out the new vaccines on a large scale from September 20, but it’s increasingly clear that the whole process is more than a little messy – two officials of the FDA vaccines quit last month, apparently over their opposition to the administration’s recall plan, then joined a larger group of 18 scientists on Monday who say there is not enough data to support a large-scale recall campaign.

The implication? President Biden has obtained before science.

“While the idea of ​​further reducing the number of COVID-19 cases by boosting immunity in those vaccinated is attractive, any decision to do so should be evidence-based and consider the benefits and risks to them. individuals and society, “the group wrote in The Lancet medical journal.

As new York the magazine reports today, there are a number of moving parts in the debate. On the one hand, there are concerns about the decrease in immunity in vaccinated people; on the other hand, these people always seem to have fairly good protection against serious illness and death. Israel is already giving boosters, and early data suggests that – for the elderly at least – the extra injections improve immunity. Then again, the Lancet The authors warn that the side effects of boosters given too early or too frequently could exacerbate the widespread reluctance to vaccinate that has contributed to the persistence of the pandemic in the United States. To complicate it all: The World Health Organization has warned of a widespread recall campaign while much of the planet still awaits its first hit.

What does a president – especially one who has repeatedly sworn to “follow the science” – to do?

When Donald Trump was in charge, it was easy for Democrats to commit to following the science on COVID because Trump clearly did not, preferring to focus on his own political well-being. But in a permanent emergency, when scientists themselves cannot agree on a course of action – and when there are ethical questions that do not lend themselves to clear “right or wrong” answers. – the insufficiency of the slogan is revealed. Even with the best of intentions, politics will still be a factor: Biden’s poll scores continue to drop and this has to be seen. Something.

“Follow the science” sounds easy and straightforward. In the real world, however, the money doesn’t end in a lab, but in the Oval Office.

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