Allen West’s Twitter Tirade Epitomizes The Anti-Science Battle Being Waged During The Covid-19 Pandemic

Texas Republican gubernatorial candidate, Allen West, was hospitalized this weekend with Covid-19-related pneumonia and low blood oxygen ranges. As he recovers within the hospital, West took to Twitter to voice criticism of vaccine mandates and the government’s response to the pandemic.

Unvaccinated, and seemingly happy with it, West railed towards vaccines and vaccine mandates, calling them “harmful.” He wrote: “As a substitute of jabbing People with a harmful shot which injects them with these spike proteins … guess what? I now have pure immunity and double the antibodies, and that’s science.”

What West is propagating, nevertheless, just isn’t science. It’s additionally unfaithful.

As a substitute of pushing for vaccinations, West asks, why is the federal government not “selling protocols resembling Regeneron monoclonal antibody infusion remedy? Why not promote … Hydroxychloroquine, and sure, Ivermectin?”

In hospital, West has been present process monoclonal antibody remedy, and can also be taking hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin. Whereas a monoclonal antibody remedy has obtained emergency use authorization from the Meals and Drug Administration, hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin usually are not permitted as remedies for Covid-19, as proof doesn’t assist their use.

Curiously, West inveighs towards the institution by stating that “as a substitute of enriching the pockets of Massive Pharma and corrupt bureaucrats and politicians, we needs to be advocating the monoclonal antibody infusion remedy.”

This begs the query, who makes the monoclonal antibody in query? In fact, it’s Regeneron, a big pharmaceutical agency. Furthermore, a Covid-19 vaccine prices about $40 for 2 doses, whereas a monoclonal antibody therapy is $2,100, along with the Covid-19 hospital keep which might run to tens of hundreds of {dollars}.

Right here, Benjamin Franklin’s adage applies: An oz of prevention is price a pound of treatment. In all chance, had West been vaccinated, he would have averted getting hospitalized and incurring pricey medical payments. As well as, there’s a possibility price concerned, whereby West is unnecessarily utilizing up scarce hospital sources, which might have been deployed for different sufferers.

Does West care? In all probability not. He went on to specific his gratitude that “medical professionals [in the hospital] listened to [him] and never some boiler plate CDC, Dr Fauci, or Texas Medical Board mandates.” This implies a deep-seated solipsism, but additionally an irrational aversion to something linked to the federal government.

It’s additionally a mirrored image of what public well being officers and policymakers are up towards. The anti-science motion is insidious. And, West just isn’t an harmless bystander. He’s actively undermining public well being by asserting that the “authorities is working propaganda commercials of people that misplaced family members to COVID saying they need that they had taken the shot. This degree of manipulative deception should finish.”

The implied recommendation to his followers is dangerous. And, it’s not merely misinformation. It’s disinfo that’s been espoused by a motley crew of influential tv and radio personalities, politicians, and anti-government contrarians.

Lengthy earlier than the arrival of the Delta variant, there was loads of mis- and disinformation. However, it’s been particularly pernicious since Might of this 12 months and has contributed to the deaths of tens of hundreds of individuals.

Why has the Delta wave ravaged the U.S. to a level not seen in any peer nation (related when it comes to gross home product per capita)? Effectively, principally it’s as a result of a a lot decrease vaccination fee. Whereas vaccines aren’t good they’re superb at stopping extreme sickness. They save lives. By making this right into a tradition struggle, West and his fellow self-proclaimed freethinkers are complicit within the deaths of many People.

All through the pandemic, their pseudo-arguments epitomize the anti-science battle being waged towards public well being.

When after being hospitalized with Covid-19, somebody as clever as West nonetheless says vaccines are “harmful” and that he’s “much more devoted to preventing towards vaccine mandates,” it suggests an unwillingness to alter, if just for the good thing about fellow residents to stop unnecessary struggling.

Maybe West might be taught a factor or two from different firebrand libertarians who did change their tune. For instance, earlier than he died of Covid-19, conservative radio host and vaccine-skeptic Phil Valentine had the humility and decency to subject a statement advising individuals to get vaccinated.