Thursday, November 19, 2020
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‘Conspiracy theories’ on Covid-19 come from BRAIN DAMAGE? Questionable science is being used to pathologize real dissent
Helen BuyniskiPeople who believe in so-called conspiracy theories about Covid-19 are actually suffering from “neuropsychological impairments,” says a neurologist, in what sounds more than a little bit like Soviet-era weaponized psychiatry. ‘Conspiracy theorists’ who refuse to wear masks and embrace lockdowns are the victims of their own scientific illiteracy, which has fundamentally damaged their brains to such an extent that they cannot understand the science of Covid-19, claims neurologist Bruce Miller from the University of California, San Francisco, in a paper published earlier this month in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Miller leverages his formidable credentials – he’s both director of the Memory and Aging Center and co-director of the Global Brain Health Institute at UCSF – to legitimize a baseless and frankly dangerous theory that could potentially be used to lock those same “conspiracy theorists” away in psychiatric facilities indefinitely. His questionable paper takes the pathologization of dissent even a step further than recent bogus “anti-maskers are sociopaths” studies, to a very dark, totalitarian place – ironically, the exact same endpoint feared by the conspiracy theorists he so glibly patronizes. Dissent = brain damage? Miller equates “anti-mask behavior,” “anti-vaccine beliefs,” and “conspiracy theories about the origins of Covid-19” with “denial of science,” blaming the whole package on low levels of science literacy rooted in poor-quality education. While the quality of US science education is certainly dismal, Miller’s reductionist viewpoint leaves no room for the many intelligent, educated people who hold these views. His area of expertise may be in delusional disorders, but writing off informed dissent as delusion born of ignorance is, well, ignorant and delusional. Despite being published in JAMA, one of the most prestigious journals in medical science, Miller’s article cites very little actual science: two papers on the neurobiology of delusions (actual delusions, as in schizophrenia and dementia, not “differing views the writer doesn’t like”) and one comparing Covid-19 deaths in the US with those in other countries. While he liberally sprinkles medical terms throughout, hidden between his references to Capgras syndrome (the false belief that a loved one has been replaced by an impostor) and frontotemporal dementia (in which people falsely believe they are rich) are admissions that these paradigms do not necessarily apply to beliefs about Covid-19 that counter the establishment line. It’s not that Miller himself isn’t a scientist – indeed, it’s his prestigious credentials that make him all the more dangerous, as the same scientific illiteracy he complains about makes people much more likely to be duped by his tactical deployment of neurological jargon. However, like most specialists, his expertise in neurology doesn’t necessarily translate to a deep understanding of politics. Or respiratory diseases, for that matter - he pooh-poohed the dirt-cheap malaria drug hydroxychloroquine despite scores of studies upholding its effectiveness in treating Covid-19, apparently believing every last one of them was conducted by delusional quacks (unlike, presumably, those that say it doesn't work). But what about the conspiracy theories? In fact, the real science in most of the cases he cites favors the “conspiracy theorists” – or at least doesn’t rule them out. Take masks: the largest-ever randomized controlled trial of mask-wearing was finally published on Wednesday in the Annals of Internal Medicine after being blocked by JAMA and its fellow top-tier journals New England Journal of Medicine and the Lancet, showing face coverings do not protect against infection with the novel coronavirus. There are dozensmore, though most relate to other respiratory viruses and mask-wearing. Some have been mysteriously deleted for being “no longer relevant in our current climate” – a chillingly Orwellian explanation that has nothing to do with science and everything to do with control. And vaccine hesitancy? Vaccine frontrunner Moderna claims its jab is 95 percent effective, but the company has not released the results of its latest clinical trials – and the last time it did, the data revealed that all participants who got two shots of the highest dose experienced side effects, many of them severe. Even with the Pfizer jab, there are reasons for caution, especially with the UK Labour Party preemptively calling for blanket censorship of all “anti-vaccine” content. The last time the UK rushed a vaccine to market in the middle of a much-hyped “pandemic,” thousands of people were permanently injured, and some died. Meanwhile, UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock refuses to rule out making the jab mandatory, and several countries have floated making it a requirement for travel. Sound kosher? As for the origins of Covid-19 itself, the official story has changed so many times (those darn Chinese and their wet markets! What, they didn’t sell bats at the Wuhan market? Well, the bat must have spent some intimate time with a pangolin, or maybe a snake… stop asking so many questions!) it’s no longer credible. Nobel laureate Luc Montagnier and US bioweapons expert Francis Boyle say it was created in a lab. The science is not settled, on this or any of the above issues, and it never will be if the establishment keeps smearing researchers who deviate from an increasingly threadbare orthodoxy as loony conspiracy theorists. More than just public shaming Miller’s paper goes one step beyond the usual establishment sneering, however. Tracing the origin of “conspiracy theories” to an organic brain defect reeks of the Soviet weaponization of psychiatry, a dark chapter in history that seems – if papers like this and another recent “study” out of Brazil are any indication – poised to repeat itself. During the 1960s and 1970s, the USSR weaponized psychiatry to institutionalize political dissidents, diagnosing them with mental illness – because after all, one would have to be crazy not to embrace communism! – and locking them away. The practice served to neutralize the targeted individual, marginalize others who shared his opinions, and terrify the rest of the population into keeping their doubts about the system to themselves. The parallels to 2020 are impossible to ignore. If Miller’s scientifically baseless theory that belief in conspiracies represents an organic brain defect is embraced by the medical establishment (and there’s no reason to suspect it won’t be), dissidents could find themselves locked up indefinitely as incurable “cases.” Those who dismiss such a possibility need only look at the comparatively recent removal of homosexuality from the DSM-IV psychiatric manual. Many of the mindsets we now take for granted have been pathologized, and many which were once seen as normal (“oppositional defiant disorder,” “attention deficit disorder”) were created only recently. Countries are also changing their laws to make it easier to institutionalize targets. One of the changes to UK law rammed through in its emergency legislation package reduced the number of medical professionals signing off on the decision to “section” (institutionalize) an individual from two to one. And now, American doctors are licking their lips at the possibility of sidelining those troublesome conspiracy theorists once and for all. Are these the behaviors of governments that have nothing to hide? How long will it even be permitted to ask such a question? https://www.rt.com/op-ed/507210-unscientific-paper-pathologize-dissent-miller/
The Taliban Don’t Care About a Free Press. Neither Does the Afghan Government
By Sabera Azizi
Yama Siawash was eloquent, blunt, passionate, charismatic, and uncensored — often a fatal combination in Afghanistan.
On the morning of November 7 in Kabul, a weeping father rushed with his sons to the scene of a red car engulfed in flames. The ground was covered in blood, and remnants were stuck on adjacent tree branches. Bystanders brought a white cloth as the family picked up the burnt and bloody remains of their beloved.
This was the scene of the attack that took the life of Yama Siawash, a calligrapher and poet, a renowned journalist and former TV anchor.
Siawash was well-known for shedding light on corruption, exposing government officials, and questioning the Afghan government’s official narrative. In one of his last programs, he challenged a minister who was involved in a controversial deal with the Taliban. This was the final straw in the mounting pressure against Tolo News, a local news channel and Siawash’s employer at the time, to dismiss him. According to Siawash’s childhood friend, Tolo News was pressured to fire Siawash because he echoed the realities of the country. His childhood friend further noted that Siawash received threats due to his outspokenness.
Siawash’s tragic murder brings to the surface two prevalent phenomenon plaguing the vibrant Afghan media: government failure to protect journalists and self-censorship.
Not only did the Afghan government fail to protect Siawash despite threats, but his assassination also happened on the government’s watch. The vehicle carrying Siawash was the property of the Afghan government. Further, Afghanistan’s vice president, Amrullah Saleh, confirmed that the explosives attached to the car were military-grade. Saleh pointed out that the explosives used in the attack weren’t home-made explosive compounds, which the Taliban often use. Although the Afghan government was quick to blame the Taliban, according to Al Jazeera, the Taliban hasn’t claimed responsibility for the attack.
Siawash was eloquent, blunt, passionate, charismatic, and uncensored — often a fatal combination in Afghanistan.
A Human Rights Watch report on media freedom in Afghanistan notes that journalists often self-censor as a survival mechanism. Journalists self-censor in part due to a lack of protection by the Afghan government. Afghan journalists are cautious of how much light they shed on government controversies, weighing telling the whole unvarnished truth with their desire to survive. The U.S. State Department’s annual human rights report on Afghanistan confirmed this, noting that “journalists reporting on administrative corruption, land embezzlement, and local officials’ involvement in narcotics trafficking engaged in self-censorship due to fear of violent retribution by provincial police officials and powerful families.”
Apart from failing to protect journalists, the Afghan government has also flirted with the idea of curtailing the media. Earlier this year, the president’s cabinet was toying with new amendments to essentially restrict the press. The amendments were recalled after a media outcry.
Time and again the Afghan government claims that free media is a red line in peace talks with the Taliban. However, threats to free speech not only come from the Taliban but government officials and powerful individuals. According to Human Rights Watch’s report, most of the threats against Afghan journalists “come from individuals acting on behalf of powerful government officials or influential local actors, including militia leaders and so-called warlords.”
Amplifying the realities on the ground and exposing government incompetency is akin to a crime in Afghanistan. Siawash knew the price that Afghans with large platforms pay for not censoring themselves. On the page where Siawash published his Persian calligraphy, is a piece which roughly translates: They broke us for the crime of being a mirror.
https://thediplomat.com/2020/11/the-taliban-dont-care-about-a-free-press-neither-does-the-afghan-government/
Coronavirus: Pakistan braces for a 'more lethal' second wave
By S. Khan
Pakistan is facing a second coronavirus wave, with authorities urging the public to follow health guidelines. But experts say both the government and people are still not taking the pandemic seriously. S Khan reports.
On October 29, Pakistan reported over 1,000 coronavirus cases — the first time since July, when it got the pandemic pretty much under control. In the last six days, the South Asian country has registered around 12,000 cases, bringing the total COVID-19 infections to 365,927 and 7,248 related deaths.
Health experts say the country is in the grip of a second coronavirus wave, which could prove to be more lethal than the first wave.
Prime Minister Imran Khan's government imposed a partial COVID-19 lockdown in March to contain the virus spread. However, the restrictions were lax, and most people did not follow the health guidelines. Large gatherings — both religious and political — resumed in July, with most people believing the pandemic was over.
Large gatherings
Mass rallies and congregations have continued to take place in Pakistan since the start of the pandemic. Their numbers and frequency have increased in the past few weeks, especially with opposition parties holding massive anti-government rallies in different cities, hoping to topple PM Khan's government.
Last week, the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region held elections for its legislative assembly, which involved huge political rallies and door-to-door canvassing.
Religious congregations, including Friday prayers and mosque sermons, continue across the country, with little or no regard for the coronavirus restrictions. It is important to note that two large-scale religious events in March had led to a sharp spike in coronavirus cases at the start of the pandemic in the Muslim-majority country.
Winter is usually a wedding season in Pakistan, and although the government has imposed a ban on large-scale weddings, it is likely that indoor wedding events would continue to take place amid the second pandemic wave.
"Large gatherings are making the virus transmission easier. I am not only talking about coronavirus; even the flu cases are rising. If a patient, who is already infected with other viruses, catches coronavirus, his survival chances are very low. That is why this second coronavirus wave is more dangerous, more lethal," Tipu Sultan, former president of the Pakistan Medical Association, told DW.
Imran Bhatti, a spokesman for the Young Doctors Association, says that most Pakistanis were afraid of the first coronavirus wave. "Now they believe they have achieved a herd immunity, which, of course, is wrong," he told DW, adding that people are doing things as if the virus doesn't exist.
Inadequate health facilities and low testing
Sultan says the country's health facilities are unable to deal with the pressure. "Hospitals are already short of beds. Medical and paramedical staff are also getting infected by COVID-19."
Health workers complain that they are facing a shortage of protective gear to treat COVID-19 patients. Some doctors claim the government has reduced facilities to deal with the coronavirus.
"The number of coronavirus cases is rising. Instead of opening new health facilities, the government has closed a field hospital in Lahore, leaving the city of over 12 million people with only one hospital dedicated to coronavirus patients. The COVID-19 testing remains as low as ever, and hospitals are short of equipment," said Bhatti.
Arsalan Mahmood of the Young Doctors Association urges the government to ramp up coronavirus tests. "We still don't have the true picture of the pandemic. We are a country of 220 million people and we are not testing enough. We need to test at least 1 million people per day. We cannot formulate a proper COVID-19 policy without it," he told DW.
Another lockdown?
Health experts believe the government needs to impose a fresh lockdown to deal with the second coronavirus wave in the country. So far, PM Khan has ruled out the lockdown possibility. He has been arguing since March that a lockdown would ruin the country's economy.
"The government needs to immediately announce a countrywide lockdown to stop the renewed coronavirus spread," Bhatti said
Sultan says authorities must ban all public gatherings immediately.
Senator Pervaiz Rasheed, an opposition politician, blames PM Khan for the current health crisis. "Imran Khan, just like US President Donald Trump, initially dismissed coronavirus as a simple flu. He made fun of people who demanded that the government take the contagion seriously," he told DW.
Rasheed, however, said the opposition parties will hold anti-government rallies regardless. "We will follow the health guidelines," he said, adding that the government wants to use the pandemic as an excuse to ban opposition demonstrations.
Muhammad Iqbal Khan, a ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party lawmaker, told DW that the government has canceled its own public rallies and that he expects the opposition to do the same. "The government has been praised by several international organizations for its handling of the pandemic. The virus is spreading again because of the opposition rallies. We will take measures to deal with this situation," Khan told DW.
https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-pakistan-braces-for-a-more-lethal-second-wave/a-55662887
Pakistan under second Covid wave, experts blame complacency, religious gatherings & rallies
Pakistan, which seemed to have flattened its Covid-19 curve two months ago, is now recording a sudden surge in coronavirus cases. The country had witnessed a record high in infections — 6,825 cases on 14 June. Then, around July, it recorded an average of over 2,000 to 3,000 cases daily. Between August and October, it continued to record a decline in infections, wherein less than 1,000 infections were recorded daily.However, since November, the country has been recording an increase in cases. In a span of a month, the daily cases in Pakistan have more than doubled. On 12 October, 531 cases were recorded while 2,304 cases were reported on 12 November. On 18 November, as many as 2,547 cases were reported. According to government data, Pakistan has so far recorded 3,65,927 cases. Of these, 7,248 people have died. Deaths climb though testing has also risen While cases have risen, so have the number of Covid-19 mortalities. Eighteen deaths were recorded on 18 November. The day before, 37 deaths were recorded — the highest number in a day. On 16 November, the tally was only slightly lower at 33 deaths. However, these numbers in November have been significantly higher than in October, where an average of 10 to 15 deaths were recorded daily. To detect these cases, Pakistan has so far conducted a total of 50,55,382 Covid tests. The number of tests have consistently gone up since July. While an average of 20,000-25,000 tests were done daily in July and August, the number went up to 30,000 in October. On 18 November, 36,899 tests were conducted. According to Worldometers, an independent tracker tallying Covid cases across the globe, Pakistan conducted 22,719 tests per million, starkly lower than those conducted in India, at 92,773 tests per million. It currently ranks Pakistan 28th in the world in terms of overall caseload. Where crowds gather Dr Abdul Bari, CEO, Indus Hospital in Karachi and member of the Pakistan’s National Health Task Force, said people’s complacency was a primary factor behind the increase in infections in the country. “I think people’s complacency is the biggest reason behind the surge in infections, along with the weather change, now that it has become cooler,” he told ThePrint. He also said opening schools and largely focusing on them was a misstep by the government. “I think the mistake on the government’s part was that they opened schools, then wedding halls and restaurants. All their attention was focused towards schools and colleges where they were testing people.” Meanwhile, a large number of people were gathering in wedding halls and restaurants, which went unnoticed. According to Dr Bari, many of them did not wear masks and were not following other Covid-related protocols. Ansar Maqsood, executive director of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, said, “People took false impressions of the initial success as they think that the deadly virus has vanished and therefore, precautionary measures are being ignored. Furthermore, the new cases of the coronavirus are being considered as seasonal flu caused by the dry weather and dusty air.” Bari added: “The political rallies have also contributed to the surge in infections.” Prime Minister Imran Khan had announced a ban on public rallies on 16 November following an eruption of several pro-democracy protests across the country. In a televised address, Khan said, “We have decided to ban public gatherings in the country, including ours planned over the weekend, as large crowds help in the spread of the virus.” Also read: How Pakistan managed to flatten its Covid curve despite a low testing rate A second wave Dr Bari told ThePrint that Pakistan is currently experiencing its second Covid-19 wave. He also said though Pakistan had been more than able to contain the first wave, the second one could prove difficult. Expressing concern over the rising test positivity rate (TPR), he said, “First, we had decreased it to 1.9 per cent, but now it has come up to 7 per cent.” On 7 November, the Pakistan Medical Association had urged people to abide by the standard protocols on Covid-19 and warned about the second wave. According to government data, Pakistan had a TPR of 6.9 per cent on 18 October. It recorded the highest TPR on 16 November at 7.28 per cent. The country had managed to contain this value to around 1-2 per cent between July and August, but has been witnessing an increase since October. As far as testing goes, Dr Bari maintained that capacity had been increased and was consistent. “We are proposing that restaurants only allow outdoor seating or takeaway. Weddings must also be done outdoors … The decision on whether to shut schools will be decided on Monday,” he added. Smart lockdown Pakistan is also imposing a ‘smart lockdown’ in hotspot areas, wherein free movement of residents is restricted. Nine cities of Punjab are under this lockdown. The government in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir also issued a notice, imposing a lockdown from 22 November to 6 December. It also imposed a blanket ban on public gatherings. With more than half a year spent living under pandemic conditions, Bari said people had “learnt how to live” with Covid-19 and weren’t rushing to hospitals. “Hospitals which were under the strain of handling many Covid-19 patients, are fine now. People have learnt to live with Covid. First people were going to hospitals even with minor symptoms, but now they’re opting for home isolation.”