4. The Politics of Health: Public Health & Misinformation

An overview of the current evidence regarding the effectiveness of face masks.

Those with prior infection, regardless of symptom severity, reported significantly more symptoms of cognitive dysfunction than did non-infected counterparts in the general population.

mRNA Vaccine Stays Active in the Body Longer Than Expected, New Data Shows. But It Isn’t Dangerous. Anti-vaccine supporters will tell you this is evidence that authorities lied about how long the …

A significantly stronger immune response against Omicron is seen, but it remains unclear how an updated vaccine will fare against future versions of the virus.

A new study estimates that COVID-19 vaccinations averted 58% of U.S. deaths that could have occurred in a hypothetical scenario in which no inoculations existed.

Summary box Mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policies have been used around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic to increase vaccination rates.

With all the talk of masks, here's what the data really says.

Researchers found more than 9.5% of deaths in US are due to medical error

Medical error is not included on death certificates or in rankings of cause of death. Martin Makary and Michael Daniel assess its contribution to mortality and call for better reporting The annual list of the most common causes of death in the United States, compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), informs public awareness and national research priorities each year. The list is created using death certificates filled out by physicians, funeral directors, medical examiners, and coroners. However, a major limitation of the death certificate is that it relies on assigning an International Classification of Disease (ICD) code to the cause of death.1 As a result, causes of death not associated with an ICD code, such as human and system factors, are not captured. The science of safety has matured to describe how communication breakdowns, diagnostic errors, poor judgment, and inadequate skill can directly result in patient harm and death. We analyzed the scientific literature on medical error to identify its contribution to US deaths in relation to causes listed by the CDC.2 Medical error has been defined as an unintended act (either of omission or commission) or one that does not achieve its intended outcome,3 the failure of a planned action to be completed as intended (an error of execution), the use of a wrong plan to achieve an aim (an error of planning),4 or a deviation from the process of care that may or may not cause harm to the patient.5 Patient harm from medical error can occur at the individual or system level. The taxonomy of errors is expanding to better categorize preventable factors and events.6 We focus on preventable lethal events to highlight the scale of potential for improvement. The role of error can be complex. While …

Developing nations that desperately need these more effective vaccines are virtually locked out

In light of widespread falsehoods about Covid-19 and its treatment and prevention, the American Board of Internal Medicine has informed doctors that disseminating misinformation is grounds for ...

Scientists are investigating whether reservoirs of virus ‘hiding’ in the body are contributing to long Covid

UK studies will look into whether blood thinners may help people who have ongoing symptoms

Justin Trudeau says people who chose not to be vaccinated against COVID-19 must accept the consequences of those decisions, including lost employment and restricted access to transportation and other services.

All pandemic long, scientists brawled over how the virus spreads. Droplets! No, aerosols! At the heart of the fight was a teensy error with huge consequences.

The suggestion that increased racial sensitivity by Canada’s public broadcaster is the effect of elite American liberal posturing is flatly bizarre, writes columnist Sandy Garossino.

They’re anti-science and conspiratorial. Together, they’re building a right-wing populist, measle-stricken future.

Items (SSRC) publishes accessible social science essays and collections, plus the monthly Items & Issues newsletter—linking research, policy, and public debate.

A new conspiracy theory emerges where you least expect it: On the left.

The recent blockades in Canada were not about COVID-19. They were about white supremacy and extremism. The blockaders are not patriots nor are they oppressed. The b…

The streets of downtown Ottawa are no longer blocked with trucks and peppered with hate symbols, but residents are not ready to rest while the extreme rhetoric of the so-called “freedom convoy” permeates Canadian politics and society.

How to make Covid immunity even more durable.

Adventurous play, especially when conducted outdoors, was associated with reduced anxiety and depression in children.

Nature Biotechnology - Anderson and colleagues discuss the progress and challenges of using mRNA for vaccines and immunotherapy.