Hope, but do not lose our heads.

I am fed up.

I am disappointed. In people. In us.

Several months into our pandemic, things have stabilized here locally of sorts. Our province had fared remarkably well. Due likely to luck, but also with a lot of good efforts by many good people.

As I mentioned previously, come summer months restrictions are being loosened, and with the threat of the virus fading slightly in our short term memories people are loosening their vigilance.

And people are no longer thinking critically.

As I posted in my facebook rant, I still have a substantial problem with people using gloves. I cringe every time I see one, walking around in the neighbourhood, or working in restaurants and serving food to us, touching multiple surfaces and used dishes with said gloves, then new food, without ever changing or sanitizing them.

They act as if they are doing due diligence. I wonder what is it that they think these dirty gloves are doing for them, and for others.

If this continues, I have no doubt we will see many more careless transmissions, brought on by these brainless servants of the glove-using “contact-less” service industry we seem to be embracing.

And the scientists, bless them for all their hard work in fighting this virus on all fronts. But please tamper your exciting over your discoveries, and do not forget the scientific process and scientific rigour of what made modern day medical science supposingly reliable and trust-worthy. This pattern of rapidly releasing medical “observations” or “findings” in press releases before giving the medical community a thorough review of your work is reckless and potentially dangerous. Indeed, there may be an ethical fine line in pushing positive data early in hope of benefiting more people. But this should be done right, such as releasing the details of your studies at least at the same time as such press releases. Having medical decision makers stand at a podium to answer questions about your work without having the benefit of scrutinizing it themselves is pointless, and misleading to the public. The public need good thoughtful information and education. The public is not a sounding board for all potential medical observations and discoveries. This is why we have a scientific review system in place. That is what defines modern day medicine.

I write this because just this week, we have biotech executives and industry leaders openly speculating that we will have an approved vaccine for COVID19 by November. I know nothing of how likely or unlikely for this to be true. But I do have heavy concerns about the process if it were indeed so.

It will be likely that the process of achieving this will be rushed, pressured, possible flawed, with potentially large oversight, or even an exaggeration of the benefits.  This is because we know this process will be heavily politically and economically motivated. And some may say, myself included, that the November election partly hinges on it.

Large amount of money and attention, as well as the hope of the world, has been put on the search of a vaccine. The world is essentially at a reluctant pause, to some degree, in waiting for it. They are ready for any such promising trend. Forces have already been mobilized and committed to mass production of any such successful candidates. It is as if they are setting the stage for a fully expected success, even though we know in medicine we have no such certainties.

There is a risk, therefore, that in order to fulfill their self-serving prophecies, that any slightest positive signal will be packaged in such a wonderful story to make sure they are able to deliver on their promise. Even if it comes with great oversights or flawed methodologies, or potential harm.

I am not trying to be a pessimist. I do hope today’s cutting edge science can surprise us in something we have not been able to achieve in decades. But I am a realist. And I know some parts of sciences simply cannot be rushed.

I look forward to any potential positive developments from the vaccine front, as well as in all other areas of the fight. But we must remember, with any new information in this COVID fight, that the filters have became very very leaky, and we must approach them with caution, and great thoughtfulness and critique.

Or we risk creating a monster whom we thought would have been a saint.

I know in desperate times everyone is clamouring for good news.

But we must not lose our heads in doing so.

Keep hoping, but keep thinking.

We get into trouble if we do one without the other.