Science Magazine: Do US a favor (an open letter to Trump)

[DinahMoeHum]

Last edited Sat Mar 14, 2020, 04:44 PM - Edit history (1)

H. Holden Thorp - Editor-in-chief of Science magazine

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/367/6483/1169.full

(boldface emphasis is mine - DMH)

(snip)
“Do me a favor, speed it up, speed it up.” This is what U.S. President Donald Trump told the National Association of Counties Legislative Conference, recounting what he said to pharmaceutical executives about the progress toward a vaccine for severe acute respiratory syndrome–coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
(snip)
. . .although the steps required to produce a vaccine could possibly be made more efficient, many of them depend on biological and chemical processes that are essential. So the president might just as well have said, “Do me a favor, hurry up that warp drive.”
(snip)
A vaccine has to have a fundamental scientific basis. It has to be manufacturable. It has to be safe. This could take a year and a half—or much longer. Pharmaceutical executives have every incentive to get there quickly—they will be selling the vaccine after all—but thankfully, they also know that you can't break the laws of nature to get there.

Maybe we should be happy. Three years ago, the president declared his skepticism of vaccines and tried to launch an antivaccine task force. Now he suddenly loves vaccines.

But do us a favor, Mr. President. If you want something, start treating science and its principles with respect.

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/367/6483/1169.full



#newrostrong

[uponit7771]

1. Germany has 3,000 cases and 7 deaths because they are quickly testing and isolating

... we can't do that here because Trump is refusing to have unfettered testing

We're screwed without unfettered testing