Coronavirus Infodemic — Online Quacks CALL THEM OUT
The online world is sick. There is a worldwide “Infodemic.” And its scourge is burning me up to a fever pitch.
(NOTE: Before you start reading, I want you to know that I’ve set this post to FREE. I will NOT make one red cent off of you for anyone else reading this Medium dot com article.)
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Last week, without even trying, I bumped into online quack info. Three times I found posts or ads from people either flogging useless products to defend against or counteract Covid-19 or people sharing false information regarding the virus.
The medicinal quacks who post product ads are sneaky. They KNOW HOW to couch their words in order to not get caught (they think). They won’t come right out and say, “Buy my stuff. You’ll be saved from the coronavirus!” Nope. They will say shit like, “Get X to boost your immune system,” and because people have heard that those with suppressed immune systems can be at a higher risk for contracting Covid-19, they think, Hell, yeah! I’ll get me a bloody flat of X and I’ll be the Teflon Don to all those nasty bugs!
The junk science floggers are just as sneaky. They spew some home-grown crap, slap on some scurrilous sources as end notes, and wrap it all up in a nice neat bow that makes the article look “official,” getting the uninformed to buy in, hook, line and sinker, and share it to a whole new set of uninformed readers. Infodemics are just as contagious as the pandemics that spawn them. Make no mistake.
As we live in a global community — online and on the ground — well reasoned, well-informed and humane people MUST come together to a) call out the manipulators of the weak; b) report them to the authorities; and c) warn our friends and family of this info scourge. There are way too many ill-informed and desperate citizens out there searching high and low for a miracle “fix” to this virus, and they will spend their hard-earned dollars buying literal junk or following junk science instructions on how to avoid getting sick. And beyond losing their money, they could potentially lose their lives. Ignorance is just as deadly as any virus, people. Always had been. Always will be.
- These quacks are disgusting, deplorable people, literally, the bottom-feeders of this earth.
- To make money off the fears of others is beyond outrageous.
- To hyperbole this issue, well, there is no way to hyperbole. These crackpots and their schemes have got to be eradicated as surely as Covid-19.
Last week, I got into heated arguments with three people because of this very issue — one flogging useless medicinal crap, one posting erroneous information online and one practicing and sharing that useless information.
And that’s just little old me. In one week. Do the worldwide math:
- How many of YOU have bumped into these same types of idiots?
- How many of YOU have seen similar ads or articles flogging junk science?
- And how many desperate souls have literally bought into these scams?
If your new hobby happens to be creating Covid-19 infection graphs, add a Quack graph into the mix. I’ll bet you their infections rates are equal.
So, if calling out these quacks ends up in a loss of Likes or Followers or hell, even so-called “friends”… I have to be MORE than okay with that, and WARN YOU to BOLO — Be On the Look Out — too. WE ALL have to care for our fellow citizens right now, most especially the ill-informed and the desperate. They will let fear and panic override reason, and real harm could be the result. Beyond social distancing and hand washing, nothing and no one else matters more than to drop-kick these quacks by shining a light on their lies and/or reporting their junk science to the right authorities… yep, you betcha, I’m okay with that. I’ll sleep fine at night. And I know you will, too.
Covid-19 is NOT a game. And ANYONE who is trying to make a lousy buck off of this crisis, in any form or fashion, is lower than pond scum in my eyes.
So, you may ask, WHY do these so-called “doctors” or “experts” flog these useless products or promote junk science?
Beyond the money — which is key, of course, as these losers will take ANY opportunity to make a buck — it’s a chance for quick notoriety, too. To gain clicks and Likes and Followers — and even new gullible patients to their questionable practices — is to stockpile future monetary and reputation gains that they hope will last long after the virus quells.
Herbal/Holistic Supplement Selling Quacks:
People are confusing the transmission of Covid-19 and the annual influenza/cold. Yes, every winter, when there is more prevalence to contract these bugs, you can take products like echinacea or other herbal supplements to attempt to boost your immune system to ward off contracting these viruses. BUT IN NO WAY has the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control or ANY OTHER REPUTABLE healthcare agency ever come out and declared that these supplements a) even work for the annual flu/cold; or b) will work for Covid-19. In fact, as to the latter, they have said quite the opposite.
Let me be clear: NO SUPPLEMENT ON THE MARKET TODAY will ward off or cure Covid-19. None. I mean none. This is a brand new virus to the world. NO ONE knows what will work or not, and you can be damn sure when the virologists and epidemiologists DO find a weapon, bloody doubtful you’ll find it for sale in an online ad or in a holistic practitioner’s blog post.
“The immune system’s role is to defend your body against disease by fighting infection. It is “system” in the truest sense — it has many interconnected working parts: white blood cells, antibodies, bone marrow, the spleen, the thymus and lymphatic system. These cells and organs operate in concert to hunt down and destroy dangerous pathogens, such as viruses, that enter your body. A ‘boost’ in that process would not be a good thing. Scientifically, it would mean your immune system was overactive, and overactive immune systems lead to autoimmune disorders. You just want the immune system to function normally, so it helps prevent infection.”
Note: To Date, all the world has to fight this virus with is;
- Social Distancing
- Hand Washing
And THAT’S IT. Seriously. That. Is. It. … for the time being… and that “time being” may be with us for the length of THIS FIRST ROUND of Covid-19 (you may want to watch Canada ‘s CTV show, W5, for the episode entitled, Dr. W.H.O. Link here: https://youtu.be/lViaVZ_s8MY )
Maybe come the Fall, virologists will have other treatments, but for now, tell your family and friends, and most especially those desperate souls in your life, to STOP LOOKING FOR OTHER FIXES. They do NOT EXIST.
And ANYONE, and I mean ANYONE, WHO TELLS YOU DIFFERENT ARE LYING. THEY ARE LYING. THEY ARE QUACKS. FACT. AVOID THEM LIKE Covid-19.
“The medical profession still doesn’t know exactly how to influence the immune system despite what supplement products may claim,” says Julie Stefanski, a registered dietitian nutritionist and spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics.”
“ But be wary of unregulated supplement claims…. In the past few weeks, my inbox has been inundated with pitches from publicists representing products such as juice cleanses, vitamins and homeopathic cures they claim can prevent the coronavirus. Of course, there is absolutely no research any product can do such a thing, and these unscrupulous marketers are looking to cash in on a vulnerable population during a crisis. Anyone claiming their product can prevent or cure the coronavirus is lying, because they could not possibly have that information in any scientific way.”
Here is the link to the Washington Post article where the above quotes stem, outlining why supplements touted to boost your immune system could be harmful, and will NOT be controls or cures for Covid-19:
There are quacks out in your community and online RIGHT NOW who are posting ads and flogging crap that a) WON’T WORK; b) MIGHT HARM YOU; and c) WILL STEAL YOUR MONEY, money that you could better use elsewhere as this pandemic continues.
Junk Science Floggers & The “Sun Cure”
Junk scientists are everywhere. I’ve even found one on Medium dot com. This loser is flogging the age-old “sun cure.”
And people on Medium who have read this guy’s article, and didn’t know the history behind that so-called cure, have SHARED it everywhere. I discovered it on a friend’s Facebook page.
And guess what? My friend took it seriously, actually sat outside this weekend, positive she’s warded off contracting Covid-19, and what’s worse, she is sharing that post and her so-called “results” to all and sundry because she thinks to “feel” better is to be better — the oft documented “placebo effect.”
And guess what, what? She unfriended me when I showed her links to the facts.
Hey, we realists WILL LOSE FRIENDS in this bug battle. That is also a fact. Some people are just so scared that to hold onto and believe in anything, however ridiculous, is better than to admit there is no miracle “fix.”
And to make matters worse, literally THOUSANDS of Medium dot com members also clapped for this guy! THOUSANDS. But it’s not the members’ fault. They thought his ideas sounded plausible. I get it. I do. We ALL feel better when we go outside and get some sun. But doing that does not make a cure or control against this virus. And as if it couldn’t get any worse, this quack is only a damn engineer, not a virologist or epidemiologist or even a general scientist. He is pretender who is flogging a junk science post with a string of just as junky sources in the end notes, all for quick fame and fortune, and his ill-informed readers think what he’s flogging looks “official,” and they sadly buy in.
Note: There are NO DEFINITIVE studies to prove that sunshine or the vitamin D we get from it will defend against any viruses. To think otherwise is to be foolish.
And the kicker: I’ll just BET YOU this quack set that Medium article to PAY, and is raking in the dot com dough as we speak.
People ARE desperate; from the well educated to the ignorant, from the rich to the poor, from Trump’s sh*t-hole countries to the Beautiful People of West Palm Beach. People are searching high and low for any little tidbit to up their odds of not catching Covid-19. And therein lies the trap that quacks count on to fill their coffers.
As to the supposed sun cure, what actually happened in 1918 with the Spanish flu is that many of the infected — army & civilian — were hospitalized in close quarters, so the virus was concentrated AND transmission data wasn’t completely known — i.e. from WHERE, on what SURFACES and for HOW LONG. Mask knowledge was lacking, too. So, when the nurses wheeled the infected into open spaces, exposure — possibly the wind that carried away the air-born particles — and social distancing lowered the germ concentration levels, lowering the infection rate.
BUT WHAT TRULY HELPED IN 1918 was the idea of taking blood from recovered patients and creating an antibody serum to inject into infected people. Those antibodies enabled roughly half the patients to recover 50% faster which meant less immune response > less fluid in lungs > less chance of pneumonia killing the patient.
TODAY IN THE U.S. virologists are pulling that regimen out of mothballs and attempting to replicate it for a possible treatment today. As it was shown to work when applied to the Spanish Flu, and most recently to SARS, the scientists are hopeful the FDA will rubber-stamp the therapy for Covid-19. Here’s the link to the NBC News article:
What Makes People Desperate, Panicky
There are good articles on this subject (one linked below) that outline the human psychological need to control something, anything, to make us feel better. And the ONE thing people can control in their lives right now is the accumulation of goods — a nesting act, a fortification, a figurative pulling up of the draw bridge to protect ourselves and our loved ones. Ironically, when neighbors SHARE goods, ensuring the generalized health and quality of life of an entire community, that PROTECTS EVERYONE, PERMANENTLY. Greed only ensures decline.
The Sad Truth: desperate, fearful people plainly IGNORE officials who ever repeat that there are NO REAL SHORTAGES, at least not in North America. The empty shelves you see are because of delivery chain issues, not shortages. Covid-19 came on so fast stores were unable to predict the panicky buying habits of the public, and they soon ran out. BUT STOCKPILES DO EXIST. In Canada, for instance, the main product terminals in Ontario that ship goods east and west are loaded, and those products are slowly making their way to stores. In the States, paper product companies are working 24/7 to meet any future demands that may come our way.
I REPEAT: In North America, product levels are OKAY. YOU WILL BE OKAY.
- DO NOT overbuy.
- Do NOT prevent others from buying.
All because you decided to stock up on toilet paper that’ll last ‘til the next Ice Age. Please, tell any desperate people in your life to >>> #GetAGrip #StopHoarding #StopPanicBuying
The key here is PATIENCE. Be patient. Just take a chill pill. And hey, if you truly run out of toilet paper, go next door to your neighbor and ask for a roll. And if they run out, gladly return the favor by handing them a roll when you get some. During WWII, The Greatest Generation lived for YEARS under rationing, and everybody kept smiling. Maybe we need to return to those charity-filled days and leave all this greedy entitlement where it belongs — in the bio-hazard waste bins where Covid-19 hopefully falls.
When people panic, they become blind, deaf and dumb. Really, they do. They stop listening to their leaders. They focus inward and only think of themselves and they go berserk, as we’ve seen with the wanton hoarding of toilet paper and sanitizer (and empty shelves give birth to consumer sharks who enter the fray, buying up thousands of flats of low-supply items to sell at criminal prices on places like Craig’s List or Kijiji. Sharks, quacks — they are all the same, and they WILL get caught).
Good News: For weeks, Canadian and American authorities HAVE BEEN ON THE LOOKOUT for medicinal quacks and product sharks, looking to slap down felonies on these scum-bags. As for Canada, the RCMP “always get their man,” so when the dust finally settles on this pandemic, people who have taken advantage of others WILL BE PROSECUTED. You mark my words. But as with terrorists, so goes virus opportunists — if you see something, SAY SOMETHING, and let’s help the authorities when we can.
In my community, some grocery stores have at least curtailed this idiocy by putting a buying limit on certain products. Yay, them! It will take rational souls to reign in the irrational. It’s like a fire alarm: some people calmly walk to the exit while some scream like banshees and bulldoze others in their wake to escape. It brings back memories of the original Airport 1975 movie starring Dean Martin (hey, the ‘70s were rife with disaster flicks. No wonder I’m prepared!), when one passenger had to slap a panicked seat mate just to get them to see sense.
If it helps, pretend the entire world is in that airplane right now, with Dean Marin at the helm (hey, don’t make fun), and make it YOUR responsibility to restore calm and be a voice of reason to protect the weak and fearful onboard. Remember 9/11 and the REAL Flight 93? Covid-19 is our foe, and we are all on this plane together.
Who will step up and call out and fight this online scourge while the scientists fight the coronavirus for us?
If not me and you, then who?
Be informed. Inform others. And let’s kill the Infodemic. We truly are in this together.
