How COVID-19 is affecting society

[Sovereignty]

Or maybe a shameful, criminal history of medically abusing minorities has led to an overwhelming lack of trust. The fact that you didn't consider that, or possibly even KNOW that history, speaks volumes about our society. The medical community should know better by now.

I also suggest you take the time to read the STAT article. I'm not sure you did.

 

[Soen Eber]

I think there's some miscommunication here. While it should be obvious for the quality of people who post here to be aware of why black people are mistrustful, there wasn't any stated acknowledgement of that in:

Maybe both a lack of effort and a lack of acceptance has hampered minority enrollment in Moderna vaccine trial?

A casual interpretation could easily assume missing knowledge on your part, or even the possibility of trolling. I am sensing a potential lack of trust in both posts.

 

[Sovereignty]

I think there's some miscommunication here. While it should be obvious for the quality of people who post here to be aware of why black people are mistrustful, there wasn't any stated acknowledgement of that in:

A casual interpretation could easily assume missing knowledge on your part, or even the possibility of trolling. I am sensing a potential lack of trust in both posts.

I only asked a question. I see nothing trollish in the question.

If I were to assert a personal opinion on the matter:

• I find it interesting that the Reuters news report did not consider the issue of trust, but then the two Black leaders who got backlash for the letter they sent out apparently did not consider the issue of trust either (!).
• I would say that the Moderna folks have more work to do than they expected. I doubt they appreciate the widespread resentment. After all, the two heads of Black universities seem not to have been aware of the bear trap they were stepping in.

It is disappointing to me that given the quality of people who post here, as you point out, that more thought did not go into the response my post received.

 

[Ashiri]

It is disappointing to me that given the quality of people who post here, as you point out, that more thought did not go into the response my post received.

It is disappointing that you did not think more about that throw-away line at the end.
And demanding an apology is probably one of the most stupid things to do here.

 

[Kamilah Hauptmann]

And demanding an apology is probably one of the most stupid things to do here.

I almost posted a variety of point and laugh memes, but settled on a

 

[Isabeau]

I understood Beebo’s point as being (white) society having a blind spot...

 

[Isabeau]

I wonder if, after Covid stops being a problem, people will continue to wear masks to protect themselves from other viruses like many do in the East.

 

[Jopsy Pendragon]

I wonder if, after Covid stops being a problem, people will continue to wear masks to protect themselves from other viruses like many do in the East.

I intend to keep my re-usable masks. They've actually been -nice- to wear on high pollen/dust/smoke/pm2.5 days... and not having to worry about people freaking out because I'm wearing a mask is a plus.

 

[Aribeth Zelin]

I intend to keep my re-usable masks. They've actually been -nice- to wear on high pollen/dust/smoke/pm2.5 days... and not having to worry about people freaking out because I'm wearing a mask is a plus.

Same, had to get catlitter, and with a mask, there wasn't any dust as we refilled.

 

[Soen Eber]

My DON'T DRINK BLEACH! mask may just happen to have a bit more life in it Especially since some Trumpbody sued and forced our state to allow people to wear political slogans on our clothes while voting.

 

[Sovereignty]

ETA: put some butter on your popcorn!

It is disappointing that you did not think more about that throw-away line at the end.
And demanding an apology is probably one of the most stupid things to do here.

Demanding an apology is not the same as expecting an apology. I was angry. I felt like she had all but called me a racist. I was not in the mood to just say she did not know what she was talking about. One angry post begets another. I demanded an apology.

My throw away question at the end was about whether Moderna was having difficulty getting volunteers because they had been actively ignoring minorities or whether potential volunteers did not want to participate for their own reasons. It was a question. I think both are real possibilities. How is that trollish or offensive?

I understood Beebo’s point as being (white) society having a blind spot...

She didn't have to bring me into it personally. Besides, what people in white society know about Black History is really not the story. (sigh)

Both articles were about the difficulty of getting minority participation in vaccine trials. One might think that given the impact of COVID-19 on the Black community that interest in participation would be high. I suppose that is what the HBCU heads assumed. (Historically Black College or University)

“I said we should inform our communities because I think there’s something about teaching by example,” said Reynold Verret, a biochemist who leads Xavier University of Louisiana. “We’re two Black men who rolled up their sleeves.”

So Verret and Walter Kimbrough of Dillard University were stunned by the fierce backlash that followed their joint letter to faculty, staff, students, and alumni. Hundreds of outraged commenters flooded their schools’ Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook accounts.

“Our children are not lab rats for drug companies,” said one post. “I can’t believe a HBCU would do this to our people,” said another reply. “Tuskegee, Tuskegee. … Me and mine aren’t first in line,” said another response.

Yet they persisted.

Now, as the four HBCU medical colleges prepare to host Covid-19 vaccine trials on their campuses, there’s hope their efforts will have more success.

“We’ve engendered a level of trust with communities of color that other organizations, quite frankly, just don’t have,” said James Hildreth, an immunologist and president of Meharry College of Medicine in Nashville. “It’s imperative for us as HBCUs to rise to this occasion because people need us.”

Meanwhile Moderna is spending time getting more minority volunteers. One might wonder if they did not exercise due diligence previously or whether they were unaware of the abiding strong reaction in the Black community to previous horrors. It appears that even people within Black communities were caught unaware.

Hmmm. It's a question.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

There's a similar issue in the UK

Covid vaccine studies call for more black and Asian volunteers in UK

More over-65s also wanted to ensure potential coronavirus vaccines can work for everyone

www.theguardian.com

Thinking about it, I wonder if this isn't simply how research projects attract volunteers -- you know how many volunteers you need, and what the breakdown by age, gender, racial background, and so on, should look like, so you start by simply inviting applications from everyone, thus recruiting the low-hanging fruit, as it were, and then, after that's been running for some time, you take a look and see which groups are under-represented, so you know who you particularly need to target in the next phase in the recruitment campaign.

 

[Kamilah Hauptmann]

'It's like Judgment Day': Syrians Recount Horror of an Underreported COVID-19 Outbreak

Syria’s Overwhelmed Healthcare System and an Underreported COVID-19 Outbreak.

newlinesmag.com

 

[Innula Zenovka]

'They refused to act': inside a chilling documentary on Trump's bungled Covid-19 response

Totally Under Control recounts the early days of the pandemic in the US, revealing in clinical detail a disastrous federal response to a preventable crisis

www.theguardian.com

 

[Innula Zenovka]

 

[Beebo Brink]

I demand an apology.

Duly noted.

 

[Sredni Eel]

I wonder if, after Covid stops being a problem, people will continue to wear masks to protect themselves from other viruses like many do in the East.

It's only a matter of time before something worse pops up. Viruses adore jumping across species to infect everything they can. It's a damn miracle that SARS and MERS didn't jump across to the US, because they were both far deadlier than COVID. MERS actually had a 30% fatality rate.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

 

[Sovereignty]

People of color shouldn’t be treated equally in COVID-19 vaccine trials, ER doctor says: They should be over-represented

ETA: Reading Choo's comments, it is obviously incumbent on the people running the trials to go the extra mile to get participation. They must use resources like HBCU's and whatever else to educate and encourage participation. I'm sure the issues involved have not been on the radar of the people who are running the trials. It also seems not to have been on the radar of some people who run HBCU's.

If big pharma has had any focus on groups in the general population, it has been on the people treating COVID-19 patients. I think I have commented on VVO previously that when a vaccine does become available, minorities should have highest priority in getting vaccinated, not nurses, doctors and so forth. I realize that idea is provocative, but, the latter are protected by PPE and are at less risk of contracting/spreading the disease already. If there is a shortage of PPE (no news of one now that I know of) that would change the situation.

 

[Sovereignty]

Duly noted.

Any response to my other posts on this contretemps?

ETA: Kamilah, I expect she either has me on ignore or has nothing to contribute. (goad, goad)