MAYO CLINIC NEWS NETWORK – Q: There are so many studies out there regarding COVID-19 and vaccinations for people to read and react to. How do we know/decide which study is accurate and worthwhile for patients and which studies aren’t when it comes to COVID-19?
A: “There is more information on the internet than anyone can digest,” says Melanie Swift, M.D., infectious disease physician at Mayo Clinic. “It can be difficult to know what to believe. Depending on who is running the website or sharing their interpretation of the medical studies, it may be reliable, but it might be a misinterpretation of the data or completely falsified information.”
Here are some tips:
– Studies that are indexed in PubMed, are published in reputable journals, and have undergone scientific peer review are reputable.
– Studies that are searchable in Google Scholar may have undergone peer review as well, but might be a “preprint” that has not yet undergone peer review or been accepted by a reputable scientific journal. Preprints are labelled as such and should be interpreted with caution …
Beware of:
– Websites that feature medical experts who are not trained in a relevant specialty or endorsed by a reputable medical center or legitimate medical society. “Infectious diseases or pulmonary and critical care medicine specialists are ideal sources for COVID-19 information. If the website or organization features just one or two doctors from unrelated specialties, be skeptical,” says Swift.
– Social media postings from individuals sharing opinion, anecdotes, or their interpretation of medical studies. “People will commonly state they have done their own “research” but this may mean they only searched for studies that support their bias. These individuals may not have the expertise to judge the validity of a medical study, may be justifying their personal beliefs or promoting a political agenda,” Swift adds.
– Claims for alternative or “miracle” drugs that sound unrealistic, without studies published in reputable medical journals. When highly effective treatments are confirmed through valid scientific studies, they are publicized by the CDC, medical centers, medical societies, and reliable media outlets.
“The National Library of Medicine provides a helpful tutorial on how to evaluate a health-related website while the Surgeon General recommends a quick health misinformation checklist,” says Swift.
Some of the tips they offer include:
– Did you check with the CDC or local public health department to see whether there is any information about the claim being made?
– Did you ask a credible health care professional such as your doctor or nurse if they have any additional information?
– Did you type the claim into a search engine to see if it has been verified by a credible source?
– Did you look at the “About Us” page on the website to see if you can trust the source? If you’re not sure, don’t share!
###
Media Give Vaccinated COVID-19 Sufferers Kid Glove Treatment
Jay Maxson, November 15th, 2021
NEWSBUSTERS.ORG – Vaccinations are not fool-proof preventers of COVID-19. They are, however, “vaccinations” against objective reporting by out-and-out dishonest sports media.
The stories of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, Minnesota Vikings guard Dakota Dozier and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers are living proof.
As most people know by now, the media went berserk over Rodgers, who said he had been “immunized” before catching COVID-19 and sitting out last week’s game. Dozier and Roethlisberger were vaccinated and still caught the coronavirus, but they both got treated with kid gloves by woke media hypocrites.
Armando Salguero, a trustworthy writer for Outkick, said “the Narrative Industrial Complex lost its ever lovin’ mind, portraying Rodgers as a horrible person, super spreader of the disease, and perhaps even potential killer, because, gasp, Rodgers was not vaccinated.”
“And while the jab did not prevent Roethlisberger from getting Covid — because the “vaccine” doesn’t prevent everyone from getting, spreading or dying from Covid — it does immunize Roethlisberger from any criticism from the Narrative Industrial Complex.” Salguero added.
Woke NBC Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio failed to report that Dozier, who was rushed to an emergency room because he was so sick with COVID-19, had been vaccinated. Mike Zimmer, the Vikings’ head coach, told the media his player had been vaccinated. If Dozier was that ill, how was he not referred to by media as a potential super spreader?
In reporting on Dozier, Mediaite quickly transitioned its story to quarterback Kirk Cousins. He’s the Minnesota quarterback who also bucked the “Narrative Industrial Complex” with his opposition to the vaccine and has NOT contracted COVID-19 … READ MORE.
