Science Vs. Advocacy, Omicron, & More (w/ Dr. Peter Attia & Dr. Marty Makary)

Dr. Peter Attia (host of The Drive), Dr. Marty Makary (Johns Hopkins professor) and I team up to try some serious sense-making in the Age of Omicron.Check out full show notes and Peter's podcast, The Drive here. Topics & Timecodes: Comparing omicron to delta and other mutations [4:15] Measuring immunity and protection from severe disease—circulating antibodies, B cells, and T cells [13:15] Policy questions: what is the end game and how does the world go back to 2019? [18:45] A policy-minded framework for viewing COVID and the problem of groupthink [24:00] The difference between science and advocacy [39:00] Natural immunity from COVID after infection [46:00] The unfortunate erosion of trust in science despite impressive progress [57:15] Do the current mandates and policies make sense in light of existing data? [1:02:30] Risks associated with vaccines, and the risk of being labeled an anti-vaxxer when questioning them [1:18:15] Data on incidence of myocarditis after vaccination with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines [1:26:15] Outstanding questions about myocarditis as a side effect of mRNA vaccination and the benefit of boosters [1:35:00] The risk-reward of boosters and recommendations being ignored by policy makers in the US [1:40:30] Sowing distrust: Lack of honesty and humility from top officials and policy makers [1:43:30] Thoughts on testing: does it make sense to be pushing widespread testing for COVID? [1:52:15] What is the end point to all of this? [1:58:45] Downstream consequences of lockdowns and draconian policy measures [2:05:30] The polarized nature of COVID—tribalism, skeptics, and demonization of ideas [2:10:30] Looking back at past pandemics for perspective and the potential for another pandemic in the future [2:20:00] What parents can do if their kids are subject to unreasonable policies [2:25:00] Voices of reason in this space [2:28:45] Strong convictions, loosely held: the value in questioning your own beliefs [2:32:15] Video archive, audio podcast, music parodies, Supporter Tribe membership, merch, social media, and email: https://lnk.bio/zdoggmd Support us with a 1-time donation and get a personal email thank you from me: paypal.me/zdoggmd More about Dr. Z: zdoggmd.com/about-z Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices