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Bad science Bioethics Medicine Politics Pseudoscience Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

China is forcing people to use traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) quackery to treat COVID-19

There is no evidence that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is effective against COVID-19. That’s not stopping China from forcing people to use it to treat coronavirus.

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Antivaccine nonsense Medicine Politics Popular culture Science Skepticism/critical thinking

Sputnik-V: A Russian con job on its COVID-19 vaccine

Yesterday, Russia announced its approval of Sputnik-V, what Vladimir Putin dubs as the first COVID-19 vaccine. It’s propaganda, a con job, given that no data were presented and there have been no phase 3 trials.

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Medicine Politics Popular culture Pseudoscience Quackery

Hydroxychloroquine: The Black Knight of treatments for COVID-19

Truly, hydroxychloroquine is the Black Knight of treatments for COVID-19. “America’s Frontline Doctors” demonstrated this for me conclusively.

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Medicine Politics Popular culture Science

COVID-19 and “super-spreaders”

Evidence is emerging suggesting that COVID-19 does not spread equally. A minority of infected individuals seem to spread the virus easily to many people, while most infected individuals spread it to few others or no one at all, likely through a combination of circumstance, environment, and possibly biology. Why is this, and what does it mean for coronavirus containment strategies?

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Clinical trials Medicine Politics Popular culture

Yale epidemiologist Harvey Risch defends hydroxychloroquine in Newsweek—badly

Yale epidemiology professor Harvey Risch published an embarrassingly bad op-ed in Newsweek defending hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19. It reminded me how much acupuncture and hydroxychloroquine believers have in common.