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Clinical trials Medicine Popular culture Quackery

Did hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) really kill 17,000 COVID-19 patients?

A recent study concludes that the rampant use of HCQ early in the pandemic could have resulted in 17,000 excess deaths. But did HCQ really do that? Possibly, but it’s complicated.

Categories
Medicine Popular culture Science Skepticism/critical thinking

Is the lab leak conspiracy theory dead?

Two new studies published last month strongly support a natural zoonotic origin for COVID-19 centered at the wet market in Wuhan, China. Naturally, lab leak proponents soberly considered this new evidence and thought about changing their minds. Just kidding! They doubled down on the conspiracy mongering, because of course they did.

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Medicine Politics Popular culture Pseudoscience Quackery

Beijing proposes criminalizing “slander” or “libel” against TCM

China has long promoted the sale and use of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Now the city of Beijing wants to criminalize criticism of TCM.

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Antivaccine nonsense Bad science Medicine Popular culture Pseudoscience

Nobel laureate Luc Montagnier embraces the conspiracy theory that SARS-CoV-2 was made in a Wuhan lab

Nobel laureate Luc Montagnier, co-discoverer of HIV, the virus causing AIDS, went further down the rabbit hole of pseudoscience, embracing the conspiracy theory that SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, was made in a lab.

Categories
Antivaccine nonsense Bad science Medicine Skepticism/critical thinking

The latest antivaccine conspiracy theory: The novel coronavirus behind the Wuhan outbreak is due to a failed SARS vaccine

Yesterday, antivaxxers were saying that the flu vaccine caused the Wuhan 2019-nCoV outbreak because of viral interference. Now the outbreak is due to a failed SARS coronavirus vaccine. Can they get their conspiracy theories straight?