Football & the Plague
My son sent a worrisome text, “I think I saw an NFL player die on the field.” It seemed as if the world had their eyes on and then their hearts with Damar Hamlin, hoping he would pull through. Now we know that modern medicine did what it is supposed to do—save a life.
While medical staff were doing everything possible for the young athlete, the anti-vaccine activists were out in full force on social media with their unfounded claims. The anti-vaccine activists are a plague in themselves. Damar Hamlin’s family has already recognized the medical personnel who brought him back to us. Perhaps we can hope for a statement from them, clarifying that this had nothing to do with a vaccine and that such irresponsible comments cause further harm. In the case of Alex Jones, it took years for the Sandy Hook parents to shut him up. How much defamation do scientific and medical communities have to endure? Yes, I am hoping for some litigation here to hold those who attack the truth and our scientists, researchers, and healthcare workers, accountable. But for now, we need to keep making factual information available and accessible, which is the primary reason we started On Medical Grounds.
The COVID-19 vaccine was a result of many years of scientific work. Take a listen to Margaret A. Liu, MD, on the long road to making a vaccine that is proven and safe.
The Path to a New Vaccine Isn't All Paved
Additional Reading
NPR: How Damar Hamlin's collapse fueled anti-vaccine conspiracy theories