To support his notion that SARS-CoV-2 might have been constructed to attack certain racial or ethnic groups, RFK Jr. referred to a scientific study. What did that study really show?
Thank you Dr. Offit for getting the facts out here again. It must be tiresome to have to continue to undue the harm that anti-vaxers like RFk Jr. continue to feed into the public sphere. What is worse is that they will take no responsibility for the lives they continue to harm.
WHAT??? You state that Covid-19 WAS NOT a Gain-of-Function Bioweapon funded by Fauci w/US tax dollars? If so, you are full of it. PROPAGANDA! Who’s funding YOU????????
When RFK was on the Joe Rogan podcast, I looked up the studies he cited (just as he insisted listeners do), and the studies did not fit the claims he was making about them. Some of them didn't even match the claims! I can only hope more people did their own research and looked at the studies he cited to see this.
"Hospitalizations and deaths weren’t determined by racial or ethnic backgrounds, they were determined mostly by age, underlying health problems, and vaccination status." This seemed obvious from the beginning of COVID, but unfortunately there were loud political voices who kept saying the government needed to prioritize people by their skin color instead of age. This combination of mixing politics (in this case, from the Left) with science never fares well. It's one reason why RFK rose so prominently in contrarian circles; the reasons for distrust in institutions are well-founded, and he's just taking advantage of it.
This does not refute Kennedy’s argument. All it does is obscure the truth:
1. SARS-2 was very specifically manipulated in a lab. Any scientist who disputes the massive amount of evidence has already lost the confidence in telling the truth to us.
2. We have extensive documentation that governments are researching various gene based bio-weapons. The US does it openly in the name of “preventing bio-terrorism”, i.e. DARPA
3. Kennedy explicitly states in that recording (the whole recording should be quoted rather than what his critics pick out) these two previous facts. And then uses the study in question as a proof of concept (not as a proof of intent or result ). The idea is that if someone wants to target specific ethnic group for disease, we have many genetic research studies that show it could be done.
4. Of all people, a premier vaccine researcher should know about this evil research and be extremely concerned about it.
This refutes RFK with evidence; it is a clear explanation of the underlying data and publications which did not show an engineered virus designed to target specific groups. The true data are that older people and people with underlying diseases are most susceptible to the gravest disease outcomes, regardless of whether they are white, black, brown or Asian in background. Access to medical care, vaccine status determine the outcome of the highest risk groups when they are infected.
Wow. If RFK Jr is going to keep wielding this xenophobic and antisemitic trope despite reality, or common sense really, then he should have the logical consistency to include the Amish in his conspiracy. Interesting that they share a polymorphism with the Ashkenazi population.
Growing up in central PA, with an Amish babysitter, I should have known. She was just “too kind” to be real. All the while plotting with Jewish and Chinese conspirators.
And if we look at excess world mortality, Covid has claimed closer to 25 million human lives, and disabled many more:
If you disagree, prove to us that the medical science profession is ethically independent and honest in their conclusions. Because Medicine has become the 3rd leading cause of death in the US.
Please review your usage of that russian website in your response to Donald Arteaga. YOU DID use it as a good study site which it isn't. The reality most people are good, even researchers! Most do not become rich unlike social media influencers which is what your "research" site is all about.
However, it is recognised that certain populations are more susceptible to certain diseases. For example those of Chinese, Japanese, Korean extraction maybe more susceptible to influenza than Caucasians. From “The Beautiful Cure” by Daniel M Davis:
“ We each respond to germs in the same way, but only to a first approximation. One reason that some of us are more likely to suffer especially badly from a flu infection is because of a variation in our interferon response genes. About 1 in 400 Europeans has, for example, a non-functional version of one of the interferon-stimulated genes called IFITM3. Normally, the protein made from the IFITM3 gene interferes with how the influenza virus enters cells, though precisely how is not yet understood. (We know that this same gene is used by animals, as mice genetically modified to lack the gene are more susceptible to flu infection.) And people who have a non-functional version of this gene simply lack this component of our immune defence against the virus. In 2012, the non-functional form of this gene was found to be especially common in people hospitalised by an influenza infection. Those in intensive care were seventeen times more likely to have the defective gene. Variations of this gene are also particularly common in Japanese and Chinese people. Because of this, Japanese and Chinese people may be at higher risk for developing severe illness from flu, but this remains to be tested directly.”
In regard to the Congressional hearing, everyone should watch this. And they should be appalled that the DEM party that used to represent free speech, separation of powers and peace has now become the weapon of big money and power... PHARMA, banks, media conglomerates and the military industry complex. They have lost their ethics due to money and seeking power. That used to only be the GOP...
RFK Jr. and “Ethnically Targeted” Viruses
Thank you Dr. Offit for getting the facts out here again. It must be tiresome to have to continue to undue the harm that anti-vaxers like RFk Jr. continue to feed into the public sphere. What is worse is that they will take no responsibility for the lives they continue to harm.
WHAT??? You state that Covid-19 WAS NOT a Gain-of-Function Bioweapon funded by Fauci w/US tax dollars? If so, you are full of it. PROPAGANDA! Who’s funding YOU????????
When RFK was on the Joe Rogan podcast, I looked up the studies he cited (just as he insisted listeners do), and the studies did not fit the claims he was making about them. Some of them didn't even match the claims! I can only hope more people did their own research and looked at the studies he cited to see this.
"Hospitalizations and deaths weren’t determined by racial or ethnic backgrounds, they were determined mostly by age, underlying health problems, and vaccination status." This seemed obvious from the beginning of COVID, but unfortunately there were loud political voices who kept saying the government needed to prioritize people by their skin color instead of age. This combination of mixing politics (in this case, from the Left) with science never fares well. It's one reason why RFK rose so prominently in contrarian circles; the reasons for distrust in institutions are well-founded, and he's just taking advantage of it.
This does not refute Kennedy’s argument. All it does is obscure the truth:
1. SARS-2 was very specifically manipulated in a lab. Any scientist who disputes the massive amount of evidence has already lost the confidence in telling the truth to us.
2. We have extensive documentation that governments are researching various gene based bio-weapons. The US does it openly in the name of “preventing bio-terrorism”, i.e. DARPA
3. Kennedy explicitly states in that recording (the whole recording should be quoted rather than what his critics pick out) these two previous facts. And then uses the study in question as a proof of concept (not as a proof of intent or result ). The idea is that if someone wants to target specific ethnic group for disease, we have many genetic research studies that show it could be done.
4. Of all people, a premier vaccine researcher should know about this evil research and be extremely concerned about it.
This refutes RFK with evidence; it is a clear explanation of the underlying data and publications which did not show an engineered virus designed to target specific groups. The true data are that older people and people with underlying diseases are most susceptible to the gravest disease outcomes, regardless of whether they are white, black, brown or Asian in background. Access to medical care, vaccine status determine the outcome of the highest risk groups when they are infected.
Wow. If RFK Jr is going to keep wielding this xenophobic and antisemitic trope despite reality, or common sense really, then he should have the logical consistency to include the Amish in his conspiracy. Interesting that they share a polymorphism with the Ashkenazi population.
Growing up in central PA, with an Amish babysitter, I should have known. She was just “too kind” to be real. All the while plotting with Jewish and Chinese conspirators.
And if we look at excess world mortality, Covid has claimed closer to 25 million human lives, and disabled many more:
https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/excess-deaths-cumulative-economist-single-entity
Another appalling RFK disqualification herein. Thank you.
Oh... as a side note.... here is why Big Medicine and PHARMA are afraid of Kennedy.
https://youtu.be/OMOym3-ftzk
If you disagree, prove to us that the medical science profession is ethically independent and honest in their conclusions. Because Medicine has become the 3rd leading cause of death in the US.
Please review your usage of that russian website in your response to Donald Arteaga. YOU DID use it as a good study site which it isn't. The reality most people are good, even researchers! Most do not become rich unlike social media influencers which is what your "research" site is all about.
However, it is recognised that certain populations are more susceptible to certain diseases. For example those of Chinese, Japanese, Korean extraction maybe more susceptible to influenza than Caucasians. From “The Beautiful Cure” by Daniel M Davis:
“ We each respond to germs in the same way, but only to a first approximation. One reason that some of us are more likely to suffer especially badly from a flu infection is because of a variation in our interferon response genes. About 1 in 400 Europeans has, for example, a non-functional version of one of the interferon-stimulated genes called IFITM3. Normally, the protein made from the IFITM3 gene interferes with how the influenza virus enters cells, though precisely how is not yet understood. (We know that this same gene is used by animals, as mice genetically modified to lack the gene are more susceptible to flu infection.) And people who have a non-functional version of this gene simply lack this component of our immune defence against the virus. In 2012, the non-functional form of this gene was found to be especially common in people hospitalised by an influenza infection. Those in intensive care were seventeen times more likely to have the defective gene. Variations of this gene are also particularly common in Japanese and Chinese people. Because of this, Japanese and Chinese people may be at higher risk for developing severe illness from flu, but this remains to be tested directly.”
I am sure the Kennedy family would not mind if you just referred to him as “Jr.”, leaving off any reference to family or father.
In regard to the Congressional hearing, everyone should watch this. And they should be appalled that the DEM party that used to represent free speech, separation of powers and peace has now become the weapon of big money and power... PHARMA, banks, media conglomerates and the military industry complex. They have lost their ethics due to money and seeking power. That used to only be the GOP...
I assume that was mocking sarcasm of the conspiracy-addled, such as RFK Jr.