Who could be surprised after President Trump announced a vaccine by the end of November that Oregon, Washington, and Nevada would join California's COVID-19 Scientific Safety Review Workgroup, which will independently review the safety and efficacy of any vaccine approved by the FDA for distribution. Last week, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced the panel made up of nationally acclaimed scientists with expertise in immunization and public health. While there is no proven vaccine for COVID-19 yet, these top health experts will review any vaccine that receives federal approval and verify its safety before California, Washington, Oregon and Nevada will make the vaccine available to the public.

“The vaccines currently in development, once approved, are what Americans have been waiting for to protect their families, their children, and their loved ones in long-term care facilities,” said Oregon Governor Kate Brown. “The independent review conducted by this panel of doctors, scientists, and health experts will ensure that a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine is available to everyone, especially communities that have been disproportionately impacted by this disease.”

“We believe in science, public health and safety. That is why I am pleased that Washington is joining California and other western states in this effort,” Washington Governor Jay Inslee said. “Any COVID vaccine must be guided by the expertise of scientists and medical professionals and that’s just what this workgroup will do.” Governor Inslee has followed California every step of the way through the pandemic and his family connection with Bill Gates leaves a big question.

This is not the first time Western States have collaborated in response to COVID-19. In April, California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado and Nevada joined in a Western States Pact which shared a vision for fighting COVID-19 and reopening their economies. Western State leaders in May urged congressional leaders to approve $1 trillion in COVID-19 relief for states and local governments and are partnering to pilot a project testing new exposure notification technology pioneered by Google and Apple.

It must be noted that the assembling of panels of experts is not science. Science is the study of the world through collection of observations and/or experiments and a review of data that comes from that process. Expert opinion, while it may be useful, and while often passed off as science is what philosophers call and "appeal to authority," and not science. Indeed, when controversial policy decisions are at stake, hand-picked experts may be assembled to achieve the desired result. That process is politics, not science.

Governor Brown has met behind closed doors with her COVID-19 Medical Advisory Panel, has kept her scientific sources well hidden and refuses to provide the evidence for the accuracy of testing. It has been suggested and worth questioning whether positive testing score are being padded to support a vaccine mandate. With so much lack of transparency, what are we to believe or trust?


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2020-11-01 07:41:48