I have respect and admiration for scientists who have admitted what they got wrong, and also understand that each stage of the pandemic has required a different response, based on the latest data, tools and analysis.
“Experts” and influential people stuck in these Covid camps continue to influence the narrative. In some ways, this keeps us stuck reliving and relitigating arguments from early in the pandemic at the very moment we should be focused on the best evidence and policies to help us “exit” the pandemic safely. This should involve the equitable distribution of vaccines and therapeutics around the globe, protecting those vulnerable to severe disease and rapid-response public health plans based around surveillance. In these moments it’s important to remember the two principles of humility and flexibility in response – and how these don’t fit easily with the new world of media.
