Vinay, Good article. But you have missed the overarching reason: the government promotes these insane policies (masking, spikeshots, whatever) and the milquetoast administrators (and, sadly, most physicians) just follow like the lap dogs they are. Money matters, but the most money comes from Medicare/Medicaid and that is all government administered. If the government says "we love masks" and "cut off all children's genitals if they ask" then very few will fight it. People will fight Pharma and some of us fight students regularly (I am tenured...what are they going to do to me? And lots of students love me because I am not woke -- And I tell it like it is and let the others cry in their beer) but no one can fight the government.
You are so close to recognizing this although I know it goes against your stated political beliefs. But only the government can force/coerce/extort you into doing this kind of stuff. If we fixed that, the other three points you made would likely self correct.
And as a case in point, much of what you say in your piece is an infraction of 2098 and could cost you your license since it is at variance with Newsom's/Fraudci's diktats about what is "true" about covid. So they get you one way or the other if you let them...and we continue to let them.
My wife and I have decided we will not fund our grandkids’ university education unless they show a particular talent and ambition in a specific area that will only be further enabled by the college path. This would include STEM areas.
Otherwise, as a default path after high school? Forget it.
I’d rather eat broken glass than pay to have my descendants’ young brains molded by idiots.
I recently read a 25+ Twitter thread posted by Bob Wachter (is he not from your univ?) where he either virtue signaled or publicly detailed his anxiety disorder. He outlined his commitment to perpetual masking and forever more avoiding mass gatherings. So there is no hope as long as people like Dr. Wachter have control of policy. I'm sorry for you and everyone else who has to deal with this delusion. I'm sorry for all the students who are being forced to accept this delusion or are currently brainwashed. Things are pretty well f-d up.
This is so infuriating. Thankfully the military has rescinded the mandate ( for any future enlistees, the ones that were dishonorably discharged oh well, too bad😡). This makes me happy bc I have a son who is planning to enlist after college. He is a healthy young adult who had Covid and no way he needs any Covid vaccine.
Luckily I live in small town central USA. Away from the anxiety ridden Covidians. His college has nine of these insane C19 vaccine mandates. And I do not see health organizations in my area mandating annual boosters. Hospitals are already hemorrhaging staff (for variety of reasons) and I see no taste for repeat mandates in this area. I received the first two Pfizer shots (when I thought it would protect my Mother if I was exposed at work). And even though I’m fine (as far as I know😬 , admittedly I worry about my heart when I’m out for a long run , probably irrational I know) I am not open to injecting myself with something whose benefit does not outweigh the risks for my particular status, just for the heck of it. How will this madness stop??!!! Where are the debates? Where is the common sense? Where is the call for evidence? I end with how I started: this infuriating!
Dr. Prasad, I have tons of respect for Stanford and the medical team there. My son is seeing a gastro there, wonderful doctor. All good. I was surprised to be told when he is scheduled for a minor procedure, that 1 visitor who is fully vaccinated for COVID-19 can accompany otherwise no one. I'm vaccinated (no recent booster though). I just said yes I'm vaccinated, no problem. And if either of us are exposed recently or feeling sick reschedule. Fine. Great. But how ironic that they want me vaccinated when the vaccine doesn't stop transmission... and how does STANFORD not know this?
It is the times we live in. We tiptoe around pronouns, names, nouns, politics, religion, creed, etc. Everyone is afraid to be first, and if everybody is afraid there is no one left to speak common sense. I know this to be a fact. During 14 years of my career I could not and did not bend to the policy makers, the consensus. Right is right, wrong is wrong, and I know how to play in the "gray area". So standing up for what is right got me fired 7 times during those years. I don't regret any one of them. When someone can't prove that rule or reg is necessary or even admit there is a better way that needs to be looked at and discussed, I will challenge it because I am for my patients. Nothing I ever did or said was for my gain, it was all about my staff, my patients. Unfortunately I don't see anything changing in my life time, so I will continue to do what I have to do for the betterment of my friends, relatives, and patients. (Like wearing my mask in nursing homes and assisted livings and hospitals and then taking it right off my face so my patient and I can communicate.
Why is the University unable to hold Wachter accountable for spreading the misinformation that the yearly COVID vax is "the same" as the flu vax (and also the misinformation that the flu vax is actually valuable for most people)?
You forgot one , namely institutions of higher learning have gradually become hijacked by
Marxist theory. There is a long and fruitless road ahead .
Academics must grow a pair and strike out to create parallel institutions that will tilt a balance back towards debate, risk taking, independent thinking, personal responsibility and real learning.
My 11 year old had a knee injury a few months ago. He has to do physical therapy in a mask - exercising, including running on a treadmill in a mask. I can tell his PT thinks this is ridiculous but CA law. It feels like this will never end.
Bravo VP! You continue to do your part to keep the flame lit and really wake others up to these crazy things. My friend's son is a graduate student at Depaul in Chicago, age 28, former Army dude, runs daily, perfect health. He had Covid back in 2021 and recovered fine. Depaul STILL forced him to get the primary series to get admitted...even though he tried to avoid it and showed proof of having had Covid. It didn't work. So now has had Covid & forced into 2 shots. Now to continue his studies he is MANDATED to get the Bivalent booster...which of course we know was only tested on 8 mice and there is no evidence at all that it would benefit him (or anyone for that matter)...and it very well may harm him as far as myocarditis and a long list of other things (you really should start mentioning...) He is attempting to find an MD who will write an exemption...but it may be better at the end of the day to find a religious exemption as they are fairly rigid on their exemptions... I wonder if at some point (I think this may be occurring) more people who are vaccine injured bring legal action against the universities that forced this upon them and get some form of justice...since they won't get it from Pharma. Don't smart people go to and run Depaul behind the scenes...?! I used to think so...not so much anymore.
Institutions not just beholden to Pharma and Biotech, but worried about future NIH grants too. I am old enough to remember great debates in medicine. Civil, interesting, thought-provoking debates. Often both sides knew that there was some truth to both arguments. But it spurred good research. Now reserach seems like smoke and mirrors job with an agenda not reserach for discovery of truth.
I received a link to an article talking about the “war on empathy” when I mentioned that so much Covid information is still just not studied. So basically still can’t talk about any issues related to Covid unless you want to be a “bad” person. Just makes me tired.
Not in a University, but in a preschool classroom this week I observed a woman come in to provide extra help to a child with special needs. I knew he had vision issues and used a walker. I introduced myself to her as I’m a new visitor to the site. She was wearing one of those N95s and told me she was employed as the child’s:
Vinay, Good article. But you have missed the overarching reason: the government promotes these insane policies (masking, spikeshots, whatever) and the milquetoast administrators (and, sadly, most physicians) just follow like the lap dogs they are. Money matters, but the most money comes from Medicare/Medicaid and that is all government administered. If the government says "we love masks" and "cut off all children's genitals if they ask" then very few will fight it. People will fight Pharma and some of us fight students regularly (I am tenured...what are they going to do to me? And lots of students love me because I am not woke -- And I tell it like it is and let the others cry in their beer) but no one can fight the government.
You are so close to recognizing this although I know it goes against your stated political beliefs. But only the government can force/coerce/extort you into doing this kind of stuff. If we fixed that, the other three points you made would likely self correct.
And as a case in point, much of what you say in your piece is an infraction of 2098 and could cost you your license since it is at variance with Newsom's/Fraudci's diktats about what is "true" about covid. So they get you one way or the other if you let them...and we continue to let them.
My wife and I have decided we will not fund our grandkids’ university education unless they show a particular talent and ambition in a specific area that will only be further enabled by the college path. This would include STEM areas.
Otherwise, as a default path after high school? Forget it.
I’d rather eat broken glass than pay to have my descendants’ young brains molded by idiots.
I recently read a 25+ Twitter thread posted by Bob Wachter (is he not from your univ?) where he either virtue signaled or publicly detailed his anxiety disorder. He outlined his commitment to perpetual masking and forever more avoiding mass gatherings. So there is no hope as long as people like Dr. Wachter have control of policy. I'm sorry for you and everyone else who has to deal with this delusion. I'm sorry for all the students who are being forced to accept this delusion or are currently brainwashed. Things are pretty well f-d up.
This is so infuriating. Thankfully the military has rescinded the mandate ( for any future enlistees, the ones that were dishonorably discharged oh well, too bad😡). This makes me happy bc I have a son who is planning to enlist after college. He is a healthy young adult who had Covid and no way he needs any Covid vaccine.
Luckily I live in small town central USA. Away from the anxiety ridden Covidians. His college has nine of these insane C19 vaccine mandates. And I do not see health organizations in my area mandating annual boosters. Hospitals are already hemorrhaging staff (for variety of reasons) and I see no taste for repeat mandates in this area. I received the first two Pfizer shots (when I thought it would protect my Mother if I was exposed at work). And even though I’m fine (as far as I know😬 , admittedly I worry about my heart when I’m out for a long run , probably irrational I know) I am not open to injecting myself with something whose benefit does not outweigh the risks for my particular status, just for the heck of it. How will this madness stop??!!! Where are the debates? Where is the common sense? Where is the call for evidence? I end with how I started: this infuriating!
Dr. Prasad, I have tons of respect for Stanford and the medical team there. My son is seeing a gastro there, wonderful doctor. All good. I was surprised to be told when he is scheduled for a minor procedure, that 1 visitor who is fully vaccinated for COVID-19 can accompany otherwise no one. I'm vaccinated (no recent booster though). I just said yes I'm vaccinated, no problem. And if either of us are exposed recently or feeling sick reschedule. Fine. Great. But how ironic that they want me vaccinated when the vaccine doesn't stop transmission... and how does STANFORD not know this?
It is the times we live in. We tiptoe around pronouns, names, nouns, politics, religion, creed, etc. Everyone is afraid to be first, and if everybody is afraid there is no one left to speak common sense. I know this to be a fact. During 14 years of my career I could not and did not bend to the policy makers, the consensus. Right is right, wrong is wrong, and I know how to play in the "gray area". So standing up for what is right got me fired 7 times during those years. I don't regret any one of them. When someone can't prove that rule or reg is necessary or even admit there is a better way that needs to be looked at and discussed, I will challenge it because I am for my patients. Nothing I ever did or said was for my gain, it was all about my staff, my patients. Unfortunately I don't see anything changing in my life time, so I will continue to do what I have to do for the betterment of my friends, relatives, and patients. (Like wearing my mask in nursing homes and assisted livings and hospitals and then taking it right off my face so my patient and I can communicate.
Why is the University unable to hold Wachter accountable for spreading the misinformation that the yearly COVID vax is "the same" as the flu vax (and also the misinformation that the flu vax is actually valuable for most people)?
Didn't we just pass a law about this?
Vinay, I can’t thank you enough for writing about all this. My thoughts and observations exactly.
Your colleague from New York.
You forgot one , namely institutions of higher learning have gradually become hijacked by
Marxist theory. There is a long and fruitless road ahead .
Academics must grow a pair and strike out to create parallel institutions that will tilt a balance back towards debate, risk taking, independent thinking, personal responsibility and real learning.
Lots of hard work ahead!
My 11 year old had a knee injury a few months ago. He has to do physical therapy in a mask - exercising, including running on a treadmill in a mask. I can tell his PT thinks this is ridiculous but CA law. It feels like this will never end.
Bravo VP! You continue to do your part to keep the flame lit and really wake others up to these crazy things. My friend's son is a graduate student at Depaul in Chicago, age 28, former Army dude, runs daily, perfect health. He had Covid back in 2021 and recovered fine. Depaul STILL forced him to get the primary series to get admitted...even though he tried to avoid it and showed proof of having had Covid. It didn't work. So now has had Covid & forced into 2 shots. Now to continue his studies he is MANDATED to get the Bivalent booster...which of course we know was only tested on 8 mice and there is no evidence at all that it would benefit him (or anyone for that matter)...and it very well may harm him as far as myocarditis and a long list of other things (you really should start mentioning...) He is attempting to find an MD who will write an exemption...but it may be better at the end of the day to find a religious exemption as they are fairly rigid on their exemptions... I wonder if at some point (I think this may be occurring) more people who are vaccine injured bring legal action against the universities that forced this upon them and get some form of justice...since they won't get it from Pharma. Don't smart people go to and run Depaul behind the scenes...?! I used to think so...not so much anymore.
Institutions not just beholden to Pharma and Biotech, but worried about future NIH grants too. I am old enough to remember great debates in medicine. Civil, interesting, thought-provoking debates. Often both sides knew that there was some truth to both arguments. But it spurred good research. Now reserach seems like smoke and mirrors job with an agenda not reserach for discovery of truth.
I received a link to an article talking about the “war on empathy” when I mentioned that so much Covid information is still just not studied. So basically still can’t talk about any issues related to Covid unless you want to be a “bad” person. Just makes me tired.
Not in a University, but in a preschool classroom this week I observed a woman come in to provide extra help to a child with special needs. I knew he had vision issues and used a walker. I introduced myself to her as I’m a new visitor to the site. She was wearing one of those N95s and told me she was employed as the child’s:
Speech And Language Therapist!!!
She should be fired.
A powerful piece of writing from a SF denizen. Tho most people there appear happier than pigs in poo, glad someone is finally getting a shovel.
Prestige academic institutions (and medical schools) select the highest academic performance...which is defined as conformance and rule following.