The Gist Closed Schools, Closed Minds
Jun 27, 2025
David Zweig, author of 'An Abundance of Caution,' dives into the blind spots of public health during the pandemic, questioning whether excessive caution became a hindrance. He highlights the lack of observed negative impacts from school reopenings in Europe. The conversation also touches on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s controversial reshaping of the CDC's vaccine panel and the bizarre cultural debates surrounding mayonnaise. Zweig emphasizes the growing skepticism towards institutions like the CDC amidst this turmoil.
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Schools Reopened Without Surge
- European countries reopened schools by late April and early May 2020 without negative COVID consequences.
- Data showed cases decreased after reopening, contradicting claims that schools were major spreaders.
Public Health's Unchecked Interventions
- Public health authorities treated interventions like untested medications, applying many at once without clear evidence.
- This ignored the medical principle "first do no harm" by not considering harms from interventions like school closures.
Narrow Public Health Incentives
- Public health leaders prioritized limiting COVID deaths but neglected broader impacts like economic hardship and educational loss.
- Their incentives excluded considerations of business closures and youth opportunities, narrowing the response focus.
