How do you judge a vaccine program? Dr. Vinay Prasad: Excess Mortality is not the only measure that matters. All of these things matter:
1. Results in receipt of the vaccine among people who benefit
2. Minimizes receipt of the vaccine among those who do not benefit (in absence of herd immunity considerations)
3. Voluntary choice is better than coercion
4. Informed consent is better than uninformed persuasion (values freedom)
5. If herd immunity is at play— i.e. if the vax halts transmission— researchers demonstrate the threshold necessary and prioritizes #3
6. Researchers do not delay FDA EUA of the vaccine merely to sabotage an ongoing election
7. Regulators monitors safety concerns carefully, and rapidly respond to changes.
Prasad concludes:
These 7 metrics are more comprehensive than excess mortality, and should be the basis to judge vaccine programs. By these metrics, because of the the heavy handed use of mandates and the negligent FDA regulation, the USA does not do well.
