CLL Society’s Ask the Expert Doctor, Dr. Rick Furman, is a thoughtful and data-driven world-class chronic lymphocytic leukemia researcher and clinician.
In this very personal and humorous editorial, he argues that we need to be led by the data. He gives ridiculous and scary illustrations of where that is not happening. One example is a physician who gave expert testimony at a hearing of the Ohio House of Representatives Health Committee. The doctor stated among other things, “The vaccines magnetize people, causing metal objects such as keys, spoons, and forks to stick to their bodies.”
There can be serious consequences when this pseudoscience is given credence.
Dr. Furman is clear, balanced, and data-driven when he says:
“Although individuals have the right to think whatever they want, and the government is obligated to protect the right of free will, we also have an obligation to protect members of our society from illness and death. COVID-19 is sufficiently infectious that a societal approach to combating it is required. But before we can even begin to debate the merits of mandates for COVID-19 vaccination, we need to remove misinformation and disinformation from the equation and base our discussions in science—or at least in reality.”
Dr. Furman’s full Editorial Letter in Clinical Advances in Hematology & Oncology Volume 19, Issue 7 July 2021 can be found here and is worth a read: The Magnetic Appeal of Vaccination.
Stay strong. We are all in this together.
Brian Koffman MDCM (retired) MS Ed
Co-Founder, Executive VP and Chief Medical Officer
CLL Society, Inc.
