[dalbasal]

Here's the thing... they did budge. Alex is so caught up in dunking on the FDA that you might miss the fact they just approved a one-shot... within days of hsi last article dunking on them for not doing it.

Presumably, that approach was being studied all along (in the three months that it's even been a decision.

Everyone assumes the FDA are being rigid and bureaucratic regardless of what they actually do. How do you write an article ripping them for magical thinking as they do the thing you're saying they should do? The fact that the FDA didn't pull a u-turn on the same day a"maybe this" thought occurs to a welfare economics professor is enough to accuse them of negligence every week.

Now, it doesn't even seem like even doing what he thinks they should do is enough. They're still caught up in "magical thinking." What for, giving any weight to clinical trial design at all.

[monkeypizza]

Sure, Alex should update his criticism, but it's still valid to look back at why it took this long; First Doses First has been out for a while - it's been 2 months since, for example, Tony Blair publicly advocated for it.

I think the gains we would get from even a single day earlier application of First Doses First probably outweighs the pain caused to the FDA by Alex criticizing them.

https://www.businessinsider.com/blair-one-covid-19-vaccine-s...

[dalbasal]

It's not about advocating for a position. It's about having a shred of humility, and decency.

What Alex is doing is ragebaiting. That's not noble.

Anyway, it's far from established that either strategy is superior, at this point. There are a ton of factors including execution factors that have nothing to do with clinical trials.

My point is this: It seems like unless the FDA conforms exactly to Alex' opinion on any given day, they are corrupt quacks. It's so arrogant, and a case in point for poisonous discourse. This flavour of rhetoric shots down openness. All you can do is hide behind vague press releases and say as little as possible in public.

If I were working on vaccine development, approval or deployment, I would be trying to stay anonymous. These "open society" people are at the helm of an assault on open discourse.