Last year was a hard year. The US lost half a million people; and perhaps ten times as many had nightmare illnesses or life-altering long-haul cases. That didn't need to be if we had listened to science. We wouldn't have had to shut down as long if we had done it faster and more seriously.
Last year we saw a movement that was optimistically telling us our immune systems could handle Covid, no worse than the flu. It was empowering, letting isolated people feel like they were part of a movement with a Plan that would defeat all their ills. That movement smashed half a million lives against the rocks of scientific reality.
Many of us who trusted science are now part of a dour, saddened and exhausted movement. But it's not at all clear that next year has to be so bad: the vaccines are amazing. There is not a real debate about vaccines, but rather people who've been isolated and feeling powerless are overwhelmed. Think of last year like an artillery barrage: we all hid in our bunkers. Now people who've been listening to vaccine conspiracy media sources hear an artillery barrage of facts coming from pro-science sources. <a href="/">Covid Best Effort</a> aims to stop hitting people with facts, and instead experiment with optims. If the reason vaccine conspiracies spread is not related to facts but overwhelm and disempowerment, then we should experiment with communication styles that are optimistic and welcoming.
Best Effort Covid wants to advocate for realistic precautions that let us get back to life, and to emphasize ways you can empower your own health alongside the vaccines.
If you're writing or reading articles that mix scientific reality on Covid with a bit more optimism, we'd love to share the word. Check back here to see our blog.