It’s not Halloween yet, but already we’re looking at ghosts of past actions, that is, we’re still trying to dissect what went wrong during the pandemic. Francis Collins, who had the unenviable position of being the Director of the National Institute of Health, attempts to do this in his new book, The Road to Wisdom: on Truth, Science, Faith, and Trust.
One major problem was the lack of information, especially regarding how the virus spread. For those of us old enough to remember AIDS in the early 80s, this will sound familiar. To mask or not was one issue; closing schools was another. A study of 41 countries shows that during the early stages, “flattening the curve,” reducing the risk of transmission was critical during early stages, but some of those measures went on far too long.
Collins is particularly critical of the White House because it undermined trust in public health causing many public health staff to leave due to threats they received. But he doesn’t excuse himself either because he believes that NIH/CDC staff should have done a better job of explaining the nature of scientific investigation. Panic and poetics are never a good mix, and with COVID, it became deadly.
Prayer for the Day
We are often fearful, O God, and do not trust in your grace;
For pain and illness bursts into our lives and we know not what to do;
Our friends and family suffer and we know not what to say,
And we feel helpless because we rely on our own strength alone.
May we feel your presence, O God, so we may be truly present to each other,
As was the One who is your presence in our lives,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen
Thoughts for the Day
The long echo of the negative public response to COVID-19 has led to greater resistance to all forms of vaccination, putting children at risk for diseases such as measles and polio that had almost been eradicated in the developed world. This may be the most consequential example of distrust of science in modern history.
We are in serious trouble when some believe that their faith requires them to distrust science, or when others believe that political allegiances are a better source of wisdom than truth, faith, or science. Something deep within our culture is wrong. In many aspects of our daily discourse, the links among truth, science, faith, and trust seem to have been broken.
Francis Collins, from his book, The Rod to Wisdom
Wisdom is radiant and unfading, and she is easily discerned by those who love her,
And is found by those who seek her.
She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her.
Wisdom of Solomon 6:12-13