![]() ![]() Unfortunately, like so many of your colleagues in the left-wing mainstream press, you are an advocate, not a journalist. I also stated, “It looks like it is certainly worse than the flu.” The fact that you were going to distort that quote into claiming I said “deaths from Covid are similar to flu” proves your bias, and virtually anything you write should be given the utmost scrutiny by your readers. Twice in this quote I emphasized I am not downplaying Covid and pointed to the 5 percent fatality rate for those over 70. I believe the full quote underscores the explanation I provided above. But I think you have to look at those numbers and ask, what have we done, and what is the human toll of our actions on a disease that, long-term, it looks like it is certainly worse than the flu, but is it that much worse, to cause that much economic devastation with that severe a human toll, 130 million people starving, and, of course, we heard all the other follow-ons.” As Senator Paul talked about, people he knows, as those of you who have treated, it is a deadly disease, and particularly for over 70, 5 percent of the people with COVID die from it, or with it. “Seasonal flu - and I have printed this out from the CDC website - a bad year is about 0.18. You talked about, in an article, about these seroprevalence studies, 82 of them now, are kind of pointing to a 0.2 percent infection fatality rate. The prediction is from Oxford Center for Evidence-Based Medicine, for months now they have been predicting the infection fatality rate is going to be somewhere between 0.1 and 0.4. I have been monitoring what the estimate is. “The other one was - and I do not think this was in your testimony but I saw this in another writing - I have certainly been following it, and I have actually, in a couple of op-eds, talked about the case fatality rate versus the infection fatality rate. Senator Johnson question/comment to witness Dr. 8, 2020 hearing, my second on early treatment of Covid, that shows I said, “Deaths from Covid are similar to flu.” Here is the full and exact quote from pages 101-102 of the hearing transcript: In a follow-up with my staff, you provided a quote from my Dec. In using a variety of metrics to put Covid into perspective, I have repeatedly stated I am not downplaying the severity of the disease or the tragedies caused by it. In terms of determining the best public policy, we also should consider the human toll of the economic devastation and social dislocation caused by the lockdowns. Another important metric is contagiousness. But CFR and IFR are only two metrics needed to compare Covid to seasonal flu. ![]() I’ve acknowledged all of these are estimates and there is much we don’t know. I would need the exact quote and context you are referencing when you claim I’ve said “deaths from Covid are similar to flu.” I have certainly stated what flu statistics have been (I’ve attached the chart I created from CDC data), and also quoted experts like Professor John Ioannidis and the Oxford Center for Evidence Based Medicine regarding their estimates of case fatality rates (CFR) and infection fatality rates (IFR) for Covid. Senator Johnson: Labeling a position as “extreme” is a matter of opinion, and the scientific consensus has been proved wrong many times before. Also, you have made numerous comments since 2010, questioning or ridiculing climate change. For instance, you have said deaths from Covid are similar to the flu in a bad year. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Many of the statements you’ve made in the last decade, ranging from climate change to the pandemic, indicate that you take extreme positions that are not supported by scientific consensus. Having a curious mind is the basis of science, and true scientific inquiry never stops asking questions and always seeks a greater understanding. Senator Johnson: Like many, if not most, people, I marvel at creation, and that sense of wonder spawns a great deal of curiosity. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Was there a point in your past, before you came to the Senate, where you became seriously interested in science related matters? He has released the entirety of the newspaper’s questions and his answers below. The senator’s interest is in transparency. The following will offer some insight into how much of the story the reporter had already written before he ever contacted Senator Johnson back in mid-April – showing how much his mind was made up before he heard any answers from the senator. His answers were largely disregarded, as the newspaper insinuated Senator Johnson is “at odds with science.” The article notes many pronouncements, but doesn’t bother rebutting the facts of what Senator Johnson says. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) answered questions from Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter John Fauber over the last few months, at length and in detail. Johnson issues full responses, inquires on what he has said that is not true? ![]()
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