Even experts don't always agree.
 | By Alexandra Sifferlin Senior Staff Editor, Opinion |
"How can two esteemed scientists look at the same evidence and come to such different conclusions?" So asks Markham Heid, a health journalist, in a guest essay on the Covid-19 booster debate. |
The Food and Drug Administration recently authorized a second booster for everyone age 50 or older and for those with compromised immune systems. If some scientists had their way, including experts who used to work at the F.D.A., the recommendation would stay narrow. They tell Heid that outside of the elderly and immunocompromised, it seems the initial shots are still holding up well against severe illness and death and question if and when another booster might be needed. For others, the reasoning for an expanded recommendation is simple: It's safe, it seems to provide additional protection against severe disease, so why not? |
Heid's essay outlines why there are no simple answers right now. He also explains that this is normal: "The lack of expert consensus may seem perplexing — or even discouraging — to people who want forthright answers," he writes. "But tidy solutions are the province of salespeople, not scientists." |
Throughout the pandemic, there have been calls to "follow the science." But it's worth remembering that science is a process and often there's widespread disagreement among experts before they reach some form of consensus, if they ever do. (I'd probably be out of a gig if this weren't the case.) The booster debate is just another example of how doctors and scientists weigh data against a variety of factors and trade-offs. |
As with any debate, it can be confusing. But points of disagreement greatly interest me, especially now. Without them, there would be less progress and improvement in recommendations. To learn from the pandemic it helps to understand where things are not so black and white, and why people, including experts and others around us, might make different choices. |
As Heid argues: "The debate over additional Covid shots reflects the challenges and frictions common to all risk assessments. Namely, how much risk is too much? Sometimes there is no 'right' answer. It's a matter of opinion." |
Here's what we're focusing on today: |
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