 Julia Craven of Slate wrote what I think was a really insightful article where she asks a very interesting question that I hadn't thought about yet. So she asks, will anti-vaxxers take the new COVID treatment pills? Now we're gonna dive into the article because there's actually a lot of nuance to that particular question, but let's just ask ourselves this question. So the anti-vaxxers are the same people that at the start of the pandemic they were also against social distancing and mask wearing. They were against mask mandates. They were against lockdowns. They were against vaccines. They were against vaccine mandates. So I don't think it's unreasonable to logically deduce that these contrarian culture warriors are also going to be against the next important thing that helps us control the pandemic. And really what it's gonna come down to is if they see public health officials and liberal media pundits that they already don't like promote these things they're gonna be against it. If they see right wing charlatans like Joe Rogan and Tucker Carlson, Fearmonger about these pills they're gonna be against it. I don't think that they're going to base their decision on whether or not the data says that these pills are effective and can be a good alternative to vaccines. Not that that's what the data is saying but it's gonna be what their tribe does they'll also do. And remember they already believe that they have a pill that treats COVID. I've remacted. And even though it has not been proven to be effective in treating or preventing COVID-19 there's at least two dozen lawsuits involving hospitals that refused to give ivermectin to patients as a treatment for COVID-19 after they've requested it. So I mean whether they'll reject it it really is an open question but that's even if we assume these pills are going to be alternatives to the vaccines because so far with the evidence that we have and there's not a lot it seems as if these are going to be complimentary to the vaccines not something that you can get in lieu of the vaccines. So Julia Craven breaks it down. She writes Pfizer and Merck have both produced antivirals for COVID-19 that are expected to receive FDA approval in the near future. The pills are five day treatment courses that according to clinical studies dramatically reduce the risk of hospitalization and death. They're also easier for patients to take than the primary currently available treatments for COVID-19 monoclonal antibodies and remdesivir which are delivered through infusion or injection in a clinical setting and both pills are being tested to see if they can prevent infection too. It's a testament to how biomedical science has risen to met the many challenges of the pandemic but will people who are reluctant to take a Pfizer COVID vaccine now happily take a Pfizer COVID pill whether for treatment or prevention and if they don't object to the pill does that mean we have found a way out of the vaccine wars? Well, it depends according to the experts who spoke with Slate until Pfizer and Merck released data on how it could be used to prevent infection both antivirals should be considered as companions to the vaccines remdesivir and monoclonal antibody treatments. These all compliment the vaccines said David Carlisle the president of Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science for the vaccines prevent the risk of acquisition of the infection and these treatments prevent people from getting sicker once they get the infection and so both are very good and very important and it's certainly nice that we have two more highly effective arrows in the quiver against COVID-19. Some people sick with COVID are currently refusing medical interventions like inhaled steroids and blood thinners in favor of dubious treatments promoted by anti-vaxxers online. For them, the antivirals could be beneficial especially compared with something like ivermectin which is an effective but popular among COVID skeptics. So in short, we need to see more data in order to make any definitive statement. So I should say the experts need to see more data before they make definitive statements and then what they say I will relay to you but the problem is that let's assume just hypothetically speaking that these pills are actually so effective that if you get sick with COVID these are as effective at preventing death or hospitalization as the vaccine. So if you're anti-vaxxer and you're not vaccinated and you take this you'll be okay. Does that mean that this is a good replacement for the vaccines? Not necessarily because there's another factor that is going to be an issue and that is the cost which will reduce accessibility because indeed the new antivirals are pricing. A five day treatment course is $529 for Pfizer and $700 for Merck and using this as a preventative will be highly dependent upon access to healthcare. A problem in underserved populations whereas the vaccines for COVID-19 are increasingly ubiquitous and free. And so for a lot of people who are consuming misinformation and they choose to not get vaccinated I mean, if they get COVID-19 they don't have the resources that individuals like Joe Rogan or Aaron Rodgers or Tim Pool have. They can't pay thousands of dollars for monoclonal antibodies. They probably can't even pay $500 for the Pfizer pill. I mean, there are various studies that show that Americans can't even afford a four or $500 emergency. So if it comes down to it are they gonna be able to afford this? Odds are no, but what they can afford is the vaccine. So even if this is a good alternative to the vaccines if you're an anti-vaxxer it's still more ideal for you to get the vaccine but the problem is that saying this using common sense, citing data, it doesn't matter because data statistics that to anti-vaxxers is less influential than what these grifters that they follow say. And that's the issue that we're dealing with here. I mean, you can provide them with endless data. You can show them study after study after study but what this comes down to is trust, right? They just don't trust the government they don't trust these institutions and rightfully so. I mean, it's reasonable to distrust big pharma but the reason why we distrust big pharma is not because they're intentionally poisoning people we distrust them because of their greedy practices. So to answer Julia's question I think the answer honestly is no but there is a caveat. There is some quotes in here from one anti-vaxxer at least that they kind of use as a jumping point to explain the psychology of the anti-vaxx way of thinking and there is a difference between injecting something into you and taking a pill. Psychologically, these are different to people. One is a lot less scary. But still, I mean, if the issue that you're citing is big pharma then you would think that they would just be against all of big pharma and modern medicine more broadly speaking but as we've seen, they trust ivermectin. Now, Merck is the manufacturer of ivermectin so you think, well, since they made this other good COVID treatment which is not a treatment but since they believe that it's a treatment maybe they think, well, the Merck pill is okay but again, it's not about the facts and statistics and that's what I'm really realizing. It's about their cult. It's about this culture that they've created for themselves and whether or not they've actually ranked the Kool-Aid. So overall, the answer is probably not. I don't think they're gonna take the COVID treatments and that's unfortunate because at some point in time I think it'd be really great to end the pandemic so we can kind of get back to life before the pandemic but we'll keep doing the way we can and this should, let me just end with this. This should be a time where we are actually a little bit more optimistic because we see how quickly medical advancements can be made. That's how far we've come as a society where modern medicine is, I mean, it's great. It's saved countless lives. The vaccines have saved literally hundreds of thousands of lives just in the United States but just because we're moving forward in one way doesn't mean that society will continue to move forward because people, they won't accept these changes or they'll be skeptical and other societal factors will change, a reduction in trust in the government, rightfully so. And more people being susceptible to conspiratorial thinking. So either way, I'm not optimistic but the fact that this is an additional option that's available is really good but whether or not, you know, this is something that anti-vaxxers would consider. If I had to guess, I'd say probably not but maybe I'm just too cynical at this point but I mean, you can't really fault me for being cynical when look around. Do yourself a favor and click the join button on YouTube to become a member because Mike's doing a great job getting to watch his videos before everyone else is tremendous. Many people are saying this. Join today, folks, you won't regret it.