COVID lockdowns and vaccine mandates with Dr Gilbert Berdine

At a time when the COVID pandemic continues, and cities such as Sydney and Melbourne remain locked down, Gilbert Berdine MD from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center shares his views on lockdowns and vaccine mandates with show host Gene Tunny. Toward the end of the episode, the conversation turns towards Dr Berdine's thoughts on vaping regulations. About this episode’s guest - Gilbert G. Berdine MD Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX Faculty Affiliate, Free Market Institute, Lubbock, TX Dr. Berdine earned his B.S. degrees in chemistry and life sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA and his M.D. degree from Harvard University School of Medicine in Boston, MA. He completed residency in Internal Medicine and fellowship in Pulmonary Diseases at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital (now called Brigham and Women’s Hospital) in Boston, MA. Dr. Berdine was a faculty member at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in San Antonio from 1983-1989. He was in the private practice of medicine from 1989-2009 when he returned to academia as a faculty member of TTUHSC. Dr. Berdine’s current teaching activities include lecturer for the respiratory blocks in the 1st year Major Organ Systems course and the 2nd year Systems Disorders 1 course. His clinical duties include staff attending physician for the inpatient Pulmonary Consult Service, inpatient Internal Medicine Floor Service, and the outpatient Pulmonary Fellow Clinic. He also sees patients in the Pulmonary Clinic for Texas Tech Physicians. Dr. Berdine’s research interests include the application of Austrian Economics to health care delivery and consumption. Dr. Berdine has published articles on these topics in peer reviewed journals and is a contributor to the Mises Daily Wire and the American Institute of Economic Research. Contact: [email protected] Links relevant to the conversation COVID-19 Vaccines and the Delta Variant – AIER article by Gilbert Berdine MD Lockdowns of Young People Lead to More Deaths from Covid-19 – AIER article by Gilbert Berdine MD Covid Misclassification: What Do the Data Suggest? – AIER article by Gilbert Berdine MD Sometimes hesitancy is justified by Gilbert Berdine MD Vaping Laws and the Treachery of Good Intentions by Gilbert Berdine MD EP100 – Incentivizing Vaccinations or Cash for Jabs Correspondence from Dr Berdine on COVID mortality rates Following the recording, Dr Berdine provided the following clarification regarding COVID-19 mortality in the USA to show host Gene Tunny: ...the mortality rate has a range of over 1000:1 depending on your age. The average mortality is heavily determined by the number of people over age 80 in the population. Based on latest census data and current CDC figures for COVID deaths https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2019/demo/age-and-sex/2019-age-sex-composition.html https://data.cdc.gov/NCHS/Provisional-COVID-19-Deaths-by-Sex-and-Age/9bhg-hcku Mortality expressed as 1/mortality : Age: Mortality Under 5: 124,126 5 to 14: 283,027 15 to 24: 32,461 25 to 34: 7,850 35 to 44: 2,845 45 to 54: 1,087 55 to 64: 475 65 to 74: 213 75 to 84: 87 85 +: 31 Cumulative Age Under 5: 124,126 Under 15: 199,917 Under 25: 64,258 Under 35: 20,120 Under 45: 8,681 Under 55: 3,880 So, for 35 and younger, the cumulative mortality including the overcounting is less than 1/10,000. If one looks at annual mortality, the figure for Under 45 including overcounting is likely less than 1/10,000. If one adjusts modestly for overcounting, the figure for Under 55 is likely less than 1/10,000. Please get in touch with any questions, comments and suggestions by emailing us at [email protected]. Economics Explored is available via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, and other podcasting platforms.