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Coronavirus: The economics of contagious disease
How should we think about the tension between opening the economy back up and preserving public health?
Jeffrey Sachs
Jeffrey Sachs is is an American economist and co-founder and chief strategist of Millennium Promise Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending extreme poverty and hunger. He is also the former director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University, where he holds the title of University Professor, the highest rank that Columbia bestows on its faculty.
What are the major missteps the global community is making that will need to be addressed to prepare us for future pandemics? Is the US economy ready to reopen?
What are the major missteps the global community is making that will need to be addressed to prepare us for future pandemics? Is the US economy ready to reopen? In this Big Think Live session with Columbia University professor Jeffrey Sachs, you'll learn about the public health assumptions that must be rethought and how we can mobilize ourselves and our systems for a more sustainable long-term future.
Ask your questions for Jeffrey Sachs during the live Q&A!
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- Harvard panel: Here's how the U.S. can reopen the economy - Big ... ›
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Can VR help us understand layers of oppression?
Researchers are using technology to make visual the complex concepts of racism, as well as its political and social consequences.
12 August, 2020
Future of Learning
- Often thought of first as gaming tech, virtual reality has been increasingly used in research as a tool for mimicking real-life scenarios and experiences in a safe and controlled environment.
- Focusing on issues of oppression and the ripple affect it has throughout America's political, educational, and social systems, Dr. Courtney D. Cogburn of Columbia University School of Social Work and her team developed a VR experience that gives users the opportunity to "walk a mile" in the shoes of a black man as he faces racism at three stages in his life: as a child, during adolescence, and as an adult.
- Cogburn says that the goal is to show how these "interwoven oppressions" continue to shape the world beyond our individual experiences. "I think the most important and powerful human superpower is critical consciousness," she says. "And that is the ability to think, be aware and think critically about the world and people around you...it's not so much about the interpersonal 'Do I feel bad, do I like you?'—it's more 'Do I see the world as it is? Am I thinking critically about it and engaging it?'"
<p><em>This video is part of <a href="https://z17.global/" target="_blank">Z 17 Collective</a>'s <a href="https://bigthink.com/future-of-learning/" rel="dofollow" target="_self">Future of Learning</a> series, which asks education thought leaders what learning can and should look like in the midst and wake of the coronavirus pandemic.</em></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<a href="https://bigthink.com/future-of-learning/" target="_blank"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzM3MDgzOC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzNTIxMDU0Nn0.RnamarLhJ2fAVmEm83vDol1Fw3tvuAywPAeO0cQSgw4/img.jpg?width=980" id="52023" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4e4429fb5a330f41147d97917f0b798a" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt=""></a>
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Russia claims world's first COVID-19 vaccine but skepticism abounds
President Vladimir Putin announces approval of Russia's coronavirus vaccine but scientists warn it may be unsafe.
11 August, 2020
Credit: Alexei Nikolsky, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP
Coronavirus
<ul class="ee-ul"></ul>
<p>Russia's President Vladimir Putin announced on Tuesday, August 11th that his country was the first to <a href="https://apnews.com/fcda62ad992db414d65f23b2adb78e44" target="_blank" rel="dofollow">approve a coronavirus vaccine</a>, provoking skepticism from Russian and international scientists. Putin said the vaccine has met the Health Industry's standards and was even tested on his own daughter. Others aren't so sure, pointing to the lack of evidence from Russia and the seeming fact that the vaccine did not undergo the necessary phase 3 trials and was only administered to dozens of people. Such a sample is not enough to determine the vaccine's effectiveness on a large scale, but the Russian authorities will start giving the vaccine to doctors on the virus frontlines first and move on to mass vaccination as early as October.</p><p>Putin, leading a country that has had almost 900,000 cases of COVID-19 by this point, stood by the vaccine's effectiveness:</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"I know it has proven efficient and forms a stable immunity," <a href="https://apnews.com/fcda62ad992db414d65f23b2adb78e44" target="_blank">said</a> the Russian President. "We must be grateful to those who made that first step very important for our country and the entire world."</p>
<p><span style="background-color: initial;">Putin also claimed that the vaccine was tested on one of his daughters, sharing </span><span style="background-color: initial;">that the day of the first injection her temperature reached 100.4 degrees but then fell to a bit over 98.6 degrees the following day. The second shot also led to a slight fever. Overall, this resulted in the daughter developing a "high number of antibodies," according to President Putin.</span></p><p>Russia's own Association of Clinical Trials Organizations offered a note of caution, stating that "Fast-tracked approval will not make Russia the leader in the race, it will just expose consumers of the vaccine to unnecessary danger," as <a href="https://apnews.com/fcda62ad992db414d65f23b2adb78e44" target="_blank">reported</a> by the Associated Press.</p><p>International scientists were also much more guarded with their optimism, pointing out that without a phase 3 trial, which usually engages tens of thousands of people and lasts months, you can't truly tell if the vaccine is safe and works. By comparison, American vaccine trials require 30,000 people each during final stages. Several such studies are currently underway.</p>
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzU1MjMwNi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwMjgxMzY4NX0.mlGI4knWk_gtvxqBkYNes6GumSsqwp0Yc1QJ_BukeLo/img.jpg?width=980" id="37bf2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8b8af84971672c8cdd358d54bb96a067" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Russian coronavirus vaccine" />
A new coronavirus vaccine on display at the Nikolai Gamaleya National Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology in Moscow, Russia.
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr/ Russian Direct Investment Fund via AP
<p>Professor Danny Altmann of Imperial College London, shared his reservations about releasing an ill-researched vaccine:</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"The collateral damage from release of any vaccine that was less than safe and effective would exacerbate our current problems insurmountably," he commented in <a href="https://apnews.com/fcda62ad992db414d65f23b2adb78e44" target="_blank" rel="dofollow">a statement</a>.</p><p>Rushing a vaccine can be damaging to the health of millions and contribute to the further spread of COVID-19 by fostering a false sense of protection. It can also erode trust in vaccines in the general population.</p>
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzU1MjMxMC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MjY0OTEwNH0.ZZeWx-3-S4TgOWLY8RSamRX5vVolbWCSI9NsKtwJNCo/img.jpg?width=980" id="664af" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0b05209a6b95972c828e1ff691a2ca40" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="coronavirus vaccine trial volunteers" />
Medical workers draw blood from volunteers participating in a trial of a coronavirus vaccine at the Budenko Main Military Hospital outside Moscow, Russia.
Credit: Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP
<p>The developers of the Russian vaccine have used a technology that's similar to what is being studied by other labs looking to stop the coronavirus spread – Oxford University, AstraZeneca, and China's CanSino Biologics. This method involves modifying the <em>adenovirus</em>, which causes the common cold, to transport genes for the protein coating the coronavirus. This essentially prepares the body to spot a real COVID-19 infection if it comes.</p><p>The vaccine is being researched by the Gamaleya Institute in Moscow with help from Russia's Defense Ministry. The goal of the vaccine is to provide immunity of up to two years.</p><p>Further trials of the Russian vaccine will begin shortly, with thousands of participants not just from Russia but the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and the Philippines. Brazil might also participate. </p>
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Swedish scientist advocates eating humans to combat climate change
A scientist in Sweden makes a controversial presentation at a future of food conference.
08 September, 2019
Surprising Science
- A behavioral scientist from Sweden thinks cannibalism of corpses will become necessary due to effects of climate change.
- He made the controversial presentation to Swedish TV during a "Future of Food" conference in Stockholm.
- The scientist acknowledges the many taboos this idea would have to overcome.
<p><br></p></div>
<p>Is it Halloween already? A Swedish scientist has caused a stir by advocating that in order to stem the ill effects of climate changes, humans need to start eating each other. Of course, he's not calling for all-out cannibalism like it used to be practiced throughout history. Rather he thinks that if we just get over some very obvious taboos, we might consider eating human corpses. </p><p>While talking about the Gastro Summit focused on "food on the future" on Swedish TV, the behavioral scientist and marketing strategist <a href="https://www.hhs.se/en/research/departments/dms/people/person/?personId=4071033" target="_blank">Magnus Söderlund</a> from the Stockholm School of Economics proposed that in order to truly take on the effects of climate change, we must "awake the idea" that eating human flesh should be discussed as an option in the future. </p><p><strong>Söderlund </strong>used his <a href="https://www.tv4.se/efter-fem/klipp/forskaren-unders%C3%B6ker-m%C3%B6jligheten-att-%C3%A4ta-m%C3%A4nniskok%C3%B6tt-finns-m%C3%A5nga-tabun-12496854" target="_blank">tv interview</a> on the State Swedish Television channel TV4 to give a powerpoint presentation entitled "Can you Imagine Eating Human Flesh?" It included such topics as "Is Cannibalism the solution to food sustainability in the future?" and "Are we humans too selfish to live sustainably?"</p>
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMTA5NDQzMS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NTAyMzY4MX0.dRWjf3sebuDdfza7k_piycUVZu6GiyDgU6d7PXpbYzc/img.jpg?width=980" id="a632e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="035dc5d2bfcc7abb553ce1ae4c0e4c84" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Depiction of cannibalism in the Medieval ages.
Public Domain
<p>The scientist acknowledged the "conservative" taboos that exist from ancient times against consuming human flesh and sees that as the main impediment to the spread of this idea. On the other hand, Söderlund argued our future food sources would likely be getting more and more scarce. So people would have to think outside the box to get their sustenance, considering pets, insects like grasshoppers and worms. That's also where humans come in. The scientist thinks that if people were introduced to human flesh little by little, there'd be enough takers.</p><p>The resistance that humans have to overcome in order to consider other humans food is linked to selfishness, according to the scientist. But as an expert in behaviors, he thinks that people can ultimately be "tricked" into "making the right decisions".</p>
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMTA5NDQ1My9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwNTkwMDY2Nn0.GmdH74o3tb_sMSRDlklBtwPfg0_OoIiiT64lJ8OxZ3Q/img.png?width=980" id="95744" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a2b596f19cb76e614d7d437d474762d9" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
<p>Indeed, after Söderlund's presentation, 8% of the audience raised their hands when asked if they would be willing to try human flesh. The scientist himself is also open to "at least tasting it."</p><p>And if you're still not squeamish enough about this whole enterprise, there is a term to take out of this article, called <strong>"mannisko-kötts branschen".</strong> That means "the human flesh industry". Let's hope it's not really coming. </p><p>In the meantime, Söderlund plans to hold more seminars on his idea.</p>
<p> Check out this trailer for the Charlton Heston-starring classic "Soylent Green" (1973) for a Hollywood take on this gruesome subject:</p>
Soylent Green (1973) Official Trailer - Charlton Heston, Edward G Robinson Movie HD
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="fc218a17afaf87b09fd01ba2320a7375"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/N_jGOKYHxaQ?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
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Therapy app Talkspace mined user data for marketing insights, former employees allege
A report from the New York Times raises questions over how the teletherapy startup Talkspace handles user data.
11 August, 2020
Talkspace.com
Technology & Innovation
- In the report, several former employees said that "individual users' anonymized conversations were routinely reviewed and mined for insights."
- Talkspace denied using user data for marketing purposes, though it acknowledged that it looks at client transcripts to improve its services.
- It's still unclear whether teletherapy is as effective as traditional therapy.
<p>A recent report raises questions over how the mobile therapy company Talkspace handles user data.</p><p>Launched in 2014, Talkspace is an app that provides its users access to licensed therapists through text, audio, and video. To access therapy, users fill out a questionnaire to get "matched" with a therapist, and then, for prices starting at about $200 per month, they begin chatting with their therapist through whichever medium they prefer. </p><p>This model can help make therapy more accessible for people short on time or money. But according to a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/07/technology/talkspace.html" target="_blank" rel="dofollow">new report from The New York Times,</a> former employees say that "individual users' anonymized conversations were routinely reviewed and mined for insights," and that Talkspace data scientists "shared common phrases from clients' transcripts with the marketing team so that it could better target potential customers."</p><p>The company denied using client conversation transcripts for marketing purposes, but did acknowledge that "data science and clinical leadership will from time to time share insights with their colleagues."</p>
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzU1MTk5My9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxOTU5MTMxOH0.fH5el_-_mErIrU65FLZiqBI1aKa8fMCGVXUwtnLgSj4/img.png?width=980" id="299a4" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9a0253bda912ccfd2026806c7e4a37cf" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Talkspace.com
<p>Former employees also questioned the legitimacy of certain interventions by the company into client-therapist interactions. For example, after one therapist sent a client a link to an online anxiety worksheet, a company representative instructed her to try to keep clients inside the app.</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"I was like, 'How do you know I did that?'" Karissa Brennan, a therapist who worked with Talkspace from 2015 to 2017, told the Times. "They said it was private, but it wasn't."</p><p>Other former employees said the company would pay special attention to its "enterprise partner" clients, who worked at companies like Google. One therapist said Talkspace contacted her for taking too long to respond to Google clients.</p><p>Talkspace responded to the Times with a Medium <a href="https://medium.com/@founders_22883/talkspace-founders-respond-to-a-new-york-times-article-78d6f5c45c59" target="_blank">post</a>, which claimed the Times report contained false and "uninformed assertions."</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"Talkspace is a HIPAA/HITECH and SOC2 approved platform, audited annually by external vendors, and has deployed additional technologies to keep its data safe, exceeding all existing regulatory requirements," the post states.</p>HIPAA concerns
<p>However, if the claims in the Times report are true, Talkspace may have violated the <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files//hipaa-privacy-rule-and-sharing-info-related-to-mental-health.pdf" target="_blank">Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule</a>, which prohibits providers from disclosing patients' medical data for marketing purposes, unless the patient gives <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-individuals/guidance-materials-for-consumers/index.html" target="_blank">authorization</a>.</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"If it is true that Talkspace used information from private therapy sessions for marketing purposes, that is a clear violation of trust with their customers," Hayley Tsukayama, Legislative Activist from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told <a href="https://www.salon.com/2020/08/10/therapy-app-talkspace-allegedly-data-mined-patients-conversations-with-therapists/" target="_blank">Salon</a>. "All companies should be very clear with their customers about how they use personal information, make sure that they don't use information in ways that consumers don't expect, and give them the opportunity to withdraw consent for those purposes on an ongoing basis. Talkspace trades on its trustworthiness and mentions privacy frequently in its ad campaigns. Its actions should be in line with its promises."</p><p>(It's also worth noting that Talkspace recently threatened legal action against a security researcher who wrote a blog post outlining the potential discovery of a bug that allowed him to get a year's subscription for free. A report from <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/09/talkspace-cease-desist/" target="_blank" rel="dofollow">TechCrunch</a> notes that Talkspace rejected the findings, and that the company does not offer a way for researchers to submit potential security bugs.) </p><p>Beyond privacy concerns, the report also raises questions about the efficacy of teletherapy, especially within a corporate model.</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"The app-ification of mental health care has real problems," Hannah Zeavin, a lecturer at the University of California and author of an upcoming book on teletherapy, told the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/07/technology/talkspace.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer dofollow">Times</a>. "These are corporate platforms first. And they offer therapy second."</p><p>The main problem with judging the efficacy of teletherapy is the lack of solid research — it's too new to comprehensively compare it with in-person therapy. Still, some <a href="https://www.theraplatform.com/blog/284/is-telemental-health-effective-how-does-it-measure-up" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer dofollow">studies</a> suggest it could be useful for at-risk populations, or for people in the wake of a disaster.</p>'It's just not therapy'
<p>But others remain skeptical.</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"Maybe [teletherapy] products and services are helpful to certain people," <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/07/technology/talkspace.html" target="_blank">said</a> Linda Michaels, a founder of the Psychotherapy Action Network, a therapists advocacy group. "But it's just not therapy."</p><p>Proper therapy or not, it's worth considering how platforms like Talkspace use — and possibly even depend on — user data. In a 2019 <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/02/opinion/health-care-data-privacy.html" target="_blank" rel="dofollow">opinion piece published in the Times</a>, Talkspace co-founder Oren Frank wrote:</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"The vast amount of information each of us possesses is far too important to be left under the control of just a few entities — private or public. We can think of our health care data as a contribution to the public good and equalize its availability to scientists and researchers across disciplines, like open source code. From there, imagine better predictive models that will in turn allow better and earlier diagnoses, and eventually better treatments.</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">Your health care data could help people who are, at least in some medical aspects, very similar to you. It might even save their lives. The right thing to do with your data is not to guard it, but to share it."</p><p>Would you?</p>
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