#UnclogTheFDA #InvisibleGraveyard #ApproveAstraZeneca social media blitz!

The slow FDA approval and regulation process has slowed down vaccination and caused countless deaths. The AstraZeneca vaccine, which is already being distributed in the UK and Europe has been delayed until April despite robust data on safety and efficacy. J&J finished its stage III and applied on Feb. 4th, but the advisory committee meeting was scheduled for the Feb. 26th. At the current rate, that is 66,000 deaths from the application. The UK's advisory agency has shown that this analysis can be done in days, not weeks.

Our goal is to raise public awareness and control the issue framing. Many a public health scholar (Vincent Rajkumar, Marty Makary, Peter Hotez, Michael Mina) and policy wonk (Nate Silver, Matthew Yglesias, Ezra Klein, Tyler Cowen, Alex Tabarrok) has criticized the FDAs slow response, but the frame has not gone viral to the general public. To fix that we will coordinate a twitter storm of easily digestible and sharable images, tags and personal stories. For more information, see here:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/QYkMWMZqQg49SrTdf/unclogthefda-a-twitter-storm-to-approve-vaccines

Background information & arguments can be found here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iBAgDOg2AKnjLkJC-4aUpSpzDSQxEaneqHQGDOEfZ5U/edit?usp=sharing

Here are some example talking points and ideas for issue framing:

-- Prestigious scientist/doctor shows the AZ should be released now.

-- Britain has already distributed N AstraZeneca vaccines with x affect. (ie show the very clear stats on drops in deaths and cases)

-- People should be free to take medicines to protect themselves (libertarian and/or utilitarian argument for Free to Choose medicine)

-- A rapidly evolving crisis requires ability to take decisive actions. FDA is not equipped to make such actions - so reform is needed.

-- Oregon just legalized all hard drugs. Can the FDA legalize the AstraZeneca vaccine? (great thing to target at Libertarians. See this very popular tweet https://twitter.com/ATabarrok/status/1357517719852232705)

-- FDA doesn't allow companies to predistribute before EUA. So it's not suprising distribution has been painfully slow even though millions of Pfizer and Moderna doses were manufactured prior to EUA!

-- FDA should "measure time in lives lost" frame (see this tweet : https://twitter.com/sociologyWV/status/1356602925355855873 ). Ie "-- the FDA scheduled the meeting just 66,000 deaths from now."

-- The fiasco with FDA not approving at-home COVID19 tests. For latest see https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/538349-biden-raises-hopes-for-new-course-to-jumpstart-rapid-covid-19-tests?rl=1 (Innova is shipping tests overseas because FDA won't approve them. UK has approved the Innova at-home test, it seems: https://bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m4950)

-- Data shows fractional Moderna doses are just as effective (see a number of MR posts on this such as https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2021/02/how-to-double-the-number-of-moderna-and-pfizer-factories-tomorrow.html) But FDA won't allow it and needs a lengthly process to be undertaken to get it approved.

-- #InvisibleGraveyard frame - picture of a graveyard and stats about lives loss due to FDA delay.

-- A picture of transhumanist philosopher Max More with a quote about the proactionary principle , and then draw the connection to deadly FDA innaction due to the flawed precautionary principle (see https://transhumanist-party.org/2020/12/15/reject-precautionary-principle/)

-- Compelling personal stories about how people have been affected by FDA delay.

We will be coordinating using videochat, most likely via Facebook messenger rooms.

Please see the Facebook event page and invite your friends!!
https://www.facebook.com/events/208338324360886