#222 — A Pandemic of Incompetence

Sam Harris speaks with Nicholas Christakis about the Covid-19
pandemic. They discuss the breakdown of trust in institutions and
experts, the corruption of science by politics, the ineptitude of
the Trump administration in handling the pandemic, whether the
gravity of Covid-19 has been exaggerated, preparing for future
pandemics, whether Covid deaths are being over-reported, bad
incentives in the medical system, tracking "excess death"
statistics, the prospect that the novel coronavirus will evolve
to become more benign, the efficacy of current treatments, safety
concerns about a rushed vaccine, the importance of public health
communication, when life might return to normal, the economic
impact of the pandemic, long term social changes, the future of
universities, Nicholas's personal habits during the pandemic, the
importance of rapid testing, and other topics.


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