A viewer asks: “Regarding SARS-CoV-2 deaths in India, there is now overwhelming scientific evidence, that the SARS-CoV-2 virus has never been isolated or purified. At no time there was a genome extracted and sequenced from an actual virus. Therefore if this is true, the PCR test does not test for the SARS-CoV-2 and all positive tests are then “false positives.” Also, there is growing evidence that the so called “vaccines,” are doing more harm than good, so we have been lied to by World Governments. Can you please advise us if this is really the truth?” What can we tell him?

None of this is true. You have heard and are raising the possible benefit of a story that is a disinformation campaign to discredit the science in this area and sow confusion and doubt among the populace. This serves the interlopers because it discredits the human medical establishment and the scientific enterprise that works diligently, at least in the attempt, to cope with public health crises. The SARS-CoV-2 virus has, indeed, been isolated and sequenced and this is not in dispute, it is known widely to researchers around the world and this is what the PCR test for infection with the virus is designed to detect, a portion of the viral genome, and as such is a precise and accurate testing method in the majority of instances. There are some false positives as well as false negatives that happen but it has general utility, and that is the best one can do and is better than being blind totally in differentiating those with COVID-19 infection from others with bodily symptoms that mimic what the SARS-CoV-2 virus can do. So the world is not being duped here in recognizing the public health threat of this viral scourge and the attempts to rein it in with vaccines are, in turn, scientifically sound and well-intentioned, not that they are perfect. They are not a perfect answer but have significant preventive power and a low incidence of serious consequences, so on balance are worth doing, at least among those at high risk of serious illness and death, such as the elderly population. Vaccination is less needed and has a less compelling justification on those who are younger, especially children and infants, but this is a public health measure and a public health enterprise of the world governments to consider the problem as a whole, and it is certainly the case that it is far less likely for the older members of a population to be stricken and potentially killed when there is a so-called herd immunity or the majority have been vaccinated and will be much less likely to become infected and then, in turn, pass it to someone who would have a lethal outcome because of their age and/or preexisting conditions that create a health hazard if they become infected. So this is a complex equation, indeed, and each government will deal with it in its own way. Many will be swayed by the consensus view of the World Health Organization, but that is human business and politics as usual and is far from perfect in its decision-making; it is subject to much corruption and inefficiency and manipulation to encourage both to happen.