UPDATED 4/17, 9:30 a.m. ET:Dr. Oz took to Twitter to say he “misspoke,” stopping short of an apology.
“I’ve realized my comments on risks around opening schools have confused and upset people, which was never my intention. I misspoke,” he tweeted. He opened a short clip with the same remark:
This follow-up was itself met with more derision and frustration:
See original story below.
TV personality and frequent pseudoscience advocate Dr. Oz is back at it with a Fox News-presented argument about reopening schools in the US amid COVID-19.
Schools, Oz said this week, represent what he believes is "a very appetizing opportunity." From there, Oz referred to something he recently read in the somewhat controversial medical journal the Lancet. Oz used that to posit that, for some, sacrificing "2 to 3 percent" of people in/attending schools is a fair tradeoff so long as schools are functioning as they did during pre-coronavirus days.
"We need our mojo back. ... Let's start with things that are really critical to the nation where we think we might be able to open without getting into a lot of trouble," Oz said. "I tell you, schools are a very appetizing opportunity. I just saw a nice piece in the Lancet arguing that the opening of schools may only cost us 2 to 3 percent in terms of total mortality. You know, any life is a life lost but to get every child back into a school where they're safely being educated, being fed, and making the most out of their lives with a theoretical risk on the backside might be a tradeoff some folks would consider."
As should be expected and was certainly well-deserved, Ozboi's comments have been met with a surfable tidal wave of mockery. One Twitter user claimed Oz's math would have at least 1 million people suffering avoidable deaths, and as many as nearly 2 million could perish.
Enjoy:
Anyway, stay the fuck at home.
