Stitt's Main Covid guy is a Veterinarian!

[Onlyserious]

Recent revelations of the Oklahoma Office of Fiscal Transparency have called even more attention to Governor Stitt's mismanagement of all things Covid19. As quoted in the Tulsa World: "Data provided by the state was either lacking in substance, withheld, misaligned or never developed for public consumption, the report said." Last week local health agencies were critical of recent moves by the Governor's team to make data even less transparent

Whether trying to return $2 Million worth of malaria medication (hydroxychloroquine) touted by Trump, refusing a mask mandate, the power grab from local health departments--these serious missteps cost lives.

Perhaps the Governor has been poorly advised adding to his ego driven mistakes. How many people know that the State Epidemiologist advising the Governor is not a medical doctor, medical statistician, or doctorate level epidemiologist? I'm sure that Jared Taylor DMV is a fine veterinarian, and I do love animals, but the proof is in the ongoing high death rates he is unqualified for his position.

Governor Stitt likes to claim he is leading the way back to normalcy, that his calls were the right ones for all concerned. He neglects to say that his decisions resulted in a death toll more than twice that of a similarly sized state (Oregon) that took mitigation efforts more seriously.

The "don't worry, be happy" and "trust me, I know better than the medical experts" of our Governor is wearing thin.

[Turbineguy]

1. The republican party is

just like the Russian communist party before the collapse.

[hlthe2b]

2. Do you know for a fact this person is not a trained epidemiologist? CDC has an incredible amount of

epidemiologists who are also veterinarians. In fact, their elite disease detective program, the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) recruits veterinarians along with physicians every year. Among the best infectious disease epidemiologists dating back to the origins of CDC have included veterinarian public health epidemiologists. Many states have hired these very qualified veterinary public health epidemiologists to be their state epidemiologist (head epidemiologist). This is not at all unusual.

So, unless you know better, you should not be making really uninformed and inappropriate assumptions such as this. The person may or may not be unqualified or underqualified for the position, but the comparative medicine background that veterinarians bring to the field of epidemiology, along with clinical understanding and innate understanding of herd health and epidemiological disease control concepts make veterinarians highly recruited in many settings. As with physicians entering the field, they typically get at least a master's degree in public health, sometimes a Ph.D., and do post-doctoral training.

Please don't make such derogatory assumptions without proof that this person is unqualified. It only shows your lack of understanding of the issue.

[Karadeniz]

3. Actually, what's to stop a vet from understanding the importance of reducing transmission? They've

All dealt with transmissible diseases...upper respiratory infections, ringworm, parvo. Vets are probably more conscious about the need to isolate than human doctors, especially those who treat herds. Vets certainly encourage their clients to vaccinate, as we know.

After my hysterectomy and the weeks of pain following it, and comparing that to my animals' such surgeries, I had no problem advising anyone I knew who needed a hysterectomy to get my vet to do it!!!!!!!

[hlthe2b]

4. See my post above yours.

The OP is apparently incredibly uninformed on the issue.

[Onlyserious]

5. PO response...

I take your point, and will concede than I shot from the hip as to the qualifications of a veterinarian. I am (was) uninformed on the issue, but "incredibly" uninformed? I will not concede the mismanagement of Gov. Stitt's administration and the unnecessarily high death toll in our state.

[hlthe2b]

6. I said NOTHING about your state's response. But, please inform yourself. It makes you look

incredibly foolish (and that is a very kind way of putting it).