The end of the pandemic will not be televised

This is an incredible piece. BMJ, and Peter Doshi in particular, have really found their heart and done some truth-telling these past months.

I particularly like how this piece combines two different aspects of scientific prose. The first are relatively straightforward facts which are undisputed among experts but which have been almost entirely excised from corporate media. An example:

> Respiratory pandemics of the past 130 years have been followed by annual seasonal waves fuelled by viral endemicity that typically continues until the next pandemic.

The second are meta-observations of responses in society to the above facts. For example:

> Pandemic dashboards provide endless fuel, ensuring the constant newsworthiness of the covid-19 pandemic, even when the threat is low. In doing so, they might prolong the pandemic by curtailing a sense of closure or a return to pre-pandemic life.

This kind of fact-driven advocacy for _actual_ public health is exactly what medical journals are supposed to do.

The end of the pandemic will not go better with Coke

The end of the pandemic will not fight germs that may cause bad breath

The end of the pandemic will put you in the driver's seat

&c