Editorial | Beware bad science in hunt for coronavirus vaccine
- However well-intentioned, mistaken or reckless use of new or old treatments cannot only harm the patient and waste valuable resources, but also jeopardise public trust
The urgency of the search for a vaccine or treatment for Covid-19 is beyond measure. Every day that passes without discovery of either, thousands more people die around the world.
Experts shudder at the prospect of the contagion that might lie ahead in parts of the globe where it has yet to run its course, such as the African continent, or in Muslim countries, for instance Indonesia, during the month of Ramadan.
The sense of urgency is heightened, if possible, by fears that people might resort to incredible “treatments”, such as a scarcely believable suggestion by US President Donald Trump – since clarified as “sarcasm” and not meant to be taken seriously – that patients inject themselves with disinfectant.
It has also prompted serious concern among ethicists about an unintended consequence that could be just as dangerous as the illness itself.
They have warned researchers and public figures not to accept bad science simply out of desperation. Writing in Science magazine, they claim that some scientists have already sacrificed the essential disciplines of methodical rigour and quality control for the sake of speed in the race to find treatments.