Tom Meyvis

Professor of Marketing at Stern School of Business, New York University. Studies consumer psychology, experimental research methods, and decision making.

[Tom Meyvis @tm12am]

Here's what Malaysia is doing: sending each poor family masks and tests. 7/7
https://t.co/XJAhkqWLV8

[Lord Blood @drng]

This is what the Malaysian government has provided to its lowest monthly income households since early December.

Two packets of Rapid antigen tests, pulse oximeter, mask and thermometer.

No fuss. No drama.

Just leaving this here.

[Tom Meyvis @tm12am]

A month ago, this self-test kit sold for $4 in Europe, $24 at Walgreens, & $14 at Wal-Mart (now $20 & largely unavailable). It costs $1 for Abbott to produce a test. Serious price gouging by name brands during a public emergency. We need(ed) real competition & gvmt action🧵

[Tom Meyvis @tm12am]

It's expensive, but we spent trillions on stimulus to counter-act the economic effects of this pandemic. We're talking $1 tests here - we can have every child tested every day in school/at home so we can keep schools open without infecting parents/grand-parents. 6/

[Tom Meyvis @tm12am]

@dggoldst For a few weeks, I was happy that the NYTimes spelling bee only allowed me to find a certain amount of words without a crossword subscription. Even told colleagues I would have paid for that (limiting) feature. Then I got frustrated and paid for the subscription.

[Tom Meyvis @tm12am]

So if you're elderly with diabetes & asthma and have severe COVID symptoms, you are only allowed to receive this very scarce, effective, and coveted drug if you refused to be vaccinated?

I understand the risk-based reasoning, but it doesn't feel great.

https://t.co/D5arDkrwou

[Tom Meyvis @tm12am]

Pfizer's Paxlovid is our best treatment for omicron complications. Unfortunately, NYC's limited allocation is already exhausted.

Who's eligible to receive it?
- immuno-compromised
- nursing home residents
- elderly with a risk factor BUT ONLY IF THEY HAVE NOT BEEN VACCINATED

[Tom Meyvis @tm12am]

Needless to say, I ignored that. She kept testing and tested negative after 9 days. The point being that the CDC's disparaging of antigen tests (in part to obfuscate other reasons: not wanting ppl to stop masking or just lack of availability) can do some real damage. 7/7

[Tom Meyvis @tm12am]

They told me "she should stop testing and gotten out of quarantine after 5 days since people test pos up to 90 days." Not with antigen tests! So, my Dr's office said that my likely contagious wife should stop quarantining from her immuno-compromised husband based on CDC BS. 6/

[Tom Meyvis @tm12am]

This also affects MDs/RNs. My wife tested positive with a at-home antigen test and went into quarantine. When she was still testing positive with the antigen test 6 days later, I reached out to my Dr's office for advice since I'm severely immuno-compromised. 5/

[Tom Meyvis @tm12am]

Or CDC's reluctance to push people to wear N95 masks instead of cloth/surgical. CDC seems to assume that saying this will lead those without N95 to stop wearing masks altogether.
Would be nice if N95 were cheaper/more available, but obfuscation doesn't change reality. 4/

[Tom Meyvis @tm12am]

We've seen these misleading communications from the CDC before.

Like when they initially said that masks don't work because the virus will get through (while they actually didn't want people to hoard PPE as hospitals needed them). 3/

[Tom Meyvis @tm12am]

CDC knows many are still contagious after 5 days & 2 neg antigen tests would rule this out. But bc tests are hard to find (partly bc of CDC & FDA policy) & bc they're afraid people will stop masking, they do not require the neg test (official argument: "it's not perfect"). 2/

[Tom Meyvis @tm12am]

Another excellent article by @zeynep on how the CDC has let us down. A lot seems to come down to CDC officials making psychological assumptions rather than being straight with people. 🧵 https://t.co/DQMGoWPtbP

[Tom Meyvis @tm12am]

Hope...

[Mark D. Levine @MarkLevineNYC]

A tale of two graphs….

Covid hospitalizations still rising steadily in NYC.

BUT… positivity, while still extremely high, appears to be leveling off.

Let’s push hard now to crush this.

[Tom Meyvis @tm12am]

Excellent thread on Omicron from the always thoughtful @jburnmurdoch . Not alarmist, but also none of that “we should only care about deaths” BS so many seem fond to push.

[John Burn-Murdoch @jburnmurdoch]

NEW: first thread of 2022 is an Omicron situation update, starting with a detailed look at UK hospitals, before going international.

Let’s start with severity, and the most important chart:

Despite steep rises in cases and patients, the number on ventilators has barely risen.

[Tom Meyvis @tm12am]

@StephMTully So sorry Steph. Hope you recover quickyl!
M. got it last Sun. Mild symptoms but then she fainted & had to go to ER for stitches. So annoyed at those saying we’re making a big deal about a simple cold. The NYC hospital where I get treatment is a mess now too (staff down, hosp up)