Book excerpt: Drawing on statements of numerous scholars from around the world-virologists, epidemiologists, immunologists, pathologists, microbiologists, infectious disease specialists, including Nobel Prize winners, as well as front-line ER physicians and family practice MDs-veteran journalist James Perloff asks hard questions about the global response to COVID-19. -Are the virus's health risks greater than those posed by the lockdowns? -What does the science say about masks and social distancing? -Why were no lockdowns imposed for previous pandemics of comparable magnitude? -How accurate are the death numbers attributed to COVID-19? -Is the virus completely natural, or could bio-engineering have played a role? -Should the world's population take a COVID vaccine developed at "warp speed"? -Why is Bill Gates formulating health policy, even though he has no medical credentials? -How might a "second wave" be different? -Is the COVID crisis being exploited to push us into an Orwellian future of mass surveillance, digital IDs and cashless transactions? Perloff draws from mainstream publications and official government sources such as the CDC, as well as independent researchers whose work is increasingly hard to find online due to censorship by tech giants like FaceBook, Google and YouTube. James Perloff has been a journalist since 1985, when he began writing for The New American magazine, and a registered nurse since 1975. His previous books include The Shadows of Power, Tornado in a Junkyard, The Case Against Darwin, Truth Is a Lonely Warrior and Thirteen Pieces of the Jigsaw. A much sought-after broadcast guest, he has appeared on hundreds of different radio shows and podcasts.