To be honest Dan, I didn't think or realise he was a grifter. In those early days of the pandemic he seemed to have been an analyst of the events and data that seemed to me to have been level-headed and not particularly far off from the mainstream, so to speak, and therefore worth following.
Not being a specialist, in this instance his presentation seemed convincing to me. But then, I wouldn't know if there were any arguments against his take, since I am not aware of any rebuttal/s. All I can do is take your word for it and assume there is an alternative explanation of the data. Perhaps one day I'll come across it.