The nation is facing the omicron variant of the disease and growing numbers of cases, so Dr. Anthony Fauci has done some remarkable reversals in Covid messaging before President Biden’s address. Fauci acknowledged that Covid will never be eradicated, and acknowledged that some protection was available for patients who have been treated. “We have only eliminated one virus, and that was smallpox. Eliminating all viruses may seem too lofty, as we have only managed to do so with those for which we have had a large vaccination campaign such as measles and polio. We have very few cases of these viruses in the United States, even though [those viruses] have not been eradicated from the globe.
These concessions are made amid growing criticism from the government’s traditional Democrat allies. The Atlantic recently published an investigative report slamming CDC Director Rochelle Wilensky for using an Arizona study to claim that schools without mask mandates are at triple the risk of a Covid epidemic. David Zweig claims that experts informed him that the CDC study on masks was “so inconclusive that it probably shouldn’t have been published into the public discourse.”
Last week, Dr. Marty Makary (a public health researcher and professor from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health) provided an enlightening assessment of the Covid response before the House Select Committee for the Coronavirus Crisis. He called the public health agencies “modern-day McCarthyism”, and stated that they rely on published studies as well as 7th-grade science experiments. Makary was especially critical of public officials not recognizing and researching natural immunity. He also criticized the rush to recommend booster vaccines for 16-year-olds and 17-year olds. Makary, who is a proponent of vaccines and was vaccinated, questions whether patients who have been vaccinated, particularly young ones, require any vaccines.
Add to that CNN village idiot Brian Stelter, who is in favor of children living normal lives, and Randi Weingarten, American Federation of Teachers President, attempting to rewrite the history of school closings. Covid hawk, Lockdown fan, and Immunization Authoritarian Dr. Lena Wen finally acknowledged that cloth masks were ineffective against omicron. Dr. Vinayprasad, an associate professor of medicine at UC San Francisco explained the politicized nature of booster approvals, despite the resignations of prominent FDA officials who opposed them. He noted in an article on Substack that both the FDA and CDC had made these recommendations when more information became available.
Jared Polis of Colorado, a Democrat is also breaking with Obama’s administration over Covid policy. He declared the pandemic medical emergency and stated that mask mandates could not be implemented by public health officials. On Sunday Polis spoke out to Chuck Todd and said that he wished President Biden would shift his message and stress that people who have been vaccinated can live their normal lives and not be affected by Covid.
Fauci’s statement follows reports that Biden administration officials had already advocated a change in the way leaders discuss Covid. CNN reports that some Biden advisors encouraged the administration to discuss how to deal with the virus, as it does not seem to be disappearing. Xavier Becerra, Secretary of Health and Human Services, stated last week that “it’s now about severity… It is not about cases.” It’s all about severity.
This sentiment has been supported by many public health professionals since late 2020. The Great Barrington Declaration’s signators and authors advocated for a targeted protection approach. It was clear that Covid was a major risk factor for death and severe disease by summer 2020. Senior citizens and people with particular medical conditions were more vulnerable.
Instead of considering and debating alternative approaches, the health bureaucrats opted for a one-size-fits-all approach. The G.overnment’s public health officials were so enamored with their mitigation strategies, they launched a coordinated smear campaign in an effort to end the debate. Their policies did not save anyone and caused harm to people in ways that we will never fully understand for many decades.
It’s good to see Secretary Becerra join Team Sanity. Fauci isn’t quite there, as he continues to promote the idea that booster shots and indoor masking can “control” an easily transmissible respiratory disease that travels through the air. These measures have not stopped the virus so far, and it’s unclear what these measures will do beyond keeping Fauci on TV for the foreseeable future.
Slowly, the majority of Americans are getting on board. On a recent Joe Rogan podcast, more people listened to Dr. Peter McCullough talk about Covid and the future pandemic than they saw Fauci last Sunday. The Great Barrington Declaration authors appear on prominent alternative outlets, which draw more attention than CNN’s anchors. As more information becomes available, other prominent voices like Dr. Makary are challenging the narrative.
They are all voicing concern with Americans about the stratified risk of Covid in general and omicron specifically. A larger audience is now hearing the nuance that has been absent from the conversation for nearly two years. The only way to end Covid authoritarianism is peaceful mass resistance and clear messages at the ballot box.
