OPINION:
For someone who promised the American people his administration would provide an “urgent, robust and professional response” to the coronavirus outbreak, President Biden’s team is sure falling short.
Mixed messages, retractions, contradictions and outright science-defying logic has defined the Biden administration’s communication on the matter.
Despite being vaccinated, Mr. Biden continues to wear a mask — sometimes two. Heck, he was the only world leader on a Zoom call last week who donned one. And what for? He’s received two shots and the virus can’t be transmitted through computers. If you can’t return to life as normal after being vaccinated, then what’s the point? Continuing to wear masks — even after being vaccinated and remaining socially distant — disincentivizes individuals from receiving a shot.
“The message is clear,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra told CBS News Tuesday. “You’re vaccinated. Guess what? You get to return to a more normal lifestyle. If you’re not vaccinated, you’re still a danger. You’re still in danger, as well, so get vaccinated.”
Sorry, Mr. Becerra, your messaging is anything but clear. Your own Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Anthony Fauci and the president himself have failed to assure the American people that vaccinations will lead to normalizing our lives — despite the scientific evidence that proves it.
Dr. Fauci has said although he’s vaccinated, he still won’t go to restaurants and movie theaters or travel — he will live in social isolation forever, it seems, until 85% of the population is vaccinated and the U.S. has reached herd immunity.
That’s an unreasonably high benchmark, argues Dr. Nicole Saphier. Dr. Fauci is ignoring those who have already contracted the virus and have a natural immunity without receiving a vaccination. As many as 120 million Americans may fall into this category — who aren’t being calculated in Dr. Fauci’s herd immunity calculations, Dr. Saphier said.
Therefore, a return to normal, by Dr. Fauci’s calculations, could be as far away as next year. President Biden himself, said masks may need to be worn well into 2022.
The CDC said Tuesday that “fully vaccinated Americans can go without masks outdoors when walking, jogging, or biking outdoors, or dining with friends at outdoor restaurants.”
Great. So basically what residents in every red state in American have been doing all along.
Yet, even when vaccinated, the CDC still recommends wearing masks if you attend an outside baseball game, live outdoors concerts or parades.
The science has been overwhelmingly clear outside transmission of the coronavirus is low to nonexistent, yet, the CDC doesn’t want us to return to life as normal — even when we’re outside and vaccinated.
The thought that vaccinated people should be wearing masks at all is totally absurd. The chance vaccinated people can become infected and spread the virus is absurdly low — so low, in fact, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky told MSNBC earlier this month: “Our data from the CDC today suggests, you know, that vaccinated people do not carry the virus, don’t get sick, and that it’s not just in the clinical trials but it’s also in real-world data,” creating the assumption that transmission from a vaccinated person was impossible.
Days later, the CDC walked back those comments — you see, nothing in life is 100%.
“Dr. Walensky spoke broadly during this interview,” an agency spokesman told The New York Times. “It’s possible that some people who are fully vaccinated could get COVID-19. The evidence isn’t clear whether they can spread the virus to others. We are continuing to evaluate the evidence.”
The CDC’s entire coronavirus messaging has been consistently confusing and contradictory.
Tuesday, it had to walk back guidance Dr. Walensky gave on Friday encouraging pregnant women to get vaccinated. On Friday, she said pregnant women should get vaccinated; on Tuesday, the CDC modified her statement to say only pregnant women are eligible for vaccinations. The walk-back came amid mounds of data suggesting its safe for pregnant women and their babies to get vaccinated, including two peer reviewed studies — data Dr. Walensky wasn’t afraid to use on Friday.
The CDC also remains widely out of step with the science when it comes to masking children.
On Monday, it advocated summer camps opening in the coming months to include universal mask wearing and physical distancing for children, regardless of whether the activities were indoors or outdoors. This despite their own data showing outdoor transmission to be minuscule, and child-to-child transmission within schools to be scant.
The CDC still maintains children 2 or older should be wearing masks. Not even the World Health Organization has such stringent face mask guidance for children. It recommends children younger than 5 be exempt from wearing masks — you know, based on the scientific data.
The Biden White House, CDC, HHS and Dr. Fauci are either incompetent in coronavirus messaging and coordination, or they’re anti-science zealots determined to keep you in a post lock-down world forever.
You take your pick. I’m just going to get vaccinated and live my life freely, without a mask. I don’t need the government to tell me when to do so, I’ll go by the science.
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