The following is commentary intended for discussion. Add your comments.
It seems the more public health officials and agencies refuse to acknowledge their mistakes, and double down on heavy-handed and one-sided approaches, the more the public’s confidence in them is shaken.
At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, a lot of people turned to and largely trusted Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and other lead public officials and agencies for advice.
The mask debacle was probably the first big mistake that confused people on a wide scale and created broad skepticism.
The decision to advise people to isolate at home was another big mistake, according to many independent scientists. We now know that even CDC acknowledges most Covid is spread in the household. Instead of having people stay home and arresting those surfing by themselves at the beach, our public health officials should have encouraged people to get outdoors. Instead of closing parks and beaches, they should have advised people to go to them.
Some scientists knew this on the front end, but their views were attacked and silenced.
Another big mistake had to do with rushing to put so many people on respirators, which scientists now say probably hastened many deaths.
Another one was the mistaken panic and misrepresentation over running out of respirators: something that never actually happened.
Another one was the panic created over the idea that New York hospitals were being overrun. In fact, when makeshift facilities were erected and sent, such as a large ship, they were not needed.
Another mistake was controversializing medical treatments such as hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin rather than looking to the actual treatment experience of clinicians and study scientists, and providing a measured and fair assessment.
Another mistake was in public health officials failing to emphasize the importance of diet, exercise and a healthy weight.
Another mistake, according to many scientists, was attempting to isolate everyone rather than those most at risk. The rest of us could have gotten exposed in a way that scientists say is extremely safe for most, and achieved natural immunity which– according to the bulk of studies– is far superior than the vaccines to date.
Another mistake was in failing to recognize that instead of shutting down the economy, the millions who had gotten covid, either with or without symptoms, were likely safe to be the ones to keep the economy going since they largely had strong immunity.
Another widely-acknowledge mistake was in controversializing the vaccine development when it was happening under President Trump.
Another mistake was CDC falsely putting out information that stated the Pfizer and Moderna studies showed those who had already had Covid benefitted further by vaccination. The studies did not show this.
Another mistake was CDC’s director falsely stating that people who are vaccinated cannot spread Covid. They can, and do.
Another mistake was the false claim that people who are vaccinated do not very sick if they get Covid. Some of them do get very sick, and some of them die.
Another mistake was the initial suggestion, early on, that the vaccines would prevent Covid infection. Very quickly, this proved to be untrue. Then, vaccine advocates suggested that was never really the goal.
Another mistake was to controversialize scientists who, in retrospect, were correct with their advice and predictions about the course of action we should and shouldn’t take. Their voices were silenced if they were off the narrative.
Another mistake was allowing Dr. Fauci and others with conflicts of interest (because they were responsible for funding sensitive and dangerous research in partnership with the Communist Chinese) give advice and assessments on where and how they thought the virus originated.
Another mistake was in not being more precise in counting Covid deaths. Instead, deaths of people who happened to have tested positive for Covid and then died, were often grouped into the death count, even if their deaths had little or nothing to do with Covid.
Another mistake is not acknowledging natural immunity and the fact that scientists say it’s better and stronger than vaccine immunity. CDC has, instead, misrepresented the clear science on the issue.
Another mistake is in federal agencies calling Covid a “grave danger” to people in the workplace when, for most, scientists say it is not. CDC also acknowledges that in both adults and children, Covid is generally a non-serious and mild disease marked by few or no symptoms.
Another mistake is to imply that a great deal of research had been done and information was known regarding vaccine side effects, when that is not the case.
Another mistake is not to acknowledge and address the vaccine adverse events in a more open and honest fashion rather than to downplay or deny them.
Another mistake is to call the vaccines safe and effective without the measured caveats about side effects and lack of long term information.
Thoughts?
