OPINION:
Public health was jeopardized long ago, and COVID-19, plus the response to it, is just one example (“Pandemic backlash jeopardizes public health powers, leaders,” Web, Dec. 15). The U.S. leads the world in chronic disease, and the fact that it created dry tender for a flu-like virus is not a surprise to anyone who has spent time looking at the data.
Let’s take masks and lockdowns as an example of government misinformation and plain policy stupidity. There is plenty of current research demonstrating that transmission of the novel coronavirus is inhibited by the wearing of masks. Demonstrating mask effectiveness when masks are worn by a trained medical professional in a medical setting, however, is not the same as coming down with a sledgehammer and levying a mask requirement on an entire population. To date there have been no studies demonstrating the relationship between lockdowns that include masks and population spread rates, infection rates, fatality rates or even case rates. The public-health effect has not been demonstrated. However, this most definitely does not mean masks should not be worn in intensive-care units or nursing homes.
Instead of tackling this obvious difference in outcomes, doctors Deborah Birx and Anthony Fauci ignore it. The government, not to mention big tech, engage in censorship and propaganda. This willful ignorance by government officials has now come home to roost. Those who think they can counter with some propaganda campaign are wrong. Social media can censor scientists laying out the data and plain old quacks alike, but the damage has been done.
In the past 40 yeas, virtually no progress has been made in the cancer, coronary heart disease, neurological disease or diabetes. Hundreds of billions of dollars have been spent. What do we think the reaction to a six-month developmental vaccine is going to be?
SAMUEL BURKEEN
Reston, Va.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.