The Censoring of CDC
Just last Friday, the CDC updated its guidance on airborne transmission of the COVID-19 virus, with implications on how to minimize its spread through masks, social distancing, ventilation and avoiding crowded indoor settings. This has been common knowledge among scientists for months, but better late than never. Lo behold, the guidance was removed yesterday probably because someone in the the trump war room realized that it conflicted with the narrative they have been peddling all summer that COVID-19 is no worse than the flu and masks are bad for their macho facades.
The Neutering of the FDA
This latest power grab seems to be aimed at the goal of announcing a vaccine in October. They no longer seem to trust the FDA commissioner, even though he had towed the administration line on the Plasma therapy announcement.
The Sidelining of the CDC Director
Just last week, CDC Director Dr. Redfield, in a rare moment of honesty, told Congress that vaccines would be available to the public not by November but by 3Q 2021; immediate, trump jumped to contradict the CDC by claiming that the Dr Redfiled was mistaken and that the vaccine will be available by October.
The Selling of new improved snake-oil
A day later, someone must have corrected trump and he then claimed that the vaccine will be available by April 2021, another date he pulled out of his ...
The Politics of Masks
Dr. Redfield also testified that masks may be more effective than the vaccine, which totally contradicts the narrative driven by trump and red state governors that masks violate the constitution and freedom, masks are responsible for spreading the virus, blah blah.
A Hostile Takeover of the CDC
Then there was this story about how trump’s minions wrote the CDC guidance on not testing those who are exposed to the virus but exhibit no symptoms. The guidance was subsequently reversed on the CDC site.
The Punishing of Blue States
This story came out last week as well on how Kushner (what’s his official position?) deliberately punished New York state and Governor Cuomo in an act of callousness and retribution.
The trump Crime Family
Another whistle blower account of the Kushner led pandemic response described it as “a family office meets organized crime, melded with Lord of the Flies. It was a government of chaos.”
Lies, lies and more damned lies
Lying about the virus and lying about the lying has been a regularly feature of the trump administration. Just last night, trump was shamelessly spreading disinformation again about COVID-19 at one of his COVID-fest rallies.
If COVID-10 only affects the elderly with heart problems, then why are we spending billions of tax-dollars on vaccines and why the rush to release the vaccine in October? trump is gaslighting and killing even his own supporters.
The End Goal?
This may be the not-so-secret secret — that in spite of all the talk about vaccines and testing, the real strategy is that of herd immunity through infections. trump, his new COVID advisor radiologist and many in right-wing world have been peddling herd immunity — simply because it is an easy “solution”, it is the opposite of what sane people advocate, and they don’t care about the deaths and long-term health consequences of the virus, perhaps they think more POC will die than white people.
There is another sinister possibility — they want infection rates to be high to help the vaccine trails produce early results. E.g., with the Pfizer/BioNTec vaccine trial, interim result 1 can be declared after just 32 infections are detected among 30,00 participants. Moderna will require 30.
Politics over People
After showering trillions of tax-payer dollars on corporations and donors, the GOP will not lift a finger to help working people. The GOP wants a pound of flesh for every penny given to the working 99%.
The middle-class is hurting badly. Perhaps, that is a feature, not a bug, with GOP politics.
The Grim Future
On the COVID-19 front, the future looks grim, as fall and winter approach, bringing with them colder temperatures, more indoor activities, the seasonal flu virus and an administration that not-so-secretly wants everyone to get infected. Case numbers have been rising not just in the U.S., but in Europe as well, as restrictions have been relaxed and people start traveling across countries.
Watch this segment from CNN yesterday where epidemiologists are using words like “Apocalyptic” to describe what fall may bring, given that the administration, instead of controlling the virus, wants to spread it to reach “herd immunity”.
Dr. Peter Hotez — “We may be in for a very apocalyptic fall, I’m sorry to say. And it’s happening because we’re forcing schools to reopen in areas of high transmission, forcing colleges to reopen, and we don’t have the leadership nationally telling people to wear masks and to social distance and do all the things we need to do. We still have that disinformation campaign coming out of the White House and it’s literally killing Americans.”
This article in NYTimes has similar dire concerns and predictions -
Joe Biden Ad on COVID-19
This new ad from the Joe Biden campaign is powerful and very engaging. It features a number of front-line healthcare workers reacting to trump’s asinine and despicable statements on the COVID-19 pandemic. Their facial reactions and their insightful statements are powerful testaments to how trump and republicans have failed in their most basic duties to protect the health and lives of Americans. Please spread this far and wide.
Epilogue
The Coronavirus is not going away; it does not care about trump’s shenanigans. It will keep spreading exponentially if we let it. Infections and deaths will rise in the coming weeks, which does not bode well for trump and republican candidates; unfortunately this is bad news for Americans, who sacrificed so much this summer and got little in return for it.
The “deconstruction” of our government and the replacement of career experts by political hacks has been going on for 4 years; these appointments do not serve the American people, they serve the party and the party bosses.
Let’s make sure the COVID-19 story stays on the front-pages, while we tackle other election-affecting stories. We need an overwhelming vote to win in November, given all the dirty tricks republicans have planned to thwart Democracy.
Let’s do all we can to protect ourselves and others and to get rid of this virus infecting the White House and all his minions in Congress.
Further Reading
- Credit for COVID-19 Vaccines goes to Scientists and CEPI, not trump — www.dailykos.com/…