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Thomas: COVID panic, round 2

Photo by David Goldman of The Associated Press / In this Oct. 8, 2013, file photo, a sign marks the entrance to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. In the United States, the reporting of vital coronavirus case and testing data is not keeping pace with its speedy spread. Public health officials nationwide lean too heavily on faxes, email and spreadsheets, sluggish and inefficient 20th-century tools.
Photo by David Goldman of The Associated Press / In this Oct. 8, 2013, file photo, a sign marks the entrance to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. In the United States, the reporting of vital coronavirus case and testing data is not keeping pace with its speedy spread. Public health officials nationwide lean too heavily on faxes, email and spreadsheets, sluggish and inefficient 20th-century tools. Photo by David Goldman of The Associated Press / In this Oct. 8, 2013, file photo, a sign marks the entrance to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. In the United States, the reporting of vital coronavirus case and testing data is not keeping pace with its speedy spread. Public health officials nationwide lean too heavily on faxes, email and spreadsheets, sluggish and inefficient 20th-century tools.

By Cal Thomas 4 min read

As best I recall, the sequence of statements coming from the government and “experts” since the beginning of COVID-19 has gone something like this:

You don’t need to wear a mask, and it’s no more serious than the flu; you do need to wear a mask, though the virus is so small it can penetrate all but the N95 brand, so you should wear two masks; a vaccine will protect you from catching the virus and, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, you won’t have to wear a mask if fully vaccinated; you must still wear a mask even if fully vaccinated because of the delta variant; if you have been fully vaccinated, it is unlikely you will catch the delta variant, but wear a mask anyway just in case; kids may or may not return to school and if they do return, they may or may not be forced to wear masks, even though young children appear to be less affected by the virus.

Is that clear? I didn’t think so.

The CDC adds to the confusion each time it issues new statements. The latest came last week from CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, who said, “everyone wear a mask in indoor public settings in areas of substantial and high transmission, regardless of vaccination status.”

That has raised the obvious question: Why get vaccinated if you must behave like those who have not been vaccinated?