Oh My Omicron

It seems like 2022 just started and while we survived Omicron. We are facing a new variant that is far worse than the alpha version and has outpaced the Delta variant in new infections. BA.2 is contagious and tends to cause more gastrointestinal problems than past variants. Everyone, even the vaccinated, seem to be susceptible to the variant. As Americans wonder about getting a 4th booster shot, hoping that it offers at least a reduction in symptoms or protection, people are beginning to look for answers. The Pandemic has stretched on far longer than anyone anticipated. Remember when this was going to be over in a few weeks? It’s been two years and some people still haven’t left their home. In this post, I wanted to take a moment to think about what has happened with the pandemic and where we are now.

Bad Messaging

The messaging around the pandemic from the government, in nearly all aspects and across two presidential administrations, has been terrible. Dr. Fauci has become a divisive figure who doesn’t seem to know exactly what he is doing and has a difficult time explaining the logic of the NIH and CDC to people. Trump was likely right to sideline him at one point. The Biden administration put him back out, mostly out of his popularity, but it is worth noting that he has been at the forefront of the messaging, and it has been bad.

No one took the time to explain how mRNA vaccines came to be. Instead, mRNA vaccines were promoted as a new silver bullet and could be developed quickly. Americans heard that it was brand new and…