Political CDC (sigh)
I had grown irate enough when the CDC was giving slip-shod guidance during much of the Trump era. I had felt then, that a truly important institution of public health policy was being forced to act out a variety of political edicts in some of its so-called "guidance" during that time.
But, I have to admit, I am EVEN MORE disappointed in the CDC and its current blundering and political shenanigans... now under a DEMOCRAT administration. I had hoped and believed that when Biden took over the Oval Office, that the CDC would again revert back to an institution whose efforts stemmed from the best knowledge that science had to offer.
Unfortunately.... this is not the case. Under the Biden administration, the CDC is now suggesting a quarantine of 5 days is "sufficient" for "most" who become positive for Covid-19. This is utter b*llsh*t. Oh, yeah... the CDC then talks about how it is "very important" and "suggested" for the Covid-19 positive person, to after 5 days.... to wear a mask for the next five days.
There IS NO scientific evidence to support a halving of the quarantine period from 10 days. This change is, IMO, a purely political move because there are worker shortages and because Biden's approval numbers are dwindling.
With the rampant spread of the Omicron variant.... and still widespread prevalence of the Delta variant.... this is not the time.... nor is there any scientific evidence that suggests halving the quarantine period is a good choice for us.
And.... the only other message from the CDC is to get vaccinated. That is pretty damn obvious. I believe in the US we are at a point where everyone who is of age and has wanted to be vaccinated, has done so. The CDC then talks about how with Omicron there will be plenty of breakout infections in the vaccinated..... but the CDC gives absolutely NO GUIDANCE for those of us who are vaccinated (and boosted) about how to try to minimize the risk of this new variant. Oh, wait.... hmm.... well, I am vaccinated and boosted.... but unfortunately still potentially at risk for having a breakout infection due to exposure to Omicron...... so it makes PERFECT SENSE (sarcasm) to decrease quarantine times by 50%. Such political b*llsh*t.
I am typically very Democratic/Liberal in my political views and in whom I support. These blatant political maneuverings by folks I had THOUGHT would act in the public's best interest..... let's just say, I am beyond disappointed.
PipeTobacco
6 Comments:
Professor, this just emphasizes the point that "public health" and "science" are two very different disciplines. The CDC has from its inception been a "public health" organization, which means that it does not focus on the absolutes of science, but rather on how to use science for the public good.
Science can tell us what would be required to maximize the containment of COVID. But where science may offer a prescription that the public cannot or will not abide, public health authorities are left with the squishier task of figuring out how to gain the best "real world" results, balancing sociological, economic, and political factors alongside scientific ones.
Last year, in the initial months of the pandemic, the CDC made the reasonable public health determination that, in coping with a mask shortage, it would be better for civilians to die than for front-line medical workers to die. Unfortunately, they didn't have the courage to present their message that way; they instead destroyed their credibility with a lot of deceptive hand-waving about the ineffectiveness of masks for those who weren't health care workers.
The five-day quarantine is another one of those risk-balancing decisions owing more to public health considerations than to science. There are millions of Americans who, if presented with a 10-day or 14-day quarantine option, will instead choose NO quarantine. A 5-day quarantine will likely get some compliance from those who might have simply rejected a longer quarantine. And let's not forget that many responsible folks will STILL choose to adopt the longer quarantine times.
The CDC's current guidance is sub-optimal as science. But, especially when we consider how the agency destroyed its credibility with its handling of the mask shortage, its guidance may well be the best it can productively offer at this point.
While your reasoned comments have merit from a political sense, I still believe that the CDC should base its guidance on actual science, and currently there is no evidence to suggest that going from 10 days to 5 will HELP public health…. Especially with the more readily spread Omicron. What it WILL do is to help folks get home more rapidly from their oh so important plane trips and have college kids spread the virus more widely, destroy even more our medical doctors and nursing staff, and allow folks the assurance someone will check them out at Kroger…. Probably someone who feels like crap and could use the 10 days off to feel better.
PipeTobacco
I was shocked by that also but feel that any quarantine is better than no quarantine. Many people can't afford to do 10 days. They can't miss work for that long. It's the sad reality of life in the U.S. where many don't have medical benefits nor any job security.
Fortunately, I do not give a damn what CDC, Dr. Fauci, or WHO says on a day to day basis. I do pay attention in the aggregate to what is being recommended.
mRNA seems to work best, get double vaxxed 28 days apart, a booster shot or third vax after 6 months, wear a mask, avoid crowds in small places with low ceilings, keep one's circle of friends small and hope for the best.
Omicron is highly contagious and break through can be expected but symptoms in vaccinated people tend to be very mild or non-existent. Wear a mask. Do what makes sense.
In America at lest the unvaxxed are tending to be isolated so are less of a danger to anyone but themselves. Darwin will look after them.
I am glued to the internet to see what Russia is going to do, not for the latest nothing news on Covid.
I don't what to think about it all, but I do think that politics and health guidelines should be at arms length from each other.
I'm perversely fascinated how this virus is kicking capitalism in the teeth...an ethos that the United States hold sacrosanct and unassailable. All decisions revolve around it. But now COVID is revealing its inequities and fallacies. Managers and financial pundits can't seem to figure out why people wouldn't want to return to a job where they're treated poorly and paid a slave wage. And it's driving them berzerko.
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