It is understandable that, in the fullness of hindsight, those who pushed for severely restrictive pandemic policies are now eager to avoid blowback. Emily Oster’s now notorious essay in The Atlantic went so far as to call for “pandemic amnesty,” arguing that the proponents and enforcers of lockdowns and mandates were well-intentioned and should be forgiven.
Not so fast, writes Dr. Pierre Kory in a new op-ed for the Washington Times. Many of the same terrible policies for which Oster wants amnesty are still in place, he argues. Before anyone seriously considers granting a COVID-19 mulligan, Dr. Kory wants these three things to change:
First, “vaccine or bust” proponents must admit their approach overpromised and underdelivered. President Biden has repeatedly declared COVID-19 a “pandemic of the unvaccinated,” despite the science indicating otherwise. His claim that the vaccinated “do not spread the disease to anyone else” was rated “mostly false” by PolitiFact. Simply lowering the goalposts about less severe symptoms is insufficient. This is not what we were promised.
Biden wasn’t the only one making these claims. Dr. Fauci led the charge in the media, day in and day out, pushing fact-free pseudoscience about the spread of COVID-19 and its remedies. It’s hard to see how such declarations were well-intentioned when they only served to set Americans against each other. The effects of these policies are still being felt. As Dr. Kory continues:
I should know. I’ve been on the receiving end of threats to my livelihood. This brings us to point two: The new California law empowering the punishment of doctors deemed guilty of spreading “misinformation” must be repealed before it can inflict further damage. Signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, California Assembly Bill 2098 enables the state to strip the medical licenses of professionals who veer from the preferred political party line.
Closely connected to this move, the American Board of Internal Medicine recently voted to remove Dr. Peter McCullough’s certifications in cardiovascular disease because he questioned whether younger people should risk COVID-19 vaccination given the low probability that the disease would cause them serious harm. McCullough’s fate now hangs in the balance until his Nov. 18 appeal date. If these actions are allowed to stand, many more doctors will be targeted. Thirdly, Dr. Kory writes that:
The District of Columbia must scrap its vaccine mandate for children in schools once and for all. Last week’s vote to delay compliance until January 3, 2023, is not enough. D.C. is one of the only school districts in the country with this type of requirement, going further than their counterparts in New York City or Los Angeles.
As Dr. Kory has written previously, these restrictions hurt Black kids most since they make up 60% of D.C.’s school-age population. The pandemic has already wrought havoc in their lives and driven test scores to historic lows. Adding another obstacle to their education is unjustifiable.
From masks to breakthrough cases to alternative treatments, the so-called experts have amassed a track record of incorrect judgments that make political pollsters look good by comparison. Even in the fog of a once-in-a-century pandemic, these decisions were not just borne of inexpert and incorrect scientific knowledge but rather driven by a rush to push a medical agenda.
Our organization, the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC) practices what we preach. As data evolved over time, we updated our recommendations and approaches accordingly. It wasn’t luck. We were following the science. Sadly, government agencies stuck with their unceasing policy recommendations that were increasingly divorced from the science.
COVID-19 may be the worst public health crisis we will see for some time, but it won’t be the last. It’s crucial that our leaders are held accountable for the mistakes they made during the pandemic — and the avoidable tragedies that resulted from them — so those mistakes are never made again. As Dr. Kory concludes:
Americans are incredibly forgiving people willing to show grace, but step one in that process is a willingness for those in charge to admit their mistakes.
You can read the full article here.
