A Brownstone op-ed I wrote several weeks ago (Titled: “Are we overreacting to omicron”) pretty much said what we are learning more conclusively now which is that the reaction by the media and public health to omicron was knee jerk, hysterical, and illogical given all that we were seeing with the variant and data. Even while nascent then, the information pointed to a very mild variant that was non-lethal. Potentially more transmissible or not and we needed at least one more week and we have gotten that and more, to now be more declarative. The immediate move to use the variant to scare persons to vaccinate became clear yet the data accumulated (2-3 weeks of data) to confirm what I and others stated clearly which was to calm down and think. The virus was being a virus and doing what viruses do, which via Mueller’s ratchet, will naturally select variants that are milder and most infectious over time (evolutionary fitness) so that it can live on and cull out (select) those that are lethal to it as it would then arrive at an evolutionary dead-end which it does NOT want to do.
Today it is clear and likely will not change, which is that omicron is very mild, way milder than Delta or any earlier strains/variants. Yet why did we behave 2-3 weeks ago as if we were back in January 2020 when COVID arrived? We knew what to do and how to handle this virus yet we were hysterical and imposed nonsensical policies. As if we immediately forgot all we learnt and did the last 22 months.
Omicron is showing elevated transmissibility and this is understandable and even expected. It is NOT lethal and no deaths have been reported in any age-group. We are not seeing any surge in severe symptoms or hospitalizations and it would have started to happen by about now. No doubt we continue our focus on Delta which is the concern while keeping an eye on omicron, albeit a lazy eye. What does all of this mean? Well, if all goes as we think it would, it could be that this is the last key variant given how mild it is, with COVID moving toward stable endemicity and will one day become alike a common cold coronavirus.
Remember, OC43 which is an existing common cold coronavirus (one of 4 mild coronavirus that are endemic around us yearly/seasonally), began I think in 1880 or so in an epidemic/pandemic footing (near 150 years ago) and had its 5 to 6 waves and then mutated very mildly across time as would COVID virus, to the state OC43 is in today, whereby it lives among us ubiquitously and benign. Mutations-immune response, mutations-immune response and so on repeatedly until it settles down in an endemic manner. There are reports that even the Spanish Flu of 1918 has existing circulating variants today in 2021 that have mutated very mildly and exist endemically among us. If all goes true to form, then COVID will go this route and also, omicron will be of no appreciable consequence.
That said, there is absolutely no need for any vaccine roll-out anymore and this must be stopped immediately. Vaccine mandates must be halted immediately given what we are seeing with omicron (how mild and non-consequential) and there must be no separation of vaccinated from unvaccinated persons which is a terrible and horrifying threat to our liberties and freedoms within our good governance society. Allow people to exercise their innate immunity (especially children) and natural immunity to handle this circling the rain virus. COVID vaccine today is ‘all risk and no benefit’. There is no value-added and no public health official has prosecuted the case as to why these vaccines are needed and especially in our children, especially given the harms and deaths that have accumulated post vaccine (CDC’s VAERS database). We see two things: nations that have elevated vaccination rates (with aggressive roll outs) have elevated infections and problems and there is a rise in excess-mortality (all-cause) that cannot be explained by the virus/COVID. It is time to end all vaccine mandates and impose a pause/stop on the vaccine roll-out so that a proper review of the safety can take place. Early outpatient treatment (in any high-risk vulnerable persons) is well able to close this out and bring the pandemic to an end with reasonable and common sense precautions, as the society is brought back to normal, open and free and thriving once again.
These COVID-19 vaccines are not sufficiently safe or effective for the public. The data is now very clear as to lack of effectiveness or safety. We call for the dropping of all vaccine mandates and the vaccine program and roll-out should be paused/stopped for a proper safety review.
“Yet why did we behave 2-3 weeks ago as if we were back in January 2020 when COVID arrived?”
Uhh, I don’t know for sure, but I think it may have something to do with wealth and power.