I wrote about some things in the past that I need to follow -up on

.President-Elect Biden is about to ask America to wear masks for the next hundred days. I pointed out in my last post, 85% already are wearing masks. If this widespread mask usage hasn’t made a dent in the spread of COVID-19 spread, it’s hard to see a few more % would make a significant difference. A big problem is most people are wearing masks doing little to stop the spread. It appears some still aren’t convinced of this fact.

I just finished Alex Berensen’s third small book in his “Untold Truths about COVID-19 and LockDowns” series. I’ve highly recommended the previous two for getting a handle on what the COVID-19 data tells us. This one has been out for a few weeks, but Amazon only notified me a couple of days ago. It seems Amazon again held up his book. As luck would have it, the book is all about masks. It not only backs up what I wrote but does it in greater depth. If only we could get Joe Biden to read it.

What worries me is these less than 10% effective masks give people a false sense of safety, especially the at-risk. Seeing the elderly going in and out of stores wearing the same thin cloth masks as the rest of the shoppers should be a cause for concern. Maybe this explains why so many older people are still dying. Instead of having the proper PPE wherever the vulnerable are present, we tout Universal wearing masks unlikely to protect. These cloth masks aren’t much more than a virtue-signaling fashion statement.

Worse, several researchers at well-known Universities found social distancing is declining. We know distance is a good bet to prevent infection. Could the widely promoted idea of masks are protective encourage people to get closer than is safe? After all, the vast majority of people are wearing masks, and cases are still rising. What we need are masks that work. Maybe Honeywell and others will provide them to the general public soon.

Before the election, I raised the specter of political pressure to delay COVID-19 vaccines past the election. Pfizer announced its successful Vaccine a week after the election. The Vaccine is now in distribution in the U.K. We hope the FDA will approve it for the U.S.the week starting Dec. 14th, but that isn’t certain. Why the delay here? We know of the pressure brought on Pfizer by a letter signed by a group of mainly left-leaning doctors to wait for a lengthy FDA review before the election. Speaker Pelosi warned against accepting a U.K. approval even though some of the same doctors signing the Pfizer letter lauded British methods. 

A few days ago, Dr. Fauci went as far as to trash British methods as inferior to our FDA. “They really rushed through that approval,” Fauci told CBS’s, Major Garrett. Casting doubt on the Vaccine just as it was just beginning distribution without any proof is the height of irresponsibility. He has since walked this back, but not before the harm..

Johns Hopkin’s Dr. Marty Makary provides insight into what’s going on. In a piece in the  Dispatch, he says, “FDA regulators are wasting precious time in greenlighting a COVID vaccine as more than 2,000 Americans are dying each day and the pandemic continues to starve American society.” I urge you to read his article and decide whether Fauci or Makary is giving us the straight story.

Dr. Scott Atlas has resigned from the COVID-19 task force as his 130-day Special Government Employee (SGE) was expiring. Characterized as a Radiologist out of his depth by the left-wing press, Dr. Atlas made significant contributions. Hired for his medical policy knowledge, he brought his data analysis and cost-benefit skills to a group sorely lacking these capabilities. He brought the real costs of lock-downs into consideration. He shared our skepticism on mask-wearing. Getting more resources to those most at risk was fundamental to his efforts.

However, his most outstanding achievement may well be the now general agreement on school closings, especially in the lower grades, were a huge mistake. As he is leaving, we now find the CDC and Dr. Fauci coming out with firm statements these kids need to be in school. Dr. Atlas has been a constant proponent for keeping the schools open from the beginning. Better late than never, but not before great harm to our children. Too many kids still aren’t in school.

It is sad to see the Biden Administration making the same mistake as Trump’s before the Atlas appointment. Biden’s COVID group fails to include a Medical Policy Advisor. Someone to point to the data and do risk-reward calculations. This lack probably accounts for the President- elect’s silence on things such as kids being in school. 

Given the changes in our election process due to the pandemic, I wrote we should hear all the complaints and litigate where necessary. In my mind, this is necessary to cut myths off at the pass. However, I find what Trump is doing incomprehensible. Why attack friendly Republican governors and others for doing their job? Governors Ducey and Kemp in Arizona and Georgia have felt Trump’s wrath. This action is like cutting off your nose to spite your face. The cross-purpose is especially true in Georgia. With two Senate seats up for grabs in a January 5th Special Election, the Senate’s control is in play. The last thing the Republicans need is a split in the party. Pouting Trump supporters staying away from the polls ensures two Democratic victories. Two wins in Georgia will allow the passage of their program. That plan includes dismantling the Trump legacy. Yet there are Trump-supporting lawyers telling people to boycott the election. As I’ve always maintained, Trump being Trump is often counter-productive. Georgia may prove this in the worst possible way. Narcissists can’t see beyond themselves.