Great article, and this point, among many others, is so well stated. Of course, many leaders have made decisions in the face of pandemic uncertainty, and all of these are susceptible to criticism. Public health officials are not accustomed or equipped to handle these criticisms, which is why they always fall back onto the certainty of data. And when the data aren’t there, they freeze or fudge. Meanwhile, absence of data allows for tremendous political mischief.

Covid realism must also take into account that this virus is a real bastard. It is not the flu. My vaccinated, 26 year old son has covid now, and it is not a mild case. He got it from hanging out with friends. You know, normal stuff. So normal stuff can still mess you up. THAT’S reality!