Although Gov. Gretchen Whitmer loves it enough to have it cross-stitched on a pillow, Anthony Fauci’s face is hated by many Americans around the country. He reminded us why yet again when his face made an appearance on MSNBC over the weekend.
“What is the message to vaccinated and unvaccinated Americans as to what they should and should not be doing right now? For example, eating and drinking indoors in restaurants and bars — is that OK now?” asked host Mehdi Hasan.
“No, it’s still not OK for the simple reason that the level of infection, the dynamics of infection in the community are still really disturbingly high,” Fauci replied. “Like just yesterday, there were close to 80,000 new infections, and we’ve been hanging around 60,000, 70,000, 75,000.”
Fauci’s initial response was to be expected, what with all his “community spread!” scaremongering that has kept children home from school for a year, even as case numbers and deaths have plummeted. But the infectious disease expert couldn’t just leave it at that. He took it one step further, one step more invasive, more intrusive, and more domineering. And worst of all, he offered Americans a bit of so-called expert advice only to immediately remind them why his advice is meaningless.
“So, if you’re not vaccinated, please get vaccinated as soon as vaccine becomes available to you, and if you are vaccinated, please remember that you still have to be careful and not get involved in crowded situations, particularly indoors where people are not wearing masks,” Fauci said. “And for the time being, until we show definitively that a person who’s vaccinated does not get this subclinical infection and can spread to others, you should also continue to wear a mask.”
Fauci is at it again. "It’s still not ok for vaccinated Americans to eat and drink indoors." pic.twitter.com/yWHTnRN18f
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) April 12, 2021
There it is, folks: the standard mixed-messaging that has characterized all the ruling class’s COVID blather. In other words, Fauci’s message to you, peasants, is to get the vaccine ASAP! But also, don’t change anything about your life once you’re vaccinated, and please wear a mask (or two) and stay away from friends, family, and brunch forever and ever, amen.
It’s enough to drive people up a wall. Finally, after a year of seemingly endless sacrifices and insufferable rules and restrictions, nearly 120 million Americans have received at least one dose of the vaccine, including nearly 80 percent of Americans 65 and older, meaning the majority of those actually vulnerable to death by COVID are almost out of the woods. And while the purported rationale for the heavy-handedness was to “flatten the curve,” the trend line for case numbers and deaths looks like the stomach-dropping plunge on Kingda Ka. Yet we’re still told, “No, it’s still not OK.” Not OK to eat or drink. Not OK to worship freely. Not OK to breathe without a mask. Not OK to travel.
Why on Earth would the unvaccinated get vaccinated as soon as possible? Fauci may have said “please,” but he also said a vaccine won’t change anything about your life — so what’s the point? Soon Americans’ faith in vaccine efficacy will resemble the case count graph: It will trend sharply downward.
This messaging is everywhere among our ruling classes. Check out this doozy of a thread from MSNBC’s Joy Reid on Sunday:
And we double mask in our family — the hospital style one with a cute cloth one on top. Will still be doing that for the foreseeable future. Here’s my fun @thereidout mask! pic.twitter.com/aJNTEuSn8I
— Nope. (@JoyAnnReid) April 11, 2021
Meanwhile, the fully vaccinated commander-in-chief is still double masking, and the media, Democratic lawmakers, and celebrities continue to send the message that your life won’t change after you’re vaccinated.
He's been vaccinated for months now. His actions are anti-science and undermine the fight against the virus. The president needs to be communicating to the public that the vaccine works. https://t.co/lizio9ZOjt
— Noah Pollak (@NoahPollak) March 9, 2021
💉 We’re averaging 3 million vaccine shots administered per day and while this is *great* news, we need to stay vigilant. Wash your hands, wear a mask, and listen to health experts. We can get through this together.
— Senate Democrats (@dscc) April 10, 2021
"Wear a mask, be COVID safe."
Bryan, 15, from the US, is right. As vaccines become available, we mustn’t become complacent.
To slow the spread of COVID-19, we must continue to wear masks, wash our hands with soap regularly and practice physical distancing.#WorldHealthDay pic.twitter.com/CRnhbg59cb
— Voices of Youth (@voicesofyouth) April 7, 2021
Today's PSA
1. Still wear a mask even if you are vaccinated. The vaccine prevents you from ending up in the hospital or dying. You can still get #COVID19
2. Wear a mask. We are still in a pandemic
3. The mask goes over your nose. pic.twitter.com/96W7M1Aovz— JR Gaillot (@jrgaillot) April 11, 2021
https://twitter.com/chefjoseandres/status/1379596672779567106
Vaccines work, but here's why you still need to wear a mask for now https://t.co/4V4UPV4v7E
— TIME (@TIME) April 11, 2021
Fauci and his followers can preach vaccine efficacy all they want and shame the vaccine-hesitant for dragging their feet. But as long as the answer to every question about getting back to normal remains, “No, it’s still not OK” even after you’re vaccinated, don’t expect healthy and restriction-weary Americans to rush to their nearest distribution center. If Fauci really wants Americans to get a COVID shot, he should stop telling them it’s pointless.
