In defense of CDC realism
When President Biden took office, his message was clear: COVID policies would be determined by science, not politics. So imagine the surprise when the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced other considerations entered into deciding the new guidance on isolation for asymptomatic, COVID-positive people.
"It really had a lot to do with what we thought people would be able to tolerate," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky told CNN Tuesday. The network's Kaitlan Collins replied, "It sounds like this decision had just as much to do with business as it did the science."
Former Surgeon General Jerome Adams, who served in the Trump administration, went a step further. "They wouldn't even follow it for their own family," he said of CDC officials and the revised guidelines.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Perhaps. But realism about how people actually behave should enter into CDC recommendations, as should other considerations that don't strictly involve the virus. Epidemiologists can give sound advice about how to slow the spread of infectious disease. They are not experts in economics or how to organize human society. When their advice doesn't weigh factors too, it is often doomed to fail.
Propagation of the unrealistic idea that people can be isolated and the economy largely shuttered until vaccines and other elements of the pandemic response are perfected has helped undermine confidence in public health experts rather than bolster faith in their directions. The resulting skepticism has increased popular defiance of the CDC and officials like Dr. Anthony Fauci, especially on such matters as masks and vaccines.
In fact, far from being unbiased preachers of the science, public health authorities have always been selective about what they shared with the ordinary citizens to shape public behavior. When they initially claimed masks were ineffective for the general population, for example, they really wanted to prevent shortages for health-care workers.
The motive was understandable, but that was still a lie, and it seriously damaged public trust. It is far better to be as realistic — and candid — as possible from the start. Let's hope this new realism continues even as some try to shame it out of existence.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
W. James Antle III is the politics editor of the Washington Examiner, the former editor of The American Conservative, and author of Devouring Freedom: Can Big Government Ever Be Stopped?.
-
Today's political cartoons - November 23, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - qualifications, tax cuts, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Long summer days in Iceland's highlands
The Week Recommends While many parts of this volcanic island are barren, there is a 'desolate beauty' to be found in every corner
By The Week UK Published
-
The Democrats: time for wholesale reform?
Talking Point In the 'wreckage' of the election, the party must decide how to rebuild
By The Week UK Published
-
The political latitude of Musk's cost-cutting task force
Talking Points A $2 trillion goal. And big obstacles in the way.
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
The Pentagon faces an uncertain future with Trump
Talking Point The president-elect has nominated conservative commentator Pete Hegseth to lead the Defense Department
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Should Sonia Sotomayor retire from the Supreme Court?
Talking Points Democrats worry about repeating the history of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
US election: who the billionaires are backing
The Explainer More have endorsed Kamala Harris than Donald Trump, but among the 'ultra-rich' the split is more even
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
US election: where things stand with one week to go
The Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Donald Trump and the fascism debate
Talking Points Democrats sound the alarm, but Republicans say 'it's always the F-word'
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Would Trump really use the military against Americans?
Talking Points The former president says troops could be used against 'enemy within'
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Trump blames migrants for the housing crisis. Experts aren't so sure.
Talking Points Migrants need housing. They also build it.
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published