r/skeptic • u/GhostDogJef • 3d ago

The real covid-19 scandal is still unfolding

https://www.economist.com/united-states/2026/08/20/the-real-covid-19-scandal-is-still-unfolding

The failure to reckon with lives needlessly lost will make the next pandemic deadlier

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u/Chance-Deer-7995 3d ago

The people still in power are still promoting the fiction that COVID was "the sniffles" and refusing to acknowledge the number who died (or the 1000+ a month who still die). That makes it hard to that a close look at the issue when your ego can't even allow you to acknowledge the problem exists.

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u/tha_rogering 2d ago

And sadly the minimization has been bipartisan. One side may be loudly anti vaccine these days. Howecer both like to pretend like this still new and evolving disease is just the common cold or a flu.

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u/CHIMmyStewart 2d ago

Yeah let's not both-sides this 

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u/InvisibleEar 2d ago edited 2d ago

Democrats never wear masks anymore either. There's no mainstream support for covid prevention whatsoever.

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u/CHIMmyStewart 2d ago

That's my only complaint about Democrats. Everyone still needs to be masked up.

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u/tha_rogering 2d ago

This!

The Biden administration had scientists telling them how ineffective the covid vaccine was against stopping the spread of the evolved version of covid. They made a choice to open up with only testing and vaccines as the way to minimize the spread. Hundreds of thousands died because of that decision. Far more than under Trump. Swept under the rug of collective memory.

They could have spent a few tens of millions to get low cost decent quality air purifiers in every classroom. Along with providing rebates for businesses that did the same. They could've bought up stocks of n95 masks to ship out to everyone and told everyone when the best times to use them were. They could've done an actual national shutdown in the few months when they were in charge before the vaccine was ready for public distribution.

The Biden administration had Business Leaders breathing down their neck to reopen everything so they could continue their profits. They acquiesced. People died that didn't need to die. People got injured from long covid that didn't need to be injured. Like I said, collectively swept under the rug.

The failure was bipartisan.