It reads like the plot of a bad novel or an even worse Hollywood disaster movie. Covid-19 (you can choose your variety du jour) is once again in the news. No matter where you look, there’s a story about new varieties, the need to once again mask, social distancing and–I know this surprises you–Biden wanting more money to do more research for yet another round of vaccines. But what is being lost in the panicked murmurings is the impact of Covid (and the government’s policies) on our mental health.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that there seems to be an increase in media coverage of Covid-related stories. After all, what better way, at least in their minds, to take our attention off the upcoming elections than to return us to the nightmare that was the Covid lockdowns and business closures? The CDC advises all those who might be “at risk” to start masking up again. After all, there’s a new variant out there. This, despite the fact “[t]here’s not yet enough data to assess the potential of this variant to cause a wave.” In fact, there have been less than five cases of the new variant reported in the US at the time I sat down to write this post. But let’s pull out those masks and hand sanitizer. Uncle Joe says so.
Not to be outdone, NBC News pulls out a piece of yellow journalism, at least when it comes to the following headline:
Covid booster rollout: Are we acting fast enough to fend off the next round?
The CDC could sign off on the new Covid boosters as soon as Sept. 12. Will that be soon enough to ward off a winter surge?
[I saw an interesting tweet this morning that said “Take a look at Pfizer’s stock chart for this year and THAT will tell you why there’s suddenly ‘worry” over a COVID outbreak.” So cynical, so ON POINT. It’s bull Schlitz. ~ Beege]
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