WHO Declares Global COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Over
It's been over for most Americans for a long time already.
Epidemics
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy Refuses To Acknowledge the Government's Misrepresentation of Mask Research
Recent comments by former COVID-19 adviser Anthony Fauci contradict what public health officials told us during the pandemic.
It's Bodies vs. the State
Plus: The editors ponder the lack of women’s pants pockets in the marketplace.
Monkeypox Starts To Recede as Men at Risk Change Sexual Behavior
The lesson here: Public health messaging needs to be clear and specific. Oh, and federal bureaucracy sucks, as usual.
Make the CDC an Infectious Disease Epidemic Fighter Again
Dr. Walensky's proposed bureaucratic reshuffling is too timid.
Monkeypox Cases Continue To Spread Across the U.S. as 3 States Declare Emergencies
They're trying to pressure the federal government into getting organized about vaccines.
We Don't Need a White House Monkeypox 'Coordinator.' We Just Need the Vaccines.
The feds botch another epidemic.
Doctors Say Federal Bureaucracy Is Keeping Them From Adequately Treating Monkeypox
One vaccination requires 100 pages of government paperwork to be processed before treatment.
The U.S. Government Had What It Needed To Prevent the Spread of Monkeypox. It Happened Anyway.
Foot-dragging and red tape by the CDC and the FDA have fueled an avoidable outbreak.
Was Censorship the Greatest COVID Threat to Freedom?
It wasn't just autocrats who were frequently tempted to address "fake news" about the pandemic through state pressure and coercion.
A CDC Study Suggests Three-Fifths of Americans Have Been Infected by the Coronavirus
The estimate implies an overall infection fatality rate of about 0.5 percent, although that number should be viewed with caution.
Anthony Fauci Thinks Scientific Expertise Trumps the Rule of Law
The president’s COVID-19 adviser embodies the arrogance of technocrats who are sure they know what’s best for us.
If the CDC's Mask Mandate Is 'Necessary for the Public Health,' Why Didn't the DOJ Seek a Stay To Restore It?
The Biden administration's main priority seems to be leaving the agency's authority vague enough to allow future interventions.
The DOJ Is Reluctant To Continue Defending the CDC's Mask Mandate Because It Worries It Will Lose Again
Clarifying the agency's authority could impede future power grabs.
Even If the CDC's Mask Mandate Made Sense, That Would Not Make It Legal
The decision against the rule hinged on whether the agency had the power it asserted.
Vivek Murthy's Demand for Data on COVID 'Misinformation' Is Part of a Creepy Crusade to Suppress Dissent
The surgeon general's definition of misinformation includes statements that are arguably or verifiably true.
The CDC's Explanation for Its Reversal on School Mask Mandates Is Transparently Dishonest
The agency emphasizes that children face a very low risk from COVID-19, which it has known all along.
Flight Attendant Unions Want Passengers To Wear Masks Forever
The unions' support for hygiene theater is of a piece with their support for security theater.
There Is Little Evidence That Mask Mandates Had an Important Impact During the Omicron Surge
Case trends in states with mandates were very similar to case trends in states without them.
Biden Calls Ending Mask Mandates 'Premature' but Can't Say When It Won't Be
The president is waiting until children, who have always faced an infinitesimal risk from COVID-19, are "more protected."
The CDC Stands Firm on 'Universal Masking' in Schools as Blue States Abandon That Policy
Rochelle Walensky says "now is not the moment" to stop forcing masks on children. Democratic politicians increasingly disagree.
That Study of Face Masks Does Not Show What the CDC Claims
The agency further undermines its credibility by desperately trying to back up conclusions it has already reached.
The CDC's Insistence on 'Universal Masking' in Schools Looks Less Scientific Every Day
That recommendation, which never had a firm basis, is even harder to justify in the current context.
Why Can't the CDC Admit There Is No Solid Evidence To Support 'Universal Masking' in Schools?
Supporters of that policy assume it works, then desperately search for evidence to validate that conviction.
Don't Believe OSHA When It Threatens To Turn Its Rescinded Vaccine Mandate Into a Permanent Rule
That process takes a long time, and the result would face the same legal objection cited by the Supreme Court.
Japan's COVID-19 Strategy, Focused on Warnings Rather Than Mandates, Points the Way Forward
The country, which has a much lower fatality rate than the U.S., eschewed lockdowns in favor of information.
COVID-19 Cases Peaked in Our House Around the Same Time They Peaked in Texas
Nationwide, newly reported infections have been falling since January 14.
9th Circuit Panel Says Pandemic-Inspired Shutdowns of Gun Stores Were Unconstitutional
Judge Lawrence VanDyke included a satirical opinion that his colleagues can use when they decide otherwise.
COVID-19 Booster Shots Are 90 Percent Effective Against Hospitalization
Unvaccinated Americans over age 50 are 44 times more likely to be hospitalized than triple-vaccinated folks.
The CDC Is Finally Acknowledging That N95 Respirators Work Better Than Cloth Masks
Why did it take so long?
In the Case That Blocked OSHA's Vaccine Mandate, the Justices Disagreed About When COVID-19 Counts As a Workplace Hazard
The crux of the argument is the distinction "between occupational risk and risk more generally."
There's Good Reason To Think the Omicron Wave Will Peak Soon
Some epidemiologists estimate that the actual number of new infections peaked last week.
New California Data Reinforce the Evidence That Omicron Is Less Virulent Than Delta
Omicron patients were much less likely to have severe symptoms.
Defending OSHA's Vaccine Mandate, Sonia Sotomayor Says 'I'm Not Sure I Understand the Distinction' Between State and Federal Powers
The justice's reference to a national "police power" raised some eyebrows.
Rochelle Walensky Said an Antigen Test Is a Good Tool for 'Judging Infectiousness.' Now She Says 'Its Information Will Not Be Useful.'
The CDC director's explanation of her agency's confusing advice about home COVID-19 testing is hard to understand.
Biden Is Trying to Disguise a General Vaccine Mandate As a Workplace Safety Measure
The Supreme Court will ultimately decide how convincing that disguise is.
Anthony Fauci Is Right To Distinguish COVID-19 Infections, Which Are Exploding, From Severe Disease, Which Is Not
Based on the experience in South Africa, the Biden administration's top medical adviser says "this thing will peak after a period of a few weeks and turn around."
T-Cell Immunity Likely To Prevent Severe COVID-19 from Omicron Infections
Vaccination and prior infection induce a strong second line of immunological defense, finds South African study.
Recent COVID-19 Trends Suggest That Initial Fears of Omicron Were Overwrought
Focusing on infections rather than severe disease is more misleading than ever.
What Rapidly Rising COVID-19 Infections Among NFL Players May Mean for the Rest of Us
As the NFL goes, so goes the nation?
The CDC Director's Slippery Response to Criticism of School Mask Mandates Further Undermines Her Agency's Credibility
Rochelle Walensky willfully ignores the weaknesses of a study she repeatedly cited to justify "universal masking" of students.
When Will the COVID-19 Pandemic End?
When we decide to stop paying attention to it, say two authors in the health care journal BMJ.
The Omicron COVID-19 Wave Is Here Now and Rising Fast
Researchers are still uncertain about how severe the variant will be.
Here Is Why the 6th Circuit Reinstated OSHA's Vaccine Mandate—and Why One Judge Disagreed
The argument hinges largely on what makes an emergency standard "necessary."
Booster Shots Appear To Offer Protection Against Omicron COVID-19 Variant
Pfizer/BioNTech reports that a third shot significantly neutralizes the emerging variant.
5th Circuit Temporarily Restores Greg Abbott's Ban on School Mask Mandates
The appeals court is skeptical of the claim that the Texas governor's order illegally discriminates against people with disabilities.
Don't Expect Joe Biden's Travel Ban To Save America From the Omicron Variant
The World Health Organization warns that such restrictions can cause more harm than they prevent.
A Worrisome New COVID-19 Variant Identified in South Africa
Just how infectious and dangerous the new variant could be is not known at this time.