COVID Narrative Collapsing

On Friday, President Biden gave a typically incoherent statement on COVID:

President Joe Biden said on Friday he did not believe the coronavirus will be a permanent affliction for Americans.

"No, I don't think COVID is here to stay," Biden told reporters after remarks on the U.S. economy. "The new normal is not going to be what it is now, it's going to be better."

But all of a sudden, for reasons that aren't clear to me at all, the emphasis has shifted from shots to tests.

Nearly 50 House and Senate Democrats are calling on the Biden administration to substantially increase the nation's supply of rapid COVID-19 tests.

In a letter led by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), along with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the lawmakers acknowledged efforts already underway, like acquiring 500 million additional tests and setting up federal testing sites, but said the administration needs to do more to boost supplies.

"But as the Omicron variant spreads and we enter an ominous and unprecedented next phase of this pandemic, it is critical that we ensure these efforts meet the severity of the moment," the lawmakers wrote.

So the next phase is "ominous and unprecedented". The increase in positive cases is exponential and off the charts. But instead of new demands that the unvaxxed get vaxxed, we now need to have -- more rapid test kits?

The lawmakers had a list of specific policy asks, including manufacturing enough tests that every American could take at least one rapid test per week, and ensuring that Americans without internet access can order free COVID-19 rapid tests delivered to their home.

So the new new normal is going to be better than the old new normal, and that will include everyone getting the jabs, as well as everyone taking at least one rapid test per week? Doesn't sound better to me. Nevertheless,

We’re seeing a massive shift from the Biden team and the Democrats.

. . . “Everyone thought the vaccines were going to solve everything, which meant the administration took its eye off the ball when it came to testing,” [Dr Zeke] Emanuel had said earlier last week.

Emanuel noted that they finally had gotten a reasonable testing process in place [under Trump] but then that got dismantled under Biden after the vaccine when they then came to rely upon that.

The Biden team fully focused on vaccines and masking, to the detriment of testing and treatment. So that explains why Biden ran on testing, promised Americans tests, and then didn’t come through with them? And now you have all kinds of restrictions and mandates that are conditioned on tests?

On one hand, yes, if you take seriously the vax mandates that say more or less that you can keep your job without the jabs if you get tested once a week, but I have no idea how that gets enforced. But with the federal vax mandates on shaky legal ground, why does everyone need a weekly test otherwise?

And if everyone gets tested, what do they do if they get a positive? Emergency rooms were flooded last year when people got positive tests and, though without symptoms, thought they needed to do something about it. More recently, the CDC has issued confusing guidelines:

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance on the recommended Covid-19 isolation period Tuesday, telling people that if they have access to a Covid-19 test and want to take it, the best approach is to use a rapid test toward the end of their five-day isolation period.

The agency has faced pressure over the past week from outside medical experts to include a testing component in its new shortened isolation period. The updated recommendations do not advise a test for isolated people, but they offer guidance on how those people should respond to a test result if they choose to take one. If the test is positive, isolated people are advised to continue their isolation until 10 days after their symptoms started. If the test is negative, isolated people can end their isolation but are advised to wear a mask around other people until day 10.

As far as I can tell, this is for people without COVID symptoms who for whatever reason are moved to take one of those free rapid COVID tests and, without symptoms, turn out to test positive. If they have no symptoms, as far as I can understand this, they can take another test at the end of the five-day isolation period if they want to. If they do and they test positive, they isolate for five more days. If it's negative, well, OK, but wear a mask for five more days.

If they want to. Or do I have this wrong? Just a month ago, President Brandon was predicting "a winter of severe illness and death for the unvaccinated -- for themselves, their families and the hospitals they'll soon overwhelm." But if everyone gets their rapid COVID test and follows the new isolation protocols, well then, lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.