If It’s Over, Why the Continued Emergency?

If It’s Over, Why the Continued Emergency?
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Paul E. Alexander
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Commentary

An 11th renewal of the federal government’s emergency declaration is ludicrous. Is this about midterm elections? Is this about the presidential elections in 2024? Is this now purely about politics and the drive to hold onto accrued power amassed with the lockdown lunacy?

Omicron as the current dominant variant and its subvariants (clades) is very mild for most people, even many high-risk people. They can adequately handle the infection and cope with it. The reality is that while Omicron can still present a challenge (as does seasonal influenza and common cold and a range of respiratory illnesses) to elderly persons and especially those with comorbidities (as well as obese persons, immune-compromised persons), it’s revealing itself to be no more severe than seasonal flu, and generally less so.

Moreover, we have used repurposed therapeutics (as prophylactics and treatment) effectively and we have availability. We also know who is the at-risk group and how to effectively manage, and hospitals were given hundreds of billions of dollars in PPE, PPP, and COVID relief money to prepare. They are prepared.

Paul E. Alexander
Paul E. Alexander
Author
Dr. Paul Elias Alexander is a COVID-19 consultant researcher in the US-C19 research group. He was formerly an assistant professor at McMaster University in evidence-based medicine and research methods; a COVID pandemic evidence-synthesis consultant-adviser to WHO-PAHO Washington; and senior adviser on COVID pandemic policy at Health and Human Services. He was appointed in 2008 at WHO as a regional specialist/epidemiologist in Europe's regional office in Denmark, worked for the government of Canada as an epidemiologist for 12 years, was appointed as the Canadian in-field epidemiologist (2002–2004), and worked from 2017 to 2019 at Infectious Diseases Society of America as the evidence synthesis meta-analysis systematic review guideline development trainer. Dr. Alexander holds masters level study from York University Canada, and a masters in epidemiology from the University of Toronto, a masters in evidence-based medicine from the University of Oxford, and a doctorate in evidence-based medicine and research methods from McMaster University in Canada.
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