Covid Policy if I Were in Charge

Given my tendency to voice frustration with covid policies, sometimes people ask me what I would do if I were in charge.  So here it is – if I were President of the USA I would:

1.     Remove all covid restrictions, or at least all those within federal control, immediately.  All of them!  They are doing far more harm than good.  I’d encourage all states, counties, cities, and foreign countries to do the same.

2.     Emphasize the need for honesty by public health officials – no more noble lies, no more deception.  Make it clear that dishonesty by government employees will not be tolerated.

3.     Fire Anthony Fauci and Rochelle Walensky for violations of number 2.

4.     Emphasize the moral importance of individual choice and freedom, especially in matters of bodily autonomy and informed consent.

5.     Emphasize the need for respect, tolerance, and humility by and for all citizens and their individual choices.

6.     Make it clear that the federal government is for freedom of speech and does not approve of the censorship of dissenting opinions.  Push for legislation and/or legal clarification that would remove the protections of the Communications Decency Act section 230 from internet platforms that censor dissenting views.

7.     Immediately begin large scale randomized control trials of masking – I am personally convinced that masking has no practical benefit and large costs, but I would direct health agencies to seek an answer to this question that is as definitive as possible.

8.     Clarify that doctors and patients have the right to treat covid as they see fit, including with Ivermectin and other off-label drugs.  Use federal power where possible to make sure this is allowed.

9.     Prioritize the study of covid treatment outcomes and publish official health agency recommendations of covid treatment protocols.  “Stay home and go the emergency room if you can’t breathe” is just not good enough.

10.Direct health agencies to track and publish on a weekly basis complete data on health outcomes by vaccination status.  Covid infection, hospitalization, and death by age and vaccination status.  Overall mortality numbers by age and vaccination status. 

11.Direct health agencies to rigorously investigate reports of vaccine injury and death and to publish weekly reports.  The objective of this and the previous item is to have complete, honest information about the risks and benefits of the vaccines.

12.Direct federal agencies to prepare reports on the costs and benefits of all covid mitigation measures taken to date.  The objective here is to make sure we learn the right lessons from the response to this pandemic, not the wrong ones.

13.Direct health agencies to require that any recommended future pandemic mitigation measures be justified by analysis of projected benefits AND costs. 

14.Prepare and deliver an address to the American public that explains all this clearly and concisely. 

What do you think? What would you do?