CDC Director: Impending Doom

[Pink Partridge]

After the last several years...expecting a person of authority to communicate professionally and not in a ”tabloidy” manner made me chuckle.

As for the CDC Director...I don’t think that putting a bit of fear into our citizens is “tabloidy”. It might sound slightly alarmist/emotional to some, but I wouldn’t say tabloidy. She has a duty to inform the public and tell the truth. I’d file it under”refreshing “.

I don't need the director of the nation's health protection agency to "put fear in me". That is not their job. I need them to present facts in a professional manner.

 

[snappy]

The CDC director should have stayed “on script.”

 

[dvcgirl67]

I don't need the director of the nation's health protection agency to "put fear in me". That is not their job. I need them to present facts in a professional manner.

Well, sometimes the truth is scary.....and since a big chunk of the country is walking around and acting like we're over this pandemic, that's it's done.....putting a little fear out there is a part of her job in this instance. In my mind it's better than acting like we're all good. It's not just her job to "put the facts out there".....she's allowed to state her opinion on the state of the pandemic.

Reminds me of Governors who, prior to a big hurricane making landfall......tell citizens who are contemplating staying in their waterfront homes and not evacuating.....that if the water level rises above their roofline and they then decide to call for help....we won't send anyone to save you. Same thing....meant to scare people into making the wiser/smarter decision.

I recognize that expecting our fellow Americans to make smart decisions these days can be a high bar, but I don't fault her for using some emotion to make an appeal for patience. We barely saw Dr. Redfield when he was running the show. What we did see of him....was well, not all that great. He seems to be a shell of a man these days.

 

[BayouQueen]

I bumped into this article about what we're discussing here. It's one of the more calm and measured articles I've read. I apologize if it was posted upthread. I haven't read all posts.

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2021/03/fourth-surge-variant-vaccine/618463/

 

[AurumPunzel]

After the last several years...expecting a person of authority to communicate professionally and not in a ”tabloidy” manner made me chuckle.

As for the CDC Director...I don’t think that putting a bit of fear into our citizens is “tabloidy”. It might sound slightly alarmist/emotional to some, but I wouldn’t say tabloidy. She has a duty to inform the public and tell the truth. I’d file it under”refreshing “.

But to me, the wording came across as being too emotional and not stoïc, and in such a position of authority, you are expected to show some stoïcity, as much as you're expected to tell the truth based on the science that's available.

 

[lilypgirl]

I think it's scarier that she said that.
She's in charge of the war against this pandemic like Eisenhower was in charge of American troops before D-day.
Can you imagine Ike saying he was scared and that there was an impending doom ? LOL
I saw the clip with her saying she was scared and my jaw dropped.
Her being on the verge of crying was disgraceful.
I'd have fired her right after her performance- She's supposed to convey strength and confidence and in a way 'rally the troops' ,not scare people.

Honestly I think that's the message the current administration is going for so she did exactly as she was told!

 

[Christine]

I think she just got emotional (and frustrated). With the vaccines getting out there, we are so close to being at a point where we have some relative assurance against not getting too sick if we catch it, but we're not there yet. It's got to be incredibly frustrating to be working on a pandemic, see hope on the horizon (the horizon equating to maybe 2-3 months), yet seeing some areas throw out mitigation measures, gather in tight spaces, and think "we're all good now" and at the same time, seeing those variants tick up and evade the vaccine in some cases. It would probably make me cry in frustration also.

 

[John VN]

After the last several years...expecting a person of authority to communicate professionally and not in a ”tabloidy” manner made me chuckle.

As for the CDC Director...I don’t think that putting a bit of fear into our citizens is “tabloidy”. It might sound slightly alarmist/emotional to some, but I wouldn’t say tabloidy. She has a duty to inform the public and tell the truth. I’d file it under”refreshing “.

I have seen numerous medical personnel speaking about all things COVID and it appeared that due to the stress factors having dealt with illness AND death they are at times very emotional and request that the Public be extremely aware and cautious.

 

[snappy]

News this morning: Pfizer just announced their vaccine could get emergency approval for ages 12-15 before the start of next school year. 100% effective. Study of over 4,000 participants. Further studies to follow.

Sounds like impending hope to me.

 

[MamaMermaid]

I think people are being dumb now that vaccines are rolling out. Am I terrified? No. My mom is vaccinated, I'm vaccinated, hubby has an appointment. We wear masks and take precautions... I worry about my 3 year old but thankfully he's been healthy so far.

Now, if only everyone else would be doing the right thing...

 

[DisneyOma]

There does seem to be a slight uptick in cases, could it be from the college kids who went on spring break? The thing I keep looking at is the number vaccinated. 146mm have at least one shot and 53 mm are fully vaccinated. At this rate by the end of the April over 50% will be vaccinated and by end of May it is going to be 75%. I just do not understand the scare tactics of the CDC or the current administration. It just does not make sense. The language is still the same as it was in November when we were in the heart of the worst part of this pandemic. Someone explain why when the end is so near we are still hearing chicken little screaming the sky is falling?

What in the world is 146 millimeters (mm) of shots? Did you mean 146M, as in million? If not, I'm totally confused here.

New evidence is showing that both Pfizer & Moderna may in fact prevent infection.

https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/p0329-COVID-19-Vaccines.html

It prevents infection in some, lessens the effects of an infection in others. This was known before. No vaccine is going to be 100% effective.

I looked back and found the post.
https://www.disboards.com/threads/h...t-quarantine-hair-style.3800347/post-61820623
I got a haircut April 24th 2020.

That would have been the first day you could get a haircut in Georgia. The state started reopening mid April so about this time a year ago.

The shutdown, at least in Georgia, started March 12th 2020 and only lasted until mid April 2020.

Yeah, Georgia is a hot mess. 18,000+ dead, because they opened too early and didn't take the pandemic seriously. But you got your hair cut!

https://twitter.com/x/status/1376950399232573442

This was extremely irresponsible, IMO. The vaccine is not 100% effective, and to say that it is? The general public will run with this and then the whole impending doom that we are discussing will be in fact true.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Well, sometimes the truth is scary.....and since a big chunk of the country is walking around and acting like we're over this pandemic, that's it's done.....putting a little fear out there is a part of her job in this instance. In my mind it's better than acting like we're all good. It's not just her job to "put the facts out there".....she's allowed to state her opinion on the state of the pandemic.

Reminds me of Governors who, prior to a big hurricane making landfall......tell citizens who are contemplating staying in their waterfront homes and not evacuating.....that if the water level rises above their roofline and they then decide to call for help....we won't send anyone to save you. Same thing....meant to scare people into making the wiser/smarter decision.

I recognize that expecting our fellow Americans to make smart decisions these days can be a high bar, but I don't fault her for using some emotion to make an appeal for patience. We barely saw Dr. Redfield when he was running the show. What we did see of him....was well, not all that great. He seems to be a shell of a man these days.

Having gotten a (at this point) incurable cancer diagnosis (so, something that literally comes with "impending doom") - you don't want a doc getting emotional or talking about the hopelessness of the diagnosis. You want him/her to stick to the facts, explain things clearly, and tout a realistic but hopeful path.

I think that's what got to so many people. If this was their doc, they'd have fired her. But she is one of America's docs (not the surgeon general, but still in a role, thanks to Covid, that folks see as "doc"), so the only person who can fire her is at the top.

 

[mom2rtk]

News this morning: Pfizer just announced their vaccine could get emergency approval for ages 12-15 before the start of next school year. 100% effective. Study of over 4,000 participants. Further studies to follow.

Sounds like impending hope to me.

Amen!

 

[snappy]

Having gotten a (at this point) incurable cancer diagnosis (so, something that literally comes with "impending doom") - you don't want a doc getting emotional or talking about the hopelessness of the diagnosis. You want him/her to stick to the facts, explain things clearly, and tout a realistic but hopeful path.

I think that's what got to so many people. If this was their doc, they'd have fired her. But she is one of America's docs (not the surgeon general, but still in a role, thanks to Covid, that folks see as "doc"), so the only person who can fire her is at the top.

Yes. You want to know whether or not it’s treatable. What are my options and help with weighing the odds. Saying I am scared as Walensky did does not cut it.

 

[DisneyOma]

I feel like everyone just reacted to the "impending doom" and didn't read why she used those terms? Did everyone here read the entire article and follow the links to more info, etc? Like this link:

https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-rele...mutations-could-render-current-covid-vaccines

 

[VandVsmama]

Burnout, depression, and anxiety are a real thing in healthcare professionals right now who deal with treating COVID. Maybe she needs to take a little breather before going in front of TV cameras again.

 

[mrs. magoo]

Please spend some time looking at Israel and their numbers. They as a country they have fully vaccinated 50% of their population and 60% has received their first shot. Their numbers continue to drop. I have hope when I look at these numbers. I really think that the CDC has completely over estimated the number of covid cases. I know so many people who truly believe they had it but were never tested. I think that they were hoping they had it but really did not have it. In my house myself, my dad, my husband and my 18 year old have been vaccinated. My 22 year old has had her first shot and I am waiting impatiently to get an appointment for my 20 year old and 23 year old. They are both in PA and it is hard to find appointments for them in their areas. I plan to have them come to NY after the April 6th time to receive their shots. We are planning on vacationing this summer. Life does need to return to some form of normalcy. There will always be a threat and someone will always be saying we need to shut down.

 

[BayouQueen]

Please spend some time looking at Israel and their numbers. They as a country they have fully vaccinated 50% of their population and 60% has received their first shot. Their numbers continue to drop. I have hope when I look at these numbers. I really think that the CDC has completely over estimated the number of covid cases. I know so many people who truly believe they had it but were never tested. I think that they were hoping they had it but really did not have it. In my house myself, my dad, my husband and my 18 year old have been vaccinated. My 22 year old has had her first shot and I am waiting impatiently to get an appointment for my 20 year old and 23 year old. They are both in PA and it is hard to find appointments for them in their areas. I plan to have them come to NY after the April 6th time to receive their shots. We are planning on vacationing this summer. Life does need to return to some form of normalcy. There will always be a threat and someone will always be saying we need to shut down.

I, too, have a lot of friends who are not getting vaccinated because they insist that they already had covid, but probably didn't. There were a lot of "bugs" going around last winter that had similar symptoms. I was sick myself for a long time last winter, so I went and had the test to see if I'd already had covid. I didn't. It was just regular flu. I hope people will get vaccinated no matter what they think they had.

 

[snappy]

I, too, have a lot of friends who are not getting vaccinated because they insist that they already had covid, but probably didn't. There were a lot of "bugs" going around last winter that had similar symptoms. I was sick myself for a long time last winter, so I went and had the test to see if I'd already had covid. I didn't. It was just regular flu. I hope people will get vaccinated no matter what they think they had.

My brother was sick as a dog December 2019. Barely missed being hospitalized and he is a 52 year old very healthy male. He missed Christmas with our 90 year old mom, hopefully there will be future Christmases with her as he did not visit December 2020 either. He was able to take the antibody test last spring and it showed no antibodies. Without confirmation of antibodies I would not delay further a chance of getting vaccinated.

 

[AvidDisReader]

What in the world is 146 millimeters (mm) of shots? Did you mean 146M, as in million? If not, I'm totally confused here.



It prevents infection in some, lessens the effects of an infection in others. This was known before. No vaccine is going to be 100% effective.


Yeah, Georgia is a hot mess. 18,000+ dead, because they opened too early and didn't take the pandemic seriously. But you got your hair cut!



This was extremely irresponsible, IMO. The vaccine is not 100% effective, and to say that it is? The general public will run with this and then the whole impending doom that we are discussing will be in fact true.

Yes, 146 million shots have been given, accept today it is up to over 148 million. So just to be clear, Pfizer report states that their vaccine is 97% effective in not getting the virus and 93% effective in not being able to spread the virus. Again, the facts do not support a gloom and doom response. As a poster above stated, the CDC bases its statement in facts, well what are the facts. I need to be told the facts because as I said before I will not just blindly believe someone, they need to tell me the facts.