White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has to navigate a minefield of contradictory statements put out by the Biden administration on a daily basis. You almost have to admire her ability to put up with the daily stress of stepping around past lies and half-truths without stepping into new ones. Almost.
On Tuesday, Psaki was asked about New York City’s new COVID vaccine passport regime. Specifically, Shelby Talcott of the Daily Caller wanted to know how it wasn’t ‘racist.’ Watch:
“So, I wanted to ask about New York City,” Talcott began. “COVID vaccinations. So, New York City data shows that the rate for black New Yorkers… is sitting at 31%, which is a lot lower than some of the other percentages. And this is similar to the national level, according to CDC data.”
“Is the White House concerned at all that the burdens of imposed by governments and businesses like the New York City proof of vaccination is going to fall heaviest on these minority communities?” she asked.
“It’s our objective to continue to close that equity gap,” Psaki responded. “And to make sure we are, as a federal government working in partnership with city or states like New York, cities like New York City, to make sure we are making the vaccine accessible, available, we are meeting people where they are, we are partnering with the right public health officials, and we will continue to do exactly that.”
“Because we certainly don’t want this to be a barrier of entry for communities,” she added. “We also believe that at a time where the Delta variant is spreading like wildfire across the country, especially to the unvaccinated communities, that it’s important for… cities and communities should be able to take steps to incentivize getting more people vaccinated.”
It is ironic that the White House expresses its desire that COVID vaccines don’t become a barrier for communities of color, when in fact, the Democratic mayor of New York City is imposing more of a barrier on communinties of color than any voter ID requirement deemed “racist” ever would.
On Monday, New York City mayor Bill de Blasio issued a decree that COVID vaccine documentation is required to enter public and private establishments.
“The program, similar to mandates issued in France and Italy last month, will start on Aug. 16, and after a transition period, enforcement will begin on Sept. 13, when schools are expected to reopen and more workers could return to offices in Manhattan,” the New York Times reported. “Mr. de Blasio has been moving aggressively to get more New Yorkers vaccinated to curtail a third wave of coronavirus cases amid concern about the spread of the Delta variant. He is also requiring city workers to get vaccinated or to face weekly testing, and he has offered a $100 incentive for the public.”
“This is going to be a requirement,” the mayor said. “The only way to patronize these establishments is if you are vaccinated, at least one dose. The same for folks in terms of work, they will need at least one dose,” he said.
“If you want to participate in our society fully, you’ve got to get vaccinated,” de Blasio at a news conference. “It’s time.”
The issue is that it’s not time. The Delta variant has been far less deadly than the prior COVID strain. The 7-day average of COVID-related deaths for New York City stands at 5 people. There are approximately 8.5 million people in New York City.
Earlier reporting indicates that an immunity level of 70% is sufficient to stop a viral pandemic in its tracks. There have been over 2 million cases of COVID-19 reported in New York City. The overall vaccination rate for at least one dose stands at 60% in the city.
The Delta variant may be spreading like “wildfire,” but it is not being accompanied by dramatically increasing mortality rates. What the Delta variant is doing is spreading more natural immunity, which is superior to vaccinated immunity. Even the fully vaccinated can spread COVID to other people, including the fully vaccinated. The Centers for Disease Control entirely concedes this reality.
Therefore, vaccines only effectively limit the severity of the disease. It is entirely a matter of personal risk and choice that has mutated into a ‘public health’ issue. What is truly spreading like “wildfire’ in America is tyranny.
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OPINION: This article contains commentary which reflects the author's opinion.