[Prequel: Hopefully y’all have done your preparatory diligence, and are well situated to assist your family, because everything in the U.S. economic system is now around 30 days from entering the SNAFU phase. This CDC shift is predictably part of it.]
Last week the narrative was “the winter of death” is coming. That effort didn’t faze anyone; the White House shifted messaging within days.
The latest public guidance from the Centers for Disease Control [full release here] gives the first impression of the narrative shift being laughable; however, when you go deeper into their motive a righteous sneer disappears quickly.
♦ First, the CDC is now saying the quarantine time for anyone vaccinated or unvaccinated and testing positive for COVID-19 is now changed from ten days to five days. If you test positive for COVID-19, Omicron or any variant therein, you only need to be quarantined for 5 days.
♦ Secondly, the CDC is now saying anyone who has been vaccinated and “boosted” who tests positive, does not need to quarantine at all. “Individuals who have received their booster shot do not need to quarantine following an exposure, but should wear a mask for 10 days after the exposure.”
We already understand that everything, e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g, about COVID-19 is driven by politics. No actions, lockdowns, mandates, rules or restrictions were ever driven by public health – if they were, the rules would not conflict with empirical evidence and outcomes.
Now, accepting what the same medical officials have previously said about the virus infecting the boosted, vaccinated and unvaccinated equally, meaning there’s no benefit to prevent infection from any vaccine or proactive measure, we need to think about the scale of this CDC shift carefully, through the prism of politics.
Look at what is happening right now with airline travel as a result of people doing what the rules tell them to do. [I’ll skip the people gaming the system for ten days of free pay due to quarantine, and just stick to the honest ones.] Now, expand the airline example over all other major sectors and industries including healthcare, hotels, leisure, travel and hospitality.
After the “winter of death” statements, Biden met with corporations and people in the supply chain taskforce. Those conversations were all about the economics of the COVID-19 situation. The supply chain includes both “goods” and “services.”
♦ We already know from the price increases in raw materials (origination goods), and interim goods, and finished goods, that prices for final products are still going to increase. The costs in the supply chain are cumulative; the replacement goods for current low inventories will come into the retail world with higher costs than the goods they replace.
In essence, despite current high prices, the prices are about to jump higher. The only thing that will stop this higher-price outcome is an immediate drop in demand. There are only two possible outcomes: people paying more, or people not purchasing.
That’s it, those are the only two options.
In outcome one, Biden is in political peril over inflation. In outcome two, Biden is in political peril due to our entry into a recession.
The price increases are baked into the cake. Nothing Biden can do can stop more inflation in the next few months. The people on that supply chain and inventory task force told the White House exactly that. The inflation rate of finished goods (final goods) is going to remain high, period.
♦ Turning to the service sector. The vaccine mandate has hit employers harder than media will admit. We are now seeing laid off workers who refused to get vaccinated being asked to come back to their previous jobs. The reason is simply because those workers were the top performers.
Inside every company there are key people who keep stuff working and operations smooth. The top 20 percent of workers generate 80 percent of the value. Losing one of those top performers has a much bigger impact. Regardless of scale, no employer can afford to lose several of their elite performers.
This CDC shift in quarantine time for infection is significant, because it shows the impact of lost workers (sick time) to the aggregate economy. The Joe Biden policy response is to shorten the quarantine recommendations, because our economy cannot have millions of people taking ten days off work for a common cold.
Yes, the COVID-19 Omicron variant symptoms are no greater than a common cold, and yes, some people die from a cold or flu.
The CDC guidance changes because the economy cannot support the outcome of the previous guidance. What does that tell you about the previous guidance?
It was all politics.
Now the politics have shifted.
Again, consider this CDC statement: “Individuals who have received their booster shot do not need to quarantine following an exposure.” Infected (boosted) people are free to roam about doing whatever they were doing, without any quarantine. That is a big tell from the medical and scientific community exposing their politics.
“The Omicron variant is spreading quickly and has the potential to impact all facets of our society. CDC’s updated recommendations for isolation and quarantine balance what we know about the spread of the virus and the protection provided by vaccination and booster doses. These updates ensure people can safely continue their daily lives. Prevention is our best option: get vaccinated, get boosted, wear a mask in public indoor settings in areas of substantial and high community transmission, and take a test before you gather.”
~ CDC Director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky
Last week we were all going to die. This week, if you’re COVID infected just come on in to work…. Think about it.
WATCH:
What does that tell you about how the people behind Biden view the upcoming vaccination mandate lawsuits.
