Happy Talk Is Here Again!

Contrary to what The New York Times has been saying for 9 months, they are now maintaining that the number of infections is not so important after all. What’s important is… well, here are some excerpts from a recent opinion piece (titled “Good morning. The vaccine news continues to be better than many people realize.”):

* “News about the vaccines continues to be excellent – and the public discussion of it continues to be more negative than the facts warrant. Here’s the key fact: All five vaccines with public results have eliminated COVID-19 deaths.”

* “Of the roughly 75,000 people who have received one of the five [vaccines] in a research trial, no single person has died from COVID, and only a few people appear to have been hospitalized.”

* Quoting Dr. Aaron Richterman, an infectious-disease specialist at the University of Pennsylvania: “In terms of the severe outcomes, which is what we really care about, the news is fantastic.”

* “Fortunately, there is no evidence yet that [the highly contagious South African variant of the virus] increases deaths among vaccinated people. Two of the five vaccines… have reported some results from South Africa, and none of the people there who received a vaccine died of COVID.”

* “The biggest caveat is the possibility that future data will be less heartening…. But don’t confuse uncertainty with bad news. The available vaccine evidence is nearly as positive as it could conceivably be.”

Lest you think they are merely reporting positive new facts, know this: Every bit of this good news was in play before the election. The Biden administration will likely do something new and different with respect to the COVID crisis, but so far, the only thing new about what’s happening is the perspective of the mainstream media.