Health and Fear Czar Barbara Ferrer Hints Lockdowns Coming

December 3, 2021 - Smoke signals from health and political officials point to closings and lockdowns in the coming weeks and months over fear of the new Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that was (unsurprisingly) detected in Los Angeles County on Thursday. Our local Health and Fear Czar, Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health, stated in a press release yesterday that "we have always known there would be more mutations, resulting in the possibility of a more dangerous variant than the Delta variant."

When and how did she conclude that Omicron is "more dangerous" than the current strain of the coronavirus? So far, reported cases of Omicron are mild. That could change, but at this point, she has absolutely no evidence to suggest this mutation is "more dangerous."

What she means is that it is more dangerous TO HER. Not-a-Doctor Ferrer believes her job performance is evaluated according to how many cases of Covid are reported. Not how many people get very sick. Not how many people die. But how many get Covid.

Since she has no real way to slow the case numbers (the vaccinated are getting Covid at a rate not terribly different from the unvaccinated), the only way she can prove she cares is by instituting draconian restrictions on public freedom. This shows everyone how seriously she's taking the danger. The restrictions she has imposed have not, to date, slowed the spread of Covid nor the lowered case fatality rate. Last winter, she closed even outdoor dining. The case rate continued to climb to the highest it ever has reached. The failure of the draconian measure she mandated is immaterial. Closing businesses and masking the public shows she cares.

Since the Omicron variant has shown itself to be highly infectious in South Africa, where the daily case number went from 300 to 3,200 in ten days, it is likely to spread quickly here, too. And just as the advent of the Delta variant reversed the freedoms vaccinations had promised those who'd agreed to take the shot, it looks like the Omicron variant is going to reverse the progress made in opening restaurants, museums, concert halls, and sporting events.

Not because it will be more dangerous. There is a very good chance, given the natural course of virus mutations, that the case fatality rate will go down. But because the raw number of cases will go up. And because the fear factor is being fanned by everyone from politicians hungry for more power to media executives lusting for more hits and views.

The victim will be civil rights and freedom.