David Zweig on COVID Policy Failures: 'Worst in a Century'

Flawed "Flatten the Curve" Methodology

• 📈 The early "flatten the curve" methodology, used to justify lockdowns and shutdowns, was based on inaccurate data that did not support long-term societal benefits.
• 🏫 School closures, in particular, lacked evidence of reducing community case rates, especially when other parts of society remained open.

European School Reopening Success

• 🌍 While US schools remained closed, European countries began reopening schools in Spring 2020, with millions of children returning to classrooms.
• 🚫 EU ministers observed no negative impact on community COVID-19 case rates after reopening schools, a fact largely ignored by US media.
• 🇺🇸 This contrasted with the US approach, where Europe's more open policies were often dismissed, despite comparable or better outcomes.

Disproportionate Harm to Underprivileged Children

• 💔 Policies championed by the left, like school closures, disproportionately harmed underprivileged children, who were ostensibly the focus of concern.
• 📉 Extended school closures led to worse educational outcomes for these children, a trend that continues to this day.
• 🏅 Beyond academics, harms included the termination of sports seasons, impacting college scholarship opportunities, and increased rates of anxiety and depression.

Unreported Consequences of Closures

• ⚠️ A significant, underreported consequence was the dramatic decrease in child abuse reports due to the removal of teachers and educators as a first-line detection resource.
• 🆘 Public health experts were aware of this data early on but took no action, leaving vulnerable children without a crucial lifeline.
• 📈 The disruption of structured activities like school and extracurriculars contributed to increased crime rates among young people, particularly teenagers.

Societal and Media Narrative

• 🗣️ The public health establishment and legacy media collaborated to create a narrative that stigmatized dissent and branded opposing views as unscientific or politically motivated.
• 🔍 Zweig meticulously details how this narrative was deeply flawed, emphasizing the importance of understanding these events to prevent future policy failures.
• 🏫 Upon reopening, many students were ill-equipped to function in a school environment due to desocialization, leading to widespread behavioral issues.