The Pandemic’s Wrongest Man, one year later

Let’s go to the videotape!

Last April Fool’s Day, the Atlantic published a piece about me called “The Pandemic’s Wrongest Man.”

With the benefit of time, it is more unintentionally ironic than ever.

“The reality: Cases decline after vaccination campaigns begin.”

Oh.

I’m not sure which reality The Atlantic is living in. But it’s not this one. Here’s Britain, for example - with the approximate date when the vaccine campaign began marked:

Cases decline…

But what about my “theme” that the shots were “underperforming” the clinical trials?

Yeah, so Moderna and Pfizer said their clinical trials showed their vaccines offered about 95 percent protection against infection after two doses and even better protection against serious outcomes like hospitalization.

Those estimates have proven slightly high. Per the British government, the most recent best guess on how well the Pfizer jab prevents coronavirus and infection three months after the second shot is “0 to 35” percent.

I don’t know, squint really hard and maybe that looks like 95 percent? No?

—

Okay, but what about this one:

A sensational vaccine success story! A nearly open economy!

Yeah, about that:

Okay, so things weren’t so great in August in Israel. But what about this year? After the booster? And the double booster?

Yeah, about that:

Those are Covid deaths. Which hit an all-time high in Israel less than two months ago.

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I could go on, but why bother? You get the point.

Don’t worry, though, I’m sure the Atlantic will correct the piece any day now. After all, it’s a magazine that cares about getting the facts right!

And if you believe that… I guess you’ve forgotten what day it is.