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Former Trump era HUD director Dr. Ben Carson is under fire for adopting the idea that, given the Omicron variant’s reportedly drastically reduced lethality and drastically increased transmissibility, America needs less testing, not more.
Speaking on Fox News’ “Hannity” late Tuesday, he pushed back on President Joe Biden’s announcement earlier that afternoon that he’s ordered 500 million additional testing kits to fight off the latest coronavirus variant.
“The Omicron variant is not very virulent. I mean, you may get a sniffle and maybe a slight cough. You’re not going to be very sick. And it’s going to spread very, very rapidly. Pretty soon everyone’s going to have it,” Carson said.
“I predict that with all the testing that we’re going to be doing, we’re going to have massive numbers of people who test positive, and this administration will have no idea what to do with them.”
This simple statement triggered massive backlash from the left.
Look:
Because every scientist knows asymptomatic people can’t spread Covid said no one ever!
— Joe Caruso is fully vaccinated and boostered!! (@jokerusso) December 22, 2021
The moment Ben Carson aligned with DJT, he lost all credibility. Which doctor in their right mind suggests less testing?
— Bridget Mangie (@99Mankaa) December 22, 2021
Ben Carson is the only neurosurgeon who was able to perform a successfully lobotomy on himself.
— SarahCA (@SarahBCalif) December 22, 2021
I will never believe this man was supposedly a talented neurosurgeon. Nothing in the world could convince me
— Jules (@juleqt2) December 22, 2021
He was probably last in his class academically.
— DianaSilver (@dianasophie15) December 22, 2021
How did someone this stupid ever get a medical degree?
— Lee in Iowa #TeamPelosi (@Lee_in_Iowa) December 22, 2021
— ℝ (@LocolopezNYC) December 22, 2021
It appears few of his critics actually listened to him all the way through.
The problem, he argued, is that mass testing will lead to mass asymptomatic positives given the Omicron variant’s enhanced transmissibility. This will in turn needlessly spur panic and use up vital hospital resources.
This isn’t to say that nobody should be tested. Carson’s proposal is for only those with serious symptoms to be tested.
The asymptomatic, like say Center for the Study of Partisan and Ideology president Richard Hanania, shouldn’t.
I’d just like to announce that I had mild cold-like symptoms and did not get tested for Omicron, and have continued living my life like normal.
— Richard Hanania (@RichardHanania) December 21, 2021
“I personally think that we should seriously give thought to not testing people who are asymptomatic. I mean, like I said, we’re going to end up with a real problem. We’re going to have massive numbers of people who test positive. What are we going to do? We’re going to shut everything down?” Carson continued.
“It just doesn’t make any sense, and particularly when you’re dealing with something that doesn’t make people very sick. We need to be particularly concerned about our elderly people and our people who have a lot of comorbid conditions, and we need to direct our attention to them.”
He also argued for the Biden administration to spend more time promoting therapeutics.
“We also need to be looking at therapeutics. You know, we have the Merck antiviral, we have the Pfizer antivirus which show tremendous promise, decreasing hospitalization by 89 percent — are you kidding me? — and we’re not pushing that? That should be an emergency. We should really be getting that out.”
During his speech earlier Tuesday, the president didn’t even mention therapeutics. This also triggered backlash, albeit from the right.
Look:
Did I miss the part when Biden discussed the fast tracking of any of the MANY COVID therapeutics his FDA is just sitting on?
If you want to free up hospital beds & not need PPE; therapeutics would SURE BE HELPFUL.
— Christy Lewis (@Cavalewis) December 21, 2021
Biden does not mention early treatments or therapeutics.
Disgusting. Unconscionable.
— Monica Crowley (@MonicaCrowley) December 21, 2021
Omicron would be a non-issue if Biden had focused on national distribution for monoclonal antibodies and antiviral therapeutics. #Pressconference
— Tricia Flanagan (R-NJ) (@NewDayForNJ) December 21, 2021
I guess Biden doesn’t think therapeutics are important.
Hospital gowns, yes.
Therapeutics to keep people out of hospitals, no. https://t.co/iNI960oIKl
— Steve Milloy (@JunkScience) December 21, 2021
Biden is allowing big Pharma to dictate what’s best for their coffers instead of what’s best for the American people. This excessive push for vaccination without an alternative is just a huge money grab.
Make therapeutics available nationwide!— George Santos (@Santos4Congress) December 22, 2021
Mark my words: The focus on testing is to increase “cases” to fuel Dem argument for universal mail-in voting for 2022. If we were focusing on actual health, they would spend the ‘free tests’ money funding therapeutics & treatment for those who are still getting sick.
— Tammy Bruce (@HeyTammyBruce) December 21, 2021
Why isn’t the White House talking about therapeutics or natural immunity? It’s hard to take them seriously when they go out of their way to ignore this. This White House is OBSESSED with only pushing vaccines, then demonizing those who choose not to get it. Not very scientific! pic.twitter.com/BcJ99JCDxm
— Ronny Jackson (@RonnyJacksonTX) December 22, 2021
The discussion with Carlson concluded with him being asked to speculate on why the Biden administration is essentially ignoring therapeutics.
“When I was on the coronavirus task force, there was a sense of urgency, and I don’t see that sense of urgency now. Why aren’t they really anxious to get this under control?” he replied.
“And, you know, think about it, if we were so afraid of this virus, if this administration was so afraid of it why, would they be letting people come in through our southern border, 20 percent of whom are infected? I mean, there’s a lot of stuff here that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense if you’re talking about logic and common sense.”
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