My opinion on New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has been made extremely clear for months. I stand by everything I've written, which has combined factual information with earned contempt. Cuomo is a shameless liar who has been taking a ghoulish, self-enriching victory lap over his catastrophically failed response to COVID-19, which saw New York rank at the very top (by far) of the death list. Determined to tarnish his legacy even further, Cuomo is now spreading unscientific fears about forthcoming Coronavirus vaccines, baselessly calling into question the validity and safety of the FDA approval process. Cortney flagged this earlier in the week, but it remains jaw-dropping:
Gov. @andrewcuomo: Americans “should be” skeptical of any Covid vaccine the CDC/FDA clear for use pic.twitter.com/yBkVsXIOWn
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) October 19, 2020
"Cuomo going ahead and peddling ill-informed anti-vaxx narratives regarding a virus that has killed a significant portion of his state is the height of irresponsibility," writes Alicia Smith, who follows COVID data closely. For all the Left's ostentatious genuflecting about "the science" and "trusting the experts," Cuomo went on national television to dump on a process that none other than Dr. Anthony Fauci has assured Americans will be thorough and trustworthy:
Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a leader in the U.S. response to the novel coronavirus, said Americans should feel confident in the development and efficacy of a vaccine. This comes as a growing majority of people say they are not likely to be immunized as soon as a vaccine is available. It’s “disturbing” that so many people are reticent to get a vaccine, he said, blaming “mixed messages that have come out of Washington” for waning public trust...“I feel cautiously optimistic, as a scientist, that we will have a safe and effective vaccine,” Fauci said. “I believe it will happen, and it will happen likely by this end of the calendar year.”
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If Fauci is frustrated by "mixed messages" coming out of Washington, he must really detest the deliberate sowing of groundless doubts by prominent Democratic politicians -- from the party's vice presidential nominee to the governor of New York. Right? And if you missed it last week, read this New York Times assessment of the amazing efficiency of Operation Warp Speed. Perhaps Cuomo missed that story or just doesn't care. The governor's selective interest in real data and science extends beyond reckless vaccine trutherism:
Cuomo: "Where does the virus mainly transmit? Schools"
— (((AG))) (@AGHamilton29) October 10, 2020
Actual data: "data on almost 200,000 kids in 47 states from the last two weeks of September revealed an infection rate of 0.13 percent among students and 0.24 percent among staff."https://t.co/dPapCLsXby pic.twitter.com/6OCvXup9Pf
Why are politicians and unions insisting on ignoring the science and hurting children? Regardless, it's breathtaking to watch Cuomo hawking books about his worst-in-the-nation COVID "success," and even more breathtaking to watch some media outlets go face-first into the tank in support of his insulting propaganda:
.@NYGovCuomo has become one of the most trusted American voices on the pandemic. In a long conversation with @dwallacewells, he tried to make sense of the last seven months https://t.co/MlNU6H9HJ6
— Intelligencer (@intelligencer) October 18, 2020
I must remind you that Cuomo is actively covering up his lethal nursing home policy with suppressed and manipulated data, while straight-up lying about what his administration mandated. This is the leader whose handling of Coronavirus Joe Biden has showcased and acclaimed as a model for the country (and for some unfathomable reason, Republicans have largely chosen to ignore this glaring line of attack). Some New Yorkers are refusing to play along with the charade:
Casket outside Brooklyn nursing home filled with Cuomo book covers https://t.co/XSEy5amGRy
— Janice Dean (@JaniceDean) October 18, 2020
Try to imagine their anger and grief. Here's my conversation from yesterday with Janice Dean (who lost both of her in-laws to COVID in New York nursing homes). I'll leave you with some concerning trends about the virus, which help illustrate why we should all be rooting hard for a vaccine -- not peddling fear-mongering doubts on that front:
The U.S. is at a very challenging moment; with Covid infection accelerating as the weather cools. We won’t have broad access to therapeutics in time to meaningfully impact spread this fall and early winter. We must rely on masks, distancing, testing, self isolation when sick. pic.twitter.com/LQIKnBnw5r
— Scott Gottlieb, MD (@ScottGottliebMD) October 17, 2020
Covid hospitalizations in the U.S. are steadily rising; an objective measure of increasing disease burden around the country. pic.twitter.com/lkfUrVogfq
— Scott Gottlieb, MD (@ScottGottliebMD) October 18, 2020
But there is some genuinely heartening news on this front, too:
Two new peer-reviewed studies show a sharp drop in mortality among hospitalized Covid patients. The drop is seen in all groups, including older patients and those with underlying conditions, suggesting providers are getting better at treating the illness. https://t.co/tAMGC5OsPM
— Scott Gottlieb, MD (@ScottGottliebMD) October 20, 2020
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