The Politics Behind Covid-19 Pandemic

You are sitting in your home and a commercial comes on. One with a woman in a plain background as she talks about the COVID-19 Pandemic. A simple message about talking with your doctor about the vaccine. Nothing more and nothing less. After all, vaccinations are a medical decision that should be discussed between you and your doctor. However, over 2020 and 2021, the COVID-19 Pandemic and the vaccine have been politicized. 

Early Politics of the Pandemic

During the COVID-19 Pandemic, the research into a vaccine was of interest to national health. After all, it was disease that was taking over the entire world. For America, it meant people lost their jobs, businesses shut their doors, and people were forced to stay home. So when the vaccine was developed, people believed that it would finally be over. However, a sharp-shift occurred in regards to the vaccine. Instead of focusing on the public health of Americans, it became about politics.

During the beginning of the COVID Pandemic, there was a high trust in the CDC and Dr. Fauci. However, flip-flopping about guidelines and information causes a huge rift between American citizens and Health experts. This includes a variety of doctors that began to distrust the CDC or the FDA. This eroded trust has led to politicization that is affecting how public health is handled.

Shifting Politics of the COVID-19

From the start, the vaccine was less about public health and more about politics. In both the Trump and Biden administration, the vaccine has been used for political gain. However, the Biden administration has politicized the COVID-19 to the point that it's retroactive.

Instead of a conversation of whether the vaccine is right or wrong for someone, it has turned into a right or left issue. With doubts rising in America in late 2020 and early 2021. The distrust in medical experts became more apparent with conflicting information being leaked out. However, the stark political divide has become apparent. Especially after the message of public health changed to “get vaccinated or die.” It began to show up in commercials with doctors and citizens saying how safe the vaccine is or how everyone needs to take it. People that became skeptical were written off by politicians as anti-vaxxers.

Broken Trust

All of these lead to a retroactive response. After all, for anyone considering a medical treatment, it is all about building trust. The shift to political conversation does not promote this trust, rather it causes people to feel pressured into a medical choice. Especially when the individual cannot get vaccinated because of specific circumstances. This sharp-shift only escalated when policies began to be instituted.

The shift in politics around COVID-19 began with people promoting the vaccine without mentioning mandates or health passports. However, eventually left wing politicians became tired of “playing nice.” Choosing to let go of the carrot and give the American people a hard stick. The next stage of politics came to enforcing vaccines. Starting with vaccine mandates. Instead of focusing on people’s health, it has been focused on gaining political power at all levels. And as a result, making unvaccinated people pay the price.

As discussed above, these moves are not health related. If they were, they would be acknowledging that people need to see their doctor and make sure the COVID-19 vaccine is right for them. This author is one of the many people who cannot get the vaccine because of health issues. It is apparent that these policies are meant to be a punishment for the unvaccinated. Because in COVID-19 politics, the unvaccinated are “the enemy of the United States.”

Political Ideology Determines COVID-19 Policies

The politics in New York started to show lengths politicians will go and the depth political ideology determines the policies. It began with the requirement of a Vaccine Passport to enter venues. All of these passports did not allow for religious or medical exemptions. For anyone with a brain, that means that they threw the first amendment by preventing people from practicing their religious rights. In addition, they approved companies in New York City to fire people who cannot get the vaccine because of a medical issue. Violating the Americans Disability Act that is meant to prevent unfair termination.

However, this was only the beginning of New York political policy. More policies to punish the unvaccinated are being placed. There is a ban on kids under 12 because kids under that age cannot be vaccinated. This includes a few public restaurants and the Met Opera. Furthermore, New York elites are planning to create a ‘fair share’ tax, increasing taxes and insurance for unvaccinated citizens. Without a doubt, these policies are not about public health but punish people that they considered political enemies.

This a Health Issue, Not a Political One

If anyone thinks the COVID-19 Pandemic is not political, then they need to take a hard look in the mirror. Americans’ health is not a political issue, it is a personal health issue. People’s vaccination status should not be punished by the police, especially when people cannot get the vaccine in the first place. People need to remember that this is about public health. Does banning children 12 and under from being in public help people’s health? Does taxing unvaccinated people more money help? How about violating people’s religious beliefs? What about people who cannot get the vaccine? The answer to all of the above is no.

The politics of the COVID-19 Pandemic has gotten to the point where people are being punished for health choice and circumstances that prevent people from taking the vaccine. We need to change the narrative before politics takes over all healthcare decisions.