Thread by @EmpireinWinter

Towards a Left critique:
'The Inquest will critically investigate and refute the untenable claim that once SARS-CoV-2 began to spread, there was little that could be done to stop it. This assertion is clearly contradicted by the experience in China'
wsws.org/en/articles/20…

'This Inquest is necessary to break through the cover-up, falsifications, and misinformation that have been deployed to justify policies responsible for the avoidable deaths of millions since the initial detection of SARS-CoV-2.'

'The Inquest will gather and make available to the public the ample evidence of socially malign and even criminal indifference to human life.'

'Scientists have repeatedly warned that continued mass infection amid the slow rollout of vaccines creates evolutionary pressures that threaten to produce a vaccine-resistant variant.'

'The Inquest will confront the following critical question: Why were the measures that proved successful in China, New Zealand and other Asia-Pacific countries not implemented in the United States, Brazil, Germany, India and throughout the world? '

'The unavoidable answer, as the Inquest will demonstrate, is that a conscious decision was made to prioritize the performance of financial markets and corporate profits over saving human lives.'

'In opposition to the strategy of elimination or “Zero COVID,” governments implemented the socially criminal policy of “herd immunity”—i.e., letting the virus rip through society until the majority of the population is infected....enthusiastically touted by New York Times'

'To justify the “herd immunity” policy, basic scientific truths about COVID-19 were suppressed and falsified. Official institutions, including the World Health Organization & the [CDC], denied the airborne character of the virus for over one year. '

'After finally admitting that aerosols are the dominant mode of transmission, they have made no effort to educate the public, mandate masks or systematically improve ventilation in public spaces, including schools.'

'Politicians of every stripe, as well as the pro-capitalist labor unions, falsified the effects of COVID-19 on children and the role that schools play in viral transmission.'

'While feigning concern for the mental health of students, their underlying motive has always been to send parents back to work to ensure the continued flow of profits to corporations.'

'With the rollout of vaccines in the wealthiest countries in 2021, an offshoot of “herd immunity” developed based on the false claims that vaccines and masks alone could bring an end to the pandemic. '

'the Biden administration...on May 13, 2021, advised vaccinated people to stop wearing masks and prematurely proclaimed independence from the pandemic on July 4, 2021. Since that date, more than 170,000 Americans have died from COVID-19.'

'The WSWS has noted that three strategies towards the pandemic have emerged: “herd immunity,” vaccinations with limited mitigation measures and the global elimination of SARS-CoV-2.'

'The first two strategies are based on the subordination of public health to private profits, while only the last represents a path forward towards ending the pandemic and saving lives.'

'The same financial interests responsible for the disastrous “herd immunity” policies have exerted enormous pressure on countries throughout the Asia-Pacific to abandon the elimination strategy and allow mass infections to take place.'

'The government of New Zealand, which had successfully suppressed the virus for nearly 18 months, finally succumbed to international pressure.'

'“The essential principle that must guide the response to the crisis is that the needs of working people must take absolute and unconditional priority over all considerations of corporate profit and private wealth.”'

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