Are we ready to admit that the lockdowns were an overreaction? That the indignities, absurdities, and enormities we suffered in 2020 were largely pointless? Or is it still too painful?
The nomination of Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead the National Institutes of Health does not, of itself, represent a sea change. President-elect Donald Trump likes making contrarian picks. However, I have been struck by how circumspect the criticism of the Stanford University physician has been.
During the pandemic, Bhattacharya, who argued from the start that we should shield the vulnerable rather than confining everyone at home, was a hate figure for the medical establishment. Supporters of his Great Barrington Declaration were treated as kooky cultists, comparable to QAnon conspiracy theorists, too extreme to merit serious refutation. What has changed?
