It's two days before Christmas, when spreading messages of hope and joy are more commonplace, but not for President Biden. The uniter in chief has decided to double down on his winter of "severe illness and death" for the unvaccinated message that went over like a lead balloon when he first said it.
Yes, Omicron is sweeping the nation. According to recently released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the new variant is the dominant strain in the U.S., making up 73 percent of new infections. Does that mean everyone should panic? No, it's been reported by doctors and scientists as milder than previous strains and is responsible (maybe) for one death in the country so far. One.
So Biden was right in the first line of his tweet: "We should all be concerned about Omicron, but not panicked."
The second line was OK, too. "If you're fully vaccinated — and especially if you got boosted — you're highly protected."
But then he pivoted to doom and gloom: "But if you're unvaccinated, you're at higher risk of getting severely ill from COVID-19, getting hospitalized, and dying."
We should all be concerned about Omicron, but not panicked.
— President Biden (@POTUS) December 23, 2021
If you’re fully vaccinated — and especially if you got boosted — you’re highly protected.
But if you’re unvaccinated, you’re at higher risk of getting severely ill from COVID-19, getting hospitalized, and dying.
The president has already acknowledged that his vaccine mandates are incredibly unpopular, even among those eager to get the shot. So why the constant messaging about death? Does he really think that's helping sell these jabs to the unvaccinated?
If he wants to convince more people to get vaccinated, he ought to listen to how former Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn has approached the vaccines and pandemic, who reminded recently that "you achieve far more in public health by cooperation and persuasion than you do by compulsion."