Thepoliticization of the pandemic for electoral gain has...

Thepoliticization of the pandemic for electoral gain has encouraged more overtexpression from death threats to politicians and CHO's to "mini me"versions of the Capitol Hill demonstrations and militant activism.

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IN THEUNITED STATES, which seems to be the point of reference for the right-wing“freedumb” protesters in Australia, the pandemic has been politicised to alethal degree.

As reportedby NBC News:

‘Right-wingstate legislatures like Montana’s have rushed to stop employers from requiringvaccinations despite the overwhelming scientific evidencethat vaccines protect people fromCOVID-19.

Lastweek, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued anexecutive order preventing governments and school districts in the statefrom requiring people to even wear masks.’

A similar politicisation has developed in Australia, with political divisionsbeing sharpened over pandemic issues. We are moving into election campaign timeand things could get nasty.

A recent case in point was the controversy over the administration of abooster shot, a further protection against the virulent Omicron variant.

TheLeader of the Opposition, Anthony Albanese, advocated the time between the second vaccination and the booster be reduced from five months to four.

FederalHealth Minister Greg Hunt said this was:

Utterlyirresponsible, utterly inappropriate, utterly unworthy of someone who wants tobe a prime minister.”

Only oneday later, he announced that booster shots will be reduced from five to fourmonths from 4 January and then down to three months from January.

In NSWthe new Premier, Dominic Perrottet, told his state to take personal responsibility for the virus as the QR code, masks and track and tracing were dropped.

Epidemiologicexpert Professor Mary-Louise McLaws responded:

“I seethat the NSW Health Department and Minister of Health are abandoning publichealth responsibilities and focusing on only hospital cases. Hospitalisationcan be manipulated...”

FormerIndependent MP Dr Kerryn Phelps was also scathing in her response, pointing out that in the same week that the Omicron variant started to take off exponentially, virus control measures were being dropped.

NSWHealth Minister Brad Hazzard predicted 25,000 cases a day by January 2022 at the same time the Premier was announcing the abolition of control measures.

Dr Norman Swan, host of Radio National’s Health Report, co-host of Coronacast and commentator on ABC TV’s 7.30 tweeted on 24 December suggested that this figure of 25,000 is already with NSW:

In theU.S. last year, the underdiagnosis rate ranged from 7-10. So let’s take a fairmidpoint, say five. That’s 5x5000=25,000. Let’s take last year’s rate (three)and it’s still 15,000 a day.

That’swhy if you live in Sydney, by now you know someone who’s got or had COVID.
— Norman Swan (@normanswan)

Theleaked Doherty Institute modelling projecting 200,000 daily cases was based on the assumption that it would occur only if nothing was done.

Perrottetwas forced to respond. Masks indoors were again mandated. Immediately afterChristmas, social distancing measures in indoor venues returned and “QRcheck-ins will also again become compulsory in hospitality and retail”.

Perrottet’s hands-off approach was mirrored by PM Scott Morrison.

He was lambasted by Quentin Dempster, a Walkley Award journalist, on Twitter on 23 December 2021:

‘It’s now apparent this response is politically calculated to hold LNP’santi-vax anti-government base, now being incited by Clive’s UAP billboards andad blitz. Thus are we governed. UAP=LNP.’

Our PM @ScottMorrisonMP won’t mandate masks because it’s“individual responsibility”. It’s now apparent this response is politicallycalculated to hold LNP’s anti-vax anti-government base, now being incited byClive’s UAP billboards & ad blitz. Thus are we governed. UAP = LNP.

— QuentinDempster (@QuentinDempster) December 22, 2021

If thisis correct, we have a major problem.

The ASIOcaseload of homegrown violent far-right extremists has grown from 40 per centto 50 per cent in just a year.

Accordingto Joel Jenkins:

We mustrecognise that elected officials see political capital in allowingthis [Coalitionprovocation and silence] to continue.’