Legislators Demand a Voice in Public Health Restrictions
The COVID-19 pandemic showed the dangers of letting governors unilaterally, dramatically, and indefinitely magnify their own powers.
Epidemics
Empowered by Voters, Pennsylvania Legislators Are Poised To End the Governor's 15-Month COVID-19 Emergency
The resolution is part of a broader movement to rein in executive power during emergencies.
Anthony Fauci May Not Have 'Lied' About Face Masks, but He Was Not Exactly Honest Either
The COVID-19 adviser's unsatisfying explanation of his conversion feeds skepticism about the value of a sensible precaution.
Why Is the TSA Making Vaccinated Air Travelers Wear Masks?
The agency's rule, which it recently extended until mid-September, makes no sense as a safety measure.
An Epidemiologist Confirms That the CDC Director Misrepresented Her Study of Outdoor COVID-19 Transmission
A co-author of the article that Rochelle Walensky cited says outdoor settings probably account for "substantially less than 1 percent" of infections.
A New Study Confirms That Reopening Texas '100 Percent' Had No Discernible Impact on COVID-19 Cases or Deaths
Critics said Gov. Greg Abbott's decision was "extraordinarily dangerous" and reflected "Neanderthal thinking."
The New York Times Promotes a COVID Cult of Caution That Requires Vaccinated People To Act As if They're Not
The paper gives short shrift to evidence that vaccines nearly eliminate the risk of infection.
Why Americans Can't Trust the CDC's COVID-19 Advice
The agency continues a pattern of arbitrary, dubious, and ever-changing recommendations.
The CDC's Ever-Shifting COVID-19 Advice Shows the Agency Is Ill-Suited To Decide Which Risks Are Acceptable
The CDC's recommendations have never been purely a matter of science.
The CDC Director Misrepresented the Study She Cited To Justify Her Misleading Estimate of Outdoor COVID-19 Risk
Rochelle Walensky's gloss is puzzling in light of the evidence presented in the systematic review on which she relied.
Did COVID-19 Leak from a Wuhan Lab?
Circumstantial evidence that it may have is mounting.
Federal Regulators Require Rent Collectors To Lie About the CDC's Illegal Eviction Moratorium
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau claims to be enforcing a law that prohibits "false or misleading representations."
Prevent Human Epidemics by Infecting Wild Animals With Self-Disseminating Vaccines
The upsides and the possible downsides of transmissible vaccines .
If COVID-19 Herd Immunity Is 'Not Attainable,' Does It Matter?
The emphasis on a goal that may be impossible to reach reduces the incentive to get vaccinated.
A New Study of COVID-19 Transmission Questions the Adequacy of the Six-Foot Rule and the Rationale for Many Occupancy Limits
The researchers highlight the danger posed by tiny, well-circulated respiratory droplets.
The Surge in Drug-Related Fatalities During the Pandemic Highlights the Root Causes of Addiction
The crackdown on pain medication made drug use more dangerous and did nothing to address the factors driving "deaths of despair."
The COVID-19 Disaster That Did Not Happen in Texas
Cases are rising mainly in states with stricter disease control policies.
Prohibited Prayer and the Limits of Public Health Authority
The Supreme Court reaffirms that COVID-19 regulations must comply with the First Amendment.
Supreme Court Blocks California's COVID-19 Restrictions on Private Prayer Groups
The majority reminds the 9th Circuit that the First Amendment puts limits on COVID-19 policies.
Don't Suspend Vaccine Patents, We're Already on Track To Vaccinate 7 Billion People in 2021
This is no time to undermine intellectual property rights for vaccine makers.
Joe Biden Learns To Love Gun Control by Presidential Fiat
The president's unilateral restrictions are legally dubious and unlikely to "save lives."
Increases in Coronavirus Cases Are Happening Mainly in States With Stricter COVID-19 Rules
The Washington Post nevertheless blames "a broad loosening of public health measures."
New CDC Estimates Suggest COVID-19 Is Deadlier Than the Agency Previously Thought
The increase in the estimated infection fatality rate is especially large for the oldest age group.
WHO Chief Questions His Own Agency's Report on the Origins of COVID-19
"I do not believe that this assessment was extensive enough."
Pausing AstraZeneca COVID-19 Shots Is a Bad Risk/Benefit Call
"The benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine...outweigh the risks of side effects."
Despite Its Much Stricter COVID-19 Policies, California's Per Capita Death Rate Is Only Slightly Lower Than Florida's
The comparison poses a puzzle for people who believe lockdowns were crucial in controlling the pandemic.
Contrary to What the CDC's New COVID-19 Advice Implies, There Is Strong Evidence That Vaccination Curtails Virus Transmission
Research in Israel, the U.K., and the U.S. has found dramatic reductions in asymptomatic infections.
Texas Has Hundreds of Thousands of Coronavirus Carriers. The Governor Is Worried About 'Hundreds' of COVID-Positive Migrants.
Greg Abbott's fear is hard to take seriously, but it jibes with hoary stereotypes about immigrants.
Is Greg Abbott Inviting Disaster in Texas by Lifting COVID-19 Restrictions?
The governor's new policy represents a pretty modest shift from the existing rules.
COVID-19 Edicts Highlight the Importance of Structural Limits on Government Power
The national eviction moratorium and Arizona’s business restrictions were based on dubious assertions of authority.
'Normality' Draws Closer as FDA Panel Recommends Approval of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine
Adding a third vaccine could get America back to something resembling normal by this spring.
Despite Starkly Different COVID-19 Policies, the U.S. and the U.K. Saw Similar Drops in Cases Around the Same Time
The same is true of Texas and California, which suggests that legal restrictions are not as important as politicians imagine.
Here's How We Could Double the Number of Americans Vaccinated Against COVID-19
According to a new study, one dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is nearly as effective as two.
Study: No COVID-19 Herd Immunity from Previous Common Cold Infections
Blood samples find common cold antibodies in nearly everybody, but they appear to offer little help against COVID-19 infections.
SCOTUS Blocks California's COVID-19 Ban on Indoor Religious Services
Chief Justice John Roberts says the policy reflects "insufficient appreciation or consideration of the interests at stake."
Should Legal Restrictions Get Credit for the Recent Decline in New COVID-19 Cases?
Despite taking a much more restrictive approach, California saw a bigger surge than Texas, and the drop began around the same time in both states.
Two More Vaccines Prove Effective Against COVID-19
We need to speed up vaccinations in order to head off the proliferation of more contagious coronavirus variants.
Biden's Mask Mandate Retreat Is a Hopeful Sign
The president acknowledges that there are limits to executive power, even during a public health emergency.
Would a National Lockdown Have Saved the U.S. From COVID-19?
A comparison of Texas and California suggests that legal edicts matter less than The New York Times thinks.
If Carelessness Gave Us the Current COVID-19 Surge, Individual Precautions Can Abate That Trend
Recent upward trends in cases and deaths seem to reflect virus transmission tied to holiday gatherings.
The Biden Administration Will Release All Available COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Immediately
He will count on future production to provide second doses.
COVID-19 Herd Immunity Is Possible Before Spring If the FDA Gets Out of the Way
The government must move quickly to approve a one-dose regimen for Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines.
The More Transmissible U.K. COVID-19 Variant Could Make the Pandemic a Lot Worse
Ramp up the vaccinations now!
Newly Recorded COVID-19 Cases and Deaths Are Falling in the U.S.
It's not clear how long those hopeful trends will continue.
Is Anthony Fauci Right That Federalism Undermined the U.S. Response to COVID-19?
Centralization makes sense only if you ignore differences in local conditions—and trust the feds to make the right choices.
Americans Are Sick of Arbitrary COVID-19 Restrictions
A year into the pandemic, politicians still have not digested the dangers of careless public health measures.
Has Restaurants' Role in Spreading COVID-19 Been Exaggerated?
The evidence is limited and mixed, but data from New York, Minnesota, and California suggest that restaurants there account for a small share of infections.
