Politics of Covid-19

[GURPS]

Colorado battles fall COVID-19 resurgence, with highest hospitalization rate since December

There is "a clear increase in cases statewide," state epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy said in a COVID-19 briefing on Thursday.

In the last month alone, the state's daily case average has nearly doubled -- increasing by 91.5% since late September, according to federal data, and state data shows that Colorado's average positivity rate has risen from just under 7% last week, to nearly 8.5% this week.

"Colorado moving in the wrong direction is a clear signal that we are not yet out of this pandemic, especially in under-vaccinated states. Colorado has yet to reach 70% with a first dose and if you layer in colder temperatures and relaxed masking, history is likely to repeat itself," said John Brownstein, an epidemiologist at Boston Children's Hospital and an ABC News contributor, referring to the total population of the state.









A disease cannot be controlled

 

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Giant Vaccinators, Global Dictators and The People Who Refused To Be Sheeple - Gumshoe News

by Dee McLachlan In 2013, eight years ago, I produced a couple of kid’s books to awaken the kids… and their parents. I produced five, with my favourite being… The People Who Refused To Be Sheeple I read through it this morning. How prophetic it has turned out. The rhymes weave through various...

gumshoenews.com

 

[GURPS]

Guess which had mask mandates and lock downs

 

[TPD]

That’s an anomaly. Walensky and Fauci will explain tomorrow.

 

[Kyle]

 

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The thing with those masks, such as the M40 gas mask, requires the wearer be clean shaven to form a tight seal around the face. Ever seen a bearded man wear a paper mask? That sh!t ain't working.

 

[GURPS]

 

[GURPS]

No, The Doctors Who Opposed Lockdowns Aren’t To Blame For Lockdowns’ Failure


In a refreshingly honest recent episode of The Hill’s “Rising,” Kim Iversen addressed the enormous collateral public health damage from lockdowns. She lauded the prescience of the Great Barrington Declaration and its 860,000-plus signers, and lamented that corporate media had mischaracterized and villainized rather than engaged with us.

The Intercept’s Ryan Grim, her co-host, quickly proved her point, falsely claiming that “their extremism was based on a faulty understanding of the pandemic … one of the three authors took to the Wall Street Journal, famously, and said … the better estimate of the fatalities that we are going to see from Covid are around 20 to 40,000.”

This is a mischaracterization. The point of Bhattacharya’s March 2020 op-ed was that the prevailing predictions that Covid would kill many millions in the United States “could plausibly be orders of magnitude too high,” since we did not know how many had been infected at the time, and that uncertainty “could make the difference between an epidemic that kills 20,000 and one that kills two million.”

To bring clarity, the op-ed called for antibody prevalence studies; studies that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) was not conducting, and Bhattacharya subsequently performed. Honest scientists point out not only what is known but also what is not known.

An article in the British Medical Journal falsely claimed that Bhattacharya, Gupta, and I have “expressed opposition to mass vaccination.” The opposite is true. I was even removed from a CDC working group for being too pro-vaccine, after arguing against the CDC pause on the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. By publishing erroneous claims that there are prominent professors at Harvard, Stanford, and Oxford who are against the

 

[GURPS]

The Latest COVID Data out of Germany Is Yet More Proof That Mask and Vaccine Mandates Are Ridiculous



Germany also has varying degrees of masking and social distancing requirements varying from state to state, but all appear to maintain some sort of mandate regarding masking. But regardless of the mandate, the University of Maryland has data that shows nearly 80% of Germans comply with masking at all times in public places. These numbers are significantly higher than in the US, where mask compliance is below 60%.

Yet despite one of the highest vaccination rates in the world at 67%, coupled with one of the highest mask compliance rates, Germany’s new case rate has skyrocketed to levels that haven’t been seen since the start of the pandemic.

From Reuters:

The seven-day incidence rate – the number of people per 100,000 to be infected over the last week – rose to 201.1, higher than a previous record of 197.6 in December last year, the figures from the Robert Koch Institute showed on Monday.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases rose to 4,782,546 from 4,767,033 a day earlier. The number of deaths increased by 33 to a total of 96,558.

To me, it is mindboggling how the data continues to roll in showing that vaccines and mandates do little if anything, to slow the spread of COVID-19. Certainly, the argument could be made that it would be worse if there was a lower vaccination rate and mask compliance rate, however again, the data doesn’t support that. In populations where the vaccination rate and mask compliance rate is lower, the infection rate is not any higher and is oftentimes, lower than those countries with higher mitigation compliance rates. For reference, Germany is at an all-time high for cases despite their mitigation efforts and compliance. On the other hand, Sweden has a mask compliance rate of approximately 5%, has a vaccination rate similar to that of Germany at 68%, and has had no government lockdown measures, but currently only sit about 11% of peak. Right next door to Germany in the Czech Republic, only 57% of the population is fully vaccinated, less than 60% of the population complies with mask, and they have had virtually no lockdown measures for months but they are only at 59% of peak. If either masks or vaccines were as effective as promoted, these states would have much higher numbers.

 

[GURPS]

Despite Mandates Aplenty, California's COVID Rate Now Doubles Florida's


California is averaging 16 new cases per 100,000 residents the last week compared to just seven in Florida.

California’s full vaccination rate (62%) is higher than places like Florida (60) and Texas (54), where state leaders do not enforce mask policies or support strict mandates.

1. Vaccines Do Not Stop The Spread
2. Covid is NOT Stopped By Masks and Social Restrictions - Vax Passports / Occupancy Restrictions
3. Flu is Seasonal

 

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40 years ago, a foretelling movie was made ..... but you thought it was just a movie, make believe. They have been telling us, mocking us at every turn, via TV shows and movies, openly, everything they are doing or are going to do. You just have to open your mind to understand.

 

[TPD]

The Latest COVID Data out of Germany Is Yet More Proof That Mask and Vaccine Mandates Are Ridiculous



Germany also has varying degrees of masking and social distancing requirements varying from state to state, but all appear to maintain some sort of mandate regarding masking. But regardless of the mandate, the University of Maryland has data that shows nearly 80% of Germans comply with masking at all times in public places. These numbers are significantly higher than in the US, where mask compliance is below 60%.

Yet despite one of the highest vaccination rates in the world at 67%, coupled with one of the highest mask compliance rates, Germany’s new case rate has skyrocketed to levels that haven’t been seen since the start of the pandemic.

From Reuters:



To me, it is mindboggling how the data continues to roll in showing that vaccines and mandates do little if anything, to slow the spread of COVID-19. Certainly, the argument could be made that it would be worse if there was a lower vaccination rate and mask compliance rate, however again, the data doesn’t support that. In populations where the vaccination rate and mask compliance rate is lower, the infection rate is not any higher and is oftentimes, lower than those countries with higher mitigation compliance rates. For reference, Germany is at an all-time high for cases despite their mitigation efforts and compliance. On the other hand, Sweden has a mask compliance rate of approximately 5%, has a vaccination rate similar to that of Germany at 68%, and has had no government lockdown measures, but currently only sit about 11% of peak. Right next door to Germany in the Czech Republic, only 57% of the population is fully vaccinated, less than 60% of the population complies with mask, and they have had virtually no lockdown measures for months but they are only at 59% of peak. If either masks or vaccines were as effective as promoted, these states would have much higher numbers.

BBC just reported on Germany’s high rates, but according to them the highest rates are in the lowest vaxxed states. Yeah I turned them off before they finished their reporting.

 

[GURPS]

CDC takes stock, backs away from COVID-19 ‘herd immunity’ goal

The CDC’s new approach will reflect this uncertainty. Instead of specifying a vaccination target that promises an end to the pandemic, public health officials hope to redefine success in terms of new infections and deaths — and they’ll surmise that herd immunity has been achieved when both remain low for a sustained period.

“We want clean, easy answers, and sometimes they exist,” John Brooks said. “But on this one, we’re still learning.”

Herd immunity was never as simple as many Americans made it out to be, said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania and an expert on the challenges of communicating science to increasingly skeptical — and often conspiracy-minded — citizens.



No we don't want to be lied to .....

 

[GURPS]

Why are COVID Cases Spiking? Again…



The news articles discussing ICU beds don’t mention whether this shortage represents physical beds or the ability to staff these beds, an important distinction. If a 40-bed ICU only has staff to safely care for 20 patients, and has a census of 19, they are reported to be full, with only one available bed, ignoring the fact that half of beds that cannot be used due to insufficient staff.

This latter nuance is never reported, only that ICUs are bursting at the seams. Instead the news reports, “95 percent of ICU beds filled” without clarifying whether these are physical beds or staffed beds.

If a restaurant only has staff to serve half its tables or is running at reduced capacity due to social distancing requirements, they may be “fully booked,” but when you dine there, you might see many empty tables.

Hospital staffing may be an issue. More than 100 million Americans are out of the workforce and this includes health care workers. Some are burnt out after a hellacious two years on the COVID front lines. Others have reprioritized their lives and activities, choosing to work remotely or in a less stressful environment. Still others are resisting vaccine mandates for health care workers, many of whom had already caught COVID in their jobs and thus, had natural immunity.

For some states, seasonality plays a role. As the weather turns cooler, Coloradans and residents of other northern states are heading indoors, into closer proximity to each other, unlike in the summer which is about hiking in the mountains or strolling on a golf course. This will increase COVID numbers in Colorado and explain the drop in cases in Florida, for example, under the opposite effect of more venturing outside now due to more tolerable temperatures compared to the sweltering Florida summer when many stay indoors.

This also might explain why Vermont, one of the most vaccinated states in the country, serving as a model for its COVID response, is experiencing its worst surge yet. It is convenient to blame the unvaccinated, but as this group shrinks, and includes many with natural immunity, that argument becomes more tenuous.

Waning vaccine immunity is now being acknowledged, suggesting that previous infection with natural immunity may be the best path to herd immunity short of endless booster shots. The CDC reluctantly admitted this inconvenient fact that it has no documentation of an unvaccinated COVID recovered person spreading COVID. Vaccines now appear to offer temporary and limited protection, unlike what were told a year ago.







You have been lied to

 

[Kyle]

 

[GURPS]

Hospital strain linked to thousands of excess deaths two weeks later: research


A new analysis estimates that hospital strain during the pandemic is linked to thousands of ensuing excess deaths, signaling the significance of ensuring hospitals do not reach full capacity amid COVID-19 surges.

The research published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday predicted that when the nationwide intensive care unit (ICU) capacity hits 75 percent capacity, an additional 12,000 excess deaths could be expected within the next two weeks.

When hospitals surpass 100 percent ICU bed capacity, the study suggests 80,000 excess deaths would be expected two weeks later.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency's COVID-19 task force conducted the analysis based on data from July 4, 2020, to July 10, 2021.

Managing hospital capacity continues to be a challenge in different areas of the country — as of Oct. 25, the U.S.’s ICU bed capacity has reached beyond 75 percent for at least 12 weeks running.

 

[GURPS]

The Covid-19 Vaccine Reality No One Is Talking About


Black and Brown communities all over the country continue to encounter significant obstacles to getting people vaccinated, and vaccination rates within these communities remain the lowest of any demographic group. Being Black is a risk factor for health conditions such as diabetes, autoimmune disease, and hypertension (high blood pressure) – not because of a biological difference in Black people, but because of poor social determinants of health. All of these conditions also happen to increase the morbidity and mortality of infections and diseases such as COVID. In fact, though Black people make up just 14% of the population in Michigan, they represent 40% of Michigan COVID deaths. At the time of Mr. Moore’s death, the numbers reported by the Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities showed that, as of August 13, Black people represented 23% of those hospitalized with COVID and 43.7% of children hospitalized with multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C.) Though, the task force has taken steps to lessen the disparities – including sending volunteers door to door to talk with and immunize people in their homes – these efforts take a lot of time and manpower and meanwhile the divide remains.

As pediatricians and mothers, one of whom is Black, we believe it is imperative for all physicians and healthcare workers, as well as the general public, to understand the significance of the barriers that many Black and Brown communities face to receiving preventative medical care, particularly as vaccine eligibility expands to include children ages 5 and up.

Physicians on the frontlines have told their stories of sacrifice over the course of the pandemic. What kept many going during the most difficult days was the hope that once a vaccine arrived there would be a return to some kind normalcy. Sadly, despite the incredible scientific achievement and cross-sector collaboration that led to highly effective vaccines in record time, disinformation campaigns, laws banning mask and vaccine mandates, and, remarkably, politics, have placed physicians unfairly in a position where their role as promoters of public health is being discounted by those whom we have sworn to protect. As a result, many have understandably grown bitter caring for those with COVID who’ve refused to get what could be a life-saving vaccine. But like Mr. Moore, for some, being unvaccinated is not so much a conscious decision as it is a byproduct of circumstance. In his case, of being Black and living in America.

 

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[GURPS]

WHO says fully vaccinated should wear masks and physically distance as Covid infections surge


“Even if you’re vaccinated, continue to take precautions to prevent becoming infected yourself, and to infecting someone else who could die,” Tedros said. “That means wearing a mask, maintaining distance, avoiding crowds and meeting others outside if you can, or in a well-ventilated space inside.”

Tedros called Europe “the epicenter of the pandemic,” with “unsustainable pressure” facing both health-care systems and personnel. Europe represented 67% of the world’s total new Covid cases during the week ended Nov. 21 with more than 2.4 million infections, an 11% increase from the previous seven days, according to the WHO’s most recent weekly epidemiological update.

The WHO’s office covering Europe and Central Asia said Tuesday that those regions have surpassed a combined 1.5 million Covid deaths and could suffer 700,000 more fatalities by March 2022. The organization expects that intensive care units in 49 of the region’s 53 countries could experience high or extreme stress over the next four months.




WHO still cling to the ' masks save lives ' troupe

 

[GURPS]

A heavily-mutated Covid variant emerges in southern Africa: Here’s what we know so far


Multiple mutations

South African scientist Tulio de Oliveira said in a media briefing held by the South Africa Department of Health on Thursday that the variant contains a “unique constellation” of more than 30 mutations to the spike protein, the component of the virus that binds to cells. This is significantly more than those of the delta variant.

Many of these mutations are linked to increased antibody resistance, which may affect how the virus behaves with regard to vaccines, treatments and transmissibility, health officials have said.

In total, de Oliveira said the variant contains around 50 mutations. The receptor binding domain (the part of the virus that first makes contact with cells) has 10 mutations, far greater than just two for the delta Covid variant, which spread rapidly earlier this year to become the dominant strain worldwide.