Coronavirus outbreak - From China to the World.

[Condottiere 40K]

There are two ways of looking at this:

1. Natural selection

Actually, there's only way to look at it; my issue would be letting the medical facilities get clogged and the economy get bogged down due to unnecessary political ideological posturing.

And, I like to continue to travel by air.

[Heathen Hammer]

When it comes to medical facilities being clogged, one can thank neoliberals for pushing for strict lockdowns and basically choking the economy out, while money printer goes brrr, creating recipe for a perfect economic disaster.
Given how masses of very pissed of NATO soldiers are now coming back to their home country after being ed over by their neoliberal governments, I'm under impression that most neolibs are just Chinese assets whose aim is to sabotage Western nations.

[Gigantus]

When it comes to medical facilities being clogged, one can thank neoliberals for pushing for strict lockdowns and basically choking the economy out, while money printer goes brrr, creating recipe for a perfect economic disaster.
Given how masses of very pissed of NATO soldiers are now coming back to their home country after being ed over by their neoliberal governments, I'm under impression that most neolibs are just Chinese assets whose aim is to sabotage Western nations.

Would you mind explaining how you came to both conclusions? I am lacking your special insight how strict lock downs, that don't happen anymore fro quite a while thanks to governors in those affected states pandering to their base, have to do with hospital beds being fully occupied right now. The incubation period is two weeks if memory serves with an additional week until hospitalization may become necessary. That's three weeks and the last lock was more then 3 months ago.

Or how the Trump initiated withdrawal (the then negotiated dead line for it was May this year) from Afghanistan makes every Nato allied government a Chinese asset.

Edit: Never mind, remembered too late our last exchange. Too lazy to delete my response to your trolling, so kindly ignore.

[Heathen Hammer]

Would you mind explaining how you came to both conclusions? I am lacking your special insight how strict lock downs, that don't happen anymore fro quite a while thanks to governors in those affected states pandering to their base, have to do with hospital beds being fully occupied right now. The incubation period is two weeks if memory serves with an additional week until hospitalization may become necessary. That's three weeks and the last lock was more then 3 months ago.

If you shut down the economy even for short period of time, recovery may take quite longer, hence why its effects are going to be "felt" financially for quite some time.

Or how the Trump initiated withdrawal (the then negotiated dead line for it was May this year) from Afghanistan makes every Nato allied government a Chinese asset.

Edit: Never mind, remembered too late our last exchange. Too lazy to delete my response to your trolling, so kindly ignore.

Trump withdrawal was going fine until Xiden decided to push back the withdrawal deadline to 9/11 date (lmao why), thus violating the agreement US originally had - hence the current humiliation of US as world power, as Taliban simply took what they considered theirs and US is powerless to stop them. Now thousands of very angry soldiers are coming back, probably to find out that their benefits will be denied, purchasing power decimated by inflation, while lockdowns killed the job market.

[B. W.]

A little more on the "vaccines":

https://www.americanthinker.com/arti...9_vaccine.html

[Ludicus]

And that attitude is exactly what sets off religious people to take stances against the vaccine...The anti-religious arrogance

Anti-religious arrogance? not at all...
Tell that to the Pope, or US Evangelical Leaders Preach Covid Vaccine Benefits... very few religions oppose vaccinations. And Science is not arrogant.
But frankly, when I hear someone say "Trust God to be our healer" or " forcing a face covering on my child, who is created in the image of God"...or " the holy spirit within me says no!" ...I don't know whether to cry or laugh. Are we returning to the middle ages?
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"Formerly, when religion was strong and science weak, men mistook magic for medicine; now, when science is strong and religion weak, men mistake medicine for magic.”
Thomas Szasz (15 April 1920 - 8 September 2012), Professor of Psychiatry and Author

[EmperorBatman999]

A little more on the "vaccines":

https://www.americanthinker.com/arti...9_vaccine.html

Although I'm skeptical of the article (really, citing what somebody blogged on Medium?), I agree with the general sentiment that the vaccine was launched to the public far too early.

You might say that this is another example of how the youth have really been screwed over by the pandemic, and especially its counter-measures. The lockdowns struck at a time when many young people were struggling to find permanent work across the West, and that was only worsened by the fact that lockdown measures had an overwhelming tendency to shut down industries where young people are predominantly employed, namely restaurants, hospitality, etc. Now again, young people are being compelled to possibly wreck their bodies on a vaccine whose long-term effects yet remain unknown, when young people need to remain healthy and strong to bring the next generation.

[Ludicus]

young people are being compelled to possibly wreck their bodies on a vaccine whose long-term effects yet remain unknown, when young people need to remain healthy and strong to bring the next generation.

A mystification.After 1,8 billion doses and 7 months, there's a huge amount of evidence that the benefit greatly outweighs risks.And...
All but 43 Texas COVID-19 deaths since February were

Preliminary data shows 99.5% of COVID-related deaths in Texas were among unvaccinated people, according to the Department of State Health Services.

Around the world, unvaccinated are more likely to die of Covid-19.

the vaccine was launched to the public far too early.

It seems that the vaccine was not launched to the public far too early.


OHA 20210805. COVID-19 Monthly Report | Oregon’s Weekly Surveillance Summary. Oregon Health Authority 2021, published 5 August. Full text: https://www.oregon.gov/oha/covid19/D...rt-08-2021.pdf

In Oregon (US), the beginning of the 4^th wave of the pandemic is that it is a wave of the unvaccinated. In July 2021, 81% of 12,514 COVID-19 cases were among unvaccinated people, as were 82% of COVID-19-related deaths. Conclusion: “Although the number of vaccine breakthrough cases is increasing, they are very small when compared to the more than 2.3 million people who have completed their COVID-19 vaccination.”

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Effectiveness of Covid-19 Vaccines against the B.1.617.2 (Delta) Variant. N Engl J Med. 2021 Aug 12;385(7):585-594. PubMed: https://pubmed.gov/34289274. Full text: https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2108891

Conclusions: Only modest differences in vaccine effectiveness were noted with the delta variant as compared with the alpha variant after the receipt of two vaccine doses. Absolute differences in vaccine effectiveness were more marked after the receipt of the first dose. This finding would support efforts to maximize vaccine uptake with two doses among vulnerable populations.

[Condottiere 40K]

The Texas Governor has Covid, but assures everyone he's already vaccinated, so, no worries while he self isolates in his mansion.

Which Republican politician hasn't been vaccinated?

[Gigantus]

If you shut down the economy even for short period of time, recovery may take quite longer, hence why its effects are going to be "felt" financially for quite some time.

And in which world is that connected to bed occupancy by Covid Cases? Trolling only works if it has some semblance to reality.

Trump withdrawal was going fine until Xiden decided to push back the withdrawal deadline to 9/11 date (lmao why), thus violating the agreement US originally had - hence the current humiliation of US as world power, as Taliban simply took what they considered theirs and US is powerless to stop them. Now thousands of very angry soldiers are coming back, probably to find out that their benefits will be denied, purchasing power decimated by inflation, while lockdowns killed the job market.

Well, the 'thousands of very angry soldiers' (3.000 after May?) would have come back angry under Bush, Obama and Trump as well, regardless of deadline seeing that it wasn't as much a military conquest by the Taliban then simply getting handed the keys by the Afghan soldiers and that after being trained for twenty years and provided with huge amounts of material. Joe has a point here: if Afghans are not prepared to defend their country why should US soldiers?
My personal guess was the Taliban control would be complete by Christmas, but that was based on actual fighting\resistance by Afghan forces.
Unless you can provide me with some info that these 'thousands' of soldiers got disbanded upon return I will have to assume that they still have a job, which makes yet another point of your rant moot.
Considering that the alternative to restrictive health measures was a vastly increased number of debilitated and dead US citizens I am not sure you have thought that angle of your ramble through. You may have to shift to 'vaccines make you magnetic\impotent' anyhow - there are no more lock downs like the ones you are referring to. Because vaccines?

Again: in which world is that connected to your claim that 'neolibs' are Chinese assets? I would advise to actually read what you are responding to before copy\pasting rants.


Edit: did I just respond to trolling, again? And bad trolling as such? That's one habit I seriously have to drop. How about this:

Seeing that Covid just can't be discussed without invoking China (the new Godwin's law?) here something to wrap your head around - the Chinese government has at it's disposal the means of literally beating sense into their citizens which will result in a rapid recovery of their economy as compliance to health measures is the key to get a grip on this epidemic. In other words: while Western governments battle through the Greek alphabet and anti-vaxxers keep occupying hospital beds China will be back on it's feet in no time. Do I need to spell out what that will mean in terms of geopolitical power? Aside from not needing 'neolibs as assets'?

Trolling or not? You decide.

[Coughdrop addict]

I can just imagine what future history books will say:

"...and although a free, safe, and remarkably effective vaccine was widely available, the cult members refused to get it because of the brainwashing they were subjected to by their leaders, who wanted to use the pandemic for political purposes and didn't care about the effect it would have on ordinary cult members. Ironically, these same Republican politicians were themselves among the first to be vaccinated. As a result, hundreds of thousands of cult members died and many more where left with life-long chronic illness."

[Gigantus]

I think the books will use 'succumbed to brainwashing' instead of 'subjected'. Free will still exists and with it decisions freely made and consequences suffered from it.

[Morticia Iunia Bruti]

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Editorial: How can Abbott protect Texas from COVID when he can't protect himself?


Personal responsibility, apparently, is for the little people.
The powerful have Regeneron cocktails at the ready.
The powerful have good health insurance and doctors who make house calls.

The powerful can quarantine in the comforts of a taxpayer-funded mansion in downtown Austin.
That’s one takeaway from the announcement Tuesday that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has COVID-19 — the very day after he tweeted about his appearance at “another standing room only event in Collin County” attended by an estimated 600 people. The tweet included photos of the event in which the maskless governor waves from a stage, facing a tight crowd of applauding supporters — nary a mask in sight.
How can we trust the governor to protect Texas from this raging pandemic when he won’t even protect himself — or, for that matter, his supporters?
We wish the governor a speedy recovery, which is highly likely given that he is fully vaccinated and was reportedly experiencing no symptoms — yet another reminder how even though breakthrough infections occur, they rarely involve severe illness, prolonged hospital stays or death.

The bigger concern is whether Abbott exposed any of his unvaccinated supporters in one of his many campaign events, where photos have shown him rubbing elbows without a mask in large indoor gatherings, at times in up-close-and-personal conversation, at times squeezing in for photos or sharing a laugh under a crowded tent.

What happened to the governor’s March speech, where he announced that Texans had “mastered” the safety protocols such as masks and distancing that can stop the spread of COVID? What happened to the worn-out phrase he regurgitates every time he defends his callous ban on local mask requirements: “We’re past the time of government mandates, we’re into the time of personal responsibility.”
If a man elected to lead nearly 30 million Texans can’t be trusted to act responsibly, how can he effectively persuade others?
We’re not just talking about the upper-income folks who attend Republican gubernatorial fundraisers.
We’re talking about the millions of children returning to school who can’t be vaccinated. We’re talking about the rural Texans who must travel an hour to a hospital, only to find there are no beds available. We’re talking about the multitudes of Texans who have no health insurance and no relationship with a trusted doctor who can inform them about vaccines.
Texans are watching you, governor. What are you showing them?
Not a champion of personal freedom. Only a mascot of incompetence.
An elected chief executive who is now contagious and home-bound because he refused to follow his own advice to the little people.
A governor who not only refuses to lead an effective campaign urging Texans to protect themselves and their communities, but actively threatens to punish and sue local leaders who try to impose safety requirements such as mask-wearing.
Sure, many Republicans had a great deal of fun chiding the COVID cases among Democrats who flew on a chartered plane without masks to DC in early June. They should have worn masks. But their indiscretion came at a time when many Texans were happily tossing our masks after becoming fully vaccinated.
We had done our part — or so we thought. We didn’t account for the new, more contagious delta variant and the millions of fellow Texans who did not get the jab, and still won’t wear so much as a mask to stop the spread. We didn’t account for a governor who condones their irresponsible conduct with his own.
Abbott’s carefree maskless outings come as Texas is experiencing what health experts call the worst surge of the pandemic.
Across Texas, more than 11,700 are hospitalized for COVID. Rural hospitals are turning away patients — COVID and non-COVID — and trying to fly critical ones out of state for care, watching some die in the process.
In Harris County, the largest contiguous medical center in the world is spilling over with the highest number of COVID patients ever admitted. Local officials say several hundred can’t even get in the door.
Houston has reached the grim milestone of more than 3,000 COVID deaths and officials announced Tuesday that one in every five Houstonians getting tested is positive.
The state’s response has been too little too late. While the health department recently announced it was opening nine infusion centers for Texans to receive Regeneron’s experimental monoclonal antibody treatment that can help mild cases avoid hospitalization, NBC News reported on Monday that Texas had also requested five mortuary trailers from the federal government in anticipation of an influx of dead bodies.
Abbott likes to say, in another context, “the most precious freedom is life itself.” We agree. More than 54,000 Texans have lost theirs now — some because they believed vaccine conspiracies and some because they believed political leaders who claim a face mask is more tyrannical than a deadly infectious disease.
The governor is reportedly feeling fine, self-isolating and receiving the Regeneron treatment as a precaution.
He seems to be in good hands. If only we could say the same for Texas.

Editorial: How can Abbott protect Texas from COVID when he can't protect himself? (houstonchronicle.com)

It seems there is still hope for Texas, as long as free press exists.

[Heathen Hammer]

And in which world is that connected to bed occupancy by Covid Cases? Trolling only works if it has some semblance to reality.

So... you are implying that hospitals do not incur costs and expenses and I'm the trolling one. Riiiight.

Well, the 'thousands of very angry soldiers' (3.000 after May?) would have come back angry under Bush, Obama and Trump as well, regardless of deadline seeing that it wasn't as much a military conquest by the Taliban then simply getting handed the keys by the Afghan soldiers and that after being trained for twenty years and provided with huge amounts of material. Joe has a point here: if Afghans are not prepared to defend their country why should US soldiers?
My personal guess was the Taliban control would be complete by Christmas, but that was based on actual fighting\resistance by Afghan forces.
Unless you can provide me with some info that these 'thousands' of soldiers got disbanded upon return I will have to assume that they still have a job, which makes yet another point of your rant moot.
Considering that the alternative to restrictive health measures was a vastly increased number of debilitated and dead US citizens I am not sure you have thought that angle of your ramble through. You may have to shift to 'vaccines make you magnetic\impotent' anyhow - there are no more lock downs like the ones you are referring to. Because vaccines?

Again: in which world is that connected to your claim that 'neolibs' are Chinese assets? I would advise to actually read what you are responding to before copy\pasting rants.


Edit: did I just respond to trolling, again? And bad trolling as such? That's one habit I seriously have to drop. How about this:

Seeing that Covid just can't be discussed without invoking China (the new Godwin's law?) here something to wrap your head around - the Chinese government has at it's disposal the means of literally beating sense into their citizens which will result in a rapid recovery of their economy as compliance to health measures is the key to get a grip on this epidemic. In other words: while Western governments battle through the Greek alphabet and anti-vaxxers keep occupying hospital beds China will be back on it's feet in no time. Do I need to spell out what that will mean in terms of geopolitical power? Aside from not needing 'neolibs as assets'?

Trolling or not? You decide.

Its not about the fact that Taliban would win or not, it was painfully obvious for a while that Afghan government can't stand on its own, but at least Trump had a withdrawal plan, which Biden's administration decided to break for purely partisan reasons, even if it came at a cost of destroying remains of what Afghan soldiers fought for, and now they are coming back to economy destroyed by current administration's stupidity and lack of economic and political insights.

Also believing that China "beat" the virus is even dumber then that time WHO lied on China's behalf about human transmission rates.

[B. W.]

Although I'm skeptical of the article (really, citing what somebody blogged on Medium?), I agree with the general sentiment that the vaccine was launched to the public far too early.

You might say that this is another example of how the youth have really been screwed over by the pandemic, and especially its counter-measures. The lockdowns struck at a time when many young people were struggling to find permanent work across the West, and that was only worsened by the fact that lockdown measures had an overwhelming tendency to shut down industries where young people are predominantly employed, namely restaurants, hospitality, etc. Now again, young people are being compelled to possibly wreck their bodies on a vaccine whose long-term effects yet remain unknown, when young people need to remain healthy and strong to bring the next generation.

No argument on any of that. In India, where the Delta variant supposedly originated, they have only about 10% of the populace vaccinated and reports are that they are nearing herd immunity. They did it by sending out Covid kits consisting of Ivermectin, Doxcycline, and Zinc; all perfectly safe drugs at a cost of less than $3.00 per kit.

I've read reports about studies that show virtually every organ in the body has the potential to be affected; the skin, the eyes, the heart, etc.

It's a national disgrace that the news media isnot reporting the truth about these "vaccines".

[Gigantus]

So... you are implying that hospitals do not incur costs and expenses and I'm the trolling one. Riiiight.

Remind me again what hospitals make their money from? Treatments of patients? Which they have in overabundance?

Its not about the fact that Taliban would win or not, it was painfully obvious for a while that Afghan government can't stand on its own, but at least Trump had a withdrawal plan, which Biden's administration decided to break for purely partisan reasons

I am sure you will link me to Donald's withdrawal plan and then highlight what went different and for what reason, right?

Also believing that China "beat" the virus is even dumber then that time WHO lied on China's behalf about human transmission rates.

A barely ToS compliant variant of 'if you believe xyz then you are an idiot' response with no attempt to substantiate it - you are really scraping the barrel, aren't you?

[Coughdrop addict]

Remind me again what hospitals make their money from? Treatments of patients? Which they have in overabundance?

Something something Big Pharma.

I am sure you will link me to Donald's withdrawal plan and then highlight what went different and for what reason, right?

Biden did it, so it's bad. That's their reasoning.

A barely ToS compliant variant of 'if you believe xyz then you are an idiot' response with no attempt to substantiate it - you are really scraping the barrel, aren't you?

Juvenile contrarianism is all the right has left. Their main ideas-inequality must be defended and hierarchies secured whatever the cost, environmental pollution has absolutely no negative consequences, rich people shouldn't pay taxes, and people of certain skin tones aren't really people at all and shouldn't have rights-just don't get them elected like they used to.

[Cope]

I am sure you will link me to Donald's withdrawal plan and then highlight what went different and for what reason, right?

Biden is not being criticized for the decision to end the US military presence in Afghanistan. He is being criticized for a lack of situational awareness, the incompetent execution of the final withdrawal (which saw troops exit prior to civilians and equipment) and for the mismanagement of the situation once it devolved into a crisis. Claims about how a Trump administration would have managed the final withdrawal are entirely speculative and therefore irrelevant.

[Ludicus]

It is easy to criticize, but after 20 years, a little chaos would be unavoidable under any circumstances.It always happens.Vietnam, Angola,etc.
-----

Back to the topic. A very informative article.Red the full paper.

Morris J. Israeli data: How can efficacy vs. severe disease be strong when 60% of hospitalized are vaccinated? Covid-19 Data Science 2021, posted 17 August. Full text: https://www.covid-datascience.com/po...are-vaccinated

“It is important to use infection and disease rates (per 100k, e.g.) and not raw counts to compare unvaccinated and vaccinated groups to adjust for the proportion vaccinated. Use of raw counts exaggerates the vaccine efficacy when vaccinated proportion is low and attenuates the vaccine efficacy when, like in Israel, vaccines proportions are high.”

The vaccines are preventing >2/3 of the serious infections leading to hospitalization that would have occurred sans vaccination.

----------------

Covid kits consisting of Ivermectin, Doxcycline, and Zinc; all perfectly safe drugs at a cost of less than $3.00 per kit.

Months ago, I probably put too much expectations on this drug.Read my posts. But,

Flawed ivermectin preprint highlights challenges of COVID ...

Misleading clinical evidence and systematic reviews on ...

Huge Study supporting ivermectin as Covid treatment withdrawn

Ivermectin (Still) Lacks Scientific Support as a COVID-19 Drug

The Cochrane review notes an “urgent need” for good quality randomized controlled trials of the drug.

Anyway,
Oxford University adds ivermectin to PRINCIPLE trial for Covid

Let's wait and see.

Edit. We have a long and large experience with Ivermectin in Africa. Yes, it's a safe drug.There are some serious adverse effects in particular circumstances, and that's all.
Serious adverse reactions associated with ivermectin - PLOS


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Unvaccinated are 'sitting ducks' for COVID-19 and delta variant

I will be surprised if we don't cross 200,000 cases a day in the next couple of weeks, and that's heartbreaking considering we never thought we'd be back in that space again," "That was January, February. That shouldn't be August.

[Heathen Hammer]

Remind me again what hospitals make their money from? Treatments of patients? Which they have in overabundance?

Here in Canada its from taxes. In US people pay from insurance. In both cases the more people spend the better it is for the healthcare. Its just basic economics 101, my dude.

I am sure you will link me to Donald's withdrawal plan and then highlight what went different and for what reason, right?

Under Trump agreement US was to withdraw in May, Taliban would be only in control of part of the country and proxy Afghan government would be still standing. Then Biden admin did its partisan schizo thing, broke the agreement and US military and intelligence got hilariously humiliated by Taliban.

A barely ToS compliant variant of 'if you believe xyz then you are an idiot' response with no attempt to substantiate it - you are really scraping the barrel, aren't you?

Pretending that Chinese communist government is a credible source is scraping the barrel indeed.