Some excerpts below. It was blatantly obvious to anyone with an IQ over 60 that the most likely origin of covid-19 was from the Wuhan lab. If you thought otherwise, you are simply a sheep that is not capable of critical reasoning. https://oversight.house.gov/release...port-on-lessons-learned-and-the-path-forward/ Full Report: https://oversight.house.gov/report/...demic-the-lessons-learned-and-a-path-forward/ COVID-19 ORIGIN: COVID-19 most likely emerged from a laboratory in Wuhan, China. The FIVE strongest arguments in favor of the “lab leak” theory include: The virus possesses a biological characteristic that is not found in nature. Data shows that all COVID-19 cases stem from a single introduction into humans. This runs contrary to previous pandemics where there were multiple spillover events. Wuhan is home to China’s foremost SARS research lab, which has a history of conducting gain-of-function research at inadequate biosafety levels. Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) researchers were sick with a COVID-like virus in the fall of 2019, months before COVID-19 was discovered at the wet market. By nearly all measures of science, if there was evidence of a natural origin it would have already surfaced. PROXIMAL ORIGIN PUBLICATION: “The Proximal Origin of SARS-CoV-2” publication — which was used repeatedly by public health officials and the media to discredit the lab leak theory — was prompted by Dr. Fauci to push the preferred narrative that COVID-19 originated in nature. GAIN-OF-FUNCTION RESEARCH: A lab-related incident involving gain-of-function research is most likely the origin of COVID-19. Current government mechanisms for overseeing this dangerous gain-of-function research are incomplete, severely convoluted, and lack global applicability. ECOHEALTH ALLIANCE INC. (ECOHEALTH): EcoHealth — under the leadership of Dr. Peter Daszak — used U.S. taxpayer dollars to facilitate dangerous gain-of-function research in Wuhan, China. After the Select Subcommittee released evidence of EcoHealth violating the terms of its National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) commenced official debarment proceedings and suspended all funding to EcoHealth. New evidence also shows that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has opened an investigation into EcoHealth’s pandemic-era activities. NIH FAILURES: NIH’s procedures for funding and overseeing potentially dangerous research are deficient, unreliable, and pose a serious threat to both public health and national security. Further, NIH fostered an environment that promoted evading federal record keeping laws — as seen through the actions of Dr. David Morens and “FOIA Lady” Marge Moore. WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO): The WHO’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic was an abject failure because it caved to pressure from the Chinese Communist Party and placed China’s political interests ahead of its international duties. Further, the WHO’s newest effort to solve the problems exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic — via a “Pandemic Treaty” — may harm the United States. VACCINE MANDATES: Vaccine mandates were not supported by science and caused more harm than good. NATURAL IMMUNITY: Public health officials engaged in a coordinated effort to ignore natural immunity — which is acquired through previous COVID-19 infection — when developing vaccine guidance and mandates. SOCIAL DISTANCING: The “6 feet apart” social distancing recommendation — which shut down schools and small business across the country — was arbitrary and not based on science. MASK MANDATES: There was no conclusive evidence that masks effectively protected Americans from COVID-19. Public health officials flipped-flopped on the efficacy of masks without providing Americans scientific data — causing a massive uptick in public distrust.
We, as a civilization, may have dodged a bullet with Covid-19. At least so far, subject to possible future variants. It turns out that human immune system is more robust than understood before Covid-19, apparently. As I recall, an early alarm was sounded by a Wuhan Lab scientist. He apparently went against policy by notifying the world and subsequently died, reportedly of Covid-19, in spite of lab precautions and his relatively young age. Is the term "Gain of function" really an euphemism for biological weapons development? There was a story that Wuhan workers sold deceased animals from the lab to a local market for extra money. This story was denied by officials. Covid-19 was referred to as a "Novel" virus. It's effect upon human population at large was not known at the time. So we have a new virus of mostly undefined characteristics, at least to those outside the lab, possibly a biological weapon (which if true, still would not be likely admitted), with active epidemic potential. Chinese lack of transparency, including active suppression of information, as well as rapidity and depth of their country-wide lockdown seems to suggest a couple of dark possibilities. I will let others speculate, if they care to, but this is beyond the scope of this post. The point is, we did not know what we were dealing with and I feel considerable latitude should be granted to those in charge of coming up with appropriate countermeasures against Covid-19. As it turned out, Covid-19 killed and seriously injured a great number of older, more experienced working class people throughout the world, with social and economic reverberations still being felt today with ongoing work policy debates and accumulated debts. All told, given the rapid return of the global economy, I'd say our officials, in the global sense, across political philosophies, have done quite well. As far as gain of function research, perhaps not so much. Boys will be boys, I suppose. Hopefully lessons are learned and diligence is maintained. Edit: Clarification. As I now recall, the Chinese did not immediately lockdown. When they did, it's degree was breathtaking. I am unclear whether this was in retaliatory response to Western travel restrictions from China, China's realization of Covid-19's danger, or a form of mea culpa.
that's why states that had the least amount of lockdowns actually performed better than those that locked down completely, right?
Red states performed much worse with Covid than blue states overall. This has been well documented. Go read the thread on Red counties and Covid showing what a disaster “MAGA country” was during the pandemic.
Trumpiness is a strong indicator of a high Covid death rate - Most deadly U.S. Counties https://www.elitetrader.com/et/thre...d-death-rate-most-deadly-u-s-counties.356732/
My dear GWB, What was the Covid-19 death rate by age bracket again? What age brackets were most likely to support Trump in 2020? Isn't Florida, for example, considered a retirement state? Try again. Love, BS
As outlined numerous times -- since the Covid vaccine was widely available in April of 2021, Florida had the highest Covid death rate -- both per capita and raw. Quite sad -- and directly associated with Florida's Covid policies. Florida is an excellent example of a failed Covid response of a red state. Even more sad in view that Florida has a large elderly population. Nationally across ALL age brackets the death rate in red counties greatly exceeded blue counties. This is due to lack of proper public health policies in red counties, the lack of adherence by the MAGA crowd of the few policies in place, and the lower vaccination rates in red counties due to the MAGA crowd believing misinformation (these are the people who think horse de-wormer cures Covid after all).
It is one thing to read. Another to understand. Anyway... There was a study that showed most any vaccine within 6 six months of a subsequent Covid-19 infection provided statistically significant reduction in severity. If this is actually true, as in repeatable outside the lab, it is may be related to recent activation of one's immune system. Other studies showed that hydroxychloroquine helped to open intracellular zinc channels, preventing Covid-19 virions from binding to a cell, reducing amplification and maximum viral load if hydroxychloroquine was administered within a certain time window related to infection. While there was a study that contradicted this, it turned out the time window provision was not adequately addressed. The pharmaceutical industry has long been promoting annual vaccines for flu, especially among older people. The fact that such vaccines can only be developed after a "Variant of concern" has established itself well into the flu season and considering vaccine development time, make it seem impractical from a health, but not profit, perspective. Further, vaccine effectiveness, even when within the window of the flu season, is more limited in older people, as beneficial effects, such as immune system activation, wear off sooner. Indeed, some vaccines, notably even durable vaccines are not pushed on people beyond a certain age, apparently on a risk to benefits assessment. Unfortunately, the most dangerous thing about vaccine "Nazism", is the creation public distrust of the Government and the healthcare system. This distrust may result in significant numbers refusing to get vaccinated when a particularly severe pandemic looms, with potentially severe consequences for all.
Misleading. After the election, the vast preponderance of counties in the country went for Trump. This is one of those critical thinking moments where you fail.
Let's clearly outline once again - Hydroxychloroquine and Ivermectin to NOT prevent or cure Covid. There are numerous in-depth respected studies now which demonstrate this. We have threads outlining the ignorance of those who peddled Hydroxychloroquine and Ivermectin as Covid treatments. For the dumb hydroxychloroquine cultists https://www.elitetrader.com/et/threads/for-the-dumb-hydroxychloroquine-cultists.348140/ For the dumb Ivermectin cultists https://www.elitetrader.com/et/threads/for-the-dumb-ivermectin-cultists.360722/ Sadly idiots grifting off of pushing these "alternative treatments" cost thousands of lives in the U.S. One grifter example is American Frontline Doctors. Ivermectin Grifters: America's Frontline Doctors (AFLD) https://www.elitetrader.com/et/threads/ivermectin-grifters-americas-frontline-doctors-afld.361168/ Covid vaccines have proven to be safe and effective after billions of doses administered around the world. Prior to Omicron, Covid vaccines helped stop transmission as well as reducing the severity of infection. Omicron -- which is more infectious -- was able to bypass the vaccine in regards to stopping transmission thus rendering the vaccine to reducing the severity of infections and still saving millions of lives globally. Covid followed the typical path of virus evolution becoming less lethal and more infectious over time. After all from an evolutionary perspective, it does not make sense to kill your host as a virus and becoming more infectious is beneficial in regards to becoming a dominant strain. However coronaviruses evolve more quickly than most other viruses -- thus the world was seeing a very rapid evolution as vaccines attempt to keep up with new variants. Similar to a flu which evolves quickly and needs new targeted boosters every year. Anti-vaxxers such as RFK Jr. and his fellow anti-vaxxers are the people who spread disinformation about vaccines and undermine public health. They sow mistrust in the government and healthcare system. Shortly society will be reaping what these anti-vaxxers have sowed as more parents don't get their kids vaccinated against severe diseases -- thus reducing communities below the 95% or so herd immunity level required to stop wide-spread outbreaks of most diseases. We have recently seen measles outbreaks across the U.S. in under-vaccinated communities; the situation is only going to get worse. We all know how this story will end in a few years -- it will be with wide-scale deaths of unvaccinated children from easily preventable diseases. It will be like living in the 1600s again -- you know the eras where graveyards were filled with gravestones of children who died from diseases before the age of ten.