Thoughts on the current Pandemic

[Little Corn Tom]

Have I ranted lately about the need for a benevolent dictatorship?
Average American greed and expectations have increased along with a corresponding decrease in education and willingness to work for goal achievement.
The victim culture that exists today must be replaced by a can do culture and we are talking generations are needed here to accomplish this.
Frankly, I don't see it happening.
The greatest generation is indeed well behind us.

[cookshow]

Unfortunately "benevolent" dictators & "honest" politicians seem to travel in the same boats, and those boats always sink, far, far from land.

Looks like government only breeds corruption and a disconnect from those being governed, be it a Monarchy or Dictatorship, or whatever we in the middle are, here in good Ole USA.

[Daddy-YO]

And so welcome to the Middle Kingdom's reign over Earth for the next millennium.


Have you noticed how they can make the corrupt among their billionaires disappear?
Minority rights? Human rights? Totalitarian control toward a common social goal.
Is this the future?

[el duende grande]

The problem with a benevolent dictatorship is that they have trouble staying benevolent. Seems the fundamental problem of dictatorship is the need to care and feed an ever increasing number of flunkies. The joke is on us--that is now the fundamental problem of democracy, too.

We thought it was just "social promotion" in skool. Now it is "social promotion" everywhere.

[bill_bly_ca]

Looking at today's numbers - India seems to have lost its horseshoe up the ....

104,000 new cases reported Apr 4 , 7 day average of 78,000 / day

Nicaragua and others who are relying on Indian manufacture may find themselves shuttered as capacity is moved to domestic consumption.

[Daddy-YO]

Looking at today's numbers - India seems to have lost its horseshoe up the ....104,000 new cases reported Apr 4 , 7 day average of 78,000 / day

The number of Covid cases has always struck me as a very poor measure for this pandemic. It depends on the availability of testing, the frequency of testing and sampling techniques. At best the total number of cases may indicate a population approaching 'herd immunity', but even there there are great errors, the largest of which is that epidemiologist have no clear idea of when, at what %pop, herd immunity is achieved for SARS-CoV-2. The other main problem with 'cases' lay with the immune: those who have been exposed and resist reinfection. They may actually be virus carriers, and thus test positive. But more likely they'll test negative, unless testing includes the antibody blood test.

It has served a purpose useful to some, the number of Covid cases, namely fear of this great threat of death surrounding us, for gov't to control populations, to quarantine, to restrict liberties, without direct police action. Exploding numbers of cases shock and stun people attuned to the "news." But they are largely meaningless.

What is meaningful in any pandemic, or any disaster, is the number of deaths. Unfortunately, Covid-19 deaths worldwide have been badly skewed, both under- and over-reported. We recognize that Nicaragua under-reports. We forget that the USA had established early-on financial incentives for hospitals to over-report covid deaths. And we have no clue as to why East Asia, where the virus originated, have such low covid death rates.

This pandemic has continued for ca. 15 months. And during that time mortality rates have remained within normal statistical progression, year to year, as if this pandemic weren't real.

[Little Corn Tom]

Daddy...I could not agree more.

[el duende grande]

Cheer up, the flu rate is down!!!
Covid will be with us forever. Public health measures will be permanent but seasonal and local, not nationwide.
China won the first covid war, hands down.

Most stats are too complicated for the masses, including the news caste who aren't interested in the truth anyway. Key data to watch are deaths, hospitalizations, ICU, recovered cases vs total cases. All with a grain of salt. Cases caused by illegal aliens can't be counted because they are like a saintly class that is above reproach.

[bill_bly_ca]

Well the US has little to worry about - Herd immunity via vaccination to majority of variants will be attained by end May time time period.

UK and Israel is there already

Canada _should_ be there by end July.

Where people keep on saying the data of increased death rates (of society as a whole, year over, for all causes) are fabricated and the infection rate is a lie, well it is only data to reinforce what Bill was talking about in the other thread - Part of fixing a problem entails acknowledging there is one.

Highschool friend who is now a RN for decades in a city close by has treated many who have died, hundreds that were cured and still has passing contact with the 10 to 15 % who are long haulers.

Each death = 7 to 10 people with ICU stays (assisted breathing either by intubation or external breathing apparatus) then with that one death it translates to 60 to 100 hospital stays for things as simple as observation to steroids' and or oxygen add to that the thousands tested as positive who have to remain self isolated. And this is a daily cumulative total.

So you folks will have other things to complain about in 4 to 6 months as this episode fades into a 100 yr memory..

[Little Corn Tom]

Whew....buddy, do I feel better now that Bill says I (you folks) will have nothing to worry about in a couple of months and I (we) can get on with REAL things to worry about.

[bill_bly_ca]

Well the point I was trying to make was 1) US over 30% vaccinated 2) US has your own supply chain - Because of that The US Corvid troubles have an end point within clear view. Other worries I was not alluding too.

The rest of us who do not have 1/3 immunized nor our own supply chain and hence have more to worry about.

[Daddy-YO]

From Canada's National Post: "a CDC spokesperson told the New York Times, “It’s possible that some people who are fully vaccinated could get COVID-19. The evidence isn’t clear whether they can spread the virus to others.” "
Remember: no vaccine is 100% effective. The vaccinated are being told to continue wearing masks. "It’s too early to tell whether immunization makes people less contagious."
https://nationalpost.com/news/world/...pread-covid-19

And so the game goes into extra innings. Surprised?

[bill_bly_ca]

Matters of public health are a provincial responsibility, so the feds could keep the border closed and airports restricted to international travel, but each province manages its own health regime.

The Atlantic Primers (New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island) have already committed to 70%

[Jonh]

From Canada's National Post: "a CDC spokesperson told the New York Times, “It’s possible that some people who are fully vaccinated could get COVID-19. The evidence isn’t clear whether they can spread the virus to others.” "
Remember: no vaccine is 100% effective. The vaccinated are being told to continue wearing masks. "It’s too early to tell whether immunization makes people less contagious."
https://nationalpost.com/news/world/...pread-covid-19

And so the game goes into extra innings. Surprised?

Well... condoms can leak, too.

[el duende grande]

Everything changes and nothing changes. The virus is faster and smarter than the peeple.
But today active cases are going down, which means more people are recovering than getting sick. New cases are level, probably the effect of the vaccine and the warmer weather. Deaths are down, probably because the old and sick are still in hiding and the younger crowd are getting it.
What remains to be seen is the Easter Massacre--which should kick in just when I want to travel.

Interesting comments on a hobby site I participate in about vaccine "wife slept for days", "I couldn't use power tools the day after shot". I have an elderly relative in the US in a state where every adult is authorized the shot. Put on phone tree to hell 2 times, patiently waiting for somebody to call her.

Side note, have lots of money and a Plan B. Family of 5 flew to panama, 1 kid tested positive=instant 14 day quarantine. Dad stayed with kid, rest of family went on to US.

[bill_bly_ca]

(Expecting a chorus of 'told ya so)

Premier is announcing a full lock down at 2 today - Even the big box stores will be limited only groceries. 4 Weeks...

Totals with a Lockdown "light" was just not bringing totals down after 9 days

[bill_bly_ca]

But in good news (for us) our postal code (N2C-***) has been identified as a "hot spot" so as of 6 AM tomorrow I can register for micro chip, zombie, horn growing out of forehead injection. ...

[el duende grande]

Maybe I don't really want to go visit civilization. Easier to stay here and talk to my dogs...
I am very late for Thanksgiving dinner, though...

[Jonh]

But in good news (for us) our postal code (N2C-***) has been identified as a "hot spot" so as of 6 AM tomorrow I can register for micro chip, zombie, horn growing out of forehead injection. ...

Don’t forget Mad Cow Disease, six month after.

[Little Corn Tom]

Don’t forget Mad Cow Disease, six month after.

Yeah....Didn't Denny Crane have that?

[Jonh]

First they said Covid would rot your guts from the inside out; most people recovered just fine so they needed a new scare tactic to keep you cowering in lockdown. Then they said new and more scary strains were gonna getcha. Then they said the vax would kill or maim you; that hasn’t happened (other than the 1500+ death reports in the VAERS database which aren’t proven), so now they’re saying six months to a year after the vax you end up with mad cow disease. When that doesn’t pan out they’ll claim not having either covid or the vax is racist.

[bill_bly_ca]

Then they said the vax would kill or maim you

Do you get to choose the conspiracy theory that you are injected with? Mad cow would be a good way to go though. Parkinson's with atitude - I can then actually BE "What's shak'n"

[Jonh]

Do you get to choose the conspiracy theory that you are injected with? Mad cow would be a good way to go though. Parkinson's with atitude - I can then actually BE "What's shak'n"

You can also choose the one where on a certain date, anyone not wearing a mask can be beaten to death with no consequences.

[KeyWestPirate]

Don’t forget Mad Cow Disease, six month after.

Who knows what those clever Chinese engineered into the virus. I heard that you're impotent in a year,, but it doesn't matter because you have no more interest in sex.

[Jonh]

Who knows what those clever Chinese engineered into the virus. I heard that you're impotent in a year,, but it doesn't matter because you have no more interest in sex.

When you see what the virus (or the vaccine) does to your spouse, you'll lose all interest in sex...