COVID-19 Pandemic

[Dove]

South Australia is in lockdown from midnight tonight. 6 days, in jail. Utter bullshit.

It turns out it was kind of, sort of, at least partially based on a white lie or b s. How embarrassment. However, it appears they will make the one who lied pay. They already told us today his graduate visa expires in December.

Anyway, it is only 3 days (revised). No biggie. Interesting turn of events for COVID news enthusiasts.

In SA a man told contact tracers that he picked up a pizza leading the health officials to think he got COVID through casual contact or off a surface. The lie contributed to sending SA into a lockdown. The man actually worked in the pizza shop. Now 20 seasoned detectives are working on finding laws this man may have broken. They are keeping us updated. I guess they want him to suffer, like everybody else.

[Risto the Great]

I suspect he was working for cash and didn't want to admit he was working there. Total fiasco.

[Risto the Great]

Well, relatives in Vrbeni, Lerin have it now. Half the village apparently. Let's see how that goes.

[Soldier of Macedon]

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/10/01/p...eck/index.html

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that nursing homes "never needed" to accept Covid-positive patients from hospitals in the state due to a shortage of hospital beds. During a press call Wednesday, Finger Lakes News Radio asked Cuomo about his administration's advisory in late March requiring that nursing homes accept the readmission of patients from hospitals, even if they were positive for Covid-19. The governor's office has repeatedly said the advisory was based on federal guidance, which prohibited discrimination based on a coronavirus diagnosis. The state's Department of Health told CNN, "Residents were admitted to nursing homes during that time not as an overflow facility, but because that's where they live." Cuomo said that the advisory was a precaution if hospitals became overwhelmed -- calling it an "anticipatory rule" -- which he said didn't happen. "We never needed nursing home beds because we always had hospital beds," Cuomo told Finger Lakes News. "So it just never happened in New York where we needed to say to a nursing home, 'We need you to take this person even though they're Covid-positive.' It never happened."

Facts First: Cuomo's assertion that "it never happened" is false. According to a report from the New York State Department of Health, "6,326 COVID-positive residents were admitted to [nursing home] facilities" following Cuomo's mandate that nursing homes accept the readmission of Covid-positive patients from hospitals. Whether or not this was "needed," it did in fact happen. Cuomo's senior adviser Rich Azzopardi replied Thursday after publication and took issue with this determination, saying that the governor was specifically referencing the hospital bed shortage. "The governor was crystal clear, he was saying that what did not materialize was the crunch for hospital beds, that every projection especially the federal governments projections predicted was going to happen. That's what he said never happened. Separately the law has always been that nursing homes could only accept residents that they could adequately care for. None of that has changed." On March 25, the state's Health Department issued an advisory requiring nursing homes to accept "the expedited receipt of residents returning from hospitals" if the patients were deemed medically stable. "No resident shall be denied re-admission or admission to the [nursing home] solely based on a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of COVID-19," the advisory stated. "[Nursing homes] are prohibited from requiring a hospitalized resident who is determined medically stable to be tested for COVID-19 prior to admission or readmission."

This mandate received a great deal of criticism, and Cuomo issued an executive order changing the advisory on May 10 by requiring hospitals to be sure patients tested negative before discharging them to nursing homes. On May 21 The Associated Press reported, "More than 4,500 recovering coronavirus patients were sent to New York's already vulnerable nursing homes" under the state's advisory. In July, the state's Health Department released a report that found "approximately 6,326 COVID-positive residents were admitted to facilities between March 25, 2020 and May 8, 2020." There has been a lot of debate around how and if this advisory contributed to the significant coronavirus death toll seen throughout New York nursing homes. The state Health Department's July report argued that the advisory "could not be a driver of nursing home infections or fatalities," though many experts disagree, noting that the report's conclusion is based on the timing of cases and mortality, not, as the report acknowledges, on contact tracing of patients, staff or family members.

Surprising to see a CNN article critical of Fredo's brother. But anyway, despite the above, the governor of NY also found time to write a book during the whole coronavirus ordeal called "American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic" - lol, you can't make this shit up. Now the media/entertainment industry has awarded him with an Emmy - you can't make that shit up either. These people are nuts.

https://www.foxnews.com/media/andrew...vid-leadership

The Federalist’s David Marcus blasted New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who received the Founders Award "in recognition of his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and his masterful use of television to inform and calm people around the world" at Monday's International Emmy Awards ceremony. Cuomo receiving the award was widely panned because of his controversial nursing home policy that has been linked to the deaths of thousands of elderly residents. Marcus, however, mocked the situation with a sarcastic column headlined, “Andrew Cuomo Absolutely Deserves An Emmy Award,” that declared he “is not a competent governor of New York, but he does play one on TV.”

Marcus noted that the award was for Cuomo’s daily press conferences at the beginning of the pandemic, when he gained national attention for explaining how New York was responding to coronavirus. “What was not mentioned, either in the wording of the award or in the video montage of old New York celebrities congratulating him, was that his response in New York was not only disjointed and shambolic, that the state not only has the highest number of COVID deaths in the country, that he has not only put needless and dangerous doubt on new vaccines, and that he also personally decided to put COVID patients in nursing homes, killing many in the process,” Marcus wrote. “But you see, none of that matters to the Emmy awards, because none of that happened on the television.” Marcus noted that “these disastrous mistakes by Cuomo did in fact happen, in the real world, that of flesh of blood and dying, but on television, none of these things were spoken of by anchors smitten with his bold yet calm leadership” in the face of crisis. Cuomo was billed as the opposite of President Trump and the mainstream media ate it up, giving him a pass on a variety of issues in the process.

“The reason Cuomo so dearly deserved his winged Emmy statue is precisely because despite his failings of leadership, he was fantastic on television,” Marcus wrote. “It is all a bit strange, isn’t it? Andrew Cuomo is America’s best governor on television and its worst in real life.” Marcus ended his takedown by suggesting the people who produce TV often don’t care about the truth, and focus instead on making a compelling product regardless of facts. “So as you huddle over your giant bowl of mashed potatoes by yourself this Thanksgiving, governor’s orders, remember to be thankful for Andrew Cuomo and all he has done for television,” Marcus wrote.

[Risto the Great]

Start looking for the Fabianists and the proponents of eugenics. Get ready for the great cull! (I half believe it folks)

[Voshtarets]

Who knows what these oligarchs are cooking up. Surely when people began developing societies and civilizations throughout history they didn't envision their worlds being dominating by a bunch of "elites" in this manner. Surely one of the purposes of government is to secure freedom for those who elected them into office and not to be empowered to take it away from them at a whim. In addition to all of the money and power they yield which is tangled up in mass bureaucracies that enables them to lie, cheat, steal and impose certain agendas on the people, reading things like "the great reset", "global leaders to seize the opportunity", "never return to normal" and "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reimagine society" should be extremely concerning for anybody that values their freedom.

When the "virus" first appeared I didn't know what to make of it. After
a couple of weeks of research it became clear to me that a greater agenda was at play. In mid March we were asked to shut down all businesses to "flatten the curve" so that hospitals would not be overwhelmed. Yet, here we are nearly 9 months after the "virus" arrived and businesses are still shut down.
I believe that the common flu has been rebranded as a "novel" coronavirus to implement the "Great Reset" as announced by the World Economic Forum on their website. It is shaping up to be a dystopian system of complete control over mankind through a technocratic totalitarianism which will be global in jurisdiction. The "individual" will be subsumed by the "hive" and the liberties we once took for granted shall exist no more. At least, that is their plan.
Upon realizing the scope of the disaster facing us I fell into a horrible depression. At times I questioned if it was even worth living under such an Orwellian nightmare. Thankfully I regained my sanity by re-connecting with our Macedonian past, in particular the sacrifices of our pre-dedtsi during the Ilinden uprising. I have a framed picture on my wall of Pitu Guli and his Cheta of a few hundred Komiti. Looking at their weathered faces I thought to myself "If these simple and humble people could find meaning in life through resisting the oppression of what was then one of the most repressive empires of its time, who am I to throw in the towel?"
So a little at a time I have grown stronger. Dostoevsky once said that "One word of truth outweighs the whole world". He was very prophetic about so much that is going on around us. I too believe that truth will prevail.

[Risto the Great]

You will have nothing, and you will love it!

hmmm, not so sure

You will rent what you need.

but, but

We will rent it to you!

Oh, there it is.

[Amphipolis]

I believe that the common flu has been rebranded as a "novel" coronavirus to implement the "Great Reset" as announced by the World Economic Forum on their website.

This is a ridiculous view. You don't really trust science, do you? I should remind you that science is not a centralized authority which basically means... to start with... that (a) this virus IS existent (not a product of imagination) and (b) it is not the common flu.

[Gocka]

When the "virus" first appeared I didn't know what to make of it. After
a couple of weeks of research it became clear to me that a greater agenda was at play. In mid March we were asked to shut down all businesses to "flatten the curve" so that hospitals would not be overwhelmed. Yet, here we are nearly 9 months after the "virus" arrived and businesses are still shut down.
I believe that the common flu has been rebranded as a "novel" coronavirus to implement the "Great Reset" as announced by the World Economic Forum on their website. It is shaping up to be a dystopian system of complete control over mankind through a technocratic totalitarianism which will be global in jurisdiction. The "individual" will be subsumed by the "hive" and the liberties we once took for granted shall exist no more. At least, that is their plan.
Upon realizing the scope of the disaster facing us I fell into a horrible depression. At times I questioned if it was even worth living under such an Orwellian nightmare. Thankfully I regained my sanity by re-connecting with our Macedonian past, in particular the sacrifices of our pre-dedtsi during the Ilinden uprising. I have a framed picture on my wall of Pitu Guli and his Cheta of a few hundred Komiti. Looking at their weathered faces I thought to myself "If these simple and humble people could find meaning in life through resisting the oppression of what was then one of the most repressive empires of its time, who am I to throw in the towel?"
So a little at a time I have grown stronger. Dostoevsky once said that "One word of truth outweighs the whole world". He was very prophetic about so much that is going on around us. I too believe that truth will prevail.

Do you really believe that 2200 Macedonians and counting died every 9 months from the flu? If that was the case the country would be empty by now. As the malaka said, it's not like scientists and doctors are some homogenous kabal that all got together and decided to dupe the entire world. I keep hearing all these theories that all require literally millions of willing participants to perpetuate the con as it's presented. You can complain about official government response to the situation but it's kind of silly at this point to not believe that the pandemic is in fact a pandemic.

I put the same question to everyone, if we put you in charge and every day you are brought news of X amount of people dead and X more sick, what would you do? Maybe nothing but you can't say that it's an easy or clear cut decision to make. Maybe first being able to admit that it is in fact a problem will help empathize with the people who have to make difficult decisions.

I don't know what has happened to make society so cynical of everything, to the point that even when people are dropping dead we can't conince people that it's really happening.

[Risto the Great]

I believe it is quite virulent. I don't believe it is as bad as it is being portrayed. I do believe it is being used as an excuse to re-engineer society in an unprecedented fashion. I also believe it will be used as a scapegoat for the the next 10 years of guaranteed austerity measures.

I think there is significant incentive to classify any death as being Covid related at the moment.

It is amazing that countries such as Thailand have managed this crisis so well without the extreme impact on small businesses (aside from tourism related).

Big business has prospered everywhere though. Funny about that.

[tchaiku]

I believe it is quite virulent. I don't believe it is as bad as it is being portrayed. I do believe it is being used as an excuse to re-engineer society in an unprecedented fashion.

But it is no longer being potrayed as bad as you say. Maybe in the last Spring but not anymore.

People are doing what they have to do, wear a mask and keep distance.

[Amphipolis]

I believe it is quite virulent. I don't believe it is as bad as it is being portrayed. I do believe it is being used as an excuse to re-engineer society in an unprecedented fashion. I also believe it will be used as a scapegoat for the the next 10 years of guaranteed austerity measures.

I think there is significant incentive to classify any death as being Covid related at the moment.

It is amazing that countries such as Thailand have managed this crisis so well without the extreme impact on small businesses (aside from tourism related).

Big business has prospered everywhere though. Funny about that.

The number of deaths is indeed small and practically means nothing in a national or regional level. What you don't get is that the number will skyrocket without restrictive measures. It all comes down to two figures. In Greece, for instance, you can have 4000 deaths and 20% recession or you can have 15000 deaths and 10% recession.

I weirdly believe the second choice is best, as it also means 1 million people will be economically destroyed instead of two millions. Still, it's a hard choice and the results are not so predictable. The (economic and sociopolitical) tsunami will be certainly harder than the earthquake (virus).


--

[Risto the Great]

But it is no longer being potrayed as bad as you say. Maybe in the last Spring but not anymore.

People are doing what they to do, wear a mask and keep distance.

Japan and Korea are ramping up with Covid right now as the northern hemisphere heads into a cold winter. They did very well prior to this. This is not going to be solved any time soon. But the media will eventually make it look like it is largely solved. There is an agenda here.

[Risto the Great]

The (economic and sociopolitical) tsunami will be certainly harder than the earthquake (virus).

This was the reason all along.
Meanwhile, China is still pretending it's doing fine. They're telling Australia they won't buy its coal because they Australia is being disrespectful. But meanwhile they were down 38% last September compared to the same period the previous year. They weren't buying the coal from anyone. And graduates in China are complaining they can't get jobs. The world is about to become very different.

[Risto the Great]

Swedish Covid-19 data exposes our fatal lockdown hysteria

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/swedish-covid19-data-exposes-our-fatal-lockdown-hysteria/news-story/673291a65d3ad15d49fe22846c1d60c8

Three months ago I resigned as an economist in the Victorian *Department of Treasury and *Finance to protest against disproportionate public health measures by Daniel Andrews that had led to a police state. Information has since become available that makes these policies even less *justified.

As I have written previously, this pandemic is not the Spanish flu. Data is now telling us that it is not even in the league of the Hong Kong flu.

In May, modellers had said Sweden would experience more than 100,000 additional deaths from COVID this year, with 96,000 additional deaths by July if lockdowns were not imposed.

Fortunately for the Swedes, their policy is led by arguably the world’s best epidemiologist, *Anders Tegnell. He followed the standard approach found in all *official pandemic plans, including in Australia. Tegnell did not impose coercive lockdowns or close borders. And no masks, no quarantines. He tried to shield the elderly while flattening the curve by slowing the spread of the virus.

Since Sweden is almost the only country in which the coronavirus was allowed “to let rip”, this pandemic’s true magnitude will be conclusively known from its annual mortality statistics.

Official Swedish mortality data as at December 18 is available at https://bit.ly/36sV3cE. After controlling for recent under-reporting, I estimate Sweden will end up with about 97,000 deaths this year. Long-term trends suggest Sweden would have had about 92,500 deaths this year, so there will be about 4500 additional deaths this year, a far cry from the models.

Note that these 4500 excess deaths are well below the 8300 *officially reported COVID deaths to date. And these 4500 additional deaths are not all COVID deaths. Sweden’s Public Health Agency noted in October that “the 2019-2020 influenza season was mild”. As a result, 3419 fewer people died in Sweden last year than in 2018. Many of the frail among these 3419 survivors last year would have died this year anyway. Of its own accord, therefore, COVID has caused a much smaller number of deaths than these 4500 additional deaths. Sweden’s average two-year death rate in 2020 will be around 0.92 per cent, the second lowest in the past 10 years.

One struggles from this analysis to identify a serious pandemic in Sweden: just a bad flu, milder than the Hong Kong flu.

When I outlined this to an international panel on December 10, British MP Andrew Percy demurred and said the UK had experienced proportionately many more excess deaths than Sweden. It has, but analysis for nations other than Sweden needs to account for the additional deaths caused by the hysteria drummed up by governments and their coercive lockdowns.

As I have explained in my book, The Great Hysteria and the Broken State, and in my 68,000-word complaint to the International Criminal Court, lockdowns have likely killed two million people and shortened the lives of hundreds of millions.

Lockdowns kill in many ways, including by causing additional COVID deaths. For instance, the Victorian government spent most of its effort during the lockdowns in restricting the movement of the young, who were never at risk, while ignoring aged-care homes. This led to hundreds of avoidable COVID deaths. Australia’s governments went “all in” on a hunch in March on the basis of models, all of which turned out to be wrong — as they have always been in the past.

Our governments also shut their eyes to the data, which has been telling us a different story since mid-April, ending up in perhaps the biggest policy blunder in Australia’s *history.

Moreover, I have discovered during my research that community-wide cordons have been used only once in the past 500 years: for Ebola in 2014 in Africa. But only “very small-scale cordons” — comparable to quarantines — were found to be effective by an evaluation, not the larger-scale lockdowns. When lockdowns are rejected by the science even for a lethal virus such as Ebola, the idea of lockdowns being applied for a flu-like virus does not arise. That is why lockdowns were never part of any official pandemic plan, nor were indefinite international border closures.

Scott Morrison wants to keep Australia’s borders closed and freeze the virus at a level of zero until everyone is vaccinated. But such a policy is preposterous, apart from being unlawful. Section 5 of the Biosecurity Act 2015 states the “appropriate level of protection for Australia is a high level of sanitary and phytosanitary protection aimed at reducing biosecurity risks to a very low level, but not to zero”.

In 2013, British epidemiologist Sunetra Gupta had shown that major pandemics are behind us because international cross-mingling boosts immunity. Minor vir*uses, however, cannot be avoided.

Are we going to close Australia for every bad flu in the future? We must get back the spunk we lost during this Great Hysteria and resume our normal life as a proudly rational, thinking Western nation. We must reassert our faith in freedom and reason, and end our embrace of the cowardly, totalitarian, zombie ways of the communist Chinese government.

Since 80 per cent of COVID deaths in Sweden have occurred among those over 75, people in this age group should continue to be sheltered and offered the vaccine. To mandate it for others would be yet another *display of intellectual and spiritual cowardice.

Sanjeev Sabhlok is a former economist with the Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance and author of The Great Hysteria and the Broken State.

How can we not question the agenda of governments who continue to deprive humans of their liberties?