[CONSOLIDATED] Covid19 - Dissenting views from around the world.

[DFR6868]

https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m1931

Covid-19: “Staggering number” of extra deaths in community is not explained by covid-19
BMJ 2020; 369 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m1931 (Published 13 May 2020)

Only a third of the excess deaths seen in the community in England and Wales can be explained by covid-19, new data have shown.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) data,1 which cover deaths in hospitals, care homes, private homes, hospices, and elsewhere, show that 6035 people died as a result of suspected or confirmed covid-19 infection in England and Wales in the week ending 1 May 2020 (where deaths were registered up to 9 May), a decline of 2202 from the previous week.

Although the number of deaths in care homes has fallen for the second week in a row, more covid related deaths are being reported in care homes than in hospitals and are tailing off more slowly.

However, David Spiegelhalter, chair of the Winton Centre for Risk and Evidence Communication at the University of Cambridge, said that covid-19 did not explain the high number of deaths taking place in the community.

At a briefing hosted by the Science Media Centre on 12 May he explained that, over the past five weeks, care homes and other community settings had had to deal with a “staggering burden” of 30 000 more deaths than would normally be expected, as patients were moved out of hospitals that were anticipating high demand for beds.

Of those 30 000, only 10 000 have had covid-19 specified on the death certificate. While Spiegelhalter acknowledged that some of these “excess deaths” might be the result of underdiagnosis, “the huge number of unexplained extra deaths in homes and care homes is extraordinary. When we look back . . . this rise in non-covid extra deaths outside the hospital is something I hope will be given really severe attention.”

He added that many of these deaths would be among people “who may well have lived longer if they had managed to get to hospital.”

David Leon, professor of epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, agreed. “Some of these deaths may not have occurred if people had got to hospital,” he said. “How many is unclear. This issue needs urgent attention, and steps taken to ensure that those who would benefit from hospital treatment and care for other conditions can get it.”

Also at the briefing was Jason Oke, senior statistician at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford, who explained that equivalent data on excess deaths in Scotland2 were classified by the underlying cause of death—including dementia, as well as circulatory, cancer, and respiratory causes. In the first week after lockdown a spike in deaths occurred from all causes, but “we now have a return to normality for all except dementia,” he explained. He called for the ONS to report on excess deaths in a similar way.

Responding to the latest figures, Jennifer Dixon, chief executive of the Health Foundation think tank, said, “Today’s data show that action to tackle the coronavirus pandemic in social care has been late and inadequate, and has highlighted significant weaknesses in the social care system due to decades of neglect and lack of reform. Covid-19 has ultimately magnified the human impact of decades of underfunding in the sector and policy neglect.”

In total, England and Wales have recorded 34 978 covid-19 deaths from 28 December 2019 to 9 May this year. More than 22 600 of the deaths occurred in hospitals and 7400 in care homes.

 

[DFR6868]

when people eat faeces, best not to follow them.
delaying herd immunity is STUPID.

https://www.bloombergquint.com/coronavirus-outbreak/over-100-million-in-china-s-northeast-thrown-back-under-lockdown

Over 100 Million in China’s Northeast Face Renewed Lockdown Bloomberg News Bookmark May 18 2020, 12:28 PM May 18 2020, 5:36 PM (Bloomberg) -- Some 108 million people in China’s northeast region are being plunged back under lockdown conditions as a new and growing cluster of infections causes a backslide in the nation’s return to normal.

...

 

[DFR6868]

lockdown, cursed to be xia suay and 白吃

https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=&sl=fr&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mediterranee-infection.com%2Fefficacite-du-confinement-et-etude-de-prevalence-serologique-en-espagne%2F

EFFECTIVENESS OF CONTAINMENT AND SEROLOGICAL PREVALENCE STUDY IN SPAIN

Home Efficiency of containment and serological prevalence study in Spain
May 14, 2020

A study was conducted by the Spanish authorities on 60,983 people, detecting antibodies against COVID-19. One result in particular drew our attention: active workers were separated into two groups: "essential workers", therefore not being confined to the home, compared to other active workers, confined to Spain. The difference is very interesting: people who were not confined were less infected than those confined.

These data based on massive studies allow us to reflect on the importance of home confinement which, in Spain, has not proven to be effective, while the closure of collective gathering places (stadiums, concert halls, places of worship ...) during these epidemic periods is full of common sense.

This is in line with the data we have at the IHU, where only 3.5% of the staff, who are in constant contact with the patients, present antibodies indicating an infection, whether diagnosed or not.

Source: Estudio nacional de sero - epidemiologia de la infecction por SARS-COV-2 en Espana . Inform preliminary 13 of mayo of 2020.

 

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https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/05/t-cells-found-covid-19-patients-bode-well-long-term-immunity

T cells found in COVID-19 patients ‘bode well’ for long-term immunity
By Mitch LeslieMay. 14, 2020 , 9:00 PM

Science’s COVID-19 reporting is supported by the Pulitzer Center.

Immune warriors known as T cells help us fight some viruses, but their importance for battling SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has been unclear. Now, two studies reveal infected people harbor T cells that target the virus—and may help them recover. Both studies also found some people never infected with SARS-CoV-2 have these cellular defenses, most likely because they were previously infected with other coronaviruses.


...

 

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austrian tv interview (translated) with Prof. Dr. Sucharit Bhakdi

https://www.servustv.com/videos/aa-23zjmvcz51w12/

 

[DFR6868]

swedish model - semi/voluntary lockdown and the
belarus example - we dun nid no stinkin lockdown for some stinkin flu...

https://eng.belta.by/society/view/belarus-covid-19-latest-over-12000-patients-recover-130572-2020/

MINSK, 21 May (BelTA) – As of 21 May, 12,057 patients previously diagnosed with COVID-19 recovered and were discharged from hospitals in Belarus, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian Healthcare Ministry.

So far, 33,371 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in Belarus. Belarus has performed 403,236 tests.

A total of 185 coronavirus patients suffering from a number of chronic diseases have died.

 

[DFR6868]

denmark - doctors in charge never recommended lockdown, politicians not following data and science did.
(dun blame us hor...)

https://jyllands-posten.dk/indland/ECE12151000/brostroems-papirer-rejser-tvivl-om-mette-frederiksens-forklaring/

A review of the process leading up to the great closure of Denmark, according to experts and parties, now raises serious doubts about the explanation that Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen gave to the population as she closed the country and announced the most far-reaching interventions since World War II.

On the historic evening, the Prime Minister repeatedly referred to the "authorities" and stated that it was "the government's recommendation that we shut down all unnecessary activity".

Today, however, it is clear that the National Board of Health had not laid down such a comprehensive recommendation.

First, Søren Brostrøm says - and then the board deprives the muscles it has. It is not a pretty process.

Kent Kristensen, associate professor of health law at SDU
As late as the day before the March 11 press conference, the board drew up a list of "possible actions" against covid-19. There were no shutdowns and forced interventions here.

In addition, on February 28, Søren Brostrøm signed a recommendation which, according to jurists, meant that general interference with the freedom of the Danes was excluded - e.g. forced treatment and barring of areas. Only in certain "specific situations" did Brostrøm give green light for intervention.

Kjeld Møller Pedersen, professor of health policy at SDU, states that "the government has abused health-care advice".

“The government pulled a dress down on its policy and gave the impression that it was the health-care advice to shut down. But it tends to be untruthful, 'he says.

The day after the press conference, an emergency law came, which moved power away from the National Board of Health and over to the government itself. It unanimously passed the Parliament in just one day.

“First, Søren Brostrøm says - and then the board takes away the muscles it has. It's not a pretty process, "says Kent Kristensen, associate professor of health law at SDU.

The unit list describes the process as "deeply problematic".

"It is a good thing to pretend that there is support, without it," says group vice-president Peder Hvelplund (EL).

The Left will now call the Prime Minister in consultation for an explanation.

"This indicates that the prime minister has spoken directly to the Danes," says Sophie Løhde (V).

Behind the decision: Between the lines of Broström's papers, a significant power struggle is hidden

Mette Frederiksen has not wanted to explain which authorities recommended the closure. Nor does Health Minister Magnus Heunicke answer that. In a written comment he states that "one of the overall recommendations of the authorities" was to reduce the number of social contacts:

"It was on the basis of an overall assessment that, on the basis of a precautionary principle, the government made the decision to shut down all unnecessary activity in society."

 

[DFR6868]

state of overton window in usa now.
discussion and acknowledgement in the left and right wing media.
what's next?

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/tucker-carlson-theres-no-evidence-coronavirus-lockdowns-saved-lives-mass-quarantines-may-have-killed-people

Tucker Carlson: There's no evidence coronavirus lockdowns saved lives. Mass quarantines may have killed people

 

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state of the overton window in canada.

https://nationalpost.com/opinion/opinion-we-are-infectious-disease-experts-its-time-to-lift-the-covid-19-lockdowns


Opinion: We are infectious disease experts. It's time to lift the COVID-19 lockdowns

Canada needs a hospital capacity-based approach to guide local lifting and reintroduction of restrictive measures as necessary

National Post
Neil Rau, Susan Richardson, Martha Fulford and Dominik Mertz
May 21, 20202:00 PM EDT

Filed under
Comment
By Neil Rau, Susan Richardson, Martha Fulford and Dominik Mertz

The past two months have shown that with major sacrifices, the community transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus could be slowed down. In Canada, we can rightfully say that we were able to “flatten the curve” to avert a northern Italy or New York City scenario. Now we face the unintended consequences: delays in medical care for non-COVID-19 patients, educational impacts, the looming pandemic of mental-health issues, and massive economic repercussions. Widespread restrictions certainly cannot be sustained until an effective and safe vaccine is widely available, which may not occur for years, if ever. And the virus is unlikely to disappear from Canada or the world any time soon.

Did the lockdown achieve the desired goals? Yes and no. Success in “flattening” the outbreak curve permitted the health-care system to handle the surge in cases safely and to avoid unnecessary deaths. But, we were not successful in protecting the elderly and frail population in nursing homes, where roughly 80 per cent of Canada’s deaths occurred. It is important to point out that more than 95 per cent of COVID-19 deaths occurred in those over 60, compared with none under age 20. Protection of the former group deserves the most attention; this will be easier if limited resources are diverted from other, low-risk groups.

In Canada, the individual rate of death from COVID-19 for people under 65 years of age is six per million people, or 0.0006 per cent. This is roughly equivalent to the risk of dying from a motor vehicle accident during the same time period. In other countries where data are available, 0.6-2.6 per cent of deaths in people below age 65 have occurred in people without known underlying health conditions. Although the risk of death is small in this group, ongoing research to discover the critical risk factors for death from COVID-19 in younger age groups must remain a top priority. This will permit us to better protect those at risk, while loosening restrictions for the majority.

The virus is unlikely to disappear from Canada or the world any time soon

It is also time to continue releasing lockdown measures. Remember, the original approach of “flattening the curve” was to relax restrictions if the system was not overwhelmed. That is still the appropriate goal. It is unlikely that zero infections can be achieved for COVID-19, which fundamentally spreads like influenza or the common cold, including from those without symptoms. The virus causes disease so mild in many people that it can circulate without detection, until it is introduced into a vulnerable population. While some advocate waiting for a vaccine, that would mean continuation of a lockdown for an unknown period of time. This approach ignores how complicated and difficult vaccine development can be. It is entirely possible that in two years we will still not have a vaccine, and very probable that a vaccine will not eliminate the virus entirely. Hence, we need to come to terms with the fact that we cannot eliminate this virus. At best, we can continue to slow its spread, and protect the frail and elderly.

Governments now propose that we test and trace all contacts of identified cases of disease. As we embark on this stage, we will find cases that would previously have gone unnoticed. Ironically, the better our testing capacity and the more we look, the more we will find, making it appear that disease is worsening, when it isn’t. This is particularly problematic as restrictions are being lifted. Should we automatically reinstate restrictions when the number of cases increases? No. Instead we should use local hospital capacity as the guiding principle, ensuring that all patients who need hospital or ICU care can get it. This is not going to be a one-size-fits-all solution: what happens in an urban centre is different from what happens in smaller cities or rural areas of Canada.

We need a tailored regional approach if the local hospital system gets strained. Germany, for example, chose a local threshold of 50 new cases per 100,000 population per week for when reinstitution of lockdown measures must be considered based on local capacity. The Ontario equivalent using the same threshold would be 7,300 new cases per week, or 1,043 per day. In contrast, Ontario has recommended a much lower provincewide threshold of 200 new community cases of infections per day as a threshold for action. This is based on an estimate of the ability of the system to accommodate the required contact tracing for every diagnosed case at the provincial level. The number of community cases should not be the metric of choice for relaxing restrictions as it is not a reflection of the more critical measure, hospital capacity. In addition, time spent on contact tracing is neither necessary nor feasible for all community cases, as it misses asymptomatic and covert transmission. Instead, testing and contact tracing should be focused mainly on hospitals and long-term care institutions, where the impacts of disease are the highest.

Accepting ongoing sustainable levels of transmission might be a healthier option in the long term. While the lockdown has decreased transmission of the virus in the short run, it has also prevented the development of population immunity in low-risk people. We should embrace the benefits of the development of immunity in a growing segment of the population. Right now, the only means of achieving this is by natural infection. Recent data suggests that the human body reacts no differently to this virus than to other respiratory viruses: it mounts immunity, and once achieved, the virus gets cleared and there is protection from future infection. Given the novelty of the virus we do not have long-term data, but we know from 2003 SARS that immunity may last up to 13 years. Once a vaccine is available that would be the preferred option. However, there is no guarantee of whether and when a vaccine will be available, or how effective it will be, to say nothing of how broad the uptake of it will be in the population.


Rules are displayed in the window of a clothing store in Ottawa on May 20, 2020. Ontario has allowed the reopening of most stores, except for those in shopping malls. David Kawai/Bloomberg
Will this approach cost more deaths? Sweden, which allowed for more community transmission, is the measure of this strategy. More deaths per capita did occur than in Canada. On the positive side, Sweden’s number of new cases has peaked and Sweden will be better protected against future waves and the need for future restrictions. In the absence of a vaccine, it is a question of paying now or paying later. While the realistic goal of Canada’s lockdown was to delay deaths, it was never going to avoid them entirely. One year from now, Canada and Sweden may well have the same number of deaths per capita, but Canada may have had significantly more economic and social impacts.

Canada needs a model that uses a hospital capacity-based approach to guide local lifting and reintroduction of more restrictive measures, as necessary. In the absence of hospital strain, consider continuing with a swift release of lockdown measures, to include opening of elementary schools, playgrounds, workplaces, stores and restaurants, while following basic physical distancing rules and voluntary limitations to social gatherings, while continuing to ban mass gatherings and protecting the elderly and those at highest risk.

Dr. Neil Rau is an infectious diseases specialist and medical microbiologist in private practice in Oakville, Ont. He is also an assistant professor at the University of Toronto. Dr. Susan Richardson is a retired infectious diseases physician and medical microbiologist and professor emerita at the University of Toronto. Dr. Martha Fulford is an associate professor at McMaster University and an infectious diseases physician at Hamilton Health Sciences. Dr. Dominik Mertz is an associate professor at McMaster University and an infectious diseases physician and hospital epidemiologist at Hamilton Health Sciences.

 

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jp morgan sends report to its clients.

worth repeating what was stated previously.
the illuminati is not a monolith...

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1286058/US-coronavirus-news-JP-Morgan-study-lockdown-covid-19-infection-death-rates-donald-trump

Shock study claims curfews didn’t slow coronavirus spread despite ‘destroying livelihoods’

A SHOCK new study by the investment bank JP Morgan claims coronavirus lockdowns have had no effect on the course of the pandemic and have instead "destroyed millions of livelihoods".

...

 

[DFR6868]

arms getting twisted, balls getting squeezed, legs getting broken but wtf neil ferguson is still walking around... yes he is just a pawn but a very visible one.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/tell-me-what-to-do-please-even-experts-struggle-with-coronavirus-unknowns/2020/05/25/e11f9870-9d08-11ea-ad09-8da7ec214672_story.html

When the CDC put out its guidance last week, it estimated that 0.2 to 1 percent of people who become infected and symptomatic will die. The agency offered a “current best estimate” of 0.4 percent. The agency also gave a best estimate that 35 percent of people infected never develop symptoms. Those numbers when put together would produce an “infection fatality rate” of 0.26, which is lower than many of the estimates produced by scientists and modelers to date.

That data is now coming in, however, including a report by researchers at the University of Southern California and the Los Angeles County health department, published in JAMA, that described a survey of Los Angeles County residents who were tested for antibodies to the virus. The authors estimated that about 4 percent of the population had been infected as of April 10 and 11.

Although the report did not offer an infection fatality rate, lead author Neeraj Sood, a professor of health policy at USC, said it would probably be 0.13 percent for people outside nursing homes and 0.26 percent — identical to the CDC best estimate — when people in nursing homes were included.

 

[DFR6868]

overton window very broad nowadays hor.

 

[DFR6868]

what has Professor Sunetra Gupta been up to lately...
the unfolding of "i have come to bury caesar, not to praise him" procedural steps well underway. clan nosferatu and its allies are in for a 'treat'.

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/uk/leading-scientist-urges-faster-exit-from-uks-lockdown-39225900.html

A prominent Oxford epidemiologist has reportedly called for a more rapid exit from Britain’s lockdown, saying the coronavirus pandemic is “on its way out” of Britain after infecting as much as half the population.

Professor Sunetra Gupta says there would be a “strong possibility” that pubs, nightclubs and restaurants in Britain could reopen without serious risk from Covid-19.

The professor of theoretical epidemiology at the University of Oxford said the UK had most likely erred on the side of over-reaction in its handling of the crisis, suggesting imposing the lockdown itself was one such misstep.

Prof Gupta told unherd.com the Government had brought in the lockdown based on the worst-case scenario modelling of the Imperial College London.

In March, Imperial College’s workings suggested Covid-19 had a deaths-to-cases ratio of as high as 1.4%, reducing to 0.66% when allowing for undiagnosed cases.

Prof Gupta’s Oxford team produced a rival model, also in March, speculating as much as 50% of Britain’s population may have already been infected, and suggesting an infection fatality rate as low as 0.1%, which she says would be far lower now.

Asked for her updated ratio, Prof Gupta said the epidemic had “largely come and is on its way out in this country” and that the rate would be “definitely less than one in 1000 and probably closer to one in 10,000”, or between 0.1% and 0.01%.

Prof Gupta said the Government’s defence of the lockdown was that it was based on a plausible, “or at least a possible”, worst case scenario.

“The question is, should we act on a possible worst case scenario, given the costs of lockdown?

“It seems to me that given that the costs of lockdown are mounting, that case is becoming more and more fragile,” she said.

Prof Gupta called for a “more rapid exits from lockdown” based on factors such as “who is dying and what is happening to the death rates”.

She said it was feasible Britain could have fared better with the Covid-19 crisis by doing “nothing at all” or at least by concentrating on protecting the people most vulnerable to the disease.

“Remaining in a state of lockdown is extremely dangerous from the point of view of the vulnerability of the entire population to new pathogens,” she said.

“Effectively we used to live in a state approximating lockdown 100 years ago, and that was what created the conditions for the Spanish Flu to come in and kill 50m people.”

Whilst accepting it hard to prove on current evidence, Prof Gupta said there was a “strong possibility” the UK could return to normal without great risk.

 

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https://unherd.com/2020/05/oxford-doubles-down-sunetra-gupta-interview/

 

[DFR6868]

we dun need no stinkin lockdown because of some stinkin flu because...

got investment in healthcare, so no need to flatten no stinkin curve

swedish model - semi/voluntary lockdown and the
belarus example - we dun nid no stinkin lockdown for some stinkin flu...

https://eng.belta.by/society/view/belarus-covid-19-latest-over-12000-patients-recover-130572-2020/

MINSK, 21 May (BelTA) – As of 21 May, 12,057 patients previously diagnosed with COVID-19 recovered and were discharged from hospitals in Belarus, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian Healthcare Ministry.

So far, 33,371 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in Belarus. Belarus has performed 403,236 tests.

A total of 185 coronavirus patients suffering from a number of chronic diseases have died.

https://sputniknews.com/europe/202005291079457033-explained-why-belarus-hasnt-faced-massive-spike-in-deaths-despite-lack-of-coronavirus-lockdowns/

Western media and opposition activists predicted a massive spike in coronavirus infections in Belarus earlier this month after thousands of soldiers and spectators gathered in Minsk to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. Instead, the number of cases has stabilized, and fatality rates remain incredibly low.

Nearly three weeks after Victory Day on May 9, and more than a month after Orthodox Easter celebrations and Belarus’s annual large-scale ‘community labour’ day events on April 19 and 25, the republic’s sanitary inspection agency is predicting a gradual decline in the number of new COVID-19 cases after reaching a plateau.

Belarus has become somewhat of an oddity over its decision to defy the European consensus of instituting lockdowns to try to curb the spread of the coronavirus, joined only by Sweden in refusing to implement strict restrictions. In Belarus, factories and farms, schools, shops, restaurants and other public amenities have remained open all this time, and authorities have urged (but not forced) the public to take individual precautionary measures such as social distancing and the wearing of medical masks in public places.

Western observers have scolded Minsk over its decision not to cancel mass events, warning that the festivities would soon cause an inevitable massive spike in infection rates.

Surreal video from #Belarus, where the annual WW2 victory parade has gone ahead despite the pandemic. Thousands of troops packed together, watched by spectators. Lukashenko on stage with officials. Not a mask in sight.
“We had no other choice,” he told the crowd. pic.twitter.com/1KYOBidxdx

— Patrick Reevell (@Reevellp) May 9, 2020
Weeks later, however, data released by the country’s epidemiological authorities has shown that infection rates remain steady, failing to top 1,000 new cases on any day since April 19, when large-scale testing began.
As of Friday, Belarus has carried out over 512,000 COVID-19 tests, equivalent to roughly 5.3 percent of its population of 9.4 million, with total cases topping 40,700, or about 0.4 percent of the population, and 224 people succumbing to coronavirus-related complications.

16 days ago, #Belarus held a large military parade in #Minsk to mark the end of WW2.

Setting aside the furore about whether this was the right decision or not, it’s positive to see that the event did not result in a spike of new cases. #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/QxMpsjirsv

— Jonathan Millins (@BelarusPolicy) May 25, 2020
If these figures are correct, this means that despite the lack of lockdowns, Belarus’s infection rates are roughly comparable to those of nations which have instituted tough restrictive measures, including Spain, Belgium, the United States, Italy, and the United Kingdom.

COVID-19 Cases per Million Inhabitants: A Comparison | Statista https://t.co/Wa5ksOvVdY pic.twitter.com/f1Azws1L2z

— Richard Benjamins (@vrbenjamins) May 19, 2020
What About Mortality?
In terms of COVID-19 mortality, Belarus boasts some of the lowest figures in the world among nations with large-scale infection rates. From 49 countries where 10,000 or more people have been confirmed infected, Belarus ranks 45th, behind only countries like Kuwait, Qatar, and Singapore, small nations with warm climates, in terms of deaths per capita. At the same time, Belarus has fewer reported deaths than South Korea and Denmark, where 3.5 times fewer people have been infected, as well as Israel and Japan, which have reported 2.3 times fewer cases.

By total mortality, just 0.5 percent of those infected succumb to COVID-19-related complications in Belarus, equivalent to a death rate of 21 people per one million, which is leagues ahead of developed Western European nations like Belgium (812 deaths per million), Spain (597 deaths per million), the UK (550 deaths per million), Italy (542 deaths per million), and France (420 deaths per million).

Critics have questioned Belarus’s methodology, accusing Minsk of covering up or otherwise manipulating its statistics, or resorting to the tired cliches about the country’s status as “the last dictatorship in Europe.”

Belarus is strongly autocratic, led by the dictator Alexander Lukashenko for two and a half decades. You would be wise to take any data that reflects his controversial coronavirus policies with a very large truckload of salt.

— Prof. UltraDan (@DanFunko) May 29, 2020
However, covering up large numbers of dead people is impossible, not only because it is an automatic felony that would lead to lawsuits from families, but because doing so would have immense political consequences, particularly in Belarus, where presidential elections are set to take place in August.

So what accounts for Belarus’s low coronavirus mortality? For starters, it may have to do with the country’s decision many years ago to not dismantle its Soviet-era medical system, including a specialized structure of epidemiological defence.

In March, Natalya Zhukova, the Belarusian Ministry of Health’s Chief Sanitary Doctor, explained to reporters that Belarus’s district, regional or city-level hospitals are staffed with doctors specializing in epidemiology, while larger regional and republican-level health centers contain an entirely separate unit known as the ‘department of especially dangerous infections’. For decades, doctors in this department have been dealing with the organization of preventative measures in the event of an infectious diseases-related emergency.

“These are small units which are maintained on constant standby,” Zhukova explained at the time.

On top of that, Belarus’s medical system contains an army of 38,000 doctors and 115,000 other medical personnel, as well as 75,600 beds and 2,000 ventilators among its 599 hospitals, meaning enough capacity for every 1 in 124 Belarusians to be treated in hospital at any one time, and 41 doctors per 10,000 inhabitants (for comparison, according to World Health Organization data, the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain and Italy have 24.5, 28.1, 33 and 37.6 physicians per 10,000 inhabitants, respectively).

This week, Minsk announced that the coronavirus infection situation in Belarus had stabilized, and that part of the capital’s hospital network that was previously committed specifically to fighting the virus was no longer needed and would resume operating as normal.

When all is said and done, Belarus's unique approach to handling the pandemic seems to demonstrate that more than anything, nations' coronavirus mortality rates depend not as much on lockdown measures as they do on the effective functioning of medical systems.

Earlier this month, President Lukashenko warned ministers that he would hold them personally responsible for any spikes in mortality, since, while the numbers of infections will sooner or later be forgotten, "the people who've died, but whom we could have saved but did not save will be remembered." So far, it seems the authorities have managed to make good on their commitments.

 

[DFR6868]

forgot to maintain mrt
forgot to build longkang
and forgot to build hospital lah
i bet a few extra hospital here and there would still be less than those budgets

unity resilience solidarity fortitude

hence, u r (fornication under the consent of the king) singapore, burn reserves on a self inflicted wound

the curse on lee kwan yew, cannot get justification to lift, population majority show no initiative, too npc like, if running a country like a corporation system is allowed to succeed and a culture that does not foster personal initiative, system get replicated and this is not aligned with the agenda of the true powers to be.

i oso am inconvenienced hor.

overall, too many npcs worldwide, there will be so many coming interventions that will be very unpleasant.

will be update this thread on mainly on overton window and herd immunity issues since the other issues are no longer contentious.

https://sbr.com.sg/healthcare/news/chart-day-singapores-hospital-beds-inched-measly-23-in-last-decade

Chart of the Day: Singapore's hospital beds inched up by a measly 2.3% in the last decade
Bed to patient ratio is still unsatisfactory at 2.1-2.5.

Hospital beds (from both restructured and private hospitals) in Singapore have grown at 2.3% CAGR from 2006 to 2016, with additional 3,200 acute care beds and 1,050 community care beds from the upcoming Sengkang General and Community Hospital (2018), Outram Community Hospital (2020), Integrated Care Hub (2022), and Woodlands General Hospital (2022).

According to CIMB, other healthcare facilities in the pipeline include a new National Cancer Centre, Health City Novena Complex (by 2030), polyclinics, family medicine clinics, and more aged-care facilities.

Meanwhile, the proportion of beds per 1,000 people stayed largely within the range of 2.1 to 2.5, similar to UK’s 2.6 hospital beds per 1,000 population, and the US’s 2.8. We expect the opening of new public hospitals and additional infrastructure investments to culminate into more hospital beds for Singapore.

Here's more from CIMB:

Even with the upcoming Sengkang General and Community Hospital (2018), Outram Community Hospital (2020), Integrated Care Hub (2022) and Woodlands General Hospital (2022), there will only be an additional 3,200 acute care beds and 1,050 community care beds.

Based on the pipeline of new hospitals, as well as a projected population size of 5.8m to 6.0m by 2020 and 6.5m to 6.9m by 2030, according to the 2013 government White Paper, Singapore’s hospital bed to 1,000 people ratio will inch up slightly to an estimated 2.6-2.8 over 2020 to 2030, still below the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries’ average of 4.7 acute hospital beds per 1,000 population in 2015.

Japan and Korea have the highest hospital bed density (as of 2015 per 1,000 population), at 13.2 and 11.5 respectively, which we attribute to the higher proportion of ageing population. In 2016, the number of elderly (aged 65 and above) comprised 27.7% and 13.6% of the total population in Japan and Korea, respectively, based on local government estimates.

So what accounts for Belarus’s low coronavirus mortality? For starters, it may have to do with the country’s decision many years ago to not dismantle its Soviet-era medical system, including a specialized structure of epidemiological defence.

In March, Natalya Zhukova, the Belarusian Ministry of Health’s Chief Sanitary Doctor, explained to reporters that Belarus’s district, regional or city-level hospitals are staffed with doctors specializing in epidemiology, while larger regional and republican-level health centers contain an entirely separate unit known as the ‘department of especially dangerous infections’. For decades, doctors in this department have been dealing with the organization of preventative measures in the event of an infectious diseases-related emergency.

“These are small units which are maintained on constant standby,” Zhukova explained at the time.

On top of that, Belarus’s medical system contains an army of 38,000 doctors and 115,000 other medical personnel, as well as 75,600 beds and 2,000 ventilators among its 599 hospitals, meaning enough capacity for every 1 in 124 Belarusians to be treated in hospital at any one time, and 41 doctors per 10,000 inhabitants (for comparison, according to World Health Organization data, the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain and Italy have 24.5, 28.1, 33 and 37.6 physicians per 10,000 inhabitants, respectively).

This week, Minsk announced that the coronavirus infection situation in Belarus had stabilized, and that part of the capital’s hospital network that was previously committed specifically to fighting the virus was no longer needed and would resume operating as normal.

When all is said and done, Belarus's unique approach to handling the pandemic seems to demonstrate that more than anything, nations' coronavirus mortality rates depend not as much on lockdown measures as they do on the effective functioning of medical systems.

 

[DFR6868]

the illuminati is not a monolith.
best dun stupidly get yourself in things way beyond your ken.

https://off-guardian.org/2020/05/31/its-all-bullsht-3-leaks-that-sink-the-covid-narrative/

“It’s all Bullsh*t” – 3 Leaks that Sink the Covid Narrative
In recent days a series of leaks across the globe have further shown the “official line” on coronavirus does not hold water
Kit Knightly

The science of the coronavirus is not disputed. It is well documented and openly admitted:

Most people won’t get the virus.
Most of the people who get it won’t display symptoms.
Most of the people who display symptoms will only be mildly sick.
Most of the people with severe symptoms will never be critically ill.
And most of the people who get critically ill will survive.
This is borne out by the numerous serological studies which show, again and again, that the infection fatality ratio is on par with flu.

There is no science – and increasingly little rational discussion – to justify the lockdown measures and overall sense of global panic.

Nevertheless, it’s always good to get official acknowledgement of the truth, even if it has to be leaked.

Here are three leaks showing that those in power know that the coronavirus poses no threat, and in no way justifies the lockdown that is going to destroy the livelihoods of so many.

1. “IT’S ALL ********!”
On May 26th Dr Alexander Myasnikov, Russia’s head of coronavirus information, gave an interview to former-Presidential candidate Ksenia Sobchak in which he apparently let slip his true feelings.

Believing the interview over, and the camera turned off, Myasnikov said:

It’s all ******** […] It’s all exaggerated. It’s an acute respiratory disease with minimal mortality […] Why has the whole world been destroyed? That I don’t know,”

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2020/05/27/its-all-bullsht-russias-coronavirus-information-chief-says-of-virus-fears-a70398


2. “COVID-19 CANNOT BE DESCRIBED AS A GENERALLY DANGEROUS DISEASE”
According to an e-mail leaked to Danish newspaper Politiken, the Danish Health Authority disagree with their government’s approach to the coronavirus. They cover it in two articles here and here (For those who don’t speak Danish, thelocal.dk have covered the story too).

There’s a lot of interesting information there, not least of which is the clear implication that politicians appear to be pressing the scientific advisors to overstate the danger (they did the same thing in the UK), along with the decision of some civil servants to withhold data from the public until after the lockdown had been extended.

But by far the most important quote is from a March 15th e-mail [our emphasis]:

The Danish Health Authority continues to consider that covid-19 cannot be described as a generally dangerous disease, as it does not have either a usually serious course or a high mortality rate,”

On March 12th the Danish parliament passed an emergency law which – among many other things – decreased the power of the Danish Health Authority, demoting it from a “regulatory authority” to just an “advisory” one.

https://www.thelocal.dk/20200529/leaked-emails-show-how-denmarks-pm-steam-rollered-her-own-health-agency/amp

3. “A GLOBAL FALSE ALARM”
Earlier this month, on May 9th, a report was leaked to the German alternate media magazine Tichys Einblick titled “Analysis of the Crisis Management”.

The report was commissioned by the German department of the interior, but then its findings were ignored, prompting one of the authors to release it through non-official channels.

The fall out of that, including attacks on the authors and minimising of the report’s findings, is all very fascinating and we highly recommend this detailed report on Strategic Culture (or read the full report here in German).

We’re going to focus on just the reports conclusions, including [our emphasis]:

The dangerousness of Covid-19 was overestimated: probably at no point did the danger posed by the new virus go beyond the normal level.
The danger is obviously no greater than that of many other viruses. There is no evidence that this was more than a false alarm.
During the Corona crisis the State has proved itself as one of the biggest producers of Fake News.
After being attacked in the press, and suspended from his job, the leaker and other authors of the report released a joint statement, calling on the government to respond to their findings.

https://www.tichyseinblick.de/daili-es-sentials/exklusiv-auf-te-ein-vorwurf-koennte-lauten-der-staat-hat-sich-in-der-coronakrise-als-einer-der-groessten-fake-news-produzenten-erwiesen/
*

If the current crisis was being approached rationally by all parties, these leaks would seal the debate.

Evidence is piling up that the people in charge knew, from the very beginning, that the virus was not dangerous.

The question remaining is: Why are these leaks happening now?

 

[DFR6868]

herd immunity or prolong the issue.

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2020/05/29/asia/south-korea-coronavirus-shuts-down-again-intl/index.html

Hundreds of South Korea schools close again after reopening
By Jake Kwon and Sophie Jeong CNN
Updated 6:06 AM EDT, Fri May 29, 2020

 

[DFR6868]

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3600511

M ZELMAT
Laboratory of Clinical Biology, Hospital Center, France

Date Written: May 13, 2020

Abstract
On December 31, 2019: the World Health Organization (WHO) was alerted on cases of atypical pneumonia in Wuhan (Hubei Province of China) by the Taiwan Center for Disease Control (CDC) which, also, expressed reservations on the fact that the cases were not severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) as told by the Chinese health authorities. The etiological agent responsible, SARS-CoV-2, was then isolated and the evidence of human-to-human transmission was declared by the WHO mission to China more than 20 days after the alert.

On March 11, 2020: the WHO made the assessment that the disease, called COVID-19, can be characterized as a pandemic.

Almost all the countries of the world have responded to this disease using a measure, unknown until then in medicine and which constitutes a first in the history of humanity: the confinement (called also: lockdown). In this article, we will know if there is scientific evidences that this intervention is effective in decreasing the number of cases and deaths, allowing to spread them over time and avoiding saturation of the clinical services, especially intensive care units (ICU). Two examples of studies to know if the confinement is effective or not will be exposed. We will, also, talk about the balance benefit-risk of the confinement. This article will propose measures to avoid saturation of hospitals and to manage this pandemic as well as possible and will also specify, for the first time in a scientific publication dealing with this subject, the exact reason which pushed the world to adopt the confinement. The many experts, including some of international renown, who have gave their opinions on the confinement will be cited juste before concluding this article.
Note: Funding: No funding by external sources.

Conflict of Interest: No competing interests.

Keywords: COVID-19, Evidence-Based Medicine, confinement, lockdown, isolation, quarantine, evidence, WHO

...

There is no evidence that China has "flattened" the epidemic curve through the confinement. Saying that China has reduced the number of cases or managed the epidemic well thanks to the confinement is a pure lie and is not based on any evidence (as we will see later), because no one is able to give the number of cases or deaths in China if they had not applied the
confinement. It is quite simply because it is the kinetics and the normal evolution of any epidemic curve (ascending phase, peak then descending phase). Several specialists say that we cannot break the transmission chains by confining people. Then, how can we trust China and believe that confinement has enabled to reduce the number of cases if the data it has
communicated are not even true.

...

Regarding the number of deaths, in countries18 such as : Austria, Germany, UK, Italy, USA, Belgium, no distinction is made between patients who die from COVID-19 and those who die with COVID-19. This overestimates the deaths and constitutes a serious and scandalous manipulation of the figures. According to Pr Walter Ricciardi, only 12% of deaths in Italy are directly related to COVID-19 ! This means the number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 is overestimated 8 times ! Dr Dan Erickson, a specialist in emergency medicine, reported that Facing COVID-19 by the confinement : EBM, "MBM" or "SBM" doctors from several US states have been pressured to issue death certificates mentioning COVID-19 even if the patient died from other reasons.
Why this manipulation of figures ? Is it to exceed the number of deaths from the flu and make COVID-19 look more dangerous and more deadly ? Who gave these instructions to countries ?

...

Funded in the 1970s at 80% by contributions from its member states and 20% by companies and private donors, we are now experiencing the reverse trend ! : WHO is actually 80% funded by pharmaceutical laboratories, banks, arms industry, oil compagnies, alcohol industry, etc. while Bill Gates participates more and more in the financing of the WHO through his foundation38, making the organization very dependant (so much so that some call him the : "the WHO doctor") and the facts are accumulating : false alarm on H1N1 flu under the pressure of pharmaceutical lobbies, disturbing complacency towards glyphosate which the WHO declared safe despite the victims of the herbicide, blindness towards the consequences of pollution due to oil companies in Africa, minimization of the human toll of nuclear
disasters (because of the agreement which the WHO signed with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)!) from Chernobyl to Fukushima and the disasters of the use of depleted uranium munitions in Iraq and the Balkans, non-recognition of Artemisia to protect pharmaceutical interests despite the fact that it has been already evidence-based medicine.
The independence of the organization is compromised both by the influence of industrial lobbies -including that of pharmaceutical laboratories- and by the interests of its member states, especially China.

...

In medicine, there is only isolation and quarantine and the confinement of the general population is not only a heresy (because it does not exist in medicine nor in epidemiology nor in infectiology nor in public health) but it is based on no scientific evidence. In medicine, we can’t and we have no right to set up a treatment or a preventive measure if it is not based on evidence (Evidence Based-Medicine). The confinement is, also, very dangerous for health,
economy, education and peace. The governments must listen to real experts (who put public health before private interests), stop immediately all the lockdown measures and re-open everything (economy, hospital medical services, education, etc) because nothing in this virus justifies them ; this virus is, in the general population, mild and not very dangerous as we are
told because it it causes 85% of mild forms, 99 % of infected people recover, it is not a danger for pregnant women and children (unlike the flu), it spreads less faster than influenza viruses, children are not important drivers (unlike the flu), its mortality rate is similar to the flu or even lower and much lower than the coronaviruses that appeared in 2003 (10%) and 2012 (30%). Each year : flu virus infects worldwide 1 billion persons and kills 650,000 and
tuberculosis, which is in the top 10 of death causes in the world and much more contagious (an untreated patient can infect 10 to 15 people) causes 10,4 million cases and kills 1,8 million people. Yet, we never talk about any health crisis. The entire hospital system of countries is absolutely not overwhelmed because saturation only concerns very few hospitals and this can be avoided by taking reasonable measures to manage this epidemic as we indicated and as Sweden did. The WHO must undergo a radical reform. The confinement is truly the health scam of the 21st century, an enquiry must be done about it and those responsible in the WHO and Imperial College London must be questionned and if necessary tried.