I haven't even finished my morning cup of coffee and my head already hurts. Plus, I just realized that we will be needing a whole new dictionary to help with all of this. Viral load??

Good grief.

Opinion piece from The Wall Street Journal. Based on what I’ve read about other medical issues over the years, this is not the first time the WHO has caused more harm than good.

=========================

“World Health Disinformation”

The coronavirus pandemic will offer many lessons in what to do better to save more lives and do less economic harm the next time. But there’s already one way to ensure future pandemics are less deadly: Reform or defund the World Health Organization (WHO).

Last week Florida Senator Rick Scott called for a Congressional investigation into the United Nations agency’s “role in helping Communist China cover up information regarding the threat of the Coronavirus.” The rot at WHO goes beyond canoodling with Beijing, but that’s a good place to start.

The coronavirus outbreak began in Wuhan, China, sometime in the autumn, perhaps as early as November. It accelerated in December. Caixin Global reported that Chinese labs had sequenced the coronavirus genome by the end of December but were ordered by Chinese officials to destroy samples and not publish their findings. On Dec. 30 Dr. Li Wenliang warned Chinese doctors about the virus, and several days later local authorities accused him of lies that “severely disturbed the social order.”

Taiwanese officials warned WHO on Dec. 31 that they had seen evidence that the virus could be transmitted human-to-human. But the agency, bowing to Beijing, doesn’t have a normal relationship with Taiwan. On Jan. 14 WHO tweeted, “Preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission.” The agency took another week to reverse that misinformation.

On Jan. 22-23 a WHO emergency committee debated whether to declare Covid-19 a “public health emergency of international concern.” The virus already had spread to several countries, and making such a declaration would have better prepared the world. It should have been an easy decision, despite Beijing’s objections. Yet director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus declined and instead traveled to China.

He finally made the declaration on Jan. 30— losing a week of precious time—and his rhetoric suggests the trip to Beijing was more about politics than public health. “The Chinese government is to be congratulated for the extraordinary measures it has taken,” he said. “I left in absolutely no doubt about China’s commitment to transparency.”

A University of Southampton study suggests the number of coronavirus cases could have been reduced by 95% had China moved to contain the virus three weeks sooner. Yet Dr. Tedros gushed that Beijing had set “a new standard for outbreak response.” He also praised the speed with which China “sequenced the genome and shared it with WHO and the world.” China didn’t do so until Jan. 12.

On Jan. 30 Dr. Tedros also said that “WHO doesn’t recommend limiting trade and movement.” President Trump ignored the advice and announced travel restrictions on China the following day, slowing the spread of the virus. U.S. progressive elites echoed WHO and criticized Mr. Trump. WHO didn’t declare the coronavirus a pandemic until March 11. Not that any of this has prompted much soul-searching. Alluding to China, WHO official Michael Ryan said last week, “We need to be very careful also to not to be profiling certain parts of the world as being uncooperative.” Beijing touted the remarks, as it has other WHO statements.

***

This record is tragic but not surprising. Much of the blame for WHO’s failures lies with Dr. Tedros, who is a politician, not a medical doctor. As a member of the left-wing Tigray People’s Liberation Front, he rose through Ethiopia’s autocratic government as health and foreign minister. After taking the director-general job in 2017, he tried to install Zimbabwe dictator Robert Mugabe as a WHO goodwill ambassador.

WHO’s bows to Beijing have harmed the global coronavirus response.

China inevitably gains more international clout as its economy grows. But why does WHO seem so much more afraid of Beijing’s ire than Washington’s? Only 12% of WHO’s assessed member-state contributions come from China. The U.S. contributes 22%. Americans at WHO generally are loyal to the institution, while Chinese appointees put Chinese interests first or they will suffer Beijing’s wrath.

China’s influence over WHO has been organized and consistent, whereas the U.S. response has been haphazard. Washington needs a quarterback to lead the fight against Chinese dominance at WHO and other international organizations. Yet the State Department’s Bureau of International Organization Affairs lacks a political appointee.

The U.S. will have allies in an effort to reform WHO. A frustrated Japanese deputy prime minister called WHO the “Chinese Health Organization.” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reportedly is rethinking U.K.-China ties over China’s lack of candor about the virus.

***

Congress should investigate how WHO performed against the coronavirus and whether its judgments were corrupted by China’s political influence. Of all international institutions, WHO should be the least political. Its core mission is to coordinate international efforts against epidemics and provide honest public-health guidance.

If WHO is merely a politicized Maginot Line against pandemics, then it is worse than useless and should receive no more U.S. funding. And if foreign-policy elites want to know why so many Americans mistrust international institutions, WHO is it. [Emphasis added.]

LINK

The Queen earned her stipend this week. Well done mum!

I keep looking at the CDC actual numbers rather than "projected". I think I posted this link before, but I'm watching the number of reported cases by day. It's the second graph. The first graph of total cumulative cases is irrelevant as far as I'm concerned.

I also realize they say the more recent data does not have all the reports yet. But the numbers haven't changed in about 3 days. I'm gonna keep watching this and comparing the daily numbers in April and see if they are adjusted up or stay the same.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronaviru...ENWJV2Q5ZImyChEbr9rA

Nice retort from Australia...

Via Local Commie Underlings, Beijing Officially Disapproves Tim Blair, The Daily Telegraph April 4, 2020 11:03pm


The Daily Telegraph this week received a letter from the Australian Consulate General of the People's Republic of China, who took gentle issue with our excellent coverage of the coronavirus crisis.

Following is a point-by-point response to the Consulate General and China’s communist dictatorship:

Recently the Daily Telegraph has published a number of reports and opinions about China’s response to COVID-19 that are full of ignorance, prejudice and arrogance.

If a state-owned newspaper in China received this kind of complaint, subsequent days would involve journalists waking up in prison with their organs harvested.

Tracing the origin of the virus is a scientific issue that requires professional, science-based assessment.

Sure it does. How professional and science-based was the claim published on March 12 by China’s foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian that “it might be US Army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan”?

The origin of the virus is still undetermined, and the World Health Organization has named the novel coronavirus “COVID-19”.

The World Health Organisation also appointed Zimbabwean murderer Robert Mugabe as its Goodwill Ambassador and declared on March 2 that the “stigma” of the coronavirus “is more dangerous than the virus itself”.

The World Health Organisation does a lot of stupid stuff.

So what is the real motive behind your attempt to repeatedly link the virus to China and even stating that the novel coronavirus was “made in China”?

Our motive is accuracy. That’s why we don’t link the virus to Bognor Regis or state that it was “made in Panama”.

The people of Wuhan made a huge effort and personal sacrifice to stop the spread of the epidemic.

Wuhan’s Dr Li Wenliang indeed made a huge effort to warn people about the coronavirus outbreak. Then, as the New York Times reported: “In early January, he was called in by both medical officials and the police, and forced to sign a statement denouncing his warning as an unfounded and illegal rumor.”

And now he’s dead, so that’s “personal sacrifice” covered as well.

Nevertheless, in order to capture attention and gain more internet hits, you called Wuhan the “Zombieland” and Wuhan seafood market the “bat market”. How low can you go?

In the civilised world, “Bradman bats and bats and bats” is a famous newspaper banner:



In Wuhan, it’s the name of a restaurant.

The effectiveness of China's epidemic prevention and control has fully underlined the people-centred philosophy of the Communist Party of China and the strong advantages of the Chinese system.

In 2018, Amnesty International reported that China executed more citizens than the rest of the world combined.

Please tell us more about your “people-centred philosophy” and how many bullets it requires.

Instead of admitting and facing facts, the articles in your newspaper have wantonly attacked and smeared the CPC and the Chinese government with vicious language.

And yet we haven’t been jailed or shot! Where’s the justice in that?

Is your judgement based on the well-being of the people or do you have an ideological prejudice?

We will admit to an ideological prejudice against deadly tyranny. It’s a tragic failing on our part.

Since 3 January, China has been updating the WHO and the international community in a timely and transparent manner.

On January 14, following 11 days of “timely and transparent” updates, the WHO broadcast this ridiculous Chinese misinformation:


World Health Organization (WHO)
✔
@WHO
Preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the novel #coronavirus (2019-nCoV) identified in #Wuhan, #China

The epidemic is spreading rapidly around the globe, and China is doing its utmost to support other severely affected countries.

Thousands of Chinese-made coronavirus testing kits and medical masks exported to Spain, Turkey and the Netherlands turned out to be "below standard or defective”, according to the BBC.

And the ABC this week reported that more than 800,000 masks have been seized by Australian Border Force officers after the masks were “found to be counterfeit or otherwise faulty”.

Thanks for all your help, guys.

Virus respects no borders

Why, then, did China close its own borders on March 28 – even while claiming victory over the spread of coronavirus?

You have repeatedly questioned the WHO’s positive assessment of China's epidemic prevention and control, but surely you know that the WHO is the most authoritative international organization in global public health, with more than 190 members including Australia?

Keep an eye on that number, sunshine.

In disregard of the authoritative information provided by China and the WHO's professional opinions, you instead quoted several so-called “strategic analysts” … Were you aware that the institution where these people work have been exposed as long accepting financial support from the US government … ?

The US last year contributed nearly $900 million to the sacred WHO. Your point, sir?

Your recent coverage on the epidemic in China are exaggerated, full of irresponsible rumours and highly politicized.

Naughty us.

Please send an official Dr Li Wenliang “unfounded and illegal rumour” denunciation statement so we can sign it and be on our way.

UPDATE. Reader Tim asks:

Please tell me that this response was actually sent back to them.

Even better. It was published on a double-page 6-7 spread in Saturday’s Daily Telegraph:



https://www.dailytelegraph.com...bdc526d33d5b569134a4

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
Sdy, you realize he changed his predictions around the 26/27th right?

If you change a prediction - is it still really a prediction? (like changing a bet in the 4th quarter)

and FYI:

Fauci Fun Facts: Dr. Fauci’s AIDS Predictions were also WAY OFF THE MARK

** Dr. Fauci claimed that AIDS might be transmissible by “routine close contact.” (May 5, 1983, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association). (Michael Fumento, The Myth of Heterosexual AIDS, p. 237).

** Dr. Fauci claimed that ten percent of the HIV/AIDS infected would be heterosexual—more than two and half times the rate – four percent – it actually was.

** On February 15, 1987, then conservative columnist George Will said to Dr. Fauci that HIV/AIDS was principally a homosexual affliction and that it was not exploding and Fauci quickly replied, “That’s not correct. The percentage of individuals who have gotten AIDS by heterosexual transmission is about four percent now. It is projected that that number will be up in 1991 to about 10 percent.”

This ten percent claim was a standard talking point of his. “We expect 10 percent of U.S. AIDS to be heterosexually transmitted by 1991,” he said, citing, Scientific References, Group I: The Epidemiology of AIDS.

HIV/AIDS in the heterosexual community has never been more than four percent.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.c...s-also-way-off-mark/

Politicians in India are taking a 30% pay cut- Time for Congress and other politicians to follow suit.

quote:

Coronavirus: President, PM, Ministers, MPs to take 30% salary cut for a year

https://www.businesstoday.in/c...ut/story/400283.html

Really - exactly who does this asshole think he is? Great idea. As I recall, last time this was done, it was a cloth yellow star. Maybe this time it can be a scarlet C.

St. Louis Federal Reserve Head Says Americans Should Be Tested for COVID-19 Daily And Forced To Display a Badge on Their Clothing with the Result

James Bullard, CEO of the St. Louis branch of the Federal Reserve, was recently on CBS’s Face The Nation with Margaret Brennan to talk about the state of the economy and what could be done to stem the outbreak of the virus. Toward the end of the interview, Bullard says,

“You know, I have good news for you, MARGARET, because we have a- there is a solution using available technology today to fix the economic part of this problem. The solution is universal testing. What you want is every single person to get tested every day. And then they would wear a badge like they would at a- after they voted or something like that to show that they’ve been tested. This would immediately sort out who’s been infected and who hasn’t been infected. That would help the health care sector. But it would also help the economy because we could interact with each other with a lot of confidence.”

https://www.thegatewaypundit.c...dge-clothing-result/

quote:

But the numbers haven't changed in about 3 days.

It also says they Saturday and Sunday numbers will be updated the following Monday.

quote:

Originally posted by r0gue:
The Queen earned her stipend this week. Well done mum!

How so?

Well said feersum….you just helped show what I have been saying all along. Fauci is not as smart as he thinks he is or the news media thinks he is.
As for this idiot Bullard and his idea...I have one for him. How 'bout we pin a star on people like you so everyone knows what a dumbass you are then we can round you up and ship you off somewhere. I can't believe these are the idiots we are allowing to run our country.

quote:

What you want is every single person to get tested every day.

For a smart guy... James Bullard sure is stupid.

Who would be paying for universal daily testing?

Also, who would be paying for the certified results? What prevents a person from faking their badge? What new organization would be formed to check the badges?

That a person would suggest such a thing is telling.

Some more data that puts things in context: This is from a report in the British Medical Journal which indicates that 78% show no symptoms in China:

"New evidence has emerged from China indicating that the large majority of coronavirus infections do not result in symptoms."

The same report also includes this:

"The latest findings seem to contradict a World Health Organization report in February that was based on covid-19 in China. This suggested that “the proportion of truly asymptomatic infections is unclear but appears to be relatively rare and does not appear to be a major driver of transmission.

But since that WHO report other researchers, including Sergio Romagnani, a professor of clinical immunology at the University of Florence, have said they have evidence that most people infected by the virus do not show symptoms. Romagnani led the research that showed that blanket testing in a completely isolated village of roughly 3000 people in northern Italy saw the number of people with covid-19 symptoms fall by over 90% within 10 days by isolating people who were symptomatic and those who were asymptomatic."

BMJ 4/5s asymptomatic

The governments response now seems to be worse than the disease.

________________________________________________________________

I’ll try to tie together a bunch of posts about NY, Cuomo’s 24 Mar prediction, President Trump, and ventilators.

24 Mar:



Cuomo said based on that prediction, NY needed 40,000 ventilators. NY had 3,000 spread over the state. NY had rapidly purchased another 7,000. Cuomo was asking the federal govt for another 30,000. He ridiculed that the federal govt had only sent him 400.



President Trump said he was holding the federal supply of ventilators to see where they would be needed over the country. President Trump disagreed that NY would need 40,000 ventilators.

From the chart that showed the actual NY confirmed cases versus the 24 Mar prediction, and given that the NY confirmed cases are now doubling at roughly every 6 days, you can scale the actual number of confirmed cases to 11 Apr.

The result is that rather than needing 40,000 ventilators, the actual numbers indicate about 7000 will be needed by NY. (all very rough estimates)

So Cuomo and NY were watching the data come in, and skins is correct, Cuomo saw the virus infected rate dropping. He had 10,000 respirators. But they were scattered all over NY state.

Look at the pics that show 93% of the NY confirmed cases are in the NY City metro area

Cuomo saw that coming too.

So he sent the NY national guard all over NY state to collect ventilators and bring them to the NY City metro hot spot.

We are about to see how this plays out.

More WHO and China data? Really?

quote:

Originally posted by sdy:
I’ll try to tie together a bunch of posts about NY, Cuomo’s 24 Mar prediction, President Trump, and ventilators.

The result is that rather than needing 40,000 ventilators, the actual numbers indicate about 7000 will be needed by NY. (all very rough estimates)

We are about to see how this plays out.

Could Super Mario please let us know the plan oo get 20,000 (or even 2,000) respiratory therapists to monitor and operate all those ventilators? As far as I know, they are not plug & chug.

A few pages back someone posted that NY is offering nurses in other states $10,000 a week to go to NY.

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:
A few pages back someone posted that NY is offering nurses in other states $10,000 a week to go to NY.

I wonder how much a life insurance policy is for a nurse going to NYC?

https://coronavirus.1point3acres.com/en

has a new display

Up to recently, the "confirmed cases" was close to the number of "active" cases because deaths and recovered were relatively small.

But now deaths and recovered are getting significant. An important stat is how many cases are "active".

The new display ( for NY ):



If you sum the three types in the chart, that sum is the number of confirmed cases

As time goes by, hopefully "recovered" will keep growing, and "active" will start dropping.

Once active starts dropping, we are past the peak.

For the United States :