Covid-19

Shutting Down America – Is It Worth It?

Published by Papa Giorgio

This is an excerpt of the longer interview below… but this is the money quote[s]… also, I was under  the impression Italy had more hospital rooms for their population… this is not the case!

  • More than 99% of Italy’s coronavirus fatalities were people who suffered from previous medical conditions, according to a study by the country’s national health authority. (BLOOMBERG)
  • In Italy, a country with one of the world’s oldest populations, a March 4 analysis by the national health institute found that of the 105 patients who died from the virus, the average age was 81. This put a 20-year gap between the average age of people who tested positive for the virus and the deceased, the institute said. On Friday, an ICU physician in Lombardy — the epicenter of Italy’s outbreak — told JAMA there have been only two deaths of people under the age of 50. (VOX)

CRITICAL CARE BEDS PER-CAPITA (USA #1)

…In order to show where that pressure could be highest, the following infographic pulls together data from three different sources to show the number of critical care beds per 100,000 inhabitants in different countries. According to a paper published in the Intensive Care Medicine journal utilizing 2012 data, Italy had 12.5 ICU beds per 100,000 of its population that year while Germany had 29.2 ICU beds per 100,000 inhabitants. A different paper published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information in 2015 states that capacity in the United States is even higher at 34.2 ICU beds per 100,000 people.

In South Korea where a major testing push has led to a reduction in the rate of daily new infections, ICU bed capacity stood at 10.6 beds per 100,000 of the population in 2017. That’s according to an analysis published in the Critical Care Medicine journal in January of this year. It also found that the situation is worse in China and India where the number of critical care beds per 100,000 people stands at just 3.6 and 2.3 respectively….

(FORBES)

Dennis Prager interviewed Victor Davis Hanson regarding his article[s] discussing the nations response to the Coronavirus. [Editor’s note: I swear, we are a nation of pussies!] Below are some articles that I think are must reads, Hanson’s articles included:

I think these are must read articles:

Dennis Prager discusses his article entitled “Why the Remedy May Be Worse Than the Disease” (https://tinyurl.com/v3u542j). In the process he merely asks some thought provoking questions, discusses the inability of people to allow for opinions that differ with theirs in discussion.

Wuhan Virus Hysteria

Published by Papa Giorgio

I was asked the following question on Facebook by a friend of the family (my oldest son’s friend to be exact,). She asked:

  • Alright Sean, what do you think of this whole virus deal? I’m personally not really worried about it, pretty sure I already had the dang thing, just curious!

The short answer is “I am not worried.” Democrats are twice as likely to freak-out about this than are Republicans. (I assume #NeverTrumpers are in the same “Democrat boat.”) HOWEVER, I will say this is the best argument for what the nation is doing writ large (even if I still disagree with it somewhat) — from my Facebook:

Okay. So the best argument I’ve heard so far came from Ben Shapiro for the course of action that we are taking as a country towards the Coronavirus (the Wuhan Virus). And it’s simple, unlike past flues you could have this for a few days and not realize you have it before the symptoms kick in. During this time you are highly contagious. Brand new studies show that it can be in the air from you breathing for up to 3 hours in a confined space (say, a room or elevator etc); and it can stay on surfaces for up to 3 days. Now, Italy has more beds per thousand people in hospitals and healthcare systems than does America. Since our Baby Boomer population can be more prone for serious complications in reaction to this, we stand a chance at burdening our emergency rooms/hospitals to well past it’s limits (Italy is at 200% plus capacity and are sending people home essentially to die). So all these precautions are not to “stop” Coronavirus, but to “slow” it’s spread to help alleviate the impact on our health care network. And by slowing it we are allowing a chance for a vaccine to hit the shelves in time to mitigate this flu as it gets worse.

I will answer with the following links (many to my own posts) and updates — I will try and keep it brief, but you know me. First, I am a fan of MICHAEL FUMENTO. I read his book, “The Myth of Heterosexual AIDS: How a Tragedy Has Been Distorted by the Media and Partisan Politics.” And ever since he has been the harbinger to media miscalculations and hysteria. AMERICAN THINKER noted Fumento from an earlier article, quoting:

It’s called “drama,” which is badly needed, because there appears to be nothing very special about this outbreak of the 2019-nCoV or Wuhan ­virus. It should actually be called the DvV, or Déjà vu Virus, because we have been through these hysterias before. Over and over. Heterosexual AIDS, Ebola repeatedly, the H1N1 swine flu that was actually vastly milder than the regular flu and, especially, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003.

[snip]

Wuhan is repeatedly labeled “deadly” — but so is every other ­virus most people know about.

Mr. Fumento’s most recent article deals with the virus in an updated fashion: “Coronavirus Going To Hit Its Peak And Start Falling Sooner Than You Think” — In it he notes the following “Law”

(UPDATE… this article was published the 8th of March, and probably uses information from March 4th)

…China is the origin of the virus and still accounts for over 80 percent of cases and deaths. But its cases peaked and began ­declining more than a month ago, according to data presented by the Canadian epidemiologist who spearheaded the World Health Organization’s coronavirus mission to China. Fewer than 200 new cases are reported daily, down from a peak of 4,000.

Subsequent countries will follow this same pattern, in what’s called Farr’s Law. First formulated in 1840 and ignored in ­every epidemic hysteria since, the law states that epidemics tend to rise and fall in a roughly symmetrical pattern or bell-shaped curve. AIDS, SARS, Ebola — they all followed that pattern. So does seasonal flu each year.

Clearly, flu is vastly more contagious than the new coronavirus, as the WHO has noted. Consider that the first known coronavirus cases date back to early December, and since then, the virus has ­afflicted fewer people in total than flu does in a few days. Oh, and why are there no flu quarantines? Because it’s so contagious, it would be impossible.

As for death rates, as I first noted in these pages on Jan. 24, you can’t employ simple math — as everyone is doing — and look at deaths versus cases because those are ­reported cases. With both flu and assuredly with coronavirus, the great majority of those infected have symptoms so mild — if any — that they don’t seek medical attention and don’t get counted in the caseload.

Furthermore, those calculating rates ­ignore the importance of good health care. Given that the vast majority of cases have occurred in a country with poor health care, that’s going to dramatically exaggerate the death rate….

(His articles for the NYP can be found HERE)

BEFORE posting audio of Michael Medved and Dennis Prager discussing the above article with Michael Fumento… I wish to post the latest audio by Dr. Drew Pinsky discussing the issue. (See two previous posted videos from Doc Drew, HERE.) . And he says listen to Dr. Anthony Fauci, whereas Michael Fumento notes in the Medved audio that Fauci has been wrong on every case since the heterosexual AIDS scare. Even with this note, Doc Drew is waay better in his reporting than the Washington Post or CNN:

Celebrity doctor Dr. Drew slams the media for “reprehensible” coverage of the coronavirus spread in the US and tells Americans to “stop listening to journalists” and instead focus only on information provided by the CDC and other health entities.

Okay, here are the two partial audio interviews with Michael Fumento:

  • Michael Medved interviews Michael Fumento (March 12th) regarding his NEW YORK POST article entitled, “Coronavirus going to hit its peak and start falling sooner than you think“. I include this article because Medved adeptly notes Dr. Anthony Fauci’s assessment to get Fumento’s reaction. And these two have been “locking horns” since the “heterosexual AIDS” scare… Fumento being the hands down winner since the 80’s.

I think much of this is hysteria. I think also Trump knowing the media well and how Democrats would weaponize this issue, got a jump on this disease/flu season, and against his cabinet’s advice — withing three weeks after this strain was identified… put into action the most aggressive controls yet. (See my post on this HERE.) All while the media and Democrats called him racist for his actions:

Could you imagine the reaction if Trump had just blown this off? HoooBoy!

BONUS! Media Standards

BONUS! Science Time

Despite the real threat of coronavirus, Ebola, and influenza, Dr C explains why most viruses are good for you, and good for the environment.

Wuhan Virus: Deaths and Polls

Published by Papa Giorgio
  • Attkisson shares that, “Almost all of the reported coronavirus deaths in the U.S. happened in long-term care facilities in Washington State. And almost all of those occurred at the same facility.” (GATEWAY PUNDIT)

ALSO:

RED STATE has an excellent short article of which I clip most from:

…Journalist Sheryl Atkinson has put together information about the ages and underlying health conditions of the victims and the locations of their deaths.

The most noteworthy fact is that 37 of these deaths occurred in the state of Washington and “25 of the Washington deaths occurred at the Life Care Center nursing facility in Kirkland, where a serious outbreak occurred.” The ages of those who died is not available, but generally, healthy people don’t wind up in nursing homes.

The ages of the other victims in Washington state and the conditions of their health are known and are included in the conclusions below.

Of the remaining eleven, there were four in California, two in Florida and one each in New Jersey, South Dakota, Georgia, Kansas and Colorado.

  1. The youngest victim was in his 40s and had underlying health issues.
  2. Four were in their 60s, and all had underlying medical conditions.
  3. Seven were in their 70s. Five either had underlying health issues or were in assisted living facilities. The other two were a couple who had just returned from overseas.
  4. Six were in their 80s and either had medical conditions or were in assisted living facilities.
  5. Three were in their 90s and were in assisted living facilities.
  6. One was listed only as “elderly” and in an assisted living facility.
  7. The only people on this list where an underlying condition is not specified had been traveling overseas where they likely contracted the virus.
  8. Everyone else had health problem to begin with or was in a nursing home or other type of assisted living facility.

Atkinson’s full article can be viewed HERE.

Before posting, New York just announced the state’s first coronavirus death. A woman, 82, with emphysema had been admitted to a Brooklyn hospital on March 3 and officials say she contracted the virus inside the facility.

I’m not sure if this woman had been a smoker, but it is said that the high rate of smoking in China may have increased the number of deaths. According to Fortune Magazine, “the country’s sky-high smoking rate among men” may add to the “severity of symptoms and the number of coronavirus deaths in China.”…

Trump Wins Against Media and Democrats

Published by Papa Giorgio

Larry Elder has great openers, here is one on the Covid-19 hype via the press and Democrats, and Trump “Winning!”

Larry Elder deftly goes thru the differences between the 1918 breakout and the 2020 flu. No comparison at all.

Doc Drew vs Media Hype!

Published by Papa Giorgio

Dr. Drew’s beyond fed up with the media coverage of the coronavirus, because he believes it’s majorly overblown and causing hysteria … while another major threat’s being ignored.

Dr. Drew talks with CBS Local’s DJ Sixsmith about coronavirus, the media’s response to it, and why we shouldn’t be freaking out about it.