Coronavirus Crisis: Main Thread

[8bitagent]

A terrifying mechanical dog is now stalking a Singapore park to make sure people stay properly distant
https://www.theweek.com/speedreads/913593/terrifying-mechanical-dog-now-stalking-singapore-park-make-sure-people-stay-properly-distant

Coming to a policed community near you. Should we open a thread on the 'aftermath' of this historical event?!

Geeezzzzzzzus....I made a joke in March on social media that DARPA/Google's Boston Dynamic's robot dogs would probably be used to ensure vaccine/contact tracing/social distance compliance by 2021....this is the SAME robot, but in may 2020?

[stickdog99]

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31035-7/fulltext

Many countries (and members of their press media) have marvelled at Sweden's relaxed strategy in the face of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic: schools and most workplaces have remained open, and police officers were not checking one's errands in the street. Severe critics have described it as Sweden sacrificing its (elderly) citizens to quickly reach herd immunity. The death toll has surpassed our three closest neighbours, Denmark, Norway, and Finland, but the mortality remains lower than in the UK, Spain, and Belgium.

It has become clear that a hard lockdown does not protect old and frail people living in care homes—a population the lockdown was designed to protect. Neither does it decrease mortality from COVID-19, which is evident when comparing the UK's experience with that of other European countries.

PCR testing and some straightforward assumptions indicate that, as of April 29, 2020, more than half a million people in Stockholm county, Sweden, which is about 20–25% of the population, have been infected (Hansson D, Swedish Public Health Agency, personal communication). 98–99% of these people are probably unaware or uncertain of having had the infection; they either had symptoms that were severe, but not severe enough for them to go to a hospital and get tested, or no symptoms at all. Serology testing is now supporting these assumptions.4

These facts have led me to the following conclusions. Everyone will be exposed to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, and most people will become infected. COVID-19 is spreading like wildfire in all countries, but we do not see it—it almost always spreads from younger people with no or weak symptoms to other people who will also have mild symptoms. This is the real pandemic, but it goes on beneath the surface, and is probably at its peak now in many European countries. There is very little we can do to prevent this spread: a lockdown might delay severe cases for a while, but once restrictions are eased, cases will reappear. I expect that when we count the number of deaths from COVID-19 in each country in 1 year from now, the figures will be similar, regardless of measures taken.

Measures to flatten the curve might have an effect, but a lockdown only pushes the severe cases into the future —it will not prevent them.
Admittedly, countries have managed to slow down spread so as not to overburden health-care systems, and, yes, effective drugs that save lives might soon be developed, but this pandemic is swift, and those drugs have to be developed, tested, and marketed quickly. Much hope is put in vaccines, but they will take time, and with the unclear protective immunological response to infection, it is not certain that vaccines will be very effective.

In summary, COVID-19 is a disease that is highly infectious and spreads rapidly through society. It is often quite symptomless and might pass unnoticed, but it also causes severe disease, and even death, in a proportion of the population, and our most important task is not to stop spread, which is all but futile, but to concentrate on giving the unfortunate victims optimal care.

I declare no competing interests.

LOL. I wrote that two months ago.

[Grizzly]

https://www.activistpost.com/2020/04/henry-kissinger-bill-gates-call-for-mass-vaccination-global-governance.html

https://twitter.com/o_rips/status/1258932330342649857

[Grizzly]

[thrulookingglass]

The world has a terminal case of wrath filled God syndrome.

[Iamwhomiam]

Webb works at Ft Dietrich. He's a spook, for sure - just search out his background.

[Grizzly]

Webb works at Ft Dietrich. He's a spook, for sure - just search out his background.

Unless you point to a source, your full of SHIT.

[0_0]

Meanwhile, in Germany an anti-lockdown political party has been formed called Widerstand2020 Deutschland. Founded on April 21st, it has already attracted more than 100,000 members (although that number is contested). I can’t find anything about the party in any English-language publications, but it has a German website and a Facebook page and its two leaders are Ralf Ludwig, a Leipzig-based lawyer, and Dr Bodo Schiffmann, an ear, nose and throat specialist. Together, they’re known as Ralf and Bodo. (There was a third leader, Victoria Hamm, but she seems to have dropped out.) There is some discussion in Germany about whether Widerstand2020 Deutschland is, technically, a political party because single-issue parties are legally prohibited from participating in elections by Germany’s Basic Law. The fact that it accepts anonymous donations also rules it out. Widerstand2020 Deutschland has a page on Wikipedia, but lockdown zealots are straining every sinew to get it removed. (The party’s website has also been under attack since May 3rd.) The entry notes that a “right wing extremism researcher” called Matthias Quent believes the party – and the German lockdown sceptics movement in general – is a “collective of dissatisfied, frustrated and esoteric types, conspiracy theorists, people who are against vaccinations, anti-Semites and right-wing radicals”. A German-speaking reader of this website, to whom I’m indebted for doing some research on this for me, notes that nearly all the reporting about Widerstand2020 Deutschland in the German media has been dismissive. “The tendency to lump the entire membership of the organisation together as dangerous extremists dominates all the news reports I found,” he says. Dr Schiffmann also has a YouTube channel in which he makes arguments that will be familiar to readers of this site, such as questioning the level of danger presented by the virus and pointing out how disproportionate the response has been. One interesting fact uncovered by my researcher: the German term for lockdown is “der lockdown”. Incidentally, widerstand is the German word for resistance. If Widerstand2020 Deutschland does figure out how to get around Germany’s election rules I’ve no doubt it will do well. Das Bild, Europe’s biggest-selling newspaper, announced yesterday that the lockdown in Germany had been a “huge mistake”.

[0_0]

Cyber experts slammed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his proposal to "microchip" children who return to schools and kindergartens as the coronavirus lockdown is lifted, Ynet reported on Friday.

While speaking at a press conference on Monday, Netanyahu suggested the Health Ministry use new technology to help Israel adjust to its new routine as the state is lifting the coronavirus lockdown. "That is, technology that has not been used before and is allowed under the legislation we shall enact," he clarified.

"I spoke with our heads of technology in order to find measures Israel is good at, such as sensors. For instance, every person, every kid – I want it on kids first – would have a sensor that would sound an alarm when you get too close, like the ones on cars," the prime minister said.

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/benja ... rts-627381

i wasn't sure to post it in the onion thread or here..

[Karmamatterz]

For those of you who are in love with contact tracing (medical gestapo) you should be happy to know that at least one company is requiring applicants to have a military background. Curious if any of you folks are in favor of the HB 6666 bill that would spend $100 billion annually to hire an army of contact tracers (spies)?

https://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=Social%20 ... 1a2534bdb6

I've been busy rooting around other sites and blogs for weeks and rarely return back here. Hope all of you are healthy. Didn't get tested, and sure a f*k won't unless they are holding a gun to my head, but I'm pretty sure I had the illness back in early February.

What is this muddy business that Wombat is referring to? Is there a specific part of the "science" you're debating?

In my Ohio bubble many of us are seeing much of this "crisis" as bullshit.

Bogus data on case fatality rate. CDC forcing hospitals and docs to include Covid on death certificates inflating numbers.
Absolutely retarded Gov. Mike DeWine and his medical gestapo Dr. Amy Acton constantly preaching about how we all should be wearing masks. Never mind most of the masks people are wearing are homemade of material that won't stop a fart. The polls are suggesting that DeSwine has an 80% support rating...yet on social media there are several private groups with tens of thousands of members are ready hang him and Acton from the gallows. I seriously think if people could they would tar and feather him while dragging him through the streets.

This social distancing bullshit where in direct sunshine with breezy weather we're told we must stay 6' apart. Utter tripe and stupid. The sky is falling indeed...meanwhile Gates and his paid minions at the various foundations and "health" NGOs push forward their agenda for population control and creepy eugenics. Quantum dots and the mark of the beast oh my!

Maybe in NYC Jack and others know people who are sick from it or died. I know of no one. I've asked dozens of people from Ohio to friends in California and not one person can tell me that they personally know anyone who got sick or died. Not saying people are not sick or have not died. I'm saying this thing is so overblown its scary. This mask BS is one giant psyop for social conditioning, like the anti-human social distancing.

Oh, it was hilarious news to read about that dipshit Neil Ferguson and getting busted for "social distancing" affair. His prediction models were and are a joke.

[0_0]

The masks are a visual way to spread fear in everyday life and imo are also very symbolic: to keep your mouth shut. Good to read your take on this Karmamatterz. I've been forced to work from home these last two months in a big organisation (1000+ employees with at least as many retirees), not one obituary on our intranet and you bet they publish them when workers or retirees pass away. Now they're saying working from home will be the norm for the rest of the year.. excellent new article on off-guardian: https://off-guardian.org/2020/05/12/opposing-lockdown-is-not-profits-before-people that site keeps me sane

[Grizzly]

^^^

Symbolic muzzle, you say? ...

[liminalOyster]

I am not a medical professional or even terribly well-educated medically or biologically. But I know many people who are, some of whose politics are very similar to those of us here. And uniformly they agree this is a serious fucking mess that COVID is going to kill a lot of black americans, other poor people working retail and alot of the elderly.

I do think the class detest (neigh genocide FAIAP) and 1% exceptionalism it enables is disgusting.
I do think way too many people are going to be harmed and die unnecessarily.
I do think big medical is profiting.
I do the think the rich are getting richer.
I do think Gates et al are sickening opportunuists.
I do think COVID is being *used* dramatically

But ....

This:

The masks are a visual way to spread fear in everyday life and imo are also very symbolic: to keep your mouth shut.

I find hair-pullingly frustrating to read on RI.

I wear a mask as a measure of common decency because I spend alot of time in neighborhoods where high risk people live. And my mouth is anyting but shut. I've written letters to my local editor and spoken to endless people.

If Americans had worn masks uniformly from the get go - and to be frank, they didn't do so because our asshole authorities didn't want to mass produce them - there would likely be no pandemic. So, great to link wearing a fucking mask-that-you-can-absolutely-still-speak-through to repression but ironically it's non-use was also one of the very critical mechanisms for creating the whole current mess.

I don't see it going both ways.

Please, please, please, please wear masks if you are, like most of us, in a place where there is reported community transmission.

Many people are vulnerable to the virus. You may be a carrier and not know it.

This is just as true as lockdown etc is destroying lives of the vulnerable independently of the illness.

If in 1-2 years, new evidence really vindicates your muzzle statement, I'll be the first to apologize.

[Iamwhomiam]

Webb works at Ft Dietrich. He's a spook, for sure - just search out his background.

Unless you point to a source, your full of SHIT.

Nice, Grizzly. Like I said, Search his background and past positions of employment and then draw your conclusions, as I have. But then, you really know nothing at all about him, do you? You just like what he says because of you own personal confirmation bias, and that make him credible? What education does he have? Any advanced degrees? And he claims to be one who performs analysis for Ft. Deitrick? Worked for WHO and the UN, too? And who in hell is his Oloughlin character interviewing Webb?

[Joe Hillshoist]

I am not a medical professional or even terribly well-educated medically or biologically. But I know many people who are, some of whose politics are very similar to those of us here. And uniformly they agree this is a serious fucking mess that COVID is going to kill a lot of black americans, other poor people working retail and alot of the elderly.

I do think the class detest (neigh genocide FAIAP) and 1% exceptionalism it enables is disgusting.
I do think way too many people are going to be harmed and die unnecessarily.
I do think big medical is profiting.
I do the think the rich are getting richer.
I do think Gates et al are sickening opportunuists.
I do think COVID is being *used* dramatically

But ....

This:

The masks are a visual way to spread fear in everyday life and imo are also very symbolic: to keep your mouth shut.

I find hair-pullingly frustrating to read on RI.

I wear a mask as a measure of common decency because I spend alot of time in neighborhoods where high risk people live. And my mouth is anyting but shut. I've written letters to my local editor and spoken to endless people.

If Americans had worn masks uniformly from the get go - and to be frank, they didn't do so because our asshole authorities didn't want to mass produce them - there would likely be no pandemic. So, great to link wearing a fucking mask-that-you-can-absolutely-still-speak-through to repression but ironically it's non-use was also one of the very critical mechanisms for creating the whole current mess.

I don't see it going both ways.

Please, please, please, please wear masks if you are, like most of us, in a place where there is reported community transmission.

Many people are vulnerable to the virus. You may be a carrier and not know it.

This is just as true as lockdown etc is destroying lives of the vulnerable independently of the illness.

If in 1-2 years, new evidence really vindicates your muzzle statement, I'll be the first to apologize.

You won't need to.

This shit comes from brains that have been fried by social media.