Dr. Anthony Fauci now says that a second wave of COVID-19 may not even happen and that wearing a mask is largely symbolic at this point.
In a Wednesday interview with CNN’s “Newsroom,” Fauci said that a second COVID-19 wave is not necessarily inevitable.
“We often talk about the the possibility of a second wave, or of an outbreak when you’re reopening,” Fauci explained. “We don’t have to accept that as an inevitability.”
“Particularly,” he continued, “when people start thinking about the fall. I want people to really appreciate that, it could happen, but it is not inevitable.”
Fauci also said that Americans should wear face masks in public to protect themselves — but also to get into good practices.
“I want to protect myself and protect others and also because I want to make it be a symbol for people to see that that’s the kind of thing you should be doing,” he added.
During the interview Fauci admitted that wearing a mask is not 100% effective, but says that it is a gesture that shows “respect” for other people.
Charles Anderson says
Your article headline certainly does not reflect the actual meaning of what Dr. Fauci had to say, at least not as I understand the American English Language. Either tell the truth or don’t speak !
Note: The yard nome, Dr. Linquini said he wears one to make other people feel better. You stupid mask doesn’t work.
Paul Plante says
Which version or variety of the truth would you have him tell, Charles?
As to Fauci, he isn’t telling the “truth,” because like everybody else studying this issue, and they are many, even he, as high and mighty as some might think him to be, he hasn’t got any truth to tell, because the “truth” about COVID hasn’t been scientifically proven yet, as we can clearly see from this scientific paper just out recently about the search for COVID vaccines, as follows:
EMERGENCE OF DRIFT VARIANTS THAT MAY AFFECT COVID-19 VACCINE DEVELOPMENT AND ANTIBODY TREATMENT
Takahiko Koyama, Dilhan Weeraratne, Jane L. Snowdon, Laxmi Parida
IBM TJ Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598, USA
IBM Watson Health, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
Address for Correspondence: Takahiko Koyama, PhD, IBM T. J. Watson Research Center, 1101 Kitchawan Rd., Yorktown Heights, NY 10598, USA (email: koyama@us.ibm.com).
ABSTRACT
New coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) treatments and vaccines are under development to combat the COVID-19 disease.
Several approaches are being used by scientists for investigation including 1) various small molecule approaches targeting RNA polymerase, 3C-like protease, and RNA endonuclease and 2) exploration of antibodies obtained from convalescent plasma from patients who have recovered from COVID-19.
The coronavirus genome is highly prone to mutations that lead to genetic drift and escape from immune recognition; thus, it is imperative that sub-strains with different mutations are also accounted for during vaccine development.
As the disease has grown to become a pandemic, new B-cell and T-cell epitopes predicted from SARS coronavirus have been reported.
Using the epitope information along with variants of the virus, we have found several variants which might cause drifts.
Among such variants, 23403A>G variant (p.D614G) in spike protein B-cell epitope is observed frequently in European countries such as the Netherlands, Switzerland and France.
The antigens introduced as vaccines needs to account for current major sub-strains to prevent potential immune escapes.
Twelve distinct variants were found within B-cell epitopes of S (spike protein), N (nucleocapsid protein), and M (membrane protein), respectively as listed in Table 1.
Also, twenty-two distinct variants were identified in T-cell epitopes.
Table 2. Statistics of 23403A>G variant (p.D614G) in spike protein observed by country.
COUNTRY VARIANT COUNT TOTAL COUNT
NETHERLANDS 66 112
SWITZERLAND 29 30
FRANCE 21 32
UNITED KINGDOM 12 30
USA 9 123
BRAZIL 8 13
BELGIUM 7 8
FINLAND 6 7
PORTUGAL 2 2
ITALY 2 6
IRELAND 2 3
GERMANY 2 9
DENMARK 2 2
CHINA 2 151
RUSSIA 1 1
MEXICO 1 1
LUXEMBURG 1 1
GEORGIA 1 3
CHILE 1 7
end quotes
So which exact strain of COVID is Fauci talking about, and the answer is – he really doesn’t know.
And let me apologize in advance for the big words – I know they upset some people in here, but such it is when science is the subject.
Michael says
Of coarse Fauci doesn’t know what strain, he doesn’t pretend to know. So, what is your point?
Paul Plante says
HUH?
My point is that Fauci doesn’t know what COVID is going to do next, because nobody knows what it is going to do next.
John Jacob Jingleheimer Scmitt says
Asymptomatic transmission doesn’t occur, hasn’t occurred, EVER. Masks are stupid and useless
Paul Plante says
“Cuomo reflects on 111-day coronavirus battle: ‘It was frightening and sad'”
Brendan J. Lyons, Albany, New York Times Union
June 19, 2020 | Updated: June 19, 2020 6:13 p.m.
“We did act as one.”
“It was extraordinary,” Cuomo said, referring to the phrase “e pluribus unum” — out of many, one — that was added to the state seal during the height of the pandemic.
“I have never seen or felt anything like it.”
“Forty-two days up the mountain and 69 days down the other side,” Cuomo said.
“Everyday hurt and was hard.”
“It was frightening and sad.”
“But I really believe we will be the better for it.”
“We didn’t just put the words on our state seal, we made the words come true, we made the words come to life.”
“… Why would it take a crisis to bring us together?”
“… Why can’t it motivate us by love rather than hate.”
“Why doesn’t government urge us to realize we are members of the same community … and we all benefit when we work together.”
“The only way forward is if I protect you and you protect me.”
“I wear a mask for you and you wear a mask for me,” Cuomo said.
Bob says
Your credentials are? You got your doctorate where? You have been asked to aggregate information you found on the internet by whom? Your arrogance is requested and appreciated by whom, other than yourself? Your suggested plan is what?
Paul Plante, PE says
Are you talking to me?
If so, my credentials are that I am a qualified associate level public health engineer in the state of New York twice commended in writing for the performance of my duties by then-New York State Health Commissioner Dr. David Axelrod who obtained his medical degree from Harvard in 1960, after which he worked for the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland as a virus research scientist until joining the New York State Department of Health in 1968, and who was considered to be the nation’s foremost public health official of the 1980s.
I don’t have a doctorate, nor did I need one to do my job, which was broad in scope, not narrow.
To help you out of your state of benighted ignorance here, which I am happy to do, in New York state, the term public health engineer means a person who applies engineering principles for the detection, evaluation, control and management of those factors in the environment which influence the public’s health, which factors include viruses.
My work as an associate level public health engineer, for which I was commended by Dr. Axelrod, my work as an associate public health engineer involved providing advice and guidance to local officials and the general public in regard to environmental health problems related to transmission of diseases, and the measures necessary for improvements and compliance with legal requirements.
As to the broad scope of my duties, they included supervising enforcement of the provisions of the Public health Law relating to air pollution, x-ray installations, public water supplies, sewerage and wastes disposal, operation of water and sewage treatment plants, swimming pools and bathing beaches, camps, hotels, lodging and boarding houses, restaurants and public eating places, stream pollution, realty subdivisions, qualifications of water and sewage treatment plant operators, public health nuisances and related matters, all related to keeping people safe from bacteria and viruses.
To be an associate level public health engineer such as I was, one must possess comprehensive knowledge of the principles, techniques and administration of public health engineering and environmental health programs as related to air pollution, x-ray installations, water supplies and purification, sewerage and sewage disposal, stream pollution, sanitary control of foods, sanitary control of restaurants and public eating places, smoke abatement, sanitary control of camps, hotels, lodging houses, boarding houses, swimming pools, bathing beaches, schools and other places, insect and rodent control, housing, public health nuisances and general sanitation; thorough knowledge of provisions of Public Health Law and State Sanitary Code related to the above subjects; ability to plan, develop, direct, and administer public health engineering and environmental health programs and to project and integrate these into the departmental program; ability to prepare technical reports and correspondence; skill in public health engineering techniques and practices; high degree of initiative and resourcefulness in solving difficult public health engineering problems; ability to deal with the public and other officials; ability to develop and maintain good public relations; and professional judgement.
As to the rest of your questions, they are incomprehensible to me as to what information you are trying to elicit, so until you can clarify what information you are requesting, again on the assumption you are talking to me and not somebody else, I’m going to ignore them as not relevant or germane to anything under discussion in this topic.
Ray Otton says
He can also type.
Paul Plante says
He actually types quite well, doesn’t he?
And he is quite good at framing questions, as well.
Perhaps he has a doctorate.
They are said to make you quite smart, afterall.
Kerryann T Kenney says
mike drop
Michael says
You can’t answer Bob’s last question? Huge failure.
Paul Plante says
Michael, as you probably well know, given that you are obviously into comedy, that the Cape Charles Mirror has previously given rave reviews to a couple of comedy acts you are going to be seeing on prime time TV in the near future, one of them being that now famous duo that bills themselves as Two Dummies Without The Ventriloquist, and the other, The Ventriloquist With The Invisible Dummy who has fascinating conversations in the style of Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney, except in this case, an invisible dummy named “Dick,” and here comes along you and Bob, who could bill yourselves as “Michael and Bob,” which is a catchy name, so imp0rtant in the comedy game today, labeling yourselves as Smothers Bothers type act, or maybe Abbot & Costello.
I say you are into comedy because let us explore Bob’s last question that you say is a HUGE failure on my part because I didn’t give him an answer, to wit:
Bob says @ June 1, 2020 at 10:59 am:
Your suggested plan is what?
end quotes
You see what I am saying about some great comedy here on your part, Michael?
You’re a natural at it, and if you and Bob haven’t already been there, it’s not long before we will be seeing your act getting top billing on America’s Funniest on the Comedy Channel, and we will all say, “hey, I remember when they were just starting out in the Cape Charles Mirror!”
What makes it so funny is the fact that the question is about as stupid as stupid can get, and yet, with a deadpan expression reminiscent of Tommy Smothers asking Dick (not the invisible ventriloquist’s dummy) why is water not dry, you treat it as if it were the most serious life-changing question of all times.
First of all, I don’t waste time “suggesting” plans, I formulate them and then act on them, so that my plan for keeping the bluejays from eating the flowers off my summer squash and zucchini was to build cages around them, which also was my plan for keeping the chipmunks from eating my butternut squash.
And Micahel, if your reading comprehension were better, you would have noticed that I did answer Bob, to wit:
As to the rest of your (Bob’s) questions, they are incomprehensible to me as to what information you are trying to elicit, so until you (Bob) can clarify what information you are requesting, again on the assumption you are talking to me and not somebody else, I’m going to ignore them as not relevant or germane to anything under discussion in this topic.
end quotes
I was trying to be polite, in accordance with the strict editorial standards of the Cape Charles Mirror that have us being sensitive to the feelings of others, otherwise, I likely would have told him point blank how utterly stupid and ridiculous that last question was without providing some needed context, like what is my suggested plan for reforming our third-world public health infrastructure in New York state or for dealing with the raft of bull**** we are hearing about COVID in the main-stream media such as Andy Cuomo on the Chris Cuomo Show on CNN.
And since we are taking the time to be analytical here, which is appreciated, Michael, let’s deal with Bob’s other flurry of questions one by one, because they are important questions or Bob never would have asked them, to wit:
BOB: You have been asked to aggregate information you found on the internet by whom?
ME: Given that this is open-source programming in here, and given that I and the Cape Charles Mirror are acting in the PUBLIC’s interest, instead of sitting around waiting for somebody to finally get over being hysterical so that they could act rationally by asking me to aggregate information I found on the internet, I acted on my own initiative, in the public’s interest.
BOB: Your arrogance is requested and appreciated by whom, other than yourself?
ME: Actually, I love this question, Michael, what a wit that Bob is, which is why I think the two of you have such a solid future as a comedy duo.
What is so hilarious about that is that Bob is accusing me of being arrogant because I refuse to act stupid and follow Dr. Fauci around like a little puppy, waiting for him to throw me a bit of his wisdom like tossing a doggy biscuit to me if I get up on my hind legs and dance a pretty dance for him.
And are there actually people out there as Bob says who ask or request others to be arrogant for them?
If so, that sounds a little sick or kinky to me, actually – “Hey there, big fella, how about being arrogant for me, and I’ll take you back to my place to show you some appreciation!”
In closing, Michael, let me remark on the perfection of your own typing.
Paul Plante says
And what is this horse crap you’re peddling about a “doctorate?”
What do you need a doctorate for?
This is all stuff that somebody with a basic high school education and competent reading skills can understand.
Sherry Wallenburg says
Oh… Dear God, Paul Plante! I am rolling. You are brilliant. I have soooo enjoyed reading your posts. Carry on! Laughter is the best medicine.
Paul Plante says
Yes, it most certainly is!
Paul Plante says
As to COVID, specifically, Bob, my suggested plan is DO NOT take medical advice about protecting your health from shills for BIG PHARM named Fauci, or from A-HOLE hack politicians named Andy Cuomo.
And get outside to get some fresh air and sunlight and exercise to keep your immune system as strong as it can be, which includes not getting all freaked out about “THE INVISIBLE ENEMY,” which only serves to weaken your immune system and make you more vulnerable.
Hope that helps you out, dude.
Karen says
You do not need credentials to research something genius. And guess what.. people with “credentials” are WRONG EVERYDAY!! Yall keep following people with credentials right to the grave. The plan is stop believing everything that comes out on the news and build your f-ing immune system.
Paul Plante says
YOU GO, GIRL!
Paul Plante says
CDC
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Use of Cloth Face Coverings to Help Slow the Spread of COVID-19
CDC continues to study the spread and effects of the novel coronavirus across the United States.
We now know from recent studies that a significant portion of individuals with coronavirus lack symptoms (“asymptomatic”) and that even those who eventually develop symptoms (“pre-symptomatic”) can transmit the virus to others before showing symptoms.
This means that the virus can spread between people interacting in CLOSE proximity—for example, speaking, coughing, or sneezing—even if those people are not exhibiting symptoms.
In light of this new evidence, CDC RECOMMENDS wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.
It is critical to emphasize that maintaining 6-feet social distancing remains important to slowing the spread of the virus.
CDC is additionally ADVISING the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others.
Cloth face coverings fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost can be used as an additional, VOLUNTARY public health measure.
Page last reviewed: April 3, 2020
Jim says
Yes title is way out of context. Typical.
Me says
I agree. This guy changes his story daily. We never know what to think. Be honest or shut up
Paul Plante says
Why is everyone making such a big deal about this Dr. Fauci dude, who is a an actor portraying a doctor on television in a zany sit-com being broadcast from Washington, D.C.?
What authority does he have to tell us to do anything?
And that answer is none at all, because the CDC has no authority over us, nor does Fauci.
What role he is supposed to be playing in this farce is lost on me, which is why I spend zero time listening to him.
I will say that he has a great career out ahead of him, now that Billy Mays has gone to his great reward, doing infomercials on late-night TV, wearing a Zorro mask, and proclaiming the many merits of Chlorox bleach to not only get your whites sparkly bright, but to keep you COVID free, as well.
1949er says
Agreed!! Misleading headline. No where does Fauci say symbolic.
I wear my mask gladly, not giving a fuck what I look like. I could care. No one knows if they even have the damn virus if asymptomatic, so who is stupid enough to gamble with their life because they don’t believe what we all are being told and from past pandemic history’s teachings. Be Safe or benStupid and Sorry.
Note: Is Corona still a thing? I thought we moved on to riots and looting?
Ray Otton says
benStupid?
Ah, yes, Obiwan Kenobi’s younger brother.
Died from an Empire distributed virus distilled from the saliva of . those giant bats on Iruedeni V.
Ironic, no?
yvonne says
well that what freedom of thought is to think for your self the longer you wear a mask ass the more your restricting oxygen which will make you more acceptable to getting sick the only reason dr wear those is to keep from drooling while in surgery sneezing not from protecting anyone from contacting a virus the only thing that will protect you from the virus is a full containment bio helmet the corona 19 is a beefed-up flu the only kills are older community why do you think como knowing put cov19 in retirement centers to kill them off genocide the guide stone’s they take the weak out first because when they try and take over this country the weak have no place they need strong workers not burdensome so why you are in one of those camp I hope your still wearing your mask lol
Paul Plante says
Yvonne, as an older person here in America who is a part of the older community that is being killed off by COVID, I personally think that New York’s Democratic Socialist governor Andy Cuomo and his “health” commissioner Howie Zucker, known as “Dr. Death” in the geriatric set I am a part of here in the nightmare for older people like myself Cuomo and “Dr. Death” have created for older people like myself by shipping people with COVID to every county in New York State to insure its spread, not contain its spread, put cov19 in retirement centers to do exactly that, kill them off, a version of Sulla’s proscriptions, as I see it, which always puts some property on the market to those who want it but don’t have it, and are smart enough to vote Democrat to get it, but milk the be-jaysus out of the insurance before they die, as we can see in this Washington Post story entitled “In New York’s largest hospital system, 88 percent of coronavirus patients on ventilators didn’t make it” by Ariana Eunjung Cha, on 23 April 2020, to wit:
Throughout March, as the pandemic gained momentum in the United States, much of the preparations focused on the breathing machines that were supposed to save everyone’s lives.
New York State Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) and President Trump sparred over how many ventilators the state was short.
DIYers brainstormed modifications to treat more patients.
And ethicists agonized over how to allocate them fairly if we run out.
Now five weeks into the crisis, a paper published in the journal JAMA about New York State’s largest health system suggests a reality that like so much else about the novel coronavirus, confounds our early expectations.
Researchers found that 20 percent of all those hospitalized died — a finding that’s similar to the percentage who perish in normal times among those who are admitted for respiratory distress.
But the numbers diverge more for the critically ill put on ventilators.
Eighty-eight percent of the 320 covid-19 patients on ventilators who were tracked in the study died.
That compares with the roughly 80 percent of patients who died on ventilators before the pandemic, according to previous studies — and with the roughly 50 percent death rate some critical care doctors had optimistically hoped when the first cases were diagnosed.
“For those who have a severe enough course to require hospitalization through the emergency department it is a sad number,” said Karina W. Davidson, the study’s lead author and a professor at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research at Northwell.
The analysis is the largest and most comprehensive look at outcomes in the United States to be published so far.
Researchers looked at the electronic medical records of 5,700 patients infected with covid-19 between Mar. 1 and Apr. 4 who were treated at Northwell Health’s 12 hospitals located in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County — all epicenters of the outbreak.
Sixty percent were male, 40 percent female and the average age was 63.
“It’s important to look to American data as we have different resources in our health care system and different demographics in our populations,” Davidson said.
The paper also found that of those who died, 57 percent had hypertension, 41 percent were obese and 34 percent had diabetes which is consistent with risk factors listed by the Centers for Disease for Control and Prevention.
end quotes
Talking about genocide being the guide stone (we think of this as Cuomo’s Holodomor), while it is true that it is the weak who are being taken out by COVID, which extermination has been hastened by Andy Cuomo and “Dr. Death” Zucker shipping people with COVID around the state like so many “smallpox blankets” to take the weak out to make room for the supporters and followers of Andy Cuomo who are in it for property, to take over this country, they need to eliminate the elders with memories of how the Rule of Law is supposed to function in a free republic.
They need to remove institutional memory in order to impose a tyranny on those who do not know better.
Cheryl says
Yvonne: Your spelling and use of the wrong words makes you someone we should be listening to. Smh a mask doesn’t restrict oxygen to the point of suffocating you lol. Really como put covid 19 to kill old people lmao you’re something else. You should definitely not wear a mask you’re already really low on those brain cells hun.
Paul Plante says
Regardless of her spelling (many supposedly educated people in America can’t spell worth a ****), the fact of the matter is that Cuomo and his health commissioner, Howie “Dr. Death” Zucker did put COVID into the nursing homes in NYS, and by doing so, they did kill a lot of people.
And whatever their true motives were, the fact remains, by doing so, they killed a lot of people.
Do you think that was either sane or rational for them to have done so?
You seem very intelligent – therefore I would like to hear your take on their actions, which I and many others think were reckless and negligent.
Paul Plante says
As to New York state Democratic Socialist governor Andy “KING” Cuomo putting COVID into the nursing homes in New York, Cheryl, and Yvonne being dead on the money regardless of her spelling, let’s start with an Albany, New York Times Union story entitled “Cuomo on nursing homes’ response: ‘We can’t save every life'” by Brendan J. Lyons on May 18, 2020, where we have as follows on that subject, to wit:
ALBANY — Facing intensifying criticism of his administration’s handling of nursing homes in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Monday said New York had a high number of fatalities in those facilities “not because we did anything wrong” but due — at least in part — to bad luck.
“From day one we said that this was going to be hard, and we said that we drew bad cards in this hand,” Cuomo said, noting that New York has had the nation’s highest number of COVID-19 infections and deaths, including more than 5,700 fatalities in nursing homes.
end quotes
Bad luck indeed, Cheryl, you know what I am saying?
“We drew bad cards!” says KING Cuomo!
Don’t go ’round tonight!
It’s bound to take your life!
There’s a bad moon on the rise!
According to Andy “KING” Cuomo, that is why those old people in those nursing homes are dead, and he and his health commissioner Howie “Dr. Death” are in no way responsible, which takes us back to that Times Union article, to wit:
Cuomo has repeatedly cautioned that that COVID-19 can spread “like fire through grass” in nursing homes.
But an executive order he issued in March requiring nursing homes to accept residents who had tested positive for COVID-19 — most of them returning to their assisted-living residences after being discharged from hospitals — has faced intense scrutiny.
end quotes
Which is exactly what Yvonne is saying above here!
Getting back to that article:
A delegation of federal lawmakers from New York, including U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, last week called for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to investigate the state’s safety and health guidance for nursing homes and other long-term care facilities during the pandemic.
On Saturday, Stefanik said she came under attack from Cuomo’s office for seeking a federal investigation, noting that a spokesperson for the governor had urged the congresswoman “to do something we understand is uncomfortable for her: stop political pandering and fear-mongering.”
A spokeswoman for the congresswoman called the remarks “shameful” and added: “Thousands of people across the state are devastated by the loss of their parents and grandparents due to contracting COVID-19 in a nursing home, and they need answers.”
end quotes
In a word, Cheryl, and I think Yvonne nails this in her post above here, Andy “KING” Cuomo is a tyrannical, dictatorial thug who thinks quite literally that he really is the KING of New York in the mold of Mussolini of Italy during WWII, and he has thugs who work for him that attack anyone who dares to question Andy Cuomo, as Congresswoman Elise Stefanick tried to do.
And that brings us to an editorial in the New York Post titled “Needed: Truly independent probe of coronavirus devastation in NY nursing homes” by Post Editorial Board on May 9, 2020, where we had more validation of what Yvonne was saying, to wit:
Calls are rising for an independent investigation of the Cuomo administration’s handling of nursing homes amid the coronavirus crisis — and rightly so.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s own investigation, which he handpicked protégé Letitia James to lead, plainly won’t get to the bottom of many key issues: The gov and his team won’t even admit that forcing facilities to take in COVID-positive patients was a mistake.
end quotes
In New York state, even when Andy “KING” Cuomo is deadly wrong, in his own mind, which us older people in this state think is warped and twisted, he is never wrong, and with respect to these nursing home deaths he and “Dr. Death” Zucker caused, he is going to have his political lackey Tish James do a whitewash for him, which takes us back to the Post editorial, to wit:
Back on March 10, Cuomo bragged of how the state was protecting residents of New York’s 1,100 nursing homes and adult-care facilities.
But Cuomo didn’t protect them: Washington state has fewer than 1,000 coronavirus deaths total, while New York lost 5,000 lives in nursing and adult-care homes alone.
And, two weeks after Cuomo’s big brag, Health Commissioner Howard Zucker ordered nursing homes to take in corona-positive patients.
Neither Zucker nor Cuomo explained that March 25 mandate.
The gov insists it’s in keeping with federal guidelines, yet they call for no such regulation.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised nursing homes: “Keep COVID-19 from entering your facility.”
How did his team even think up the rule?
end quotes
There is an answer we are demanding of “KING” Cuomo, but will never get, which takes us back to the Albany Times Union to an article entitled “Churchill: Andrew Cuomo’s halo has lost its shine – The governor was depicted as an early hero of the pandemic, but his record is being reassessed” by Chris Churchill on May 25, 2020, to wit:
ALBANY — For a stretch, our governor was riding an incredible wave of praise.
Andrew Cuomo was the model of good governance, the hero with the firm hand during the coronavirus crisis.
His leadership made him a media darling and put him on the cover of Rolling Stone — “Andrew Cuomo Takes Charge” — amid suggestions he replace Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee.
He was the pandemic’s authoritative voice.
But a reassessment is underway.
The governor has been taking fire, as regular readers of this newspaper know, for a state directive mandating that nursing homes accept COVID-19 patients.
As I wrote for a recent column, that was a tragic mistake, but that’s not the only part of Cuomo’s coronavirus response that’s being questioned.
Last week, the respected news outlet ProPublica released an exhaustively reported story asking why New York has suffered 10 times more COVID-19 deaths than California.
The piece portrays Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio as bumbling egoists who let their longstanding personal rivalry prevent early action that would have saved lives.
Another story, in the New Yorker, made similar points as it compared Seattle’s virus response to New York’s.
In Seattle, officials listened to scientists, the article says, while de Blasio and Cuomo impeded an effective virus response with their bickering and their refusal to see the looming crisis as a serious threat.
An opinion piece in the liberal Guardian newspaper, out of London, took the argument further — too far, actually.
It claimed Cuomo “should be one of the most loathed officials in America right now” because “he’s to blame for New York’s coronavirus catastrophe.”
end quotes
For the record, I think the Guardian is right on the money calling for “KING” Cuomo to be one of the most loathed public officials in America right now, which takes us to Business Insider article entitled “An NYC nursing home forced to take coronavirus patients was also sent a supply of body bags for when they died” by Ashley Collman on April 24, 2020, to wit:
An executive at an unnamed Queens, New York nursing home told the New York Post on Thursday how officials sent them body bags when they were forced to admit coronavirus patients last month.
An executive at the unnamed Queens nursing home says that the facility was coronavirus-free until Gov. Andrew Cuomo forced facilities in the state to accept coronavirus patients on March 25.
This nursing home went on to see 30 people die of the coronavirus in the following weeks.
And every week they get five more body bags.
“Cuomo has blood on his hands.”
“He really does.”
“There’s no way to sugarcoat this,” the executive added.
“Why in the world would you be sending coronavirus patients to a nursing home, where the most vulnerable population to this disease resides?”
Rich Azzopardi, a spokesman for the governor, called the comment “disgusting” in a response to the Post, saying these facilities were “trying to deflect from their failures.”
end quotes
Rich Azzopardi, of course, for those who don’t know him, or of him, is the very same thuggish Rich Azzopardi who was the star of a 28 March 2019 New York Times story entitled “In Profane Rant, Cuomo Aide Calls 3 Female Lawmakers ‘Idiots’,” and a Splinter News article entitled “Cuomo Aides Not Big Fans of Young Female Legislators” by Samantha Grasso on 3/28/19, wherein was stated as follows, to wit:
If you thought New York Gov. Andrew was a piece of work, just look at his staff.
A senior adviser to the governor called three young female state lawmakers “f**king idiots” on Wednesday, the New York Times reported.
The insult was in response to a press conference the women held criticizing Cuomo for reportedly hosting a $25,000-ticket fundraiser earlier this month during the state’s budget season, which wasn’t mentioned on Cuomo’s public schedule.
end quotes
So, yes, my goodness, isn’t it truly disgusting that these nursing home operators would dare to accuse Andy Cuomo of having blood on his hands, when it is both obvious and apparent that what they really are doing is “trying to deflect from their failures.”
Which takes us to a Newsday article entitled “State assemblyman calls for Zucker’s firing over virus directive” by Yancey Roy on April 28, 2020, to wit:
ALBANY — A Long Island assemblyman on Monday said the state health commissioner should be fired for requiring nursing homes to accept COVID-19 patients.
Assemb. Mike LiPetri (R-South Farmingdale), who is running for Congress in a Republican primary, said the directive issued by Dr. Howard Zucker, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s health commissioner, has “very likely led to the deaths and/or infections of thousands of our most vulnerable citizens.”
LiPetri referred to a March 25 directive that nursing homes cannot deny “readmission or admission solely based on a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of COVID-19.”
He called it an “unconscionable directive.”
“This policy not only defies common sense, it (also) puts those most vulnerable in our society face-to-face with this deadly virus,” LiPetri said.
Assemb. Andrew Garbarino (R-Sayville), LiPetri’s opponent in the primary, also called on the state Assembly Health Committee to investigate and hold hearings on nursing home deaths from COVID-19.
The Cuomo administration has defended the directive, which required nursing homes to accept virus patients from hospitals after they were deemed medically stable, by noting nursing homes did not have to accept the patients if they could not care for them safely.
In response to LiPetri, Cuomo aide Rich Azzopardi said, “We’re fighting a pandemic and now is not the time for cheap personal attacks by cheap politicians looking for cheap press.”
end quotes
So as you can see, Cheryl, despite her spelling, Yvonne is dead on the money with her post above concerning Andy “KING” Cuomo putting COVID in the nursing homes.
Too bad it is all going to get covered over!
Dev says
Here here!!!
Truth being told!
😉
Kathy says
I agree. Headline is miss leading. His quote says you should wear on to protect yourself and it’s good practice. Symbolic in that it’s what people should be doing. ( I would think to protect themselves as quoted). The title leads you to believe that he had stated that they’re ineffective and only symbolic. He didn’t say that. He has also been consistent on message regarding second wave. It could happen, but not known yet. As with most everything with a new virus.
Paul Plante says
And there is a good chance that a second bolus from space is going to come crashing down on Virginia’s East Shore and Chesapeake Bay right exactly where the first bolus landed.
Given that the common cold, a corona virus never goes away and always is there, it is safe for the man who plays the role of “America’s premier infectious disease expert” in an on-going made-for-TV sit com extravaganza direct to all of America and the world from Washington, D.C. to say this version of corona virus will come back, because like every other corona virus, it now exists.
And you DO NOT have to be America’s premier infectious disease expert to know any of this, nor do you need a doctorate, or anything more than a basic high school education and the ability to read, and if one were to actually try to inform themselves, independent of Fauci, who is a SHILL for BIG PHARM, this is what one would learn on the subject of Corona viruses:
Coronaviruses vary significantly in risk factor.
Some can kill more than 30% of those infected, such as MERS-CoV, and some are relatively harmless, such as the common cold.
Coronaviruses can cause colds with major symptoms, such as fever, and a sore throat from swollen adenoids.
Coronaviruses can cause pneumonia (either direct viral pneumonia or secondary bacterial pneumonia) and bronchitis (either direct viral bronchitis or secondary bacterial bronchitis).
The human coronavirus discovered in 2003, SARS-CoV, which causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), has a unique pathogenesis because it causes both upper and lower respiratory tract infections.
Six species of human coronaviruses are known, with one species subdivided into two different strains, making seven strains of human coronaviruses altogether.
Four human coronaviruses produce symptoms that are generally mild:
1.Human coronavirus OC43 (HCoV-OC43), β-CoV
2.Human coronavirus HKU1 (HCoV-HKU1), β-CoV
3.Human coronavirus 229E (HCoV-229E), α-CoV
4.Human coronavirus NL63 (HCoV-NL63), α-CoV
Three human coronaviruses produce symptoms that are potentially severe:
1. Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (MERS-CoV), β-CoV
2. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), β-CoV
3. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), β-CoV
Slide Easy says
Who died and left you in charge? I bet you voted for bath house barry and the hillary.
Truth says
If you dont suffocate while wearing a mask you are breathing in oxygen cells… so that also means you will breath in covid 19 viral cell! Like the Dr. Said its symbolic.. we need to rely on facts and not symbolism or fear.. I’d like to hear the Dr. say what percent a mask is effective? I wonder how many people in the U S has got the Virus who wore masks? And how man who didnt got it? Why do we need a vaccine anyway? 97percent of the people who get it are recovering?
New user says
I’m Not believing anything he says anymore. First he says it’s Highly contagious, you must quarantine, You must wear a mask. Now he says masks don’t work 100% . But says we should wear them anyway to create the symbolic of wearing masks so that we all get used to wearing them. What the hell does that mean? I’m not doing anything to create symbolism. And , First and Foremost, he states he Highly Doubts this virus will come back again, but in a whispering tone, says it could come back. FAUCI NEEDS TO BE FIRED!!!!! He’s dangling everyone by his shoestrings like puppets. It’s all about Control and Power for him.
Ron says
I’m not sure we read the same article. Where does it say in the article, he said it was highly unlikely the virus would not come back?And he never said wearing a mask was 100% effective. I think you already made up your mind before you read the article.
Sandra says
No he said it wasn’t 100%effective! And he leaves you dangling on wherther or not it will come back ,well in my opinion that all depends on if they want it to or not!
Paul Plante says
Why on earth do you think Fauci knows what this virus is going to do?
Do you think he has his people conferencing with its people as to what its plans for the future are?
It is an RNA-type virus, which means it is unstable and prone to mutating, which is what it is doing.
The virus in Europe if not the same virus in China.
Who knows what it will do next, including Fauci.
The real problem here is television and the ignorant COVID CIRCUS CLUSTER**** going on starring Fauci and a host of other clowns all trying to have their moment in the spotlight.
Lidia says
Agree with you
Me says
No. I read it and am going by all of the things that he has said before and now. It may not come back. How on earth can that be true when masks aren’t 100 percent????
Kevin says
Sounds to me like you should not wear a mask and disinfect your lungs a.s.a.p!
Rene says
That’s funny👍
Stuart Bell says
So you think it would be funny for some one to ‘disinfect’ their lungs with some type of solvent?
Please explain.
Tee El says
I do. Absolutely. Darwinism at its finest!
Paul Plante says
The virus, which does not take instruction or direction from Dr. Fauci, can come back because it now exists as a part of nature.
It could mutate like the 1918 flu did and become even more virulent, or it could mutate, as it has already done at least twice, and weaken itself, and Fauci has no more clue as to what it is going to do than does the man in the moon, or anybody else, for that matter.
So he has covered all the bases by saying on the one hand it might not come back, and on the other, it might in fact come back, which anybody with high school reading skills and no doctor’s degree could do as well simply by reading up on the life of viruses, of which there is much that has already been written.
COVID is a cousin to the corona virus that causes the common cold, which is common because it doesn’t go away and is always there looking for somebody with a weak enough immune system to attack.
If the common cold caused by corona viruses can come back, so can COVID, and people who get the common cold can progress to pneumonia and die from it.
Personally, I don’t waste time listening to Fauci, because his raspy voice annoys my ear drums and because the few times I did hear him on the radio news, he had nothing to say that I didn’t already know.
Don Green says
Agree completely. Anthony Fauci, approaching 80 years of age, I believe, has been an eager media hog since the early ’80s, when AIDS began to spread. He reveled in being on camera whenever any network or budding cable channel would give him TV space to do so. He’d predict anything and everything. If he appears on TV when I’m working (I grew up with radio, so am used to listening, rather than watching), I mute the channel immediately. You’re spot-on, also, about the voice–it’s unbearable to the ear. At least the President had the savvy to put him in the background after a few appearances.
Fee says
I agree he just don’t know. First he said we don’t need mask it won’t protect you. So we walked around for months without one. Then he said wear a mask and now it is symbolic. Is he loosing it or what. I’m using my own judgment.
Ed says
He hanging around with our President to much, Trump is rubbing off on him
Carol Newton says
I think he drank the kool-aide!
Paul Plante says
It’s Chlorox bleach they are drinking down there, not Kool-Aid.
Whether they are boosting it with a goodly dose of carburetor cleaner isn’t known as of yet.
Ruth says
Agree
Dale says
I think you have been rubbing one off him.
Judith shapiro says
He is doing what Trump wants him to do. We already see cases of contact and death going up.
Jewel Spears says
Amen. He tries to scare people and turns around and says we probably can avoid a second round. He should just shut his mouth because all he does is scare and cause possible false hopes.
Steve says
Agree Totally. Fauci uses things like this pandemic for control and personal gain.
No one says
I think he’s the puppet in this scenario. He hasn’t been speaking candidly like he did in the beginning. His entire “wear the mask as a symbol” crap is a joke. I agree with you. I just think he’s on a short leash
Teri says
He is in no leash. He cannot be fired…
Dev says
Here here!!!
Soooo true!!!
Me says
Everything that they say, and that is reported in the main stream media is meant to keep people in fear, and confused. What better way to keep neighbor fighting neighbor than make it seem like you don’t care about their well being enough to wear a mask, that NOW they say is basically cosmetic. It’s all about appearances…, are you being a good sheep and following all the crap they say is necessary? Well wake up! Are you figuring it out yet? YOUVE BEEN LIED TO! Do not believe what they tell you. DO NOT allow yourself to be vaccinated with Bill Gates vaccine. It’s not what you think!
Karen says
Right wing mentality! Can’t believe you fell for it! Check sources prior to posting and fueling the Trump fire!
Note: Hey smart person, the article was taken from a CNN Newsroom interview. Learn to read, stop wasting our time.
Ray Otton says
C’mon man.
Karen?
Really? :-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-)
Don Green says
Note to the Editor: Thanks for your quick reply to “Karen’s” snarky ad hominem comment. It’s great that you don’t take any crap from fools.
Paul Plante says
I believe you have nailed it, Me.
This is not about protecting the health of the public, this is about imposing total political control over the people.
Keeping people in fear, and confused and having neighbor fighting neighbor over something that is invisible is a necessary step in the imposition of the police state you now live in, in the former Commonwealth of Virginia, where your “leader” has suspended your Constitution and has essentially imposed martial law on you, as can be seen from his dictatorial Executive Order No. 51, to wit:
NUMBER FIFTY-ONE (2020) DECLARATION OF A STATE OF EMERGENCY DUE TO NOVEL CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)
Importance of the Issue
The Commonwealth of Virginia is monitoring an outbreak of a respiratory illness referred to as the coronavirus (COVID-19), which has spread from Wuhan, Hubei Province, China to more than 80 other locations internationally, including the Commonwealth.
The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) has been working with local, state, and federal officials, healthcare and emergency management experts, and various state agencies to form a COVID-19 Taskforce to prepare for and respond to this threat.
Given recent confirmed occurrences of COVID-19 within the Commonwealth and in neighboring states, as well as information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is anticipated that the disease will spread.
Therefore, on this date, March 12, 2020, I declare that a state of emergency exists in the Commonwealth of Virginia to continue to prepare and coordinate our response to the potential spread of COVID-19, a communicable disease of public health threat.
The anticipated effects of COVID-19 constitute a disaster as described in § 44-146.16 of the Code of Virginia (Code).
By virtue of the authority vested in me by Article V, Section 7 of the Constitution of Virginia, by §§ 44-146.17 and 44-75.1 of the Code, as Governor and Director of Emergency Management and Commander-in-Chief of the Commonwealth’s armed forces, I proclaim a state of emergency.
Accordingly, I direct state and local governments to render appropriate assistance to prepare for this event, to alleviate any conditions resulting from the situation, and to implement recovery and mitigation operations and activities so as to return impacted areas to pre-event conditions as much as possible.
Emergency services shall be conducted in accordance with § 44-146.13 et seq. of the Code.
In order to marshal all public resources and appropriate preparedness, response, and recovery measures, I order the following actions:
E. Activation of the Virginia National Guard to State Active Duty.
Judi Harrison says
There are definitely many idiots in this World. Dr. Fauci is NOT one of them. He is a very highly educated man and deserves respect. They have ALWAYS said that they don’t know EVERYTHING about this Virus. So if they change what they say, try to remember that! Different studies show different results.
Paul Plante says
STAT
“People ‘shed’ high levels of coronavirus, study finds, but most are likely not infectious after recovery begins”
By Helen Branswell @HelenBranswell
March 9, 2020
People who contract the novel coronavirus emit high amounts of virus very early on in their infection, according to a new study from Germany that helps to explain the rapid and efficient way in which the virus has spread around the world.
At the same time, the study suggests that while people with mild infections can still test positive by throat swabs for days and even weeks after their illness, those who are only mildly sick are likely not still infectious by about 10 days after they start to experience symptoms.
The study also noted that people who are infected begin to develop antibodies to the virus quickly, typically within six to 12 days.
The rapid rise of antibodies may explain why about 80% of people infected with the virus do not develop severe disease.
Tom Haskins says
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/04/dr-fauci-gave-3-7-million-wuhan-laboratory-something-going-rudy-giuliani-drops-bomb-niaid-director-dr-tony-fauci/
Boot Lamb says
He is a Deep State hack that sent our tax dollars to Wuhan to study bat viruses.
Karen Furuya says
Headline is misleading!!!
Ray Otton says
Yikes!
A plague of Karens!
jane says
👍🏻😀😀
Tracy Singletary says
Headline nothing like the article. A shame many will read it and run with little true meaning.
Note: When pressed, Fauci admitted that wearing a mask is not 100% effective, but says that it is a gesture that shows “respect” for other people. At almost the same time, the WHO, like many have been saying for a while, note that masks may cause more harm then benefit. But, you are free to interpret the headline as you choose.
Tee El says
“A gesture that shows respect.” That means “not effective in preventing COVID-19”.
Please feel free to educate yourself:
https://aapsonline.org/mask-facts/
tokenny says
Hey Tee, you might want to try a better resource. Maybe one that’s a little more neutral.
The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) is a group of conservative activist doctors who oppose the 2010 health care reform law, the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.”[1] Members of the group also believe that President Obama may have hypnotized voters and that climate legislation is a threat to human health. Some of the group’s former leaders were members of the John Birch Society. Mother Jones wrote of the group, “Yet despite the lab coats and the official-sounding name, the docs of the AAPS are hardly part of mainstream medical society. Think Glenn Beck with an MD.”[2] The executive director is Jane Orient, an internist and a member of the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine.
The group describes itself as “a non-partisan professional association of physicians in all types of practices and specialties across the country. Since 1943, AAPS has been dedicated to the highest ethical standards of the Oath of Hippocrates and to preserving the sanctity of the patient-physician relationship and the practice of private medicine.”[3]
AAPS publishes the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons.
Cindy Harding says
What do you insane people not understand. We are fighting a pandemic (virus) that WE know nothing about. Fauci has been around a long time and continues to learn about this virus. He can’t be certain , no one can but it doesn’t give any one any damn right to undermine this scientist. To all of you who think you have all the answers to this deadly virus— PLEASE TELL US , y’all GENIUSES!!!!
Paul Plante says
My advice to you, Cindy Harding, is to do as you are doing, stay calm, be reflective, get past all the hype and hysteria and media fear-mongering for ratings and trust what the real experts at the Virginia Department of Health have to say about COVID, to wit:
First Virginia Case of COVID-19 Confirmed at Fort Belvoir.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 7, 2020
Media Contact: Maria Reppas, Director of Communications, maria.reppas@vdh.virginia.gov
(RICHMOND, VA.) – A U.S. Marine at Fort Belvoir has tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus, Virginia health officials confirmed today.
Governor Northam and Cabinet officials have been briefed.
Officials at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital and the Virginia Department of Health are working cooperatively, according to longstanding public health protocols.
The teams are in regular and close communication with federal, state, local, and private sector partners.
Public health officials caution that evidence has not been seen of COVID-19 spreading in Virginia and said the risk is low.
Don Green says
Dear Cindy, I think the widespread urban riots, looting, shooting, and other vandalism have eliminated the “pandemic”.
Zenbiker says
I just worry when for weeks our trusted experts told us we didn’t need to wear a mask then Voila we should (once they were available). Now it’s “maybe, no, or yes as a symbol.” I read everything I can cram into my day and still work from home. What is clear to me is I need to make my own decisions based on the best information from our international community. I don’t live and breathe by everything coming out of our “experts” advice. For me, I still wear a mask and wash my hands. I don’t judge someone who doesn’t but then I don’t have to interact with them either. So we are back to doing a good gesture for our neighbors.
James Garvey says
Can I ask how a reporter quotes Dr. Fauci, and irresponsibly completely lies about what the doctor said? You are a biased journalist and it will impact everyone’s view of you. Nowhere in your article does Dr. Fauci say “masks are symbolic”. Less than 100% effective is it ineffective. Great job misinforming the public and promoting an attitude that could get people sick or dead.
Note: You sound scared. This article quoted the Doctor accurately. Interpret as you will. I know you’re relatively uneducated, but this is what symbolic means according our friend Merriam Webster: a: using, employing, or exhibiting a symbol; b: consisting of or proceeding by means of symbols; 2: of, relating to, or constituting a symbol. Fauci said wearing a mask is a “symbol” of what people “should” be doing. In reality, fabric masks which almost everyone wears, allow air in around the sides, but lack non-woven, moisture-repelling layers. They impede only about 2% of airflow.
All of this leakage in surgical and fabric masks are why public health officials generally don’t believe that wearing a mask prevents anyone from catching a virus that is already floating around in the environment. Airflow follows the path of least resistance–if viral particles are nearby, they have an easy path around a surgical or fabric mask. And in the case of a fabric mask, wearers may well be wafting in particles small enough to flow right through the fabric. The mask is creating a false sense of security and is causing people like you from following protocols that we know do work. Idiot, you and others with your false sense of superiority are ones doing the most damage.
Paul Plante says
Int J Nurs Stud. 2020 Apr 30 : 103629.
doi: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2020.103629
PMCID: PMC7191274
A RAPID SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE EFFICACY OF FACE MASKS AND RESPIRATORS AGAINST CORONAVIRUSES AND OTHER RESPIRATORY TRANSMISSIBLE VIRUSES FOR THE COMMUNITY, HEALTHCARE WORKERS AND SICK PATIENTS
C. Raina MacIntyre and Abrar Ahmad Chughtai
Background
The pandemic of COVID-19 is growing, and a shortage of masks and respirators has been reported globally.
Policies of health organizations for healthcare workers are inconsistent, with a change in policy in the US for universal face mask use.
The aim of this study was to review the evidence around the efficacy of masks and respirators for healthcare workers, sick patients and the general public.
Results
Randomised controlled trials in health care workers showed that respirators, if worn continually during a shift, were effective but not if worn intermittently.
Medical masks were not effective, and cloth masks even less effective.
1. Background
Most authorities are recommending that community members not wear a mask, and that a mask should only be worn by a sick patient (also referred to as source control).
3. Results
For hospitals where COVID-19 patients are being treated, there is growing evidence of widespread contamination of the ward environment, well beyond 2 meters from the patient, as well as aerosol transmission (Ong et al., 2020, Santarpia et al., 2020, Guo et al., 2020).
Several studies have found SARS-CoV-2 on air vents and in air samples in intensive care units and COVID-19 wards (Santarpia et al., 2020, Chia et al., 2020, Liu et al., 2020), and an experimental study showed the virus in air samples three hours after aerosolization (van Doremalen et al., 2020).
The weight of this evidence and the precautionary principle (MacIntyre et al., 2014, MacIntyre et al., 2014), favors respirators for healthcare workers.
A trial we conducted in Vietnam of 2-layered cotton cloth masks compared to medical masks showed a lower rate of infection in the medical mask group, and a 13 times higher risk of infection in the cloth mask arm (21).
The study suggests cloth masks may increase the risk of infection (21), but may not be generalizable to all home-made masks.
The material, design and adequacy of washing of cloth masks may have been a factor (Macintyre et al., 2020).
There are no other randomised controlled trial of cloth masks published, but if any protection is offered by these it would be less than even a medical mask.
4. Discussion
Medical masks did not significantly protect against viral, bacterial, droplet or other infection outcomes.
For COVID-19 specifically, the growing body of evidence showing aerosolisation of the virus in the hospital ward highlights the risk of inadvertent exposure for healthcare workers and supports the use of airborne precautions at all times on the ward (Santarpia et al., 2020, Chia et al., 2020, Liu et al., 2020).
Further, the rule of 1-2 m of spatial separation is not based on good evidence, with most research showing that droplets can travel further than 2m, and that infections cannot be neatly separated into droplet and airborne (MacIntyre et al., 2017, Bahl et al., 2020).
Jeff says
If you look at the published data coming out now from the Netherlands and elsewhere we are seeing clearly this virus is a targeted virus that is only dangerous for people older than 80 or that have multiple comorbidities. This has been confirmed in the data in MN where the death rate is >80% in nursing homes and also in PA to name a few. The media will not report this as it wants to keep people in a panic. The data however is out there. I am a chemist and work in this area. It is sad when politics enters into news reporting.
Jeff says
To clarify By dangerous I mean deadly. Yes. Others can get it and get sick but will recover. However unlike the flu which is an indiscriminate killer regardless of age this virus appears to be more selective. That is not to say again that there are not exceptions of course there are but for the most part we now know how this virus targets its victims. What we still do not understand is how to treat it. We also know the only masks that are effective are the n95 masks. The homemade masks do nothing for a virus at 0.1 micron size that doesn’t seal on your face.
jane says
there are known treatments with high success rates.
in China, Drs have used IV vit C, in France, Drs have used hydroxychloriquine and zinc, in Madagascar, an herbal cure with Artemesia, in Israel, plasmas and stem cells
Paul Plante says
It is indeed sad when politics enters news reporting, but let’s face reality – since Tommy Jefferson and John Adams were slugging it out in the press back in the opening days of this nation’s history as a nation, politics has never really been absent from news reporting, because news reporting is controlled by editors and publishers and ultimately, the audience they cater to, or serve.
Even Walter Cronkite was “political.”
What is sad today is how thumb-sucking stupid the main-stream media is, like a bunch of chickens running around absent their heads, who question nothing at all, just write it down as the politicians spew their bull**** and then print the bull**** as fact.
As you point out, and here, let me say that I am over 70, and thus, am in the more challenged sector here in terms of what is called immunosenescence, this COVID, which comes to us from nature, seems to have its targets pre-selected, just as the flu of 1918-1919 did.
An interesting fact about that flu pandemic was that those who got the flu first time around and survived were immune when it mutated in England and came back in what was the second wave in a more virulent form.
I don’t waste a moment of my time listening to Fauci or any of those other fools starring in the TV COVID drama down in Washington. D.C., and I am curious as to why anybody else does, when it is so easy to get free articles on the subject from the New England Journal of Medicine, and The Lancet and many other sites where on a daily basis, new studies with the latest information coming out from those actually researching the disease are being published.
Whatever information the Washington, D.C. TV star Fauci has is coming to him from the same OPEN SOURCES as is the information I am accessing.
There is no “secret, inside” information that Fauci is privy to, and being a TV star in Washington, the useless city on the Potomac, it is obvious he is not on the front lines of the research being done on the subject.
Clearly, people are developing antibodies to COVID which has now been confirmed in a number of studies.
So while COVID can overpower the compromised immune systems of some, who are dying of other causes, the immune systems of healthy persons are standing up to it, and thus, are gaining immunity, so that if COVID does mutate like the 1918 flu and come back in a second wave, or a third, or yearly, as does the flu, those people are out ahead of the curve, while people who have been hiding away from COVID remain at risk, foolishly believing that there is going to be a cure or vaccine any time soon.
And if there is going to be a vaccine, like all other vaccines, it is not going to be a panacea for older people who don’t really get much benefit from vaccines.
Bottom line, absent another crisis for the media to exploit, the COVID hysteria, which replaced the CLIMATE CHANGE hysteria, is going to be with us for a bit longer.
Scrynt Cauldein says
Paul sure uses an almost voluminous amount of writing that includes many impressive words – I am being sincere about that – to ultimately get on his soapbox about gripes and unfounded worries, using that soapbox as a more subtle bully pulpit than how the current presidential administration uses the exposure. But, considering the public-facing position that he is in, Paul’s mistrust in science is nothing short of alarming.
Paul Plante says
And moving right along here, people, joining the Cavalcade of Absolutely Hilarious Comedy emanating from the comedy hotspot of Cape Charles on Virginia’s East Shore comes the brand new comedy act of Scrynt Cauldein starring as a classic BUFFOON who zany slap-stick antics and pratfalls will have you rolling in the aisles in uncontrolled fits of laughter.
And Scrynt, for the record, Paul is a scientist, so it has to follow that Paul doesn’t mistrust science.
In fact, Paul relies on real science in here to make his points.
What Paul mistrusts, and has been exposing as a professional involved in forensic analysis since 1975 is the BULL**** bogus “science” spewed forth by charlatans and other bull******** who call themselves “scientists,” because they have a doctorate that says they are.
Just saying!
And now, after a commercial break for station identification and a word from our sponsors. we will resume our regularly scheduled programming, but be sure to look for the name Scrynt Cauldein appearing at a comedy venue near you soon as Virginia slowly reopens, because the dude is going to the big time fast and that is a fact!
jane says
💗👍🏻
Ray Otton says
Or………………………………………Paul is a windbag.
Paul Plante says
NOTE:
To anyone who doesn’t already know him, for our dear friend Raymond, a “windbag” is anyone who is not stupid, like Raymond is, someone who made it past the sixth grade who can string more than three multi-syballic words together in the same sentence.
That is what makes someone a windbag in Raymond’s world, and being as how this is America, and Raymond has the God-given right in America to be as dumb as a box of rocks, I am totally cool with that.
Raymond prefers to be around people who grunt and say UGH and OOGA BOOGA.
But nonetheless, although he epitomizes stupidity here in America (he is a libertarian, you know), he actually is quite harmless, and he is great for comic relief in times of stress, aren’t you, Raymond.
And I would move down to the Eastern Shore to live next door to Raymond just so each and every day, I could walk past Raymond’s house, stepping off the sidewalk and onto Raymond’s lawn for the pleasure of watching him come boiling out of his house in a rage, screaming at the top of his lungs, “GET OFF MY LAWN!”
Oh, what fun that would be, day after day after day.
Stuart Bell says
I will always look out for children, old folks, veterans, disabled, woman, The Bible and the Flag of The United States of America.
Stuart Bell says
He is a Veteran, he has earned the right. By the way, just what is a Scrynt Cauldein ???
Ray Otton says
FWIW, being a Vet doesn’t convey any special rights even if the Vet constantly reminds the audience of his service.
That said, I will always defend his right to be a windbag.
Maybe not to the death, but certainly up to a real bad headache.
Which, ironically, happens when reading one of his long winded, repetitive posts about upstate NY, blah, blah. whatever.
Paul Plante says
Just as I defend your right to be stupid, Raymond, and am always happy to do so on your behalf, because you are as much an American as I am, and being an American gives you a God-given right to be as dumb as a box of rocks, along with the right to vote, and nobody can do anything about that so long as people like myself are willing to step up to the plate to do what needs to be done to keep you safe and sound.
And you are dead on the money about being a veteran not giving anybody any rights here in America, especially a Viet Nam veteran.
We’re the ones who got spit on by the good people of America who didn’t want us allowed back into this country.
Ray Otton says
“Just as I defend your right to be stupid, Raymond, and am always happy to do so on your behalf, because you are as much an American as I am, and being an American gives you a God-given right to be as dumb as a box of rocks, along with the right to vote, and nobody can do anything about that so long as people like myself are willing to step up to the plate to do what needs to be done to keep you safe and sound.
And you are dead on the money about being a veteran not giving anybody any rights here in America, especially a Viet Nam veteran.
We’re the ones who got spit on by the good people of America who didn’t want us allowed back into this country.”
You’ve read enough of my posts to know I’m not stupid or dumb so why throw those pejoratives out there?
Unless I left a mark and you don’t have anything else to say……………Which would be a freakin’ first here on CCM.
Paul Plante says
Ah, Raymond, how you do go on with the drama in here with this talk of me thinking that you are either stupid or dumb.
Actually, I think that you have to be one of the most knowledgeable and intelligent and erudite people I have ever come across in over 70 years of life here on the globe, and that is a fact.
Norma Tyler says
During October, November & December, flu jabs were being given, as they are every year. Presumably because certain types of flu were expected.
NO OTHER FLU SEEMS TO HAVE APPEARED…ALL SWEPT UNDER ONE UMBRELLA COVID19. MIGHT THIS NOT ACCOUNT FOR ALL THESE VARIENTS?
MY THOUGHTS ARE…ABSOLUTELY.
Kitty Wells says
WTF is a flu jab?
jane says
flu shot
“ jab” is English
jane says
did you see a chart around april which showed the rates of covid cases going up at the same rate that flu cases were going down? looked like a giant “<.”
Paul Plante says
This just in:
Contact tracing data from around the globe suggests that while there are instances of asymptomatic coronavirus patients transmitting the virus to others, they are not “a main driver” of new infections, World Health Organization officials said at a press conference Monday.
Evidence early on suggested that person-to-person transmission among people who didn’t experience symptoms could lead to outbreaks that would be difficult to control.
The WHO is now relying on data obtained through contact tracing, said Maria Van Kerkhove, head of the emerging diseases and zoonosis unit.
“We have a number of reports from countries who are doing very detailed contact tracing.”
“They’re following asymptomatic cases.”
“They’re following contacts.”
“And they’re not finding secondary transmission onward.”
“It’s very rare.”
In the press conference Monday, Kerkhove said there are fewer asymptomatic patients than previously thought.
“(I)f you actually go back and say how many of them are truly asymptomatic, we find out that many have really mild disease, very mild disease, they’re not quote unquote COVID symptoms, meaning they may not have developed fever yet.”
“Comprehensive studies on transmission from asymptomatic individuals are difficult to conduct, but the available evidence from contact tracing reported by Member States suggests that asymptomatically-infected individuals are much less likely to transmit the virus than those who develop symptoms.”
Jamie Moore says
Thanks for the light reading Paul, I’ve immensely enjoyed this thread. It has been both informative and fun, thanks to you.
I’m not a scientist, or researcher, but I have two eyes and a functioning brain (which is more than I can say for countless numbers of entertainment-numbed zombies that surround us everywhere these days), and so I’ve been able to nod in agreement as your writings support most everything I’ve been thinking about this “pandemic” since early January. By the time March rolled around, the horse was already well out of the barn.
I truly believe when we are looking at 2020 in hindsight, we’re going to learn that this COVID-19 will be approximately twice as bad as the flu in terms of both morbidity and transmission. I’ve already been reading some reports that there’s been little or no difference between places that locked down and places that did nothing.
But I also believe there is no one-size-fits way to look at this… some places are more populated than others, then add age and health factors and the overall picture is too muddy for anyone to be claiming they “know” what is going to happen. I’m far more concerned about the long-term effects of scaring people into submission at this point.
Actually, what I’m most concerned about at this point is, if Donald Trump wins re-election, the left will begin their civil war. And if Joe Biden wins, we’ll be stuck with the dumbest, most senile President we’ve ever had. Worse than Reagan’s last 2 years, when VP and CIA spook GHWB began the process of attempting to form the “New World Order.” I’m still going to vote for Trump, but I fear that the way the left acts, it’s going to mean war. They’ve already all-but declared it anyway.
Scrynt Cauldein says
WHO almost started the (un)civil war? Here’s a little reminder: think about January 6th… 2021, that is.
To tell you the truth – which you may or may not accept as, well, accurate – I am surprised that your comment is still here based on the drastic downturn that both the unvaccinated and the variants are fueling.
Paul Plante says
His comment was that if Joe Biden wins, we’ll be stuck with the dumbest, most senile President we’ve ever had, and as subsequent history has proven, he was dead on the money, so why should thast post be censored?
Because you are a card-carrying member of the CULT OF JOE and don’t like it?
And you are engaging in some real serious hysteria if you think that what occurred on 6 January was in any way a civil war.
Paul Plante says
And as was discussed in here back on May 31, 2020 at 9:20 pm, COVID has continued to mutate, so that there is now a new variant of COVID on the scene which id different than the variant that originally came out of China back on 31 December 2019, that according to an article in Medical press entitled “New, more infectious strain of COVID-19 now dominates global cases of virus: study” by University of Sheffield on July 2, 2020, where we have the latest on this hunter/seeker, to wit:
Researchers have shown that a variation in the viral genome of COVID-19 improved its ability to infect human cells and helped it become the dominant strain circulating around the world today.
The study, published today in the journal Cell, shows the variation is more infectious in cell cultures under laboratory conditions.
The variant, named ‘D614G’, makes a small but effective change in the ‘spike’ glycoprotein that protrudes from the surface of the virus, which it uses to enter and infect human cells.
The D614G variant of COVID-19 quickly took over as the dominant strain soon after it first appeared, with geographic samples showing a significant shift in viral population from the original, to the new strain of the virus.
Researchers from the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and Duke University in North Carolina, partnered with the University of Sheffield’s COVID-19 Genomics UK research group to analyse genome samples published on GISAID, an international resource for sharing genome sequences among researchers worldwide.
Dr. Thushan de Silva, Senior Clinical Lecturer in Infectious Diseases at the University of Sheffield, led analysis of data from Sheffield.
He said: “We have been sequencing SARS-CoV-2 strains in Sheffield since early in the pandemic and this allowed us to partner with our collaborators to show this mutation had become dominant in circulating strains.”
“The full peer-reviewed study published today confirms this, and also that the new D614G genome mutation variant is also more infectious under laboratory conditions.”
“Data provided by our team in Sheffield suggested that the new strain was associated with higher viral loads in the upper respiratory tract of patients with COVID-19, meaning the virus’s ability to infect people could be increased.”
“Fortunately at this stage, it does not seem that viruses with D614G cause more severe disease.”
end quotes
That mutation, of course, complicates efforts to come up with a vaccine, and helps to explain why more COVID cases are showing up, as the virus becomes a more effective predator.
In an article published in CELL entitled “Tracking changes in SARS-CoV-2 Spike: evidence that D614G increases infectivity of the COVID-19 virus” by B. Korber, W.M. Fischer, S. Gnanakaran, and D.C. Montefiori on behalf of the Sheffield COVID-19 Genomics Group published: July 02, 2020, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2020.06.043 the study authors further inform us on this variant, to wit:
Summary
A SARS-CoV-2 variant carrying the Spike protein amino acid change D614G has become the most prevalent form in the global pandemic.
Dynamic tracking of variant frequencies revealed a recurrent pattern of G614 increase at multiple geographic levels: national, regional and municipal.
The shift occurred even in local epidemics where the original D614 form was well established prior to the introduction of the G614 variant.
The consistency of this pattern was highly statistically significant, suggesting that the G614 variant may have a fitness advantage.
end quotes
Will this be the last mutation?
Nobody knows, including Dr. Fauci!
Jen says
This virus is going to get exposed !!!! So made up lies never made sense a hoax the second wave of covid doesn’t make sense to me totally different symptoms I thought it was a flu like virus but now it can cause headaches, diabetes and blood clots like WTF???? Total laughable joke I knew why I was laughing alot at this can it cause PMS symptoms too?
Paul Plante says
Jen, you sound nice and well-informed, as well, when so many, too many, really, these days are neither, so you must be someone who would remember back to 1918 when the so-called “Spanish flu” (it didn’t originate in Spain but who cares about facts) came to Richmond with a frenzy.
Talk about something not acting like the flu, that was it.
As historical records tell us, those who realize that the world did not begin the dqy we were born, with it being created especially for us, the particular strain of flu that infected the global population in 1918 was unusually severe, which was demonstrated not only by the mortality rates of those infected, but also in the symptoms displayed by the sick.
For example, Jen, and you likely recall this, as well, many ill individuals experienced violent epistaxis, or nosebleeds so that one infected young woman spewed blood from her nose one foot across her bed linens.
That would freak the bejaysus right out of people today, wouldn’t it, if COVID started making that happen?
Getting back to 1918 and that flu, the destruction of infected patients’ lungs was also terrifically severe.
According to historian Tom Quinn, “some victims coughed up as much as six pints of pus a day,” if you can imagine that, and from your post, it sounds like you can, which is why I took the time and trouble to mention that.
That’s another one of those things that would freak out the queasy today, so we should be thankful for what we have, versus what we could have had if Mother Nature had decided to replay that act, which takes us back to 1918, for more, as follows:
Following death, autopsies often revealed that patients coughed so hard that they tore apart abdominal muscles and rib cartilage, and yet another cruel symptom of the influenza was the secondary disease associated with the strain, which most often acted as the cause of death — pneumonia.
The form of pneumonia accompanying the Spanish Flu often featured a blueness of the skin, termed heliotrope cyanosis in the medical world, which was later determined to be caused by a lack of oxygen in the blood, “as patients literally drowned from fluid in their lungs.”
The Spanish Influenza of 1918 was also unprecedentedly lethal, and unlike the majority of past strains of the influenza, the mutated virus of the Spanish Influenza was unusually deadly among young adults.
According to Susan Kingsley Kent, “unlike its predecessors, which tended to take infants and the elderly, this strain of influenza preferred men and women aged fifteen to forty-five, victims in the prime of their lives.”
You see, Jen, and you would, because you are that type of person when so many, so many in fact these days are totally clueless, guilty of vincible ignorance, and quite proud of it, these things like that flu and this COVID variant are predators that Mother Nature assembles from her vast arsenal of spare parts to do some killing to cull the herd for her, because that is what nature wants, for her own reasons.
Said another way, every now and then, the eagle has to be fed.
Scrynt Cauldein says
The nomenclature of things, including diseases, etc., is not necessarily based on origin of those things; in this case, your discounting of the name “Spanish flu” is disconcerting because it was named after a geographical region that was affected significantly by it. Of course, you probably already knew that but were distracted by the most recent ‘frenzy’…
Paul Plante says
The names of things like the Spanish Flu are simply names, and really do not connote anything else.
And yes, like every other fifth grader who learns about these things when young, I do know the Spanish flue did not originate in Spain – that is simply a historical name given to it.
As schoolchildren in this country used to know back in a time when schoolchildren in America were expected to know something, as the pandemic reached epic proportions in the fall of 1918, it became commonly known as the “Spanish Flu” or the “Spanish Lady” in the United States and Europe.
Many assumed this was because the sickness had originated on the Iberian Peninsula, but the nickname was actually the result of a widespread misunderstanding.
Spain was one of only a few major European countries to remain neutral during World War I.
Unlike in the Allied and Central Powers nations, where wartime censors suppressed news of the flu to avoid affecting morale, the Spanish media was free to report on it in gory detail.
News of the sickness first made headlines in Madrid in late-May 1918, and coverage only increased after the Spanish King Alfonso XIII came down with a nasty case a week later.
Since nations undergoing a media blackout could only read in depth accounts from Spanish news sources, they naturally assumed that the country was the pandemic’s ground zero.
The Spanish, meanwhile, believed the virus had spread to them from France, so they took to calling it the “French Flu.”