The media is being a little schizophrenic, as are some public health “experts”, on the topic of the new variant du jour. On the one hand, they want to resort to their terror campaign playbook and scare the hell out of everyone. On the other hand, at least in the US, the media is largely a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Democrat party and they know the epidemic is becoming a liability for that party, so they want it over. I am told, and I will listen to these soon, although I should be spared such torture as I nominally am on vacation, that at a briefing this week the Minnesota DOH actually said people were over-reacting. I will have to hear that to believe it.
Here is my assessment based on what we seem to know. In a widespread respiratory virus, variants come, some stay, some go. There are currently four common seasonal coronaviruses, they all manage to stay in circulation in varying proportions. CV-19 may eventually become one more of those, and it may have more than one strain as part of that rotation, as influenza also has. The Moronic variant is just one more of those strains. I see no evidence to suggest it is more transmissible. Those of you who read the CSPI article (which hopefully is back on line and a reader did post in the comments a link to a twitter thread of the article), linked in a post earlier this week will understand when I say that I am very doubtful that Delta was more transmissible and I think the same logic applies to Moronic. The people most susceptible to a virus or a variant tend to be infected early on and some of those have large contact networks and so it can appear as though a strain is more infectious in its initial deployment phase, but it may not actually be.
If you look at the epidemic curves found on Worldometers or elsewhere, the curve this year at this time for South Africa, which is highly unvaccinated, looks just like the curve last year, at almost the exact same time. (Worldometers SA Chart) Looking at the curve you would not in any way conclude that the Moronic variety is more transmissible than its predecessors. In fact, the South Africa curve, because it is in a still largely immune-naive population, is a wonderful example of a typical progression of a seasonal respiratory virus. I would assume that the peaks of future waves will begin to be lower in height and the ascent and descent not so steep as the proportion of the population infected grows. You may already see that in the active cases curve on Worldometers for the South Africa wave before this one. (And note also the clear seasonality shown in this SA chart, with a dual season, very similar to Florida for example.)
The evidence so far is that Moronic also may lead to less severe disease. Again, probably too early to assess that properly, and in heavily vaccinated populations it will be very difficult to track the effect properly. We haven’t been assessing Delta in the best analytic way, so right now I am assuming the same screwed up approach will be used for Moronic. So aside from my base of skepticism to everything until good data and research is produced, there is nothing in the early data that tells me we should be unduly worried. I know the CV-19 terrorists will be disappointed.
Which brings up the real issue with how this epidemic has been tracked and responded to–the excessive use and inadequacies of PCR testing. We are using these ridiculously over-sensitive tests to call people cases and infected. I have pounded away from the start of the epidemic at the concept of adaptive immunity and what it really means for an encounter with a respiratory pathogen. People need to think about this, and even our supposed public health experts rarely explain it properly. Adaptive immunity does not stop exposure. Nothing short of enveloping yourself in Saran wrap will, as should be apparent from this epidemic. (Look, for example, at the wonderful impact masking has had.) Anyone at any point could have some virus or virus fragments in their upper respiratory tract. If they have been vaccinated or even better, had a prior infection, they are likely to clear any viable virus very quickly. But if they are tested while that is occurring, they are a “case”.
We will never get out of this terrible cycle of futile and damaging responses to the epidemic as long as we keep this idiotic testing regime going.
12/4 – can you provide a link to the cspi report? I still get the this account has been suspended message
I see 80 idiotic Republicans joined the Democrats to pass something both evil and stupid this week. They have passed a law created a federal vaccine database in the House. This is terrifying. What possible reason does the federal government have for knowing your vaccine status? I am old enough to remember when your health information was between you and your doctor.
https://mustreadalaska.com/don-young-joins-bipartisan-group-to-approve-national-vaccine-database-bill-hr-550/
“Also known as the Immunization and Infrastructure, H.R. 550 was sponsored by Rep. Ann Kuster, a New Hampshire Democrat, in January.
According to the bill, the government would spend $400 million on an “immunization system data modernization and expansion,” a system it says is “a confidential, population-based, computerized database that records immunization doses administered by any health care provider to persons within the geographic area covered by that database.”
The database would allow the government to notify people about when their booster shot are due. Although the system is described as confidential, confidential in this case means confidential from the public, until of course records are indiscriminately released like has happened with the IRS, Department of Defense, Veterans Administration, or any number of high-profile government leaks and hacks.”
Keven. When, according to the CDC, is the PCR test going to be retired for covid 19?
What testing protocol will take it’s place?
I wonder how much current testing is driven by being mandatory for work, school or travel versus personal “choice” in response to the media terror campaign?
I think a lot is, and a lot is for health care
I’m providing this url again. There are similar articles on the cdc and nih websites but they are written in a combination of researcher-ese/bureaucrat-ese. You may have to search for those if this NYT url doesn’t work for you.
https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/22/health/22whoop.html
Moronic Republicans:
“Critics say the bill will allow the federal government to track unvaccinated Americans, who could be targeted, segregated, and forced to comply with vaccination mandates.”
Isn’t that the purpose of the bill? To force those who resist?
Since they have access to your financial reports, it would be easy for them to fine you again and again, until they feel you have complied with their Police State.
Or a midnight knock on your door?
This Peak Prosperity program is appropro:
12-02-21: Psychology & Facts of Covid
https://www.peakprosperity.com/mattias-desmet-on-mass-formation/