When even a malcontent like Maher gets close to understanding the problem with our garbage media's nonstop fear-mongering, while Speaker Antoinette usurps the House in government-by-secret-caucus fashion as many out-of-work Americans struggle to make ends meet, something in our proverbial gut just says, "Enough's enough!" For both economy and immunity's sake, it's time to stop the panic and end the total isolation for all of our health, America...
The tragedy of the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be entering the containment phase. Tens of thousands of Americans have died, and Americans are now desperate for sensible policymakers who have the courage to ignore the panic and rely on facts. Leaders must examine accumulated data to see what has actually happened, rather than keep emphasizing hypothetical projections; combine that empirical evidence with fundamental principles of biology established for decades; and then thoughtfully restore the country to function.
Five key facts are being ignored by those calling for continuing the near-total lockdown.
Fact 1: The overwhelming majority of people do not have any significant risk of dying from COVID-19.
The recent Stanford University antibody study now estimates that the fatality rate if infected is likely 0.1 to 0.2 percent, a risk far lower than previous World Health Organization estimates that were 20 to 30 times higher and that motivated isolation policies.
Fact 2: Protecting older, at-risk people eliminates hospital overcrowding.
We can learn about hospital utilization from data from New York City, the hotbed of COVID-19 with more than 34,600 hospitalizations to date. For those under 18 years of age, hospitalization from the virus is 0.01 percent, or 11 per 100,000 people; for those 18 to 44 years old, hospitalization is 0.1 percent. Even for people ages 65 to 74, only 1.7 percent were hospitalized. Of 4,103 confirmed COVID-19 patients with symptoms bad enough to seek medical care, Dr. Leora Horwitz of NYU Medical Center concluded "age is far and away the strongest risk factor for hospitalization."
Fact 3: Vital population immunity is prevented by total isolation policies, prolonging the problem.
We know from decades of medical science that infection itself allows people to generate an immune response — antibodies — so that the infection is controlled throughout the population by “herd immunity.” ... In this virus, we know that medical care is not even necessary for the vast majority of people who are infected. ... By transmitting the virus to others in the low-risk group who then generate antibodies, they block the network of pathways toward the most vulnerable people, ultimately ending the threat. Extending whole-population isolation [is] directly prevent[ing] that widespread immunity from developing.
Fact 4: People are dying because other medical care is not getting done due to hypothetical projections.
Critical health care for millions of Americans is being ignored and people are dying to accommodate “potential” COVID-19 patients and for fear of spreading the disease. Most states and many hospitals abruptly stopped “nonessential” procedures and surgery. That prevented diagnoses of life-threatening diseases, like cancer screening, biopsies of tumors now undiscovered and potentially deadly brain aneurysms. Treatments, including emergency care, for the most serious illnesses were also missed.
Fact 5: We have a clearly defined population at risk who can be protected with targeted measures.
The overwhelming evidence all over the world consistently shows that a clearly defined group — older people and others with underlying conditions — is more likely to have a serious illness requiring hospitalization and more likely to die from COVID-19. Knowing that, it is a commonsense, achievable goal to target isolation policy to that group, including strictly monitoring those who interact with them.
The appropriate policy, based on fundamental biology and the evidence already in hand, is to institute a more focused strategy like some outlined in the first place: Strictly protect the known vulnerable, self-isolate the mildly sick and open most workplaces and small businesses with some prudent large-group precautions. This would allow the essential socializing to generate immunity among those with minimal risk of serious consequence, while saving lives, preventing overcrowding of hospitals and limiting the enormous harms compounded by continued total isolation. Let’s stop underemphasizing empirical evidence while instead doubling down on hypothetical models. Facts matter.
Mark Levin started raising several of these same questions weeks back, and presented many of them last week for both Dr. Birx and Dr. Fauci, particularly concerning all these mitigation practices that have been put into effect to stop the spread:
2. They have insisted all along on promoting the most absurdly high estimates and demonstrably false numbers because they’re political ideologues seeking to make political points and promote a political agenda. Unfree press.https://t.co/I8AkL4SNKK
Yes, I know. The death rate will be lower than earlier reports. The Democrat Party-press knew too, but they’ve been lying and spinning and attacking for a month. And they’re still deceiving the country.https://t.co/0Xf8It0BHh
That Powerline post from a week ago had an interesting chart...just more perspective...just sayin'...
Again, Levin's been a strong voice in maintaining similar perspective through all of this, offering really riveting, thought-provoking, extremely informative segments out there over the past few weeks:
Stark contrast, no? It's sure to continue, as the dimmer side would rather fight the President and allies, while obstructing both progress in treatment and firing the economy back up, as well as fervently working to limit more of our liberties, thus impeding a return to a normal, thriving civilization. Their collective behavior continues to reflect their universal motto: "Never let a crisis go to waste." ...particularly in an election year...especially with a pandemic in an election year. No shame, but what else isn't new.
The key here is that we're gonna have to keep pushing against the typical, party-press narratives and hysteria to get through this, like we have all other national ailments, to return to both normalcy and to get to the truth. And speaking of the latter, if you haven't seen the first in-depth documentary on the Wuhan Coronavirus, then here's a large dose for the end-of-the-week. Enjoy!
ADDENDUM: And the day after putting all the above together...
Great, succinct Easter message for the times over at theRightScoop...
So. It is a tough time for all of us. Unless you’re a hundred years old, you have never seen a pandemic hit the entire world the way it has hit us in recent weeks. And yet. As believers, this gives us all the more reason to be grateful.
We are reminded in times of great tribulation what really matters.
And what really matters is not our things, it’s not our bank accounts, it’s not our money, it’s not how many followers we have on twitter or whether we have the ear of powerful people listening to us. None of that matters in the end.
What matters truly is our relationship to each other, and our relationship to Jesus Christ.
And so, on this most solemn and joyful day, on Easter, that Christians have celebrated for more than two thousand years, we are reminded that it doesn’t matter how dark life seems. We are promised eternal life and happiness and joy, if we make the decision to accept forgiveness from an all merciful God.
That is Easter. And that is today.
So I say to you, my Christian brothers and sisters, He is risen, He is risen indeed. Let us all take joy in that.
Within a week after anebbandflow asked, "Could the cure be around the corner?" there's more positive news coming to light about the use of Hydroxychloroquine in conjunction with other common medication as an effective treatment against COVID-19, despite some efforts in the media to obstruct this effort just to contradict the President. No, they wouldn't? Yes, they would, and have...
No matter. Progress towards hope is cutting through the negative biases of an unfree press.
Picking up mid-last week, Hydroxychloroquine continued to prove its effectiveness...
Reports from around the world are pouring in that the drug hydroxychloroquine is proving to be a powerful treatment in the fight against the coronavirus.
On Thursday, this preeminent infectious disease specialist says the Hydroxychloroquine/Azithromycin combo is "an absolute game changer," and "the beginning of the end of the pandemic!"
Dr. Stephen Smith, an infectious disease specialist, on using hydroxychloroquine/azithromycin combo to treat #COVID19 patients:
“It’s a game changer. It’s an absolute game changer. … I think this is the beginning of the end of the #pandemic. I’m very serious.” pic.twitter.com/F716IhtEvA
And by that afternoon, that "game changer" status received a significant boost!
An international poll of more than 6,000 doctors released Thursday found that the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine was the most highly rated treatment for the novel coronavirus.
Hydroxychloroquine rated 'most effective therapy' by doctors for coronavirus: Global survey https://t.co/rnshJqzP4O
At the very least, this powerfully effective drug must be pushed to the front line of medical use against COVID-19. The President has loosened the red tape, so how about using it, instead of continuing to allow Americans to go untreated and, in the most severe cases, lose their LIVES! We need to hear more testimonies like this, instead of constant mortality figures and negative news...
The president has hailed the drug hydroxychloroquine as a potential “game changer” in the battle against the spread of the coronavirus, despite left-leaning media questioning the drug's efficiency. A survivor of the coronavirus has since spoken out, telling One America's John Hines that hydroxychloroquine and President Trump saved his life.
...particularly if we desire a return to normalcy!
“We’ve got to get this country open again,” @realDonaldTrump said in response to more questions about need for more aggressive anti-COVID measures.
Hey, Mainstream Media, here's that more aggressive anti-COVID measure! Continuing to take precautions and following rules while administering this measure is an absolute. But encouraging government to continue tanking more of the economy, spending us into oblivion, feeding the fear, or trampling on more liberties for a sense of safety and gaining neither is not the solution. It's time for the media-at-large to get on board with this message. I know, though, that the hyper-politicization of an unfree press, in conjunction with bureaucratic pressures and party divides, seems to work against such allowances, so we're almost guaranteed that this epidemic will be prolonged at the expense of the American People if this obstructive negativity continues. Stop it! Unite behind this message, move together, and, to use a favored word in its real sense, progress!
Every day now, we watch news information broadcasted or written on the current COVID-19 crisis, with particular attention paid towards the cumulative numbers. Yes, the number of cases continues to rise, and the mortality rate along with it, as is common with any epidemic. Typically, the number of new cases and new deaths is also mentioned, which are important numbers needed to stay on top of the spread. Yet, there's one number that no matter how hard I try to find it in report after report, it's simply ignored and never mentioned: recoveries! Only place I've been able to keep up with that is here (follow the link):
Nearly every outlet that I've looked up online that would even dare to discuss why these numbers aren't being reported (a sampling here, here, here and here) suggest that either we don't have enough accurate numbers to publish about recoveries or it just isn't important enough to record or report right now. Say what? Uhh, no less accurate numbers than reported cases, particularly when everyone hasn't been tested, but this has to be accurate to be newsworthy? We know there are more cases than are being tested, yet that hasn't stopped the press from reporting those by the minute. This irrationale of incessantly focusing on one number while never mentioning the other just doesn't pan out. It feels very similar to the tamp down in talks (and in some circles, attempted discrediting) of using a hydroxychloroquine/azithromycin combo as a viable treatment measure. Might I put forth the proposition that the same thing we're seeing reported about this crisis is essentially the same thing that's occurred with much of everything over the past several decades: negativity and bias, first and foremost.
Understand, this is not ignoring the severity of the situation. This is simply stating that even in the severity of it all, whenever there have been positive developments, they're buried by the inundation of negative news, and I would suggest purposefully so. Not to mention the excessive amount of hyper-politicization mixed throughout. It's no wonder what I've been feeling syncs up perfectly with what Levin enunciated a few days back...
2. I’m said to be an extremist or denier or whatever. The question is: why are the leftwing, phony media outlets so insistent on ignoring the information and demanding compliance with the most extreme mortality predictions?
4. Or why not confront Adam Schiff & his ilk for distracting Congress with his coup effort rather than using his committee to monitor Communist China? Answer: these are leftwing demagogues & propagandists who are using this virus to spread their own poison. Sadly, no surprise
Press, pundits and politicos are hand-in-hand on this. As far as the political realm goes, readers were reminded a few weeks back about the disunity being sewn by Democratic leadership at the onset of this epidemic, while the Trump administration was working on how to address the situation and seeking solutions. Well, Democrats are back at it, chastising President Trump for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic; but yet again, they've got damn little room to talk (h/t: Grabien)...
...a review of their initial handling of the crisis looks far worse in retrospect. As news reports began circulating that the disease was able to be transmitted from person to person, Democratic lawmakers continued encouraging Americans to gather in large groups.
As if that hypocrisy is not enough, we've now got Washington Democrats who want to launch more investigations into the Trump administration, this time over they're handling of a pandemic (that's ripe...recall the reminders immediately above!), while the media stirs the pot, egging them on, and busily tries to figure out how not to cover the President's daily pressers on the latest coronavirus developments. Can there not be an allowance of unity and helping our fellow citizens under such circumstances? We've got private citizens and industries of all stripes coming together for the sake of the American People, yet the same two groups of Big Media and Big Government fight tooth and nail against positive progress.
Turning to the economy, while there may have been merit in passing the first coronavirus stimulus bill, albeit filled with more Pelosi pills that do little-to-nothing in addressing the matter at hand, I have to agree with Levin again that infusing more stimulus future-tax paid dollars into the economy isn't gonna help if we keep the very economy it's supposed to save shut down...
...Mark Levin blasted the big government stimulus spending amid the COVID-19 pandemic and called on President Donald Trump to reconsider opening up parts of the economy again by Easter (April 12), a previously stated hope of the president that has since been nixed.
...Thursday night, Levin slammed the latest phase of the recently passed economic stimulus package, arguing that infusing the economy with stimulus money won't help if much of the economy is still closed.
"I'm hoping people in Washington are listening. You cannot deficit spend your way into prosperity. If you could, Venezuela would be the richest nation on the face of the Earth. The media and the Democrats and some of his advisers, I fear, are boxing the president in. The president a few weeks ago, I thought had a very good idea: Let's look at the areas of the economy that we can open up. ... I'm not saying drop all the conditions. I'm saying let's get a little smarter about this."
Levin suggested that certain businesses could be operational in some capacity while still abiding by social distancing guidelines.
"I'll give you a perfect example. We have food, we have heat, we have clean water. Who you think is giving that to us? Other citizens. Electricity, gasoline for our cars. Truckers, we have a mail service, UPS, FedEx, grocery stores, fast-food drive-throughs, all open, all functioning. We get soap and diapers and toilet paper, prescription drugs, 7-Elevens are open. Doctors, nurses, cops, firefighters, more, going into these hot zones despite the fact that they are exposed."
Or at the very least, he argued, we could ask businesses if there are things they could still do while taking measures to prevent the spread of the infectious disease.
"We don't ask these businesses, 'Can you adjust to the virus? Are there things you can do?'"
Last weekend, President Trump extended the White House's social distancing guidelines until the end of April. Though the president's advisory says nothing specifically about closing businesses, it does instruct Americans to follow the directions of their state and local authorities. Many officials in states across the country have opted to force the closure of businesses deemed "nonessential" in an effort to combat the ongoing pandemic.
The economic fallout from the shutdowns has already been sizable. Earlier this week it was reported that in late March an additional 6.6 million Americans had filed unemployment claims, and the Federal Reserve estimates that, before all is said and done, the country could suffer 47 million job losses and a whopping 32% unemployment.
"...if this economy tanks, there are no hospitals, there's no ventilators, there's no vaccines, there's no doctors, nobody's working!"
Finally, and again, not to downplay the seriousness of this virus, but something I've addressed since its onset stateside, that continues to be lost in the media narrative when much of the above is ignored: perspective. Granted, we still have yet to flatten the curve, this is still an ongoing crisis, but just click on the link below for the latest glimpse at the reality of the situation...
Due to a high volume of views and a fluid situation, we'll be updating our "History of Pandemics" #infographic on a regular basis.
The means out of this cannot be negativity taking the spotlight each and every day. There are glimmers of light piercing through this struggle, as with all that have come before, and we must pursue them with all our might for our families and friends, for our lives and jobs, in faith and unity, and don't let the press or politician convince you otherwise.
ADDENDUM: Had enough of the media pointing fingers? Had enough of the media acting like they saw the virus coming? Had enough of Democrats blaming Trump instead of China? So has Jesse Watters in this all-inclusive CALLOUT of the Leftist liars and hypocrites...
"The rest of the country's uniting against a common threat. Let's turn our weapons against the real enemy: THE VIRUS. Not each other."
Take a look back and RT what the liberal media and Joe Biden said about President Trump's aggressive, early response to the #coronavirus.
