Here's the article mentioned in the video:
It's an interesting read. I'd be really curious to know what the cutoff would be to detect a brand new infection however. Obviously the amount that you can pick up in a sample on day 1 of an infection is going to be a LOT less than on day 10. So if you're testing for that day one case you'll need a higher than normal sensitivity, but there appears to be a point in which the tests become meaningless.
This quote was perhaps the most interesting to me.
Tests with thresholds so high may detect not just live virus but also genetic fragments, leftovers from infection that pose no particular risk — akin to finding a hair in a room long after a person has left, Dr. Mina said.
However this raises a LOT of questions in my mind. The most obvious one is that if the number of infected is cut by upwards of 90% then the fatality rate would logically have to be recalculated as significantly higher. However, this also means the transmission rate is significantly lower. What is doubly interesting here is that according to antibody and T-Cell studies a significant portion of the population has already been infected. We do know that antibody tests will give false positives if people have had any form of coronavirus, but given this I have to wonder how much of what we are seeing is just self fulfilling prophecies.
If we have a number of relatively harmless corona viruses out there and one relatively dangerous one that has a lower transmission rate possibly due to natural immunity from the other less deadly forms then maybe we are just seeing a mountain of false positives and the reality is that much of the covid scare is just the same old covid that we've always dealt with, false positives and a sprinkling of the real deal thrown in.
It would explain a lot actually... Why so many people get it and have no symptoms (false positives or natural immunity), have weak symptoms (other strains of coronavirus such as the common cold), and then the very sick (COVID-19). It could also explain the disproportionate effects on the very elderly too as naturally weakening immune systems would mean that even if they had previously developed resistance due to lesser forms of the virus it wouldn't be as effective putting them at higher risk.
IDK, I'm just thinking as I type and rambling probably but so much data seems to be pointing in opposite directions at this point that I guess that's the only way I can make sense of it. COVID is real, but it's similar enough to other strains that many people are not hit hard and tests return a LOT of false positives. What are your thoughts?
I think having questions about what to think is just one more in the pile. Looking at actual data from around the world there was a preponderance of tests with rather high false positives and negatives. Even our regular flu season, with the rapid tests is a 50/50 proposition due to those inconsistencies. It comes down to diagnosis of symptoms backed up with the longer more qualitative test for flu, but by then the person is neither much better or really ill in to death. Seems this holds true for most viruses. Elderly with comorbidities are always the ones who are hit hard due to compromised immune systems. Y and New Jersey are outlier since the handling was bizarre and anrithixal to normal standards of care.
There are hundreds of viruses with terrible symptoms we do not test for due to cost, and length of time for accurate testing. This leaves me to believe that testing has had a high rate of error. Those errors along with the demand by CDC on how covid19 was to be reported (not to mention exchange of money), the press always looking for the next hype fix, and Fauci and Birx’s waffling has lead to the quagmire we are now in as noted by the big reveal of actual deaths from Covid and other deaths with 2.6 comorbidities.
So my belief based on my 43 years working in hospital as RN and married to clinical Pharmacist for 32 is, we won't really know what the hell actually went on for a year or two until all data is in and evaluated. Maybe then we will actually be able to clearly see how politically motivated certain entities were or how there was co-opting of real medicine. I say that since in US many opposing medical opinions by equally talented epidemiologist and infectious disease doctors opinions have been ignored.
I have always held the opinion that we have treated this virus in all the wrong ways causing the fix to be worse than disease. I do not believe it was more infectious than many others. Early research as to indicate the virus we present earlier them thought, many having been infected and recovered prior to the hysteria and shut down. Why did we do that? We followed how China dealt with it. Did they really do that for Infectious reasons? I'm thinking they were doing it for several reasons. We may never really know. Sad when people die, however we do not determine in actuality who lives or dies. I can test to that from what I've experienced over the years(anothermtopoc all together)
Those are my meandering thoughts, if they made sense. I'm do think that T Cell counts are an indication of greater resistance, falling viral loads and therefore no need to continue with keeping businesses locked up, except for the political of it.
The reality of covid or any other infectious disease isn't the issue for me. We live with and around viruses and bacteria daily, some benign, some potentially deadly depending on an assortment of factors related to overall health of the individual. I do take issue with the governments' (worldwide) overreaction which based on what I've learned through research appears to be politically motivated rather than scientifically motivated or enacted to protect us from disease. So much of the advice we are getting from WHO and CDC seems detrimental to not only our immune system but our mental health. I don't even want to think of the impact our actions are going to have on children long-term from a psychological perspective. And that has been my biggest concern, the effect of lockdowns, social distancing, and masking on the human psyche. Numerous studies have noted significant increases in calls to suicide hotlines, drug and alcohol abuse and domestic violence. Few in government have considered that people's job provide them with purpose, something that we as humans need, as well as income. Not to mention, we are not meant to live in isolation from others. It is particularly heartbreaking to hear the stories of those in nursing homes who have been isolated for months from their loved ones, some of them dying essentially alone.
I guess I'm rambling too because the events of the past six months have been very upsetting to me. I have heard so many stories of people negatively impacted by the lockdowns. New mothers unable to have their husbands with them at their prenatal visits. Mothers separated from the newborns because they tested positive for COVID. A man dies of complications related to a heart issue he had after a procedure he was scheduled to undergo was postponed because it was deemed non-essential. A young female recovering addict unable to attend her group sessions started using again and overdosed. Businesses closing shop for good, including Lord & Taylor, the oldest department store in the US, and small family-owned stores. Meanwhile, Nancy Pelosi sits in her home eating $14 a pint icecream and flouting the lockdowns, like Lori Lightfoot, to get her hair done, without apology to the American public, all under the guise of "we're trying to protect you, of as Andrew Cuomo put it "if it just saves one life." Only it didn't and cost countless others beyond those who died of covid. I think I may buy a t-shirt I saw a Youtuber wearing recently that read: Politicians ruin everything.
I have seen and heard the stories of destruction on all levels you mention. I live in a state with GOP level headed governor but my mayor is Democrat commie who has done exactly the demmp play book in my city causing many businesses especially rsturants, except the ones he owns, to permanently close, one after 51 years of family business. This guy ushered in mail in voting right away and since then the whole assembly has turned democrat and applied all the crazy marxist policies. It's like they get marching orders from Gavin or Coumo.
Aside from my rant here, I agree there's been way too much politics inserted into this covid stuff. Sorry to say I believe it's all attempt to stop Prsident Trump from being reelected. Finally if I wasn't a Christian is be like many others in the world floating around under increased anxiety and cortecal steroid overload.
Either stop testing people or be honest about what positive means. It is not a death sentence for Over 90% Of people, no more than common Flu when treated appropriately. I rest my case!
I think my biggest problem is that as more and more evidence comes in that places this "pandemic" at something more equivalent to the standard flu season all of these people and politicians rallying under the war banner of "if it saves just one life..." won't have any justifiable logic to return things to normal. After all, wearing these masks and social distancing will save grandma's life during the flu season and protect her from pneumonia too right?! So how long until these procedures just become the norm? And once the precedence is set to destroy the economy and American way of life over something of this level what will happen when something worse comes along?
And of course if I were to put on a conspiracy hat for a moment I'd have to ask who would benefit most from everyone being socially distant and isolating? And the ONLY answer I can think of is the democrat establishment as people are social creatures and will switch to online forums for communications (with are nearly all heavily censored by democrat allied big tech firms).
They can't control what people say to each other in day to day life, and if some democrat runs into a really nice conservative person down the street or in their local store they might realize they arn't all bad. But if you can force everyone into ideological bubbles then the democrats will all just know that anyone who doesn't believe the same as them are super alt right nazi bigoted racists and there will be few left to change their minds with the ever increase specter of the censorship guillotine hanging over the necks of those who dare not agree with leftist ideology.
@Drenathor Bingo!! If you can control people's speech, you can control their ideas and beliefs, and then control them. This is how things are done in communist countries, and I say this as someone who has friends who were born and raised in those countries, Cuba, Russia, Ukraine, and have heard their stories. It's funny, but sometimes I find that my friends who've immigrated to the US love and appreciate it more than those of us born here.
Those in power have used the virus and the people for their agendas. They treated this virus different from all of the others - the CDC started this with their coding. Then they twisted the numbers to hype it even more. All for the love of money, control and power. It's a sad state of affairs what they created and have done to people. We have contact with pathologists and law enforcement and both have told us that Suicides have went up significantly during this mess - people do not want to live under this type of control. The shut down was a huge mistake but none will want to admit they were wrong on all levels on how this was handled. If we ever get out of this - how can we make sure this never happens again? They never cared or even took into consideration what all of this would create for people and their lives. It's their power they cared about. I don't like politics and both sides have played their roles in this - but the democrats seem to be the ones who want to continue with these lock downs and the masks. It's a disgrace and they all are to blame. No checks and balances to prevent this madness. We know they pretend not to like each other, but it's all a political game. They continue to pit people against each other and it's sad that people do not get that they are simply being manipulated by those elected ones who think we are too stupid to see through their garbage.
I still believe that we the people, even a small few, working together have the power to overturn all of this. I've been working with Peggy Hall of the Healthy American and Dr. Pam Popper, and taking recommended actions to put corporations and elected officials on notice that we will not comply with their unlawful actions. Small victories are being won as a result. https://makeamericansfreeagain.com/good-news/
My biggest takeaway from this experience is the need for me to go beyond voting and holding elected officials' feet to the fire once they take office. I listened to an independent journalist recently who put it best. He said, "we have to stop letting politicians treat us like a booty call." And it's true, every two or four years, they bombard us with calls or messages wanting to hear from us because they need our votes and make all sorts of promises, but once they get what they want, they forget about us.
One action we can take now and in the coming months is to begin bombarding our individual legislatures with phone calls and emails demanding they vote to revise the states' Emergency Powers Acts that have allowed many governors to exercise unrestricted power and usurp the duties usually reserved for the legislature, which is supposed to represent the people. I also think we should remove qualified immunity protection for our government officials. There's been much discussion about removing it for police officers, but elected officials are also protected by this doctrine from civil suits for wrongful, even harmful actions against citizens. At least one current House rep. has proposed doing this, which would allow citizens to sue the individual elected officials for damages caused by their policies in extending the lockdowns, etc. rather than the state or local government. The difference being that the elected officials would be personally financially obligated if the plaintiff won their case versus the state or locality, in which case the taxpayers foot the bill.
Some others are fighting back by running for office themselves, like Shelly Luthor, the salon owner jailed in Texas for defying the shutdown order. While I'm not inclined to run for office, I like this idea as well as getting involved in starting media and other organizations, even social media that is pro-American and pro-freedom.
We can also fight with our wallets, refuse to support businesses, organizations, news outlets that are anti-American and put forth harmful propaganda. For instance, I no longer use Twitter or Facebook because of their censorship stance. I've stopped buying from Amazon, Walmart and Target because of their pro-BLM/Antifa support. (This is a bit tougher as their is a long, long list of companies that support this organization.) Recently, a group of 600-plus black, conservative pastors wrote Nike demanding they stop supporting BLM, and condemned the organization for its anti-Christian, Marxist ideology and promotion of violence. https://bit.ly/324HBcM
Someone posted on here a link to all sorts of websites/organizations that are working to reign in our elected officials powers and take our freedom back through legislation, lawsuits, grassroots campaigns supporting more servant-minded candidates. https://www.openthestates.com/forum/general-discussion/freedom-2021
@dee.king64 excellent post! Whole heartedly agree on all Points. I am very vocal on those sensored places for one reason only. In the WORD! it says that one sows, one waters and one reaps. I am sowing truth whenever I can by pointing tomlrimary source material and challenging rebuttles. I get snotty remarks but sometimes the info gets through. That's my hope and prayer anyway.
Keep up, the good fight, there are way more out there who stand with us than against us. We just do not get the main platforms. It only takes one to start a fire. May I be one.