Covid-19 Lessons

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A bit off topic for your enjoyment. Check out the choir versions of this song on YouTube they are super, our grandkids enjoy them.

'Toto - Africa 2020 COVID-19'

www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0uiUqjheGQ

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'Identify the Different Symptoms of the Flu and Covid-19'

"As influenza season approaches, some Americans, and especially parents, are worried that, if they or their children should become ill, it may not be easy to know which disease they have — the flu or Covid-19.

They are correct. Most symptoms of the two diseases are so similar that, short of a test — or two or three tests — it won’t be possible to know for sure. But there are some clues. (And it is possible to have both infections at the same time; some patients in China this year were found to have both.)"

www.nytimes.com/2020/10/03/at-home/coronavirus-flu-symptoms.html

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Ethics in a Pandemic

'Costs and Risk Imposition in a Pandemic'

www.publicethics.org/post/costs-and-risk-imposition-in-a-pandemic

"Mother Nature is the greatest bioterrorist of them all, with no financial limitations or ethical compunctions."

Repeat for new readers:

'Coronavirus is our future | Alanna Shaikh'

www.ted.com/talks/alanna_shaikh_coronavirus_is_our_future/transcript

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A few articles for the interested reader.

Economics and long term effects.

'Covid has dumped kerosene on wealth inequality in ways we’ve yet to fully grasp.'

www.collaborativefund.com/blog/two-worlds/


'What You Need To Know About Long COVID'

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7n1sHufx108

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'Texas trauma surgeon Dr. Brittany Bankhead-Kendall says it’s a rarity that any of her COVID-19 patients X-rays come back without dense scarring.'

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwg4zxQbGFE


'Can Shocking Images Persuade Doubters of COVID’s Dangers?'

www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-shocking-images-persuade-doubters-of-covids-dangers/

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'US could have averted 40% of Covid deaths, says panel examining Trump's policies'

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/feb/10/us-coronavirus-response-donald-trump-health-policy

"Almost 470,000 Americans have died from the coronavirus so far, with the number widely expected to go above half a million in the next few weeks. At the same time some 27 million people in the US have been infected. Both figures are by far the highest in the world."


'Science Scientists study whether immune response wards off or worsens Covid'

www.theguardian.com/science/2020/oct/04/scientists-study-whether-immune-response-wards-off-or-worsens-covid


'20 of the worst epidemics and pandemics in history'

www.livescience.com/worst-epidemics-and-pandemics-in-history.html


Stats:

www.statista.com/statistics/1093256/novel-coronavirus-2019ncov-deaths-worldwide-by-country/

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Interesting, politics made you sick?

'A political petri dish' 'Congress’ COVID-Positive Party'

iffy.news/2020/congress-covid-positive-party/


'After two million deaths, we must have redress for mishandling the pandemic'

'Covid-19: Social murder, they wrote—elected, unaccountable, and unrepentant'

www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n314

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Vaccine reluctance.

Trump and Melania got their vaccine, but hide it from the public. How odd don't you think.

"While the numbers have been improving among some demographic groups, skepticism has stayed stubbornly high among one big cohort: Republicans. As of Monday, 42 percent of Republicans said they did not intend to get vaccinated, according to polling by Civiqs. Only 28 percent said they planned to. These numbers have grown slightly worse since the polling began in November.

By contrast, only 6 percent of Democrats said they would not get vaccinated, versus 66 percent who said they would. Among independents, 43 percent planned to get vaccinated; 30 percent didn’t. Breaking it down by race, 56 percent of African-Americans and 57 percent of Hispanic and Latino respondents said they planned to get their shots, compared with only 44 percent of whites."

www.nytimes.com/2021/03/03/opinion/trump-vaccine-ambassador.html

'Pace of U.S. Vaccinations vs. the World'

www.factcheck.org/2021/03/pace-of-u-s-vaccinations-vs-the-world/

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Be safe out there, soon we can get rid of the masks but oddly they have helped with flu numbers too.

''There’s a lot of nasty stuff': the people living with long Covid'

www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/05/theres-a-lot-of-nasty-stuff-the-people-living-with-long-covid


'Workers at firm owned by top Trump donors exposed to higher Covid rates'

www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/28/uline-dick-liz-uihlein-workers-covid-safety

'Employees at Uline, owned by billionaires Dick and Liz Uihlein, have filed numerous safety complaints, investigation finds'

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What could have been had America a competent president and administration. How many more Americans could have lived? How many Americans could have enjoyed many more years with their families and friends. Sad.

"One year later, the Seattle area has the lowest death rate of the 20 largest metropolitan regions in the country. If the rest of the United States had kept pace with Seattle, the nation could have avoided more than 300,000 coronavirus deaths."

'Seattle’s Virus Success Shows What Could Have Been'

"The Seattle area once had more coronavirus deaths than anywhere else in the United States. A year later, the region’s deaths per capita are lower than any other large metropolitan area."

www.nytimes.com/2021/03/11/us/coronavirus-seattle-success.html

'Trump told Bob Woodward he knew in February that COVID-19 was 'deadly stuff' but wanted to 'play it down''

www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-told-bob-woodward-he-knew-february-covid-19-was-n1239658

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Interesting read on virus and variants.

"More than 2,000 deaths a day are already being recorded in Brazil, largely as a result of this new strain.More than 2,000 deaths a day are already being recorded in Brazil, largely as a result of this new strain."

'How dangerous are the new COVID variants?'

www.aljazeera.com/features/2021/3/14/how-dangerous-are-the-new-covid-variants

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"Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint." Mark Twain

Wife and I get second shot this week. Lots of family and friends are in process or done already. Lots of 'stupid' out there. Some areas are actually increasing the virus spread. Be safe folks.

"Is the COVID-19 Vaccine Safe?'

www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/is-the-covid19-vaccine-safe

Below are articles on fake science and misinformation for the interested.

www.vice.com/en/article/wxevj5/the-coronavirus-truthers-dont-believe-in-public-health

retractionwatch.com/2020/05/06/who-is-judy-mikovits/

Also this:

'A handful of viruses have been associated with long-term, debilitating symptoms in a subset of those who become infected. Early signs hint that SARS-CoV-2 may do the same.'

www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/could-covid-19-trigger-chronic-disease-in-some-people-67749

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My wife and I had second vaccine this week and according to many the second has more negatives for a few days. We'll put up with that to be safe and so America can return to normal. Many friends and family have already had both shots, one brother has had the J&J single shot. Science isn't always right but it is a better guide than online conspiracy and fake news. Hopefully you all stay alive and safe. Get vaccinated.


'In a crowded field of wrongness, one person stands out: Alex Berenson.'

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/04/pandemics-wrongest-man/618475/


"Mother Nature is the greatest bioterrorist of them all, with no financial limitations or ethical compunctions."

Source: 'Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs' Michael T. Osterholm, Mark Olshaker

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Update: My wife and I have had second Pfizer shot. Slight reaction but not much, seems to depend on individual but overall including friends and our large extended family, no real issues and others have had Moderna and Johnson vaccines. So all is good and hopefully this is a one time vaccine like polio. I'm not big on vaccines today. The live Shingles caused several issues for instance. In the military they shot you with all sort of vacs with guns yet. The vets will remember that. And guess what, back then no one said no. Today Americans seem to have gotten dumber and more easily led! Why is that?


'Among the Covid sceptics: ‘We are being manipulated, without a shadow of a doubt’'



'Who are the people who have come to follow wild conspiracy theories about Covid-19?'



www.theguardian.com/news/2021/apr/08/among-covid-sceptics-we-are-being-manipulated-anti-lockdown



'Eight Persistent COVID-19 Myths and Why People Believe Them'



www.scientificamerican.com/article/eight-persistent-covid-19-myths-and-why-people-believe-them/

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'Lessons From A Covid Year'

"Why, then, has there been so much death and suffering? Because of bad political decisions.

In previous eras, when humans faced a plague such as the Black Death, they had no idea what caused it or how it could be stopped. When the 1918 influenza struck, the best scientists in the world couldn’t identify the deadly virus, many of the countermeasures adopted were useless, and attempts to develop an effective vaccine proved futile.

It was very different with Covid-19. The first alarm bells about a potential new epidemic began sounding at the end of December 2019. By January 10 2020, scientists had not only isolated the responsible virus, but also sequenced its genome and published the information online. Within a few more months it became clear which measures could slow and stop the chains of infection."

www.ft.com/content/f1b30f2c-84aa-4595-84f2-7816796d6841