COVID-19/corona virus mega thread/prepping thread

[Bogie]

What is the average life expectancy?
 
What is the average age of a "covid victim?"
 
And...
 
There have been a few stories that actually got out here in St. Louis about the number of fatalities that originated in "nursing homes."
 
(I include outfits like hospice, long-term-care, acute care, and so on in those numbers)
 
When a geezer has two types of cancer, and another illness or two, and you are SURPRISED that they die when they catch a nasty cold?
 
Let's put my paranoia hat on... What if two actual beasties? Wuhan-19 is close enough to a prevalent cold virus that they'll test the same? But Wuhan-19 does all those nasties that  you keep reading about? While the regular cold virus just keeps doing what it always has been doing - culling the herd of the slow-moving ill and infirm?

[De Selby]

There are a handful of advantages to a totalitarian society and there are risks associated with a non-totalitarian society.

Personally, I'll take the risks.

Australia and NZ are not totalitarian.

Basic public health measures mean we’ve spent most of the last year open, doing whatever we wanted and not risking COVID. Achieving that through short term measures that demonstrably eliminate the disease is not communism.

Reading some of the posts here you’d think that Latin America and India are the most free places on earth - it’s as if having lots of COVID infections and death is a measure of freedom.

[Bogie]

So now, nobody is dying from the flu. Or from motorcycle wrecks. Or various types of cancer.
 
Covid has saved us! It cured everything else!

[De Selby]

So now, nobody is dying from the flu. Or from motorcycle wrecks. Or various types of cancer.
 
Covid has saved us! It cured everything else!

So you reckon all the statistics about COVID and excess deaths are fake?

[Bogie]

I'm guessing we're about to see a trough in stats... Low hanging fruit, and so forth.
 
Seriously - the age distribution?

[Jim147]

Pull up the last four years of CDC death stats and explain it to me.

[Perd Hapley]

  This "sane".  What is "sane? "
  Please explain, and  give examples from current affairs.

The closest thing to sane recently was Jan. 6th. It's been downhill from there.

[Boomhauer]

Australia and NZ are not totalitarian.

Basic public health measures mean we’ve spent most of the last year open, doing whatever we wanted and not risking COVID. Achieving that through short term measures that demonstrably eliminate the disease is not communism.

Reading some of the posts here you’d think that Latin America and India are the most free places on earth - it’s as if having lots of COVID infections and death is a measure of freedom.

iTs nOt tOtALiTaRiAn




Keep licking that boot, you’re doing great! Also is this a proper example of The Best Healthcare System In The World as you like to crow about???

[Ron]

Zoiks!

https://media.gab.com/system/media_attachments/files/082/942/140/original/36cee1a7b1496218.mp4

Booster shot or ride out the storm?

[De Selby]

iTs nOt tOtALiTaRiAn




Keep licking that boot, you’re doing great! Also is this a proper example of The Best Healthcare System In The World as you like to crow about???

Except, your article is not true:  https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/oct/21/utterly-unacceptable-deaths-of-four-babies-at-adelaide-hospital-prompt-call-for-inquiry

[dogmush]

from the guardian article:

The obstetrician John Svigos told the committee on Tuesday that Adelaide was the only mainland capital where paediatric cardiac surgery was not available, which meant critically ill infants and children had to be transferred interstate.

So were the newborns not transferred, or so critically ill they didn't survive the transfer?

[MillCreek]

I note from the article that the cardiac surgery unit at the hospital was closed back in 2002.  If I had to guess, probably due to not having enough pediatric cardiac surgery cases to warrant keeping the unit open.  It is not at all unusual to concentrate specialty surgery into a few hospitals.  That way you get enough cases to keep the skills of the staff sharp which leads to better patient outcomes.  So from the Guardian article, I don't see where this is related to COVID, given that the unit closed 12 years ago.

[TommyGunn]

Australia and NZ are not totalitarian.  .......... 

I have seen video clips of Aussie  and NZ officials telling their populace not even to talk to each other.

I've seen news reports of Australia using the  military to enforce lockdown .... another news report a lone man in an elevator sneezed and is now the subject of a manhunt.

Fox News host Tucker Carlson reported 8/23/21 that in 2017 that Australia changed its laws permitting public gatherings/protests,  and is now taking advantage of that to seriously Crack down on protestors.  Granted, not as bad as Taliban in Afghanistan, but still quite nasty.
I am willing to believe the Tucker piece may involve some hyperbole but not those first two.

"Australia and NZ are not totalitarian."  ..... 

[dogmush]

I note from the article that the cardiac surgery unit at the hospital was closed back in 2002.  If I had to guess, probably due to not having enough pediatric cardiac surgery cases to warrant keeping the unit open.  It is not at all unusual to concentrate specialty surgery into a few hospitals.  That way you get enough cases to keep the skills of the staff sharp which leads to better patient outcomes.  So from the Guardian article, I don't see where this is related to COVID, given that the unit closed 12 years ago.

That seems the reasonable supposition.  I am curious why these 4 made the MP's radar to make the news.  Was the four infants in a relatively short timeframe something new this year?

[cordex]

Australia and NZ are not totalitarian.

Of course they are.  Australians are not only descendants of convicts, they are descendants of their jailers.  As a society they do not believe rights matter in nearly the same way that any other major English speaking nation does. 

"Zero COVID" style lockdowns can only be effective at scale if they are enforced by a totalitarian regime.

As far as I can tell the New Zealand turn towards authoritarianism is much more recent, but it is absolutely nothing new for Australia.

[DittoHead]

Now we see the real reason the Chinese created this supervirus. To cover their tracks in stealing the election. 

A dubious review of millions of ballots cast in Arizona’s largest county will be delayed after three members of the company involved in the effort contracted COVID-19, according to a top Republican state lawmaker.

The firm, Cyber Ninjas, had been expected to hand over findings Monday from its chaotic and widely criticized review of 2020 presidential election ballots cast in Maricopa County, but that timeline will be pushed back after a majority of its team became “quite sick.”

[Boomhauer]

Except, your article is not true:  https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/oct/21/utterly-unacceptable-deaths-of-four-babies-at-adelaide-hospital-prompt-call-for-inquiry

So it’s just a *expletive deleted*it socialist healthcare system then, cool

[JTHunter]

The morning news today was talking about how tight the lockdowns in Australia and New Zealand were in that people were being arrested on the streets if they couldn't prove they were on their way to work or making a necessary run for food or medicine.

Maybe those people should hold their right arms up stiffly at a 45^o angle.

[De Selby]

I have seen video clips of Aussie  and NZ officials telling their populace not even to talk to each other.

I've seen news reports of Australia using the  military to enforce lockdown .... another news report a lone man in an elevator sneezed and is now the subject of a manhunt.

Fox News host Tucker Carlson reported 8/23/21 that in 2017 that Australia changed its laws permitting public gatherings/protests,  and is now taking advantage of that to seriously Crack down on protestors.  Granted, not as bad as Taliban in Afghanistan, but still quite nasty.
I am willing to believe the Tucker piece may involve some hyperbole but not those first two.

"Australia and NZ are not totalitarian."  ..... 

When there is a lockdown to prevent the spread of disease, that means you can’t go interact with people as normal. That is a temporary measure designed to bring Covid cases down to zero. The rules get lifted when there’s no more disease. That’s a system the founding fathers were quite familiar with - they dealt with even worse diseases.

The hype about protest laws and neighbours and the military is just like the article about the babies - hype and misleading. The measure of freedom is not the Covid death rate and mostly, Australians have been both free to do as they please and also free from the risk of Covid due to reasonable and temporary public health policy.

[De Selby]

So it’s just a *expletive deleted*it socialist healthcare system then, cool

Well, every three to four years voters can and do get to demand promises for health, and replace Governments if they’re unhappy with the health system. That very thing happened to the Government that shut down the cardiac unit.

How much of a say do you get in setting up your local hospital system? And can you name a state where no children die due to lack of access to care?

[De Selby]

Of course they are.  Australians are not only descendants of convicts, they are descendants of their jailers.  As a society they do not believe rights matter in nearly the same way that any other major English speaking nation does. 

"Zero COVID" style lockdowns can only be effective at scale if they are enforced by a totalitarian regime.

As far as I can tell the New Zealand turn towards authoritarianism is much more recent, but it is absolutely nothing new for Australia.

So in other words, your evidence that a society is free is its failure to control Covid? Because that’s how you measure whether a society is totalitarian or not - if they successfully control Covid.

Orwell would be impressed at the way some Americans are making rampant disease equivalent to living free.

[TommyGunn]

When there is a lockdown to prevent the spread of disease, that means you can’t go interact with people as normal. That is a temporary measure designed to bring Covid cases down to zero. The rules get lifted when there’s no more disease. That’s a system the founding fathers were quite familiar with - they dealt with even worse diseases.

The hype about protest laws and neighbours and the military is just like the article about the babies - hype and misleading. The measure of freedom is not the Covid death rate and mostly, Australians have been both free to do as they please and also free from the risk of Covid due to reasonable and temporary public health policy.

Really?   PEOPLE CAN'T EVEN TALK TO EACH OTHER? ?    I mean,  are there any MASKS in the Down-under or NZ? ?

The "Founding Fathers" had no idea at all about germs, bacteria or viruses.  Good grief,  they bled George Washington to death with leeches!!!!  "Quite familiar with ...."  Geeesh. 

The protests were on videotape.  That was not a lie.   A number of news outlets reported military enforcing lockdowns    - - - -  was every one   a lie? ?

I believe you are either a troll or utterly clueless about your own back yard.

[TommyGunn]

So in other words, your evidence that a society is free is its failure to control Covid? Because that’s how you measure whether a society is totalitarian or not - if they successfully control Covid.

Orwell would be impressed at the way some Americans are making rampant disease equivalent to living free.

Oh wait,  you aren't a troll!   Just clueless! 

[De Selby]

Really?   PEOPLE CAN'T EVEN TALK TO EACH OTHER? ?    I mean,  are there any MASKS in the Down-under or NZ? ?

The "Founding Fathers" had no idea at all about germs, bacteria or viruses.  Good grief,  they bled George Washington to death with leeches!!!!  "Quite familiar with ...."  Geeesh. 

The protests were on videotape.  That was not a lie.   A number of news outlets reported military enforcing lockdowns    - - - -  was every one   a lie? ?

I believe you are either a troll or utterly clueless about your own back yard.

Tommy, people can talk to each other. Your portrayal of life even under lockdown is hype. Bans on large public gatherings to stop disease are not bans on speech or remotely targeted at speech.

George Washington actively quarantined and separated people to stop the spread of disease, in a way not much different to what’s happening in Australia now:

https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/smallpox/

[TommyGunn]

Tommy, people can talk to each other. Your portrayal of life even under lockdown is hype. Bans on large public gatherings to stop disease are not bans on speech or remotely targeted at speech.

George Washington actively quarantined and separated people to stop the spread of disease, in a way not much different to what’s happening in Australia now:

https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/smallpox/

That is not what the Aussie and NZ officials said - - period. IT IS ON VIDEOTAPE!!!!

Washington quarantined people but no one prohibited those people from talking to each other.