Wen Misinformation Genie

Posted on by Thor

The pandemic is not over. Yet certain talking heads are placating the public and pretending it is over. Almost 4,000 Americans continue to die every week, about 1,000 more that the number of people who died on 9-11. The death numbers are rising. July 4th of last year president Biden claimed the pandemic was over, and a year later despite all the needless death inbetween, he once again proclaimed the same.

Leana Wen is a research professor of health policy and management. She has been a favored host on CNN. At one point in 2021 she said that people should not be allowed out in public unless they are vaccinated. Far right anti-vaxers were furious. Lately however she seems to be on the far right anti-vax pay roll.

Wen claimed that getting infected should be perceived as the new normal going forward. So 4,000 deaths a week is “the new normal.” In a recent column in the Washington Post, Wen claimed, “We are over counting COVID deaths and hospitalizations.” She didn’t reference any research or data to back up her claim but she did talk to several friends.  The anecdotal opinions of these two friends seemed to be the entire basis for her crazy headline. One said that of the patients he treats in Massachusetts,  just 30% are treated with a steroid for patients suffering from low oxygen. He went on to state that he felt hospitalizations are over counted. Strangely, Wen referenced the 30% number and attributed it to deaths rather than hospitalizations, or treatments with steroids which she earlier referenced. Does she not know the difference between death and hospitalization? The article is misleading at best.

Dr. Jeremy Faust, an emergency physician at Bringham and Women’s Hospital, who teaches at Harvard, and consults with the White House. He said on Twitter, “I can’t say for sure if we are over counting hospitalizations, it is certainly possible, although it is not black and white. But I can say with confidence that we are not over counting COVID deaths right now, including Massachusetts, the state highlighted in the Post, because this is literally what I study.”

Excess deaths (orange) in America follow the same trajectory as COVID deaths (black), with excess deaths often being rather higher. These deaths are compared to what would have been expected given the five year averages of deaths prior to the pandemic. If anything, this makes it seem that COVID deaths are likely being under counted. Dr. Faust went on to say, “If we were truly over counting COVID deaths, an important piece of evidence to support that would be if COVID deaths…were exceeding all cause deaths.” So to state the obvious, simply, COVID deaths are not being over counted. It is very likely that COVID deaths are being under counted.

The misinformation Wen is now peddling is dangerous because it ignited the conspiratorial far right anti-vax, Q-Anon crowd. In the early days of the pandemic I used to respect Wen’s opinions and guidance but now she is quite simply encouraging death and denying the facts all around her as the pandemic continues to rage. Wen’s stance is offensive to all the millions of families who lost a love one because of COVID.

Can someone please cork the bottle of this genie of death.

Anti-Vax Detox

Posted on by Thor

Forbes reported that anti-vaxers are recommending bathing in Borax after a vaccination to “detox the vax.” The suggested bath included baking soda and Epsom salts to remove the “radiation,” Bentonite clay to pull out the “poison,” and, yes, one cup of borax to “take nanotechnologies out of you.” Please note that this is pure insanity.

Bathing does NOT “undo” the effects of the Covid-19 vaccine. Getting vaccinated does not require a detox follow up. A bath is not going to clear away the fictional harms imagined by the misinformation guru.

The vaccine is injected into the Deltoid muscle. It is therefor inside the body not on the skin. The helps your cells to produce spike proteins. The presence of the spike proteins then shows your immune system what to build defenses against. No amount of bathing will remove the spike proteins from inside your body. These spike proteins naturally degrade and leave your body soon after they’ve done their thing.

With businesses, schools, and other locations requiring Covid-19 vaccinations some anti vaxers are getting the jab to keep their jobs. Just look at the newscasters at  FOX News as an example. Now there is no harm in bathing in baking soda, Epsom salts, or bentonite clay. Borax however is a different story. It consists of a combo of boron, sodium, and oxygen typically serves as a household cleaner or a laundry detergent booster. Borax can irritate your skin and be harmful if inhaled, leading to nose, throat, or lung damage, or, if swallowed, lead to nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Too much exposure to borax can result in damage to your reproductive organs, shock, or liver failure. This is why the FDA doesn’t allow borax in any food products in the U.S. DO NOT bath in BORAX.

Other misinformation has  have suggested things like cupping, making small incisions in your skin, and injecting yourself with other poisons. Bleach like Borax is intended as a cleaning agent. Ignore these medieval witch doctors.

Anti Vax Horror

Posted on by Thor

Orlando’s crop of Halloween Horror attractions are opening full boar in the midst of the pandemic. Scare actors are hard pressed to compete against the daily horrors of anti vaxers and anti maskers who selfishly spread the horrors of COVID-19 in the name of freedom. They have gone so far as to adopt the star of David which marked the Jews during WWII claiming that being forced to get a vaccine is equal to the holocaust. Their is no limit to their horror.

Halloween Horror Nights, and two Florida-based Howl-O-Scream events don’t require guests to wear masks, they are “encouraged”. Some of the scare actors  at Howl-O-Scream had facial coverings that had facial features printed on them to blend in with the intended character.

A Petrified Forest has the added benefit of being outside where the virus can potentially disparate on a breeze.

With Florida Governor Ron DeathSantis specifically blocking masking mandates and vaccine passports, it is a real challenge to keep actors and participants safe.

NYC theaters that are finally opening back up and they are requiring audiences to prove vaccination or a negative test and they must wear a mask at the performance. Disney started requiring masks for guests again when COVID cases ticked back upwards due to the Delta variant, but Universal Studios and Sea World, do not require masks, including at their haunt events. Social distancing markers are also long gone, so press together in mass crowds and share the horror. What could go wrong?

Local actors are also not showing up for auditions. What actor can compete against the real life horror of so many anti vaccination Karens? They are an army of the damned. Florida has passed the peak of Delta Variant hospitalizations but deaths continue to rise and will likely continue to do so for several weeks. The Florida governor also does his best to hide the death numbers for as long as possible. If he sweeps them under the rug or spreads them out he could possible be considered a candidate for president.

The Delta surge is even more deadly than the surge back in January 2021. Infections among children and teenagers have increased by 28% over the week before with some children’s hospitals noticing an uptick in admissions as well in the first few weeks back at school. An infant died in Orange County this week. Florida has now surpasses 50,000 deaths. That is more deaths than what can be seen in most countries around the world. Good luck searching for your Halloween Horrors.