You just need to catch fire and you will stop worrying!

Posted on by Thor

According to recently published data from experts at the Dornsife School of Public Health, closing indoor dining during the first two waves of the COVID pandemic was associated with a 61% decline in new COVID-19 cases over a six-week span, preventing an estimated 142 daily cases per city, compared with cities that reopened indoor dining during that period. The team looked at data from March to October 2020 in 11 U.S. cities, including Philadelphia, Atlanta and Dallas. The results were published last month in the journal Epidemiology.

At first researchers believed that  recovering from COVID-19 meant the chances of getting the virus again so soon were low. Scientists thought we were protected for at least six months after the initial infection. This as it turns out is not true. You can be er-infected much sooner. The much raster re-infections are due to relaxed safety precautions such as masking and social distancing, as well as declining antibody levels and additional viral mutations, which can result in immune escape by omicron sub-variants.

Re-infections are common. The antibodies you generate in the face of one infection don’t necessarily protect you against other sub-variants for long.

COVID Tipping Point

Posted on by Thor

Is there an unacceptable level of COVID deaths that could convince people that “living with the virus” should not mean mass infection? We have been at a high plateau of over 300 deaths a day for months now. It would seem that 300 deaths are considered acceptable to most, since people think life will return to normal if they just ignore the virus. Wishing the virus away does nothing to mitigate it’s spread.

The media seems to regard these deaths as insignificant since most who die are old or vulnerable. Do more children need to die for anyone to care? Do the caskets need to be smaller? Since the easing of masking and social distancing more children are being infected than adults. The children then take the virus home and give it to their parents and grand parents. Since the start of the pandemic about 700 children have died as of October 2021. I am assuming parents consider this acceptable collateral damage now that they can live without masks.

Governments around the world have been quietly installing air filtration HEPA systems to keep themselves safe, while telling everyone else that the pandemic is over. Meanwhile the caskets are also quietly being stacked up.

COVID deaths in New York State spiked 30% in December 2022, to the highest tally since early 2022, a Post analysis showed. This is in part due to the highly transmissible XBB.1.5 (Kraken) variant that is now spreading across the country. Meanwhile home tests have made it impossible too track just how the virus is spreading.

In China doctors are being instructed too try not to write COVID as the cause of death. No official wants the public to be aware of what is happening. A doctor Wen noted that most countries are finding that most deaths from COVID are caused directly by the infection rather than by a combination of COVID and other diseases. Just as in China, some American talking heads want to convince people that the numbers of deaths due to COVID have been under-counted. The truth is that even American deaths due to COVID have been under counted since long term complications are not taken into account.

The CDC predicted that the number of newly reported COVID-19 deaths will remain stable or have an uncertain trend over the next 4 weeks, with 1,500 to 5,400 new deaths likely reported in the week ending February 11, 2023. The national ensemble predicts that a total of 1,108,000 to 1,120,000 COVID-19 deaths will be reported by this date.

COVID Does Merica

Posted on by Thor


A few of the lies promoted in America by politicians and public health “experts” to help the economy and destroy public health.

  • Masks don’t work. Masks work.
  • Masks do work, but cloth masks are fine. Get a quality well fitted n-95 and wear it properly around others.
  • Stop the spread by sanitizing surfaces. Surfaces aren’t the primary way an airborne virus spreads, do sanitize.
  • 6 feet of social distancing will stop the spread. The virus can remain airborne for much further than 6 feet.
  • COVID is not airborne. COVID is airborne.
  • COVID is airborne, but that’s not the main way it spreads. If you smell a smokers cigarette you can catch COVID.
  • The only people harmed by COVID are old and immune-compromised people. All ages are harmed.
  • Children don’t get COVID. Children get COVID and their life expectancy is reduced with each new infection.
  • Children can get COVID, but they can’t spread it. Children are the primary spreaders of the virus. 
  • Reinfections are rare. Reinfections are common.
  • Breakthrough infections after vaccination are rare. Breakthrough infections are common.
  • Reinfections and breakthrough infections happen, but they’re mild. Each reinfection increases chances of organ failure and death.
  • Once enough people have been exposed, herd immunity will end the pandemic. There will be no herd immunity with a virus that is allowed to mutate indefinitely.
  • Viruses naturally evolve to become less deadly. There is no guarantee that the next variant will be less deadly.
  • Once you recover from acute infection, you’re out of the woods. You can easily be reinfected with a worse outcome.
  • Long COVID is psychological, not physical. Long COVID is debilitating for children and adults.
  • Long COVID is physical, but not a big concern. Long COVID will destroy the lives of 1 out of 10 people.
  • Heightened lethality of non-COVID diseases is due to “immunity debt.” Avoiding exposure to a deadly virus does not damage you immune system. You do not need to get sick to be healthy.

 

Bottomless

Posted on by Thor

So far, the COVID waves are not spiking as high as they did back in January of 2022, but the lows keep getting higher. There is no relief, hospitalization remain at a high plateau and are climbing. More people died in 2022 than in the previous years of the pandemic. With the wide variety of new COVID variants the amount of COVID flooding the country keeps getting higher. The death rate is higher than the birth rate.

Politicians and the media have been selling the idea of herd immunity. The general premise is that everyone should become infected, starting with the children and then the pandemic will be over. Vaccines as well were sold as the solution to the pandemic. The trouble is that neither offers lasting immunity. The other problem is that repeated infections cause increasing risk of complications and death.

What we are left with is a population who thinks the pandemic is over despite that fact that it will drag on endlessly until people take meaningful steps to stop the spread of the virus. The steps are simple, but if you even mention a mask people fearfully start shouting out about their personal freedom to spread the virus.

Despite the flood of virus, most people no longer wear masks or social distance. Kraken has changed the game being the most contagious variant of COVID so far. You should note that tools that were being used to combat past variants no longer work against the Kraken. At home tests are even less effective at being able to test for the variant. One at home test, DxTerity, was pulled from the market for being useless.

While everyone else is living their pre-pandemic lives, I have decided to upgrade my mask by getting N-95s. I used to use a KN-95 held in place with a cloth mask but this new variant is so contagious I feel the need to upgrade. Even if you wear a well fitted N-95 mask you shouldn’t be around unmasked people, indoors or outdoors. If you are the lone N-95 mask wearer you might become infected within an hour if others are unmasked.

Kraken has proven itself more effective at binding to cells which means fewer viral particles can cause an infection. The original strain of COVID might infect two other people and it spread around the world quickly. With the original Omicrom variant, an infected person could infect maybe 5 other people, but with Kraken an infected individual could infect up to 18 other people. That would make this one of the most infectious viruses ever known.

The next month is going to be a wild ride, since no one sees what is coming. They have been told the pandemic is over, since capitalism is more important than human life. Brace yourself and take every precaution you can. Regardless several thousand people continue to die from COVID every week, that being the new norm of “living with the virus”, but things are about to get a whole lot worse.

COVID Found in 96% of Fights

Posted on by Thor

 

 

I bet you thought it was safe to fly maskless over the holidays. Well think again, new research has shown that COVID has been found on 96% of flights tested. Scientists analyzed wastewater samples from 29 flight from Kuala Lumpur and found tests came back positive on 28 flights. Testing on the 29th sample was not yet been completed, per the laboratory. Samples were taken from June through December 2022 from International arriving flights. COVID was detected in 288 samples.

The aircraft sewage surveillance process involves systematic sampling and testing for untreated wastewater and sewer contamination. RNA fragments of the COVID virus are found in the feces of infected individual regardless of health status (symptomatic, asymptomatic, pre-symptomatic, recovered) and can be detected in sewage. This form of the virus is not infectious and can’t be transmitted via feces.

After this report, the CDC announced they intend to begin testing wastewater on incoming flights to check for new variants. They fear variants coming from China and yet they were oblivious as the Kraken emerged from New York State. Health officials in Australia and the United Kingdom announced similar plans.

Masks Work

Posted on by Thor

Masks work. COVID is airborne. COVID variant XBB.1.5 (Kraken) now accounts of 75% of cases in the north east. Kraken is the most transmissible variant of CODID to date. It does not care if you have been previously infected or if you have been vaccinated. If you breath air you will become infected unless you wear a quality and well fitted  N95 mask.

Masking during the pandemic means that you care about protecting other and protecting yourself. American society does not pivot fast enough for people to recognize the benefit of masking as case numbers exponentially rise. Wearing a mask protects you from inhaling airborne virus and it also protects others because you may be infected but not know it.

The science of masks is NOT complex, nor is it conflicting. Science shows very clearly that masking is effective in reducing transmission of SARS-CoV-2. This has been shown in laboratory studies, natural experiments, modelling studies and randomized controlled trials. Masking is most worthwhile when COVID rates are high (which they will be in the coming weeks) and when vulnerable people are around.

Evidence for masking is strong, consistent and clear. A high-quality, well-fitting mask which meets a filtration standard (like an N95) works better than a home-made cloth mask with gaps round the sides, but even the latter is a lot better than nothing.

Mass Infection is not the Solution

Posted on by Thor

The politicians solution of mass infection or herd immunity is not the way to end the COVID pandemic. The Trump White House first embraced this far-reaching support for a dangerous and discredited herd immunity via mass infection strategy inside the White House. Unfortunately Joe Biden has also embraced this insanity since it is the easiest thing to do. He proclaimed the pandemic was over on National TV.

The fact is that the infected are getting re-infected with increasing worst outcomes. COVID does not boost the immune system it turns out it is destroying peoples immune systems. Though people might survive the first infection of COVID, they are more likely to become infected by other viruses. This is why people are suddenly catching horrible cases of the flu and RSV.

Non-COVID excess deaths are on the rise. No one knows the cause of the excess mortality in the midst of the pandemic. XBB.1.5 is spreading rapidly and the public has been lulled into abandoning all health protection measures like social distancing and wearing masks. The are done with caring and are easily persuaded to go about life as if the pandemic were over. In a football game this week a player is in critical condition after a cardiac arrest that left him lying of the field. The game went on as normal once his body was dragged off the field. He reamins in critical condition. This is how politicians treat their constituents. Dispose of the bodies and go about as if there was no pandemic. People will believe anything you say if you say it often enough. We learned that from 45.

Congress votes to cut 8 billions dollars that was slated for COVID. Political leaders continue to lie saying the pandemic is over, yet in Japan they just recorded the highest number of deaths in a single day since the start of the pandemic. Ignore the gaslighting of politicians if you hope to remain uninfected.

Mask up with quality well fitting N95 masks folks. the next couple of months are going to be rough. I don’t try and look for subtle reasons to mask, or no mask,I mask in all situations, indoors and outdoors  when around others. When I wear the mask often it becomes easier to forget I am wearing it.

2022 Pandemic

Posted on by Thor

2022 was a crazy roller coaster ride. Nine tenths of the work I did since march 2020 has been pandemic related. The pandemic is not over but there seems to be a news black out related to the subject. Complacency, ignorance and pandemic fatigue has set in as everyone wants life to return to “normal”. People are gathering in tight groups without wearing masks to allow the virus to spread.

I am waiting to see what happens in China with a huge population that was largely protected from previous infection and has a very low vaccination rate. Of course news is not very reliable coming out of that Communist county. They have stopped daily reporting on the number of cases and they are no longer testing for new variants. Whatever happens in China will soon spread to the United States since this country had done the worst job at handling the health crisis. Over 1 million Americans have died from COVID since the start of the pandemic and about 2,500 people continue to die every week.

2023 looks like it might offer much of the same. Strap in because it looks like it will be another rough ride. Could the pandemic wind down in 2023? Perhaps, but no one really knows for sure. Those who claim they know what lies ahead are lying. Wishful thinking helps misinformation flourish.

Times Square Selfie

Posted on by Thor

Rain and the Kraken (XBB.1.5)  COVID variant did not stop thousands of people from gathering in Times Square for the New Year’s Eve ball drop. The city of New York does not have COVID requirements for outdoor events. There were no restrictions and no public health safety precautions taken.

People are wishing that the pandemic were over and a wishing wall was set up in Times Square. People could write their wish for the year on a post it note and stick it on the wall. About 80,000 notes were collected and those notes rained down on the crowd at midnight. One fellow wished his girlfriend might be healthy in the new year. She was battling COVID-19 and pneumonia. More than 1 ton of confetti is typically dropped in Times Square to bring in the new year.

Do superspreader events still exist? Yes they do. The United States defunded and scaled back its testing and contact tracing programs in early 2022, and in doing so, the public was encouraged to ignore just how widespread COVID is. The simple fact is, that the media no longer reports about superspreading events. After over a million deaths, Americans want to blissfully ignore the ongoing carnage of over 2000 deaths a week. Right now China may be experiencing over 9000 deaths a day, but the government needs to spin that in a positive light.

In a matter of a week, right before the New Year’s celebrations,  the XBB.1.5 variant has become the dominant variant in New York. It now accounts for over 50% of reported COVID cases. With at home testing there are many more unreported cases. The number of people hospitalized for COVID has risen to over 45,000 which is the highest it has been since February of 2022. The pandemic is NOT over.

COVID is still a leading cause of death in the U.S., indicating that substantial transmission is still occurring. The simplest way to avoid infection is to avoid superspreader events.

 

 

 

Hazmat Santa

Posted on by Thor

Try and spread holiday cheer and not COVID this season. Santa is an elder and thus more susceptible to severe complications from an infection. Don’t sent Santa to the ICU. Wash your hands, social distance, and wear a quality n95 mask when indoors. Consider thinking about someone other than yourself this holiday season. By protecting other you are protecting holiday traditions.

The media has been talking of the tripledemic hitting this winter. Flu hit earlier than usual this holiday season and RSV has been sending plenty of children to hospitals instead of Santa’s lap. Then on top of it all the COVID pandemic is not over. I know many people have chosen to ignore the fact that over 400 people are still dying every day so that they can back to “life as normal.” Pandemic fatigue is real. Many cope by burying their heads in the sand or snow.

People are getting infected multiple times and the misguided hope was that they would build immunity. However each new infection gets worse. It turns out COVID destroys T Cells needed for immunity. People are suddenly more susceptible to flu and RSV infections that put them in the hospital. COVID is more like aids than a common cold. Convincing people that getting infected is the best way to battle the virus was stupid and criminal.

If you caught the  original strain of COVID you might infect 2 other people. With Alpha you might infect 3 other people. With Delta you might infect 5 other people. With Omicron you might infect 9 other people. Some claim that with BA.5, the variant circulating right now, you could infect 18 other people. That would make COVID more contagious than the measles. Rather than settling into a predictable endemic pattern, the virus is becoming insanely more infectious. 601 Americans died of COVID on December 22, 2022. 2,852 Americans died from COVID in the past 7 days.

The steps to protect yourself and your family are simple, wash hands, get vaccinated, wear a mask and be thinking about ventilation. Have everyone in your  family test for COVID if you plan to get together. Think for yourself and avoid infecting others.