Continuing coronavirus happenings (Part 2)

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The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
– William Butler Yeats

For a more prosaic version of the same, there’s always Bertrand Russell:

The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.

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Obligs?

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And we have seen this borne out over and over again this past year. Assholes are absolutely without doubt, while those who have knowledge are not sure how to act. Certainty beats out competence pretty much every time.

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That’s because it’s not either-or, it’s a continuum. There are people who are vaccinated whose immune response is so rapid and robust that they are never functionally “infected” - but even those people do technically have some number of cells that are infiltrated by the virus when exposed.

Along the continuum, there are people whose immune system is less rapid and/or less robust, but still fight the infection well enough to avoid symptoms and are never functionally contagious - while still shedding some small amount of viral particles.

Then you get folks who get enough of an infection where they have mild symptoms and may be somewhat infectious, but only with close exposure of long duration. That’s why, for instance, the J&J study differentiates between people who are immune and people with mild symptoms to report a three-tiered efficacy rate.

Then there are people who receive the vaccine but gain little to no immunity from it.

But all of the above is a continuum rather than discrete categories, except as a function of biostatistics.

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RESEARCHERS: We’re not sure what’s up with asymptomatic infections, we only track the symptoms

THE PUBLIC: OMG the vaccine doesn’t prevent infections just symptoms

How about everybody just get vaccinated and we can figure it out later

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I understand you are taking my words out of context and misrepresenting them to make a broader point about “THE PUBLIC”

The Doc and I were discussing who should be getting vaccinated first, so excuse me for trying to clear up information I hear going around.

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I am as frustrated trying to follow the news as everybody else

Personally I suspect these vaccines work like other vaccines and will stop the spread of the virus

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Broadly speaking, that is exactly right. There are some details that differ. I am really pumped about the mRNA technology for vaccine manufacture, just due to the speed of modification and updating, but basically, we don’t fret about smallpox, polio, mumps, measles and etc. any more (much) and Covid should follow suite (mostly.)

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there are probably some employees stuck between risking their lives and risking their job

“I know that the masks don’t work, and I know that the virus has not killed 400,000 people in this country. That’s total hogwash,” [Aflie Oakes, the owner of the supermarket in question, Oakes Farms Seed to Table] said. “Why don’t we shut the world down because of a heart attack? Why don’t we lock down cities because of heart attacks?”

  :confounded:

organizing, unions, and government matters. they’re the only things that can stop people like this from making their business their fiefdom

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I don’t have very good skills in english. But I read the sentences and understood that He claims the lockdowns created the pandemic of virulent variant of the virus.

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That picture! There is someone with truly, deeply and utterly unconditional love (for themselves).

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That’s not how this works, Ridley. Stick to your area of expertise; pheasants.

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New Zealand isn’t in a rush for vaccines. What must that be like?

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/amp/articles/new-zealand-closed-to-visitors

Regulatory approval may be given for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine as early as next week, although the first vaccines are due to arrive in the country by the end of the first quarter. Mass immunisation isn’t expected to begin until mid-year.

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That’s a bit less than generous. He also has an unparalleled record of leading banks into collapse and has extensive experience in writing dull articles on the theme of “Biology jargon- therefore right-wing politics”.

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Ivermectin’s powerful anti-inflammatory side effects at work, I know from recent personal experience. Same effect as doxycycline which is also proving to help against the effects of covid in the same way.

What they really need to do is come up with a drug that has the same effect, but can be taken longer than two weeks, as neither ivermectin nor doxycycline can be taken long term. It would help long-haulers and so much more.

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I’m guessing turmeric won’t do the trick.

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No Sputnik? (The 91.5% from their lab trials - if true - makes it the 3rd most effective vaccine to date.)

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Your English skills far exceed Mr. Ridley’s skills in virology!

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