Lockdown Lunacy: April & May 2021

From the initial outset of Covid to today in June of 2021 – a few things have been clear:

There is a virus, a disease, it is real and it has done terrible things.
Vaccines are a good thing! I am super, double-plus, pro-vaccines.
Lockdowns have been a horrific public health policy, a debacle of epic proportions.

Through all of this, I’ve tried to capture some of the more absurd and confusing portions of what has gone on. There has been widespread adoption of censorship, which feels deeply un-American and contrary to the principals of Western Liberal Democratic principles.

Categorizing the Absurd

Trying to track categories of confusion, the following four areas have been consistent:

What’s Going on? Media, Censorship and Covid-19
There’s a Deadly Disease.
There are no treatments – therefore Lockdowns are the Answer
There is a Vaccine

1/ What’s going on? Media, Censorship, Propaganda and Covid-19

Censorship – Joe Rogan is not a doctor.
CDC director warns of “impending doom”, tears up during press conference.
Fauci’ role and reputation. More mainstream criticism of Fauci.
US becoming less religious.
Twitter censorship of Kuldorf.
Variants could kill kids.
Conflicts of interest.
COVID-19 comes to India; media re-uses stock photos from past stories and focuses on cases.
Past issues with pandemics had ties to lab leaks, and calls for more lab leak evaluation emerge.
The virus spreads through patients with no symptoms – “asymptomatic spread” – but this has been shown to be near non-existent. (Nature Article).
CNN touts “20 deaths” in a French school.
Emails confirm school unions have lobbied US CDC to keep schools closed.
In May of 2021, a topic that was forbidden to discuss and the focus of ‘conspiracy theorists’ was reversed – regarding the ‘lab leak’ hypothesis about the origin of the virus.

2/ There’s a Deadly Disease – it’s Novel

Cases are being reported, but there is no high level US reporting about how many tests are being done.
Perception of the risk of Covid in the US is not accurate.
“Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert who is heavily quoted in the media, and who served on Biden’s Covid-19 advisory board, warned that a forthcoming surge in Covid-19 cases would be a roadblock for the president’s plan to reopen schools.” (Link)
The disease now is shown to behave like other Corona viruses; variants aren’t surprises to the immune system.
Cases are the way to measure COVID-19, cases are found with PCR. BBC finds cross contamination in testing sites.
How many deaths is a municipality willing to accept? Where are the adults?
When did it arrive? What is the origin?

3/ There are no Treatments, only Lockdowns

The UK is restricting outdoor gatherings, which would be safe according to many.
US CDC director extends moratorium on evictions.
Historically, such lockdowns NPIs were frowned upon.
80% of hospitalizations in the US were tied to obesity.
Lockdown NPI efficacy evidence – A region performs differently (Florida, Sweden).
A review shows that most positive results in schools were mistaken. (UK link)
Arguments for and against other treatments are inconsistent and shouted down. (Example)
Top US clinical physician, Pierre Kory, covers the performance of Ivermectin – which was used to control the disease in Peru and Mexico. (YouTube)

4/ There is a Vaccine

Vaccine performance.
Vaccine passports.
CDC recognizes ‘recovery’ as a source of immunity for travelers into the US.
Marketing claims of the vaccine are that it is ‘better’ than natural immunity; state inoculation goals ignore recoveries.
The vaccine remains under EUA.
The age of consent in some parts of the US is as low as 11 years old; as states add lotteries and other incentives to get people to take the jab.
Highly vaccinated areas have experienced ‘surges’ of cases, such as the Seychelles.