Covid-19: Rambling Thoughts -- Not Ready For Prime Time -- September 26, 2021

It does without saying, no one "trusts," no one "believes" the Covid data the CDC is reporting. Likewise, no one "trusts" or "believes" official spokespeople, the politicians, the drug companies. No one has a clue. Everyone of us has our own worldview / myth of Covid-19.

I have flip-flopped on the issue numerous times, as have many folks.

Vaccines: I remember Trump supporters wanted to be first in line for the vaccine. Democratic leadership was clearly "against" Trump's "Operation Warpspeed."

A digression: not to be outdone, Resident Biden had his own "Operation Warpspeed." Does anyone remember the operation? The name of the Biden's operation warpspeed?

Hints:

• phase one lasted one month, compared to Operation Overlord, WWII, just four days short of three months

• phase two: not required in Operation Overlord, WWII; Biden's operation warpspeed: another fifteen days, but apparently, through back channels,  is still going on.

Sorry for the digression.

Oh, that's right. The name of Biden's Operation Warpspeed? Google it.

But I digress.

Where was I?

Oh, yes, Covid-19.

Vaccines:

THEN: Trump supporters wanted to be first in line for the vaccine. Democratic leadership was clearly "against" vaccines coming out of "Operation Warpspeed." 

NOW: Trump supporters have become anti-vaxxers. Meanwhile, President Biden practically seems to be shedding alligator tears imploring Americans to become vaccinated. He seems more upset about the vaccination story than the number of American military killed during the ill-executed (pun intended, sadly) evacuation.

I just went to the CDC site to check up on the percentage of folks vaccinated at the county level. Good, bad, indifferent, I am absolutely amazed at how few folks are being vaccinated in the rural counties of America and how many folks are being vaccinated in cities on the east and west coasts. 

Ivermectin: I have no dog in this fight; don't care one way or the other, but I do find the story fascinating. Let's say it's a draw regarding ivermectin. Let's say there's a scientific committee (modeled after the Fed, with twelve "governors and a "head" -- thirteen altogether) that makes ivermectin recommendations to the president. Behind closed doors, the vote is six to six and the "head" abstains, taking the "draw" recommendation to the president. Why would the president say "no" to ivermectin. Hint: it has nothing to do with money or whether it works or not. And, to some extent, I think he may have made the right decision. Having said that, with regard to ivermectin, Resident Biden has not been able to thread the needle.

Sweden: whether accurate of not, the meme is that Sweden ignored the pandemic and Swedes went on with live as if nothing was happening. Of course, that's not true, but that's the meme.

Norway: whatever the populace thought about the pandemic, as of yesterday, September 25, 2021, Norway has said "enough is enough" and has scrapped all precautions, saying the country needs to "live with the virus."

Americans:

• sports fans, sports teams, sports announcers have moved on:
• fans: 100s of thousands in stands, unmasked
• coaches no longer masked
• announcers: no longer mentioned
• entertainment industry: virtual signaling; wear masks for photo ops, but not while participating
• Hollywood: best example of virtual signaling; 
• only slightly less hypocritical than the folks in DC if that's possible;
  
• DC: finally, Resident Biden is seen not wearing a mask

Do the vaccines work?

• yes,
• but everyone seems surprised that boosters are needed;
• folks seem to forget that boosters are the norm for vaccines
  

Will Big Pharma make money on vaccines?

• historically, vaccines are not a huge money maker for the large, well-established drug companies
• that's why shares in Pfizer, JNJ did not surge with the announcement of vaccines
• they won't take a loss but they won't make the type of money some folks think they will, but it's a good talking point
• if mom-and-pop investors are investing in Pfizer, JNJ based on the vaccine story, they will be sorely disappointed; even if they do well, there were much better alternatives for investing
  

Most perplexing issues, more than one. 

• I don't consider ivermectin a perplexing issue;
• I don't consider the efficacy of the vaccine a perplexing issue.
• I don't consider the administration's focus on the pandemic perplexing.
• I don't consider the "Israeli experience" perplexing.
• I don't consider the reason Dr Fauci is still in charge perplexing.
  
• no one should consider the politics of the pandemic perplexing.
  

If issues are not perplexing, right, wrong, indifferent, it generally means I'm no longer interested in discussing those issues any more. I'm minimally interested in reading about those issues to tweak my "model" but I'm not interesting in discussing them, or even reading that much about them.

But back to that issues that remain perplexing:

• if the disease is that terrible, why are so many health care providers -- physicians and nurses on the front lines -- publicly arguing against vaccination and willing to lose those jobs by not being vaccinated? This tells me the disease is nowhere near as bad as Resident Biden and others are making it out to be. If this disease was that terrible -- think Ebola, typhoid, pneumonic plague, or leprosy -- there wouldn't be a nurse in the world not clamoring for a vaccine.
  
• if the original plan was to flatten the curve to give the health care sector a chance to prepare, why is the health care sector still said to be in so much trouble when they've had more than a year to prepare? The overall numbers are lower than the initial surge; we know so much more; the processes should be improved; why is the media reporting that hospitals are still doing so badly.
• the eradication of "seasonal flu" -- much could be written. Something doesn't add up. 
  

And note, it's the media reporting that. I don't believe it. 

This is what one outlet is reporting, two days ago: Alberta's overwhelmed ICUs are near capacity, military support is being deployed. The first question: "they" have had a year to prepare and they can follow the stats as well as anyone. Why were they caught up guard?

And yet, here, at another media outlet, Albert ER doctor says hospital capacity crisis was "created"; has nothing to do with Covid-19. The problem has been going on for six years, the physician said. 

For some reason I believe the ER physician. 

Oh, one last note, there is one bit of irony. If, in fact, Americans were 100% vaccinated, and eagerly accepted a booster for all every four months, and there were still outbreaks, the ivermectin issue would be off the table.