In "Recommended Reading," a shocker. "BioNTech chief predicts need for updated Covid vaccines next year."
Covid-2019
Covid-2019
Saturday, October 2, 2021
In "Recommended Reading," a tragic milestone, but also a master-class in how to lie with statistics from the New York Times. How many sleights-of-hand can you detect in the head and sub-head? "U.S. Coronavirus Death Toll surpasses 700,000 Despite Wide Availability of Vaccines. The latest Covid-19 deaths were concentrated in the South, and included more younger people than before. Every age group under 55 saw its highest death toll of the pandemic this August."
Covid-2019
Friday, October 1, 2021
In "Recommended Reading," possibly a breakthrough from Merck -- the oddly named Molnupiravir, a post-infection therapeutic that, in trials, reduces hospitalizations from Covid by 50%. Two fearless forecasts. First, the monomaniacal vaccine fanatics will dump on it because successful treatments keep people from getting vaccinated, supposedly. Second, when this starts getting advertised on TV, you'll hear "Don't take Molnupiravir if you are allergic to Molnupiravir."
Covid-2019
Thursday, September 30, 2021
In "Recommended Reading," a remarkable document from the Australian Department of Health banning ivermectin as a treatment for Covid. They never claim it doesn't work. No, the first reason for the ban is that its availability (they claim) makes people more hesitant to get vaxxed. Hey, friends down under, just man up and pass an edict requiring people to get vaxxed if that's your purpose. Don't do it via the backdoor by taking the lethal step of banning a treatment that might help the vaxxed and the unvaxxed!
Covid-2019
Wednesday, September 29, 2021
Amazing progress in our favorite leading indicator. 45 US states now in declining two-week trajectories for test-positivity.
Covid-2019
Tuesday, September 28, 2021
In "Recommended Reading," meet Florida's new Surgeon General, Dr. Joseph Ladapo. The graduate of Harvard Medical School and Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences says, "Florida will completely reject fear as a way of making policies in public health. So we're done with fear." You won't find that quote in the CNN article to which we link. You would have yesterday, but they have since edited it out.
Covid-2019
Monday, September 27, 2021
In "Recommended Reading," it turns out that vilified southern states aren't the only ones with vax-hesitant populations. In New York, even front-line healthcare workers are refusing the jabs, and getting fired for it. The new governor's plan is to call out the National Guard to replace them. That probably won't improve the quality of health care in New York (even assuming the guardsmen will take the jabs).
Covid-2019
Sunday, September 26, 2021
The case-wave in the US has visibly rolled over. Fatalities lag, so deaths are at a new high for this cycle (lower than the "dark winter" cycle, though). Even though we build a lag into our case-fatality ratio, it's rising now -- but still at a low level, similar to the prior all-time low in early summer.
Covid-2019
Saturday, September 25, 2021
Further to the fiasco we reported yesterday, with CDC Director Rochelle Walensky over-ruling her own advisory committee in the middle of the night, and authorizing Pfizer boosters for health workers and teachers. In "Recommended Reading," see how the New York Times spins the story to protect Biden, who appointed Walensky, and has been promising boosters way ahead of any approvals: "Biden Promised to Follow the Science. But Sometimes, He Gets Ahead of the Experts." Get it? The previous administration was anti-science. Biden is better than science.
Covid-2019
Friday, September 24, 2021
Can anyone here play this game? Yesterday a CDC panel approved Pfizer boosters for people over 65, but mysteriously not for health care workers most exposed to Covid in the line of duty. "Biden officials had initially planned to hold an off-record call Thursday evening for public health experts and administration surrogates, with CDC Director Rochelle Walensky... But shortly after the advisory panel finalized its recommendations, the administration abruptly postponed the call, citing 'shifting schedules.'" That turned out to be a lie. In the middle of the night Walensky over-ruled the panel, making boosters available to health care workers -- and teachers! Follow the science! Or is that: follow the unions? See "Recommended Reading" for the whole sordid story.