actually i am not surprised, truth tends to come out eventually.



and i am of opinion that the substitute is the vaccine. natural immunity is the biggest and best thing keeping our specie alive and it was at work for millions of years. it did not save everyone but it is why any of us are alive today. ignoring it is a grave miscalculation. vaccine is something very very recent and a lot of learning is involved. using design rather than evolution produces results faster so both benefits and mistakes are encountered at higher rate. we may have learned a lot, specially in recent years but - nature still has leg up as it tried things over many generations.

sadly the pandemic situation became highly politicized and resulting info war polarized society. on one side of the deep divide are those pushing for aggressive agenda without looking critically at all the data, considering alternatives or voices of caution. just get those torches and pitchforks already, round up any nonbelievers and jab them using any means necessary... or "mercifully" tattoo their foreheads, lock them up and throw away the key. approach they consider progressive and scientific is more of a medieval witch hunt.

want to do some good in the world? ask for sincerity, correct and validated data. ask for accountability. don't oppose those that ask questions, challenge those that claim to have answers but cannot back them up.

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FEAR IS THE ENEMY
.
.
.

 

Reasonable fears have been good during my limited experience in life because often, the fearless make foolish mistakes and die early.

 

Reasonable fears have been good during my limited experience in life because often, the fearless make foolish mistakes and die early.

kv

 

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/01/kids-masks-schools-weak-science/621133/

The Case Against Masks at School

 

some people worries and hoped that mask may be 90% or so effective. caution is always commendable, which is certainly understandable for people at risk. personally i was and remain convinced that mask effectiveness is rather negligible. but i was always wearing one and following guidelines, in part to not alarm ones that disagree and consideration for those at risk. wearing mask is not a big price, at least for adults as this is not invasive, at the end of the day, one can take it off. my bigger concern is effectiveness and availability of other therapeutics and treatments. fortunately the things are slowly coming out and readiness to reassess the collected data, policies and mandates is based on facts rather than paranoia. glimmer of hope...?

 

how someone sees CDC guidelines:

 

https://www.newsweek.com/denmark-end-most-covid-restrictions-welcome-life-we-knew-before-1673373

"We say goodbye to the restrictions and welcome the life we knew before," Frederiksen said. "As of Feb. 1, Denmark will be open."

According to Health Minister Magnus Heunicke, Denmark's recent cases of COVID were more than 46,000 daily on average; however, only 40 people are in hospital intensive care units.

High vaccination rates are helping to restrictions even as cases are still high.

"It may seem strange that we want to remove restrictions given the high infection rates," Frederiksen said. "But fewer people become seriously ill."

 

that is what people in Canada want too - remove mandates and restrictions. there are massive protests around the country to end the mandates and bring life to normal. it was started by truckers objecting the mandate but many ordinary citizens have joined in support, undeterred by cold. as expected, leaders are hiding and big media is silent on this. thousands of more trucks are converging on Ottawa.

 

Mandates and restrictions were proper measures during the emergency phase of the pandemic, we are past the emergency phase so it's time for governments to give up emergency powers and to let normal infectious heath measures rule again.

 

exactly, Denmark, UK are already there.

 

Crooks never miss an opportunity to be criminals.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...provide-latest-venue-for-suspected-fraudsters

As a new government website went live in January to offer free Covid-19 test kits, a rash of new domain names were registered. Some had remarkably similar URLs, or were nearly the same but slightly misspelled.
...
Suspected fraudsters have registered more than 600 suspicious domain registrations since Jan. 15

 

https://sites.krieger.jhu.edu/iae/f...ffects-of-Lockdowns-on-COVID-19-Mortality.pdf

This systematic review and meta-analysis are designed to determine whether there is empirical
evidence to support the belief that “lockdowns” reduce COVID-19 mortality. Lockdowns are
defined as the imposition of at least one compulsory, non-pharmaceutical intervention (NPI).
NPIs are any government mandate that directly restrict peoples’ possibilities, such as policies that
limit internal movement, close schools and businesses, and ban international travel. This study
employed a systematic search and screening procedure in which 18,590 studies are identified
that could potentially address the belief posed. After three levels of screening, 34 studies
ultimately qualified. Of those 34 eligible studies, 24 qualified for inclusion in the meta-analysis.
They were separated into three groups: lockdown stringency index studies, shelter-in-place
order (SIPO) studies, and specific NPI studies. An analysis of each of these three groups support
the conclusion that lockdowns have had little to no effect on COVID-19 mortality. More
specifically, stringency index studies find that lockdowns in Europe and the United States only
reduced COVID-19 mortality by 0.2% on average. SIPOs were also ineffective, only reducing
COVID-19 mortality by 2.9% on average. Specific NPI studies also find no broad-based evidence
of noticeable effects on COVID-19 mortality.
While this meta-analysis concludes that lockdowns have had little to no public health effects,
they have imposed enormous economic and social costs where they have been adopted. In
consequence, lockdown policies are ill-founded and should be rejected as a pandemic policy
instrument.

 

https://apnews.com/article/coronavi...-restaurants-a1cb094b0643ffb120690783b7382b2b
Sweden joins others in announcing end of virus restrictions

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Sweden on Thursday joined other European nations in saying it will remove coronavirus restrictions.

“It is time to open Sweden again,” said Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, announcing the restrictions would be removed from Feb. 9.

Among the measures and recommendations that will be lifted, Sweden will allow people to return to restaurants with no limitation on how many people can be there, how much space there should be or opening hours. Requirements for vaccine certificates and wearing face masks on public transportation will also be removed, as well as the recommendation to limit social contacts.

On Tuesday, neighboring Denmark took the lead among European Union members by scrapping most restrictions. Hours later, Norway lifted its ban on serving alcohol after 11 p.m. and the cap on private gatherings of no more than 10 people.

“The pandemic is not over but has entered a totally new phase,” Andersson stressed.

https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-new-zealand-4513b42df9301b9baacb874c7b91cb30
New Zealand to end quarantine stays and reopen its borders

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand’s government on Thursday said it will end its quarantine requirements for incoming travelers and reopen its borders, a change welcomed by thousands of citizens abroad who have endured long waits to return home.

Since the start of the pandemic, New Zealand has enacted some of the world’s strictest border controls. Most incoming travelers need to spend 10 days in a quarantine hotel room run by the military, a requirement that has created a bottleneck at the border.

https://www.usnews.com/news/busines...oint-more-countries-easing-covid-restrictions
‘Take Back Life’: More Nations Ease Coronavirus Restrictions

Late-night partying at clubs. Elbow-to-elbow seating in movie theaters. Going without masks in public, especially in Europe and North America: Step by step, many countries are easing their COVID-19 restrictions amid hopes the omicron wave may have passed its peak.
The early moves to relax precautions, based on declining or flattening case counts in recent days, represent what could be another turning point in a nearly two-year pandemic that has been full of them.
The extraordinarily contagious omicron has fueled more cases worldwide over the past 10 weeks — 90 million — than were seen during all of 2020, the outbreak's first full year.
But the World Health Organization this week said some countries can now consider carefully relaxing the rules if they have high immunity rates, their health care systems are strong and the epidemiological trends are going in the right direction.

 

https://www.newsweek.com/denmark-vaccination-rate-covid-restrictions-lifted-compared-us-1674953

Denmark Has Lifted All COVID Restrictions—Why Isn't America Ready to Follow?

 

In Canada, Alberta and Saskatchewan are indicating readiness to end restrictions too.

 

https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/quebec-...-announces-gyms-and-spas-can-reopen-1.5762751

Quebec has backtracked on its plans to impose a tax on people unvaccinated against COVID-19 after mounting opposition to the controversial measure. Additional public health measures will also be lifted later this month.

On Tuesday, Quebec Premier François Legault said he had prepared a bill to be tabled in the National Assembly, but said said he realized the legislation would have been too divisive at a fragile time in the pandemic.

“I understand that this divides Quebecers, and right now we need to build bridges to listen to each other, Quebecers must remain united,” he said during a news conference about the COVID-19 situation in Quebec.

Unstoppable Omicron is bringing sanity back to a pandemic weary world.

 

Everyone is tired of lockdowns, misinformation and political elements of it.

By now everyone knows that managing of the pandemic was less than optimal.

To many, efficacy of vaccine is not convincing. Pfizer is now asking to extend vaccination on children as young as 6months old, despite data showing that those who may benefit from vaccine are the elderly.

In Canada average age of Covid dead is higher than the life expectancy in the country. It is several years higher than average age of dead in the year before - a difference of more than 7 years.

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/91f0015m/91f0015m2021002-eng.htm


Deaths are overwhelmingly in people with comorbidities, such as dementia and Alzheimer.

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-hea...excess-mortality-impacts-age-comorbidity.html


Meanwhile lockdowns are implemented but many see them as half hearted. Canadians still largely followed through with official recommendations and guidelines, most got vaccinated, everyone is tired of this and increasingly frustrated.

 

And that is why some have turned to protests.

Media reports only what they are told to say. Things that would normally be on the front pages are barely mentioned and seem to be skewed or one sided.


The trucker convoy in Ottawa is still there and continues to be peaceful. Police tried the best to stop influx of truckers by blocking bridges, placing obstacles and diverting trucks away. So many that hoped to be there are sitting in parking lots several kilometers away from Parlament hill.

As always there is occasional infiltrator/saboter sneaking into the crowd, trying to make protesters look bad. Such things were the only things receiving focus of the mainstream media. They failed to other angles including protesters serving food to homeless, picking up trash, or telling Nazi flag bearer to get lost etc. So the few things that could be used to portray the protest in a negative light are of course reported. Meanwhile one still cannot find objective and up to date report or coverage on the situation. All things circling the net are 3-4 days old.

City council tried to stop funding of the protesters. Police cannot do much since protests are peaceful and they do not have enough of resources. There were calls for military but that of course was turned down.

There is a related protest in Alberta where truckers (in support of protest in Ottawa) blocked one of the rural crossing to USA. The crossing is already nearly completely blocked due Covid restrictions from both sides. Very few were allowed to use it anyway. But then the RCMP SWAT team descended and surrounded entire village of Coutts, trapping everyone inside - including locals. Even food and medication was not allowed through. Some braved frigid weather and walked for miles to resupply. This raised few eyebrows but most are unaweare due media vacuum. Yesterday negotiations resulted in an agreemend and truckers allowed opening one lane in each direction but (allegedly) police did not keep up with their end of the bargain. Then the protesters setup second blokade some 10 miles north of the border and RCMP checkpoint.

Natives chiefs called it double standard saying if they were the ones protesting, authorities would be quick to remove them.

Eagerly trying to find more about this.

 

the plot thickens....

GoFundMe was caught with their pants down. They sided with the member of Ottawa City council and wanted to freeze and then divert donations meant for trucker protest to beneficiary of their own choosing. How noble. This prompted reaction in USA, so after being threatened with fraud investigation, GoFundMe quickly changed their mind. They still do not want funds to reach intended recipient so they will be refunding everyone instead of only those that explicitly apply for refund.

Reason for blocking funds was cited as "unlawful and violent protests". No specific act of violence was stated.

According to police, no violence took place although that would be one of possible outcomes of any protest. Many citizens joined the protest, sing, dance, skate. People from as far as Toronto drove to Ottawa with sausages, bread and other food for truckers. Local farmers are clearing up the land to make room for more trucks. There was a clip of one grouchy person that was not happy - in fact he looked irritated and wanted protesters gone. He is probably not alone but seem to be utterly outnumbered by all "fringe" protesters. Also there was an act of violence. Someone threw an egg at the truck but nobody was harmed. Well, this is Canada after all.

Meanwhile Toronto and other cities are preparing for similar protests as more people are voicing their frustration with Covid mandates.

 

The mandates will be lifted when more antivaxers get vaccinated.
Many people in Canada are protesting the high cost of gasoline maybe from the new "carbon tax".
Did you see all the black smoke produced by all the trucks in the protests? One idling truck was producing smoke signals.