thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-03-25--Will COVID-19 be known as “the Chinese Virus” or “the Trump Virus”?

Sadly , most Americans , even if uncomfortable , appear to agree on the facts , if not the tenor , of Trump ’ s choice of words .
Here are some facts about the COVID-19 virus that will helpfully set the American public straight .
First , according to the most recent science research , the origin of the COVID-19 is actually unknown .
While officials in China initially believed the virus to have originated in a seafood market in Wuhan , subsequent studies by researchers from Japan , Taiwan , and Mainland China itself have cast strong doubts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ official position now is that the origin of the virus should be determined through sound scientific deliberation , without political interference .
Second , many in the U.S. appear to believe bat-eating Chinese people caused the current COVID-19 pandemic .
Since the epidemic first started in Wuhan , Western social media have been lit up by links to several videos of Chinese citizens eating bat soup , with not so subtle racial insinuations that it is the Chinese people and their culture that have caused the COVID-19 epidemic .
But Chinese people as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tradition of eating bats .
Journalists from France 24 TV recently tracked down the makers of five of the six most-shared videos and found that none of these videos were filmed in Wuhan , or in China , as many netizens had claimed .
Instead , all videos were filmed in Palau or Indonesia , in locales where bats have traditionally been consumed as food , and where adventurous visitors from around the world are welcomed to sample their local , traditional cuisine .
The WHO has warned against naming viruses based on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stigma and racism that these names inevitably provoke .
According to current research , it is unlikely that bat consumption caused COVID-19 .
Most scientists believe that the COVID-19 virus did not enter the human population directly , but through an intermediate host such as pangolins , civets , ferrets , or even turtles , pigs , or cats .
The much studied 2003 SARS virus – a cousin of the COVID-19 virus – for example , is thought to have leaped from bats to civet cats , mutating there before making a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or bat-eating people – given current understanding of the virus – is just plain bigotry .
If zoonotic virus transfer is of overriding concern , then the consumption of beef , pork and chicken should all be categorically condemned as well since viruses can and do periodically jump from cattle , pigs and chicken to humans .
Similarly , the keeping of dogs and cats as pets should also be categorically condemned since viruses can and do periodically jump from those animals to humans .
Third , the fact that the COVID-19 epidemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mean that the virus must have arisen there .
Take the AIDS epidemic as an example .
While the AIDS epidemic arose in Los Angeles in the 1970 ’ s , the HIV virus actually arose in the human population much earlier – around 1908 , in the southeastern corner of what is present day Cameroon .
The virus then mutated and spread within the human population for more than half a century – below everyone ’ s radar – before exploding onto the global scene in the 1970 ’ s .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Quammen astutely observed how a virus would have hit “ jackpot ” if it successfully entered the human population because no species had achieved the numbers and mass that we humans have .
To viruses and bacteria , we are all one .
We form one large global host system .
A recent study has shown that some 30 % of human protein adaptions since our divergence from chimpanzees have been driven by our viruses !
We are a true global village .
Thus , when a viral epidemic strikes , we need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it lest it spreads to engulf us all .
Fourth , there is no evidence that the Chinese government attempted to cover up the COVID-19 as White House ’ s national security adviser Robert O ’ Brien and others in the U.S. have claimed .
Here is a short timeline what China did do in the initial days of the epidemic .
On December 31 , 2019 , the Chinese informed WHO of mysterious pneumonia cases in Wuhan city .
Soon afterwards , the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission ruled out influenza , avian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ MERS and other commonly known respiratory diseases as the cause .
On January 7 , the Chinese had identified a new coronavirus as the cause .
Five days later , China completed and published the genetic sequence of the new virus .
On January 21 , WHO confirmed the first case of human-to-human transmission of the coronavirus .
On January 23 , China shut down most of the nation and enacted a city-wide quarantine of Wuhan when nation reported some 500 confirmed cases and 17 deaths .
Compare this with the response that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ America .
Italy – despite having a population around 4 % of that of China – did not instate a national lockdown until after it reached some 12,462 confirmed cases and 827 deaths .
Many doctors there now recall seeing “ very strange pneumonia , very severe , particularly in old people in December and even November.
” The U.K. talked openly about ignoring the virus to build a “ herd mentality ” until it abruptly change policy a week after Italy had to lock down .
The U.S. did nothing domestically to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospitals began to be saturated with patients , doctors ran out of basic medical supplies , and cities and states across the nation began shutting down .
Yet Trump officials continue to point a finger at the China .
Last week , Secretary Pompeo tweeted that “ Beijing must acknowledge its role [ in the current global pandemic ] and be part of the solution.
” Bolton , Trump ’ s former National Security Adviser , tweeted that “ [ i ] t ’ s fact there was a massive coverup .
China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to hold them accountable.
” Urged on by supporters , Trump is said to be considering how to “ punish China ” for starting and spreading the COVID-19 virus .
Fifth , Dr. Li Wenliang is a Chinese “ national hero , ” not “ whistleblower.
” In the West , Dr. Li Wenliang – an ophthalmologist – is often portrayed as a “ whistleblower ” that forced the Chinese government to relent on an alleged cover up .
Reviewing records retrospectively , some critics have indeed alleged that the first case of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early as November 17 , but even they acknowledge that frontline doctors in China did not suspect of a new disease until late December .
The story of Dr. Li is a story of both heroism and tragedy – a story replicated many times by frontline responders over in China during this pandemic .
On December 30 , Dr. Li posted in a private WeChat group information regarding the string of mysterious pneumonia cases in Wuhan and speculated to his friends about a return of the 2003 SARS virus .
He cited details @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” and asked his friends to keep silence .
But details of what he disclosed got out .
On January 3 , local officials cited him for spreading rumors and suspended his license to practice .
On January 7 , after the content of the report – i.e .
the existence of a new virus – was verified and the report was published , Dr. Li was told to go back to work .
Dr. Li unfortunately soon contracted the COVID-19 virus and would die one month later .
Dr. Li ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not part of a systemic cover up .
Dr. Li was an ophthalmologist whose work does not usually touch on infectious diseases .
Dr. Li ’ s hunch about an abnormal type of disease happened to be right , but he also got important details wrong .
In China , Dr. Li is considered a hero .
While people acknowledge the government ’ s right to hold up the report until its contents can be verified , many people also believe that the government should have published the report sooner .
America should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Sixth , seriously , the U.S. should take responsibility for its COVID-19 epidemic .
The U.S. had a first confirmed case of COVID-19 on January 20 , some two weeks after China had alerted the world of a new virus .
On February 5 , Trump tweeted “ Only 5 people in U.S. , all in good recovery.
” On February 10 , Trump said in a rally , “ I think it ’ s going to work out good .
We only have 11 cases and they ’ re all getting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tweeted “ The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA.
” On February 26 , Trump said , “ We ’ re very , very ready for this .
… we ’ re at that very low level.
” His was however angry that media like MSNBC and CNN was “ doing everything possible to make the Coronavirus look as bad as possible , including panicking markets….
” On February 28 , in a political rally attended by over ten thousand supporters , he called the growing coronavirus scare “ [ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On March 2 when US confirmed cases of COVID-19 reached 90 , Trump pronounced that a vaccine could be available for the public in as little as a few months .
On March 9 , Trump compared the coronavirus to the “ common flu ” and said that life and economy will “ go on ” as usual .
On March 11 , however , in a major policy reversal after U.S. confirmed cases reached 1,000 , Trump blamed Europe and China on his first major nationally televised speech about the pandemic .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same precautions and restrict travel from China and other hot spots .
As a result , a large number of new clusters in the United States were seeded by travelers from Europe.
” But the U.S. was on full alert about the new disease since early January .
In the three months since , Trump chose to rely on border-control ideology instead of science as the nation ’ s primary means of defense .
Thus , while the U.S. put up a travel ban targeting Chinese nationals travelling from China , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on other nationalities traveling to and from China , put up no restrictions on travelers travelling to and from others region of world , and failed to screen many travelers coming into the nation even when they showed overt signs of being sick .
Even more critically , the U.S. failed to conduct any systematic test on the American population , a necessary first step to conducting any public health campaign .
It failed to produce the test kits needed by for doctors ’ offices .
It refused to seek available tests from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disastrous rollout of its own test kits .
It failed to ensure the availability of critical of personal protective equipment at home for first responders when the epidemic finally hit … months later .
Finally , American citizens should challenge the unquestioned assumption that the coronavirus arose and spread from China .
Over this past weekend , the New York Times put up a beautiful “ infographics ” showing “ how the virus got out ” from Wuhan and China despite the “ most extensive travel restrictions to stop an outbreak in human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ general movement of people by cars , public transportation , and flights to give readers a visual sense of how the virus might have spread out from China .
But other than beautiful graphics , this story only served to propagate an unquestioned narrative without adding any science .
The Times could have chosen any other city in the world and overlay general traffic , public transportation , and flight patterns to and from that city and show how the virus got out and infect the rest of the world .
A simple @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a problem the current presumption about a “ China virus ” is .
Based on current research , the coronavirus virus has a mean infection rate ( R ) of 2.2 , and a mean incubation rate of 6.4 days .
One can calculate an upper-bound growth rate of this virus by assuming that the mean infection period is equal to the mean incubation period ( realistically , the mean infection period will probably be much larger , because virally comprised patients such as flu patients typically infect others not just during the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of symptoms and perhaps even during recovery ) .
If the coronavirus had really arrived in the U.S. from China and around mid-January , then it could have grown at most to around 3,844 cases by March 22 in the U.S .
According the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Website however , the U.S. already had 33,276 confirmed cases by March 22 .
That is a 10x discrepancy !
According to Trevor Bedford of the COVID Tracking Project , the actual number of people infected in the U.S. is much larger than confirmed cases , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 120,000 against 3,844 is now a 32x discrepancy !
Due to a lack of systematic testing in the U.S. , no one knows how many are really infected in the U.S. today .
But whatever the number , using basic calculations taking into account basic facts about the virus like the one above , one can easily show how unlikely it is that the virus spread from China to the U.S. in late January or February .
More likely , the virus was already established in the U.S. by early January and perhaps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ become all the more sobering when viewed in light of other contemporaneous public health developments in the U.S. Last year , mysterious pneumonia cases relating to e-cigarette vaping occurred started popping up around summer in the U.S. X-ray images of lung damage show “ ground glass ” opacity that now look surprisingly similar to those caused by the coronavirus .
According to the CDC , the vaping cases peaked around September , right before the CDC started reporting abnormally early cases of flu in October .
Could the mysterious vaping pneumonia cases have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lumped into the flu cases ?
On March 11 , CDC director Robert Redfield admitted during a House Oversight Committee hearing that the CDC had mis-categorized an unknown number of coronavirus cases under flu cases during this past season .
It appears that the coronavirus could definitely have been established in the U.S. much earlier than the government is currently admitting .
The New York Times recently featured an amazing story about how Dr. Helen Chu – an infectious disease expert – tried but was blocked from getting answers to such questions .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. struck in the Seattle area .
Throughout February and until mid-March , Washington would dominate the nation in coronavirus count .
As luck would have it , for several months as part of a research project into the flu , Dr. Chu happened to have been collecting nasal swabs from residents experiencing symptoms in the area .
When the coronavirus outbreak arose , Dr. Chu wanted repurpose her tests to monitor for the coronavirus instead of the flu .
Various authorities would block her .
When Dr. Chu went to the C.D.C @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her to “ cease and desist.
” Throughout this pandemic , the WHO and many health professionals have lauded China for its response to the outbreak .
China has been able to control its epidemic through actions that many thought were too draconian , but that many now think is necessary to controlling the outbreak .
China is now at the forefront of the global fight against the pandemic , sharing knowledge and resources .
The Prime Minister of Australia has just announced that some 80 % of Australia cases are imported from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to America ’ s failure to conduct adequate number of tests on its own citizens .
As more data is gathered , many other nations will probably come to the same conclusion .
Trump ’ s policy of blaming China for the COVID-19 outbreak is not just factually hypocritical , but has antagonized Chinese worldwide .
Inside the U.S. , it has caused great a surge of racism against Asian American communities.Just Yesterday , Trump made a half-hearted apology by saying and tweeting “ It is very important that we totally protect our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and all around the world .
They are amazing people , and the spreading of the Virus is NOT their fault in any way , shape , or form .
They are working closely with us to get rid of it .
WE WILL PREVAIL TOGETHER !
” Will the U.S. join China in a common global fight , or will it continue to politicize and smear , bumbling along the way and putting millions of additional lives in danger ?
If the Trump Administration wants to fight China instead of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump Virus ” be a better moniker than “ the Chinese Virus ” ?

[dropcap]D[/dropcap]espite strong rebukes from the WHO, President Trump and his Administration officials in recent days have made an emphatic point of calling the COVID-19 virus the “Chinese Virus” or “China Virus.” When pushed on the racist overtone of his rhetoric, Trump retorted, “Cause [the virus] comes from China. It’s not racist at all, no, not at all. It comes from China, that’s why. I want to be accurate.”
Sadly, most Americans, even if uncomfortable, appear to agree on the facts, if not the tenor, of Trump’s choice of words.
Here are some facts about the COVID-19 virus that will helpfully set the American public straight.
The True Origin of COVID-19.
First, according to the most recent science research, the origin of the COVID-19 is actually unknown. While officials in China initially believed the virus to have originated in a seafood market in Wuhan, subsequent studies by researchers from Japan, Taiwan, and Mainland China itself have cast strong doubts on that theory. China’s official position now is that the origin of the virus should be determined through sound scientific deliberation, without political interference.
Those Bat-Eating Chinese People caused the COVID-19 outbreak.
Second, many in the U.S. appear to believe bat-eating Chinese people caused the current COVID-19 pandemic. Since the epidemic first started in Wuhan, Western social media have been lit up by links to several videos of Chinese citizens eating bat soup, with not so subtle racial insinuations that it is the Chinese people and their culture that have caused the COVID-19 epidemic.
But Chinese people as a whole generally do not have a tradition of eating bats. Journalists from France 24 TV recently tracked down the makers of five of the six most-shared videos and found that none of these videos were filmed in Wuhan, or in China, as many netizens had claimed. Instead, all videos were filmed in Palau or Indonesia, in locales where bats have traditionally been consumed as food, and where adventurous visitors from around the world are welcomed to sample their local, traditional cuisine.
The WHO has warned against naming viruses based on region or ethnicity precisely because of the stigma and racism that these names inevitably provoke.
According to current research, it is unlikely that bat consumption caused COVID-19. Most scientists believe that the COVID-19 virus did not enter the human population directly, but through an intermediate host such as pangolins, civets, ferrets, or even turtles, pigs, or cats. The much studied 2003 SARS virus – a cousin of the COVID-19 virus – for example, is thought to have leaped from bats to civet cats, mutating there before making a final jump to humans.
Demonizing Chinese or bat-eating people – given current understanding of the virus – is just plain bigotry. If zoonotic virus transfer is of overriding concern, then the consumption of beef, pork and chicken should all be categorically condemned as well since viruses can and do periodically jump from cattle, pigs and chicken to humans. Similarly, the keeping of dogs and cats as pets should also be categorically condemned since viruses can and do periodically jump from those animals to humans.
The Wuhan Virus?
Third, the fact that the COVID-19 epidemic first arose in Wuhan does not necessarily mean that the virus must have arisen there. Take the AIDS epidemic as an example. While the AIDS epidemic arose in Los Angeles in the 1970’s, the HIV virus actually arose in the human population much earlier – around 1908, in the southeastern corner of what is present day Cameroon. The virus then mutated and spread within the human population for more than half a century – below everyone’s radar – before exploding onto the global scene in the 1970’s.
In a 2012 interview, science writer David Quammen astutely observed how a virus would have hit “jackpot” if it successfully entered the human population because no species had achieved the numbers and mass that we humans have. To viruses and bacteria, we are all one. We form one large global host system.
A recent study has shown that some 30% of human protein adaptions since our divergence from chimpanzees have been driven by our viruses! We are a true global village. Thus, when a viral epidemic strikes, we need to band together to collectively fight against it lest it spreads to engulf us all.
A Chinese Cover-up?
Fourth, there is no evidence that the Chinese government attempted to cover up the COVID-19 as White House’s national security adviser Robert O’Brien and others in the U.S. have claimed. Here is a short timeline what China did do in the initial days of the epidemic.
On December 31, 2019, the Chinese informed WHO of mysterious pneumonia cases in Wuhan city. Soon afterwards, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission ruled out influenza, avian influenza, adenovirus infection, SARS, MERS and other commonly known respiratory diseases as the cause. On January 7, the Chinese had identified a new coronavirus as the cause. Five days later, China completed and published the genetic sequence of the new virus. On January 21, WHO confirmed the first case of human-to-human transmission of the coronavirus. On January 23, China shut down most of the nation and enacted a city-wide quarantine of Wuhan when nation reported some 500 confirmed cases and 17 deaths.
Compare this with the response that would subsequently take place in Europe or America. Italy – despite having a population around 4% of that of China – did not instate a national lockdown until after it reached some 12,462 confirmed cases and 827 deaths. Many doctors there now recall seeing “very strange pneumonia, very severe, particularly in old people in December and even November.” The U.K. talked openly about ignoring the virus to build a “herd mentality” until it abruptly change policy a week after Italy had to lock down. The U.S. did nothing domestically to prepare for the virus until mid-March when hospitals began to be saturated with patients, doctors ran out of basic medical supplies, and cities and states across the nation began shutting down.
Yet Trump officials continue to point a finger at the China. Last week, Secretary Pompeo tweeted that “Beijing must acknowledge its role [in the current global pandemic] and be part of the solution.” Bolton, Trump’s former National Security Adviser, tweeted that “[i]t’s fact there was a massive coverup. China is responsible. The world must act to hold them accountable.” Urged on by supporters, Trump is said to be considering how to “punish China” for starting and spreading the COVID-19 virus.
Dr. Li Wenliang is a Chinese “national hero,” not “whistleblower.”
Fifth, Dr. Li Wenliang is a Chinese “national hero,” not “whistleblower.”
In the West, Dr. Li Wenliang – an ophthalmologist – is often portrayed as a “whistleblower” that forced the Chinese government to relent on an alleged cover up. Reviewing records retrospectively, some critics have indeed alleged that the first case of COVID-19 in China may have arisen as early as November 17, but even they acknowledge that frontline doctors in China did not suspect of a new disease until late December.
The story of Dr. Li is a story of both heroism and tragedy – a story replicated many times by frontline responders over in China during this pandemic. On December 30, Dr. Li posted in a private WeChat group information regarding the string of mysterious pneumonia cases in Wuhan and speculated to his friends about a return of the 2003 SARS virus. He cited details from a then unpublished “government report” and asked his friends to keep silence. But details of what he disclosed got out. On January 3, local officials cited him for spreading rumors and suspended his license to practice. On January 7, after the content of the report – i.e. the existence of a new virus – was verified and the report was published, Dr. Li was told to go back to work. Dr. Li unfortunately soon contracted the COVID-19 virus and would die one month later.
Dr. Li’s ordeal – while tragic – was however not part of a systemic cover up. Dr. Li was an ophthalmologist whose work does not usually touch on infectious diseases. Dr. Li’s hunch about an abnormal type of disease happened to be right, but he also got important details wrong. In China, Dr. Li is considered a hero. While people acknowledge the government’s right to hold up the report until its contents can be verified, many people also believe that the government should have published the report sooner.
America should take responsibility for America’s actions.
Sixth, seriously, the U.S. should take responsibility for its COVID-19 epidemic.
The U.S. had a first confirmed case of COVID-19 on January 20, some two weeks after China had alerted the world of a new virus. On February 5, Trump tweeted “Only 5 people in U.S., all in good recovery.” On February 10, Trump said in a rally, “I think it’s going to work out good. We only have 11 cases and they’re all getting better.” On February 24, Trump tweeted “The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA.” On February 26, Trump said, “We’re very, very ready for this. … we’re at that very low level.” His was however angry that media like MSNBC and CNN was “doing everything possible to make the Coronavirus look as bad as possible, including panicking markets….” On February 28, in a political rally attended by over ten thousand supporters, he called the growing coronavirus scare “[the Democrats’] new hoax.”
On March 2 when US confirmed cases of COVID-19 reached 90, Trump pronounced that a vaccine could be available for the public in as little as a few months. On March 9, Trump compared the coronavirus to the “common flu” and said that life and economy will “go on” as usual.
On March 11, however, in a major policy reversal after U.S. confirmed cases reached 1,000, Trump blamed Europe and China on his first major nationally televised speech about the pandemic. “The European Union failed to take the same precautions and restrict travel from China and other hot spots. As a result, a large number of new clusters in the United States were seeded by travelers from Europe.”
But the U.S. was on full alert about the new disease since early January. In the three months since, Trump chose to rely on border-control ideology instead of science as the nation’s primary means of defense.
Thus, while the U.S. put up a travel ban targeting Chinese nationals travelling from China, the U.S. put up no restrictions at all on other nationalities traveling to and from China, put up no restrictions on travelers travelling to and from others region of world, and failed to screen many travelers coming into the nation even when they showed overt signs of being sick.
Even more critically, the U.S. failed to conduct any systematic test on the American population, a necessary first step to conducting any public health campaign. It failed to produce the test kits needed by for doctors’ offices. It refused to seek available tests from the WHO and got mired in a disastrous rollout of its own test kits. It failed to ensure the availability of critical of personal protective equipment at home for first responders when the epidemic finally hit … months later.
Challenging an unquestioned assumption?
Finally, American citizens should challenge the unquestioned assumption that the coronavirus arose and spread from China. Over this past weekend, the New York Times put up a beautiful “infographics” showing “how the virus got out” from Wuhan and China despite the “most extensive travel restrictions to stop an outbreak in human history.” The Times overlaid graphics of general movement of people by cars, public transportation, and flights to give readers a visual sense of how the virus might have spread out from China. But other than beautiful graphics, this story only served to propagate an unquestioned narrative without adding any science. The Times could have chosen any other city in the world and overlay general traffic, public transportation, and flight patterns to and from that city and show how the virus got out and infect the rest of the world.
A simple ‘back-of-the-envelop’ calculation shows how big a problem the current presumption about a “China virus” is. Based on current research, the coronavirus virus has a mean infection rate (R 0 ) of 2.2, and a mean incubation rate of 6.4 days. One can calculate an upper-bound growth rate of this virus by assuming that the mean infection period is equal to the mean incubation period (realistically, the mean infection period will probably be much larger, because virally comprised patients such as flu patients typically infect others not just during the incubation period, but after the onset of symptoms and perhaps even during recovery). If the coronavirus had really arrived in the U.S. from China and around mid-January, then it could have grown at most to around 3,844 cases by March 22 in the U.S. According the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Website however, the U.S. already had 33,276 confirmed cases by March 22. That is a 10x discrepancy!
According to Trevor Bedford of the COVID Tracking Project, the actual number of people infected in the U.S. is much larger than confirmed cases, at around 120,000 by March 22. 120,000 against 3,844 is now a 32x discrepancy!
Due to a lack of systematic testing in the U.S., no one knows how many are really infected in the U.S. today. But whatever the number, using basic calculations taking into account basic facts about the virus like the one above, one can easily show how unlikely it is that the virus spread from China to the U.S. in late January or February. More likely, the virus was already established in the U.S. by early January and perhaps December or even November.
These statistics become all the more sobering when viewed in light of other contemporaneous public health developments in the U.S. Last year, mysterious pneumonia cases relating to e-cigarette vaping occurred started popping up around summer in the U.S. X-ray images of lung damage show “ground glass” opacity that now look surprisingly similar to those caused by the coronavirus. According to the CDC, the vaping cases peaked around September, right before the CDC started reporting abnormally early cases of flu in October. Could the mysterious vaping pneumonia cases have been coronavirus cases that are then later lumped into the flu cases?
On March 11, CDC director Robert Redfield admitted during a House Oversight Committee hearing that the CDC had mis-categorized an unknown number of coronavirus cases under flu cases during this past season. It appears that the coronavirus could definitely have been established in the U.S. much earlier than the government is currently admitting.
The New York Times recently featured an amazing story about how Dr. Helen Chu – an infectious disease expert – tried but was blocked from getting answers to such questions. The earliest cases of coronavirus in the U.S. struck in the Seattle area. Throughout February and until mid-March, Washington would dominate the nation in coronavirus count. As luck would have it, for several months as part of a research project into the flu, Dr. Chu happened to have been collecting nasal swabs from residents experiencing symptoms in the area. When the coronavirus outbreak arose, Dr. Chu wanted repurpose her tests to monitor for the coronavirus instead of the flu. Various authorities would block her. When Dr. Chu went to the C.D.C. and F.D.A., officials there told her to “cease and desist.”
The Trump Virus?
Throughout this pandemic, the WHO and many health professionals have lauded China for its response to the outbreak. China has been able to control its epidemic through actions that many thought were too draconian, but that many now think is necessary to controlling the outbreak. China is now at the forefront of the global fight against the pandemic, sharing knowledge and resources.
The Prime Minister of Australia has just announced that some 80% of Australia cases are imported from the U.S., attributing that large number to America’s failure to conduct adequate number of tests on its own citizens. As more data is gathered, many other nations will probably come to the same conclusion.
Trump’s policy of blaming China for the COVID-19 outbreak is not just factually hypocritical, but has antagonized Chinese worldwide. Inside the U.S., it has caused great a surge of racism against Asian American communities.Just Yesterday, Trump made a half-hearted apology by saying and tweeting “It is very important that we totally protect our Asian American community in the United States, and all around the world. They are amazing people, and the spreading of the Virus is NOT their fault in any way, shape, or form. They are working closely with us to get rid of it. WE WILL PREVAIL TOGETHER!”
Will the U.S. join China in a common global fight, or will it continue to politicize and smear, bumbling along the way and putting millions of additional lives in danger?
If the Trump Administration wants to fight China instead of the virus, would the term “the Trump Virus” be a better moniker than “the Chinese Virus”?


thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-03-24--WUHAN OUTBREAK: CHINA DEMANDS AN HONEST ACCOUNTING

^5000The mainstream imperialist media lie CONSTANTLY .
Literally 24/7 .
And it 's getting worse .
All of them do @ @ @ @ @ , the newspapers , the movies .
The internet .
No exceptions .
The corporate @ @ @ @ @ totalitarian .
CBS does it .
NBC does it .
ABC does it .
CNN @ @ @ @ @ it .
NPR does it .
And of course the NYTimes and WaPo do it @ @ @ @ @ '' voices telling you the same lies .
Enough to convince anyone .

Please make sure these dispatches reach as many readers as possible. Share with kin, friends and workmates and ask them to do likewise. By Thomas Hon Wing Polin March 22, 2020 Although the idea of any nation using deliberately biological vectors or biowarfare in our time remains small and improbable due to this kind of weapon's uncontrollability and costly profile in terms of a nation's prestige, a number of facts keep pointing to the possibility this virus was introduced into China by US agents.—Editors It is now virtually certain that COVID-19 was brought to Wuhan by American troops taking part in the city’s World Military Games last Oct. 18-27.
The 300-strong US contingent stayed 300 meters from the Huanan Seafood Market where China’s outbreak began (see map below) at the Wuhan Oriental Hotel.
Five of the US troops developed a fever on Oct. 25 and were taken to an infectious-diseases hospital for treatment.
42 employees of the Oriental Hotel were diagnosed with COVID-19, becoming the first cluster in Wuhan. At the time only 7 people from the market had been thus diagnosed (and treated before the hotel staff). All 7 had contact with the 42 from the hotel. From this source, the virus spread to the rest of China.
The American Military Games team trained at a location near Fort Detrick, the military’s viral lab closed down by the CDC in July for various deficiencies.
The big question now is whether the transmission was planned, or accidental.
Chinese authorities are awaiting an explanation from US authorities. A few days ago, Mike Pompeo phoned Yang Jiechi, Chinese State Councillor for Foreign Affairs. Pompeo’s counterpart is actually Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Yang is Wang’s boss, so Pompeo wanted to talk about something urgent and important.
Pompeo wanted the Chinese not to publicize what they had found.
Yang’s reply: “We await your solemn explanation, especially about Patient Zero.” China’s leaders have long suspected US military involvement in the Wuhan outbreak but were determined to stop the disease before pursuing the Americans for an honest accounting. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License About the author(s) Thomas Hon Wing Polin is a geopolitical analyst and author based in Hong Kong. • remember: ALL CAPTIONS, IMAGES, PULL QUOTES AND ANNOTATIONS BY THE EDITORS, NOT THE AUTHOR— Up to You. ^3000US citizens have no real political representation. We don't live in a democracy. And our freedom is disappearing fast. I don't want to be ruled by hypocrites, whores, and war criminals. What about you? Time to push back against the corporate oligarchy. And its multitude of minions and lackeys.
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“Not many people are aware of the extent of the destruction of many Japanese cities which the author details here. He points out that the Soviet Union kept its word to help the United States by its intervention against Japan, the decisive reason why Japan was defeated even before the atomic bombs fell. A stunning but little known fact is that in response to the Russians’ sacrifice the Anglo-American leaders—first Churchill and later Truman— were hatching Operation Unthinkable and Operation Pincher to launch a surprise war against Soviet forces in Europe. These military plots included the potential use of nuclear bombs. This is a book that no well-informed Western reader should be without, especially those inhabiting the homeland of the new empire, the dangerously brainwashed United States.” —(An excerpt from the publisher’s blurb on Amazon).
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thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-03-24--INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT APPROVES FIRST EVER WAR CRIMES INVESTIGATION OF US FORCES, CIA

he US is promising retaliation after top judges at the International Criminal Court gave the approval to move forward with the first ever war crimes investigation into the conduct of the US military and the CIA in Afghanistan .
The US is now firing back , after top judges at the International Criminal Court gave the green-light to move forward with a war crimes investigation into US conduct in Afghanistan .
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the US does not recognize the ICC ’ s authority over American citizens , and has no plans to cooperate .
“ This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unaccountable political institution masquerading as a legal body , ” Pompeo said .
“ It ’ s all the more reckless for this ruling to come just days after the United States signed a historic peace deal on Afghanistan , which is the best chance for peace in a generation.
” Pompeo ’ s comments follow a decision from ICC appeals judges earlier Thursday , which confirmed that the investigation will target all sides in the conflict , including the US Military and the CIA .
“ The Appeals Chamber considers it appropriate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effect that the prosecutor is authorized to commence an investigation in relation to alleged crimes committed on the territory of Afghanistan in the period since 1st May , 2003 , as well as other alleged crimes that have a nexus to the armed conflict in Afghanistan.
” The US invaded Afghanistan less than one month after 9/11 with the promise of defeating the Taliban .
And while the Taliban is now stronger than it has been at any point since the war began , members of the ICC have attempted to call attention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have faced throughout the war with an investigation that looks at all sides in the conflict .
Back in 2017 , the Office of the Prosecutor claimed it had evidences proving that from 2003 to 2004 , members of the US armed forces and members of the CIA “ committed acts of torture , cruel treatment , outrages upon personal dignity , rape and sexual violence against conflict-related detainees.
” Last year , the ICC tried to move forward with an investigation .
But the Trump Administration responded by revoking the visa of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ repeated threats from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo , claiming Washington would do anything possible to stop the court from investigating the US .
And the threats appeared to work briefly , as judges from the ICC ruled last April that there was no point in moving forward with an investigation if they couldn ’ t guarantee there would be cooperation .
However , that decision has now been overruled .
Pompeo has previously threatened economic sanctions against the International Criminal Court if they do move forward with investigating the US for war @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be seen if he will follow through with that threat .
There are likely major concerns about what a potential war crimes investigation could uncover , especially when looking at nearly two decades of war where countless civilians have been killed , injured and displaced at the hands of the US and its allies .
The bombings have also drastically increased in recent years .
The United Nations confirmed that in 2018 , Afghanistan saw the highest number of civilian casualties in a decades .
And in 2019 , the US and its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The war in Afghanistan has continued under three administrations , and there have been numerous accusations of corruption—the latest of which came in the form of the Afghanistan Papers .
Released late last year , they documented interviews with top military generals who revealed that the US government has been lying about the war for years .
Even though the latest peace agreement promises to bring American troops home , the latest round of bombings from the US raises new questions about whether the longest war in US history will truly come @ @ @ @ @ @

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he US is promising retaliation after top judges at the International Criminal Court gave the approval to move forward with the first ever war crimes investigation into the conduct of the US military and the CIA in Afghanistan.
The US is now firing back, after top judges at the International Criminal Court gave the green-light to move forward with a war crimes investigation into US conduct in Afghanistan. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the US does not recognize the ICC’s authority over American citizens, and has no plans to cooperate.
“This is a truly breathtaking action by an unaccountable political institution masquerading as a legal body,” Pompeo said. “It’s all the more reckless for this ruling to come just days after the United States signed a historic peace deal on Afghanistan, which is the best chance for peace in a generation.”
Pompeo’s comments follow a decision from ICC appeals judges earlier Thursday, which confirmed that the investigation will target all sides in the conflict, including the US Military and the CIA.
“The Appeals Chamber considers it appropriate to amend the appealed decision to the effect that the prosecutor is authorized to commence an investigation in relation to alleged crimes committed on the territory of Afghanistan in the period since 1st May, 2003, as well as other alleged crimes that have a nexus to the armed conflict in Afghanistan.”
The US invaded Afghanistan less than one month after 9/11 with the promise of defeating the Taliban. And while the Taliban is now stronger than it has been at any point since the war began, members of the ICC have attempted to call attention to the atrocities people in the country have faced throughout the war with an investigation that looks at all sides in the conflict.
Back in 2017, the Office of the Prosecutor claimed it had evidences proving that from 2003 to 2004, members of the US armed forces and members of the CIA “committed acts of torture, cruel treatment, outrages upon personal dignity, rape and sexual violence against conflict-related detainees.”
Last year, the ICC tried to move forward with an investigation. But the Trump Administration responded by revoking the visa of the ICC’s chief prosecutor after repeated threats from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, claiming Washington would do anything possible to stop the court from investigating the US.
And the threats appeared to work briefly, as judges from the ICC ruled last April that there was no point in moving forward with an investigation if they couldn’t guarantee there would be cooperation. However, that decision has now been overruled.
Pompeo has previously threatened economic sanctions against the International Criminal Court if they do move forward with investigating the US for war crimes, so now it remains to be seen if he will follow through with that threat.
There are likely major concerns about what a potential war crimes investigation could uncover, especially when looking at nearly two decades of war where countless civilians have been killed, injured and displaced at the hands of the US and its allies.
The bombings have also drastically increased in recent years. The United Nations confirmed that in 2018, Afghanistan saw the highest number of civilian casualties in a decades. And in 2019, the US and its allies killed more civilians than the Taliban.
The war in Afghanistan has continued under three administrations, and there have been numerous accusations of corruption—the latest of which came in the form of the Afghanistan Papers. Released late last year, they documented interviews with top military generals who revealed that the US government has been lying about the war for years.
Even though the latest peace agreement promises to bring American troops home, the latest round of bombings from the US raises new questions about whether the longest war in US history will truly come to an end anytime soon.
Addendum
NYT TRIES TO MAKE ‘RUSSIAGATE’ 2020 HAPPEN WITH HIT PIECE CITING ANONYMOUS SOURCES


thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-03-24--Bernie Sanders draws his campaign to an end: The political lessons

Please make sure these dispatches reach as many readers as possible .
Share with kin , friends and workmates and ask them to do likewise .
By Joseph Kishore—Socialist Equality Party candidate for US president Below we reproduce parts of an analysis by Joseph Kishore , member of the wsws.org publishing collective , a Trotskyist formation .
Be sure to read our statement on Trotskyism and factionalism at the foot of the article .
While we agree with many of the things the author points out ( hence our publishing such materials ) , we also disagree with some of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inclusion among the “ phonies ” in the Democrats ’ “ pseudo left ” of people like Dennis Kucinich .
he Bernie Sanders ’ presidential campaign effectively came to an end Wednesday , with campaign manager Faiz Shakir announcing that Sanders was returning to his home in Burlington , Vermont , where he “ is going to be having conversations with his supporters to assess his campaign.
” The announcement was emailed to millions of people on the campaign mailing list , without the usual accompanying request for a donation—a sure sign that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What Sanders and his top aides will “ assess ” is the exact form in which he will begin to campaign for former Vice President Joe Biden : should Sanders officially drop out now , or should he maintain the pretense of a contest .
It is significant that Sanders is bringing his campaign to a close precisely at the point where reality is demonstrating the necessity for socialism .
The spreading coronavirus pandemic is exposing the inability of capitalism to deal with any of the great problems confronting mankind .
As the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dollars into the stock markets , workers throughout the world are outraged over the criminal indifference of world governments to the lives and livelihoods of millions of people .
For the second time in four years , Sanders has mounted a campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination which mobilized a wide popular following , particularly among young people , based on his calls for a “ political revolution ” and his focus on social inequality .
And for the second time , Sanders will attempt to convince his supporters to back the most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ growth of anti-capitalist sentiment revealed in the support for Sanders frightened the ruling class .
After Sanders ’ initial victories in early caucuses and primaries , the Democratic Party turned sharply against him .
The same party that Sanders claimed could be reformed mobilized to resuscitate the campaign of Biden , the semi-senile embodiment of the party as an instrument of Wall Street and the military .
Most of the remaining candidates dropped out and endorsed Biden , while the nominal “ progressive ” Elizabeth Warren ended her campaign without endorsing anyone—an effective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ party mobilized the corrupt representatives of the African American bourgeoisie and petty-bourgeoisie to support Biden on the basis of racialist appeals .
The media was organized to present Biden as the most “ electable ” candidate to defeat Trump , while supporters of Sanders were branded as Russian agents .
Sanders had no answer to the offensive against him .
When the Democratic Party kicked him in the teeth , his response was to shift further to the right , adapting himself at every turn .
This included a number of statements declaring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , North Korea , Russia , and China , and that the US has “ the best military in the world.
” At the final debate this past Sunday , focused on the coronavirus , Sanders came off above all as ineffectual and unserious .
Nothing Sanders said advanced anything beyond the standard boilerplates of his campaign .
It was as if the extreme severity of the crisis passed entirely over his head .
His criticisms of “ my friend Joe ” did not extend beyond mild rebukes .
He did not once @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” or his “ political revolution.
” In a statement issued Tuesday evening , as the polls were closing on the third consecutive week of electoral defeats at the hands of Biden , Sanders did not propose anything beyond the measures under discussion between the congressional Democrats and the Trump administration .
For example , he called on Trump to invoke the Defense Production Act and send military forces to the areas hardest hit by the epidemic , both actions which Trump announced the following day .
Sanders called for somewhat more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against the epidemic , as well as slightly more generous provisions for those infected , laid off or caring for children because of the crisis—where Republican Mitt Romney proposed a $ 1,000 check to every American , Sanders proposed $ 2,000 a month .
Sanders does not call for placing the pharmaceutical and medical equipment industries under public ownership in order to launch an emergency program to open more intensive care units and produce ventilators , as well as the development of a vaccine .
He does not call for confiscating the fortunes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enormous social needs created by the crisis—and aggravated by decades of corporate-directed cutbacks in public health care services .
He does not even call for taxing the wealthy .
Most of all , Sanders does not call on the working class to do anything , except passively accept whatever the American ruling elite chooses to provide .
Here is the essential phoniness of Sanders ’ claims to fight the domination of American society by the billionaires .
It is impossible to wage this fight within the confines of the Democratic Party , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign in many respects mirrors those of previous “ left ” and “ insurgent ” Democratic Party candidates and political figures , including Jesse Jackson , Dennis Kucinich , Al Sharpton , Howard Dean and Barack Obama himself—the “ transformative ” candidate of “ hope and change ” whose election in 2008 supposedly inaugurated a sea-change in American politics .
The results of these previous proposals to perform political alchemy on the Democratic Party are self-evident .
Not only in the United States , but around the world , working people have experienced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ represent an opposition to the capitalist ruling elite , and ended up doing their bidding .
This includes Syriza in Greece , Jeremy Corbyn in Britain , Podemos in Spain , the Left Party in Germany , and similar “ lefts ” in France and many other countries .
Sanders , however , is seeking to carry out the job of channeling opposition into the Democratic Party under far more explosive conditions .
Masses of workers and young people are moving to the left .
The coronavirus pandemic will vastly accelerate the political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is necessary to assimilate the experience of the Sanders campaign and draw the appropriate political conclusions .
It is not so much a question of Sanders himself , but a whole type of pragmatic politics that hopes for a solution to the crisis confronting the working class without a direct challenge to the capitalist system .

Please make sure these dispatches reach as many readers as possible. Share with kin, friends and workmates and ask them to do likewise.
By Joseph Kishore—Socialist Equality Party candidate for US president
EXCERPTED
Below we reproduce parts of an analysis by Joseph Kishore, member of the wsws.org publishing collective, a Trotskyist formation. Be sure to read our statement on Trotskyism and factionalism at the foot of the article. While we agree with many of the things the author points out (hence our publishing such materials), we also disagree with some of his more dogmatic arguments, like his inclusion among the "phonies" in the Democrats' "pseudo left" of people like Dennis Kucinich.
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign effectively came to an end Wednesday, with campaign manager Faiz Shakir announcing that Sanders was returning to his home in Burlington, Vermont, where he “is going to be having conversations with his supporters to assess his campaign.” The announcement was emailed to millions of people on the campaign mailing list, without the usual accompanying request for a donation—a sure sign that Sanders is preparing to drop out.
What Sanders and his top aides will “assess” is the exact form in which he will begin to campaign for former Vice President Joe Biden: should Sanders officially drop out now, or should he maintain the pretense of a contest.
It is significant that Sanders is bringing his campaign to a close precisely at the point where reality is demonstrating the necessity for socialism. The spreading coronavirus pandemic is exposing the inability of capitalism to deal with any of the great problems confronting mankind. As the ruling elites respond by funneling trillions of dollars into the stock markets, workers throughout the world are outraged over the criminal indifference of world governments to the lives and livelihoods of millions of people.
For the second time in four years, Sanders has mounted a campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination which mobilized a wide popular following, particularly among young people, based on his calls for a “political revolution” and his focus on social inequality. And for the second time, Sanders will attempt to convince his supporters to back the most right-wing, pro-capitalist candidate available.
The growth of anti-capitalist sentiment revealed in the support for Sanders frightened the ruling class. After Sanders’ initial victories in early caucuses and primaries, the Democratic Party turned sharply against him. The same party that Sanders claimed could be reformed mobilized to resuscitate the campaign of Biden, the semi-senile embodiment of the party as an instrument of Wall Street and the military.
Most of the remaining candidates dropped out and endorsed Biden, while the nominal “progressive” Elizabeth Warren ended her campaign without endorsing anyone—an effective statement of support for Biden. The party mobilized the corrupt representatives of the African American bourgeoisie and petty-bourgeoisie to support Biden on the basis of racialist appeals. The media was organized to present Biden as the most “electable” candidate to defeat Trump, while supporters of Sanders were branded as Russian agents.
Sanders had no answer to the offensive against him. When the Democratic Party kicked him in the teeth, his response was to shift further to the right, adapting himself at every turn. This included a number of statements declaring his readiness to wage war against Iran, North Korea, Russia, and China, and that the US has “the best military in the world.”
At the final debate this past Sunday, focused on the coronavirus, Sanders came off above all as ineffectual and unserious. Nothing Sanders said advanced anything beyond the standard boilerplates of his campaign. It was as if the extreme severity of the crisis passed entirely over his head. His criticisms of “my friend Joe” did not extend beyond mild rebukes. He did not once mention “socialism,” “capitalism,” or his “political revolution.”
In a statement issued Tuesday evening, as the polls were closing on the third consecutive week of electoral defeats at the hands of Biden, Sanders did not propose anything beyond the measures under discussion between the congressional Democrats and the Trump administration. For example, he called on Trump to invoke the Defense Production Act and send military forces to the areas hardest hit by the epidemic, both actions which Trump announced the following day.
Sanders called for somewhat more resources to be devoted to the fight against the epidemic, as well as slightly more generous provisions for those infected, laid off or caring for children because of the crisis—where Republican Mitt Romney proposed a $1,000 check to every American, Sanders proposed $2,000 a month.
Sanders does not call for placing the pharmaceutical and medical equipment industries under public ownership in order to launch an emergency program to open more intensive care units and produce ventilators, as well as the development of a vaccine. He does not call for confiscating the fortunes of the super-rich to pay for the enormous social needs created by the crisis—and aggravated by decades of corporate-directed cutbacks in public health care services. He does not even call for taxing the wealthy.
Most of all, Sanders does not call on the working class to do anything, except passively accept whatever the American ruling elite chooses to provide. Here is the essential phoniness of Sanders’ claims to fight the domination of American society by the billionaires. It is impossible to wage this fight within the confines of the Democratic Party, a party of Wall Street.
The Sanders campaign in many respects mirrors those of previous “left” and “insurgent” Democratic Party candidates and political figures, including Jesse Jackson, Dennis Kucinich, Al Sharpton, Howard Dean and Barack Obama himself—the “transformative” candidate of “hope and change” whose election in 2008 supposedly inaugurated a sea-change in American politics. The results of these previous proposals to perform political alchemy on the Democratic Party are self-evident.
Not only in the United States, but around the world, working people have experienced the betrayals of organizations that claimed to represent an opposition to the capitalist ruling elite, and ended up doing their bidding. This includes Syriza in Greece, Jeremy Corbyn in Britain, Podemos in Spain, the Left Party in Germany, and similar “lefts” in France and many other countries.
Sanders, however, is seeking to carry out the job of channeling opposition into the Democratic Party under far more explosive conditions. Masses of workers and young people are moving to the left. The coronavirus pandemic will vastly accelerate the political radicalization that has already begun.
It is necessary to assimilate the experience of the Sanders campaign and draw the appropriate political conclusions. It is not so much a question of Sanders himself, but a whole type of pragmatic politics that hopes for a solution to the crisis confronting the working class without a direct challenge to the capitalist system.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR KKK
While using Marxian methods of historical analysis, and working toward a non-capitalist future, The Greanville Post does not endorse Trotkyism or any other specific faction. Thus we republish only those views we regard as useful and largely free of sectarian distortions. In a world in which truth and the correct path to social change, equality and peace are increasingly difficult to discern due to the proliferation of ideologies, information and disinformation sources, and the confusing imperfections and contradictions of many progressive voices, we try hard to give our audience the most reliable roadmap to effective struggle.


thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-03-25--China Embraces Avigan, While Japan Studies

Avigan initially obtained regulatory approval in Japan during 2014 .
Since then , clinical studies have indicated Avigan ( Favipiravir ) may cause serious side effects .
However , on March 17 , 2020 , Zhang Xinmin , China ’ s director of the National Center for Biotechnology Development said ‘ Avigan ( Favipiravir ) was found to be effective in clinical trials during 2020.
’ These studies in China concluded this medicine was effective in treating coronavirus-related symptoms and had no obvious side effects .
Additionally , Zhang said he formally recommended the use of this Avigan ( Favipiravir @ @ @ @ @ @ @ diagnosed with the COVID-19 disease , which is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus .
This influenza medicine was developed by Fujifilm Toyama , which recently signed a patent license agreement with China ’ s Zhejiang Hisun Pharmaceutical .
This Chinese company said it received official approval to produce Avigan in February 2020 and intends to ramp up the output of a generic version .
To better understand its clinical efficacy , Fujifilm announced it is providing Avigan to Japanese hospitals for clinical research and is also preparing to conduct its own clinical tests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during March in Japan , with results not expected for several months .
Separately , South Korea ’ s ministry of food and drug safety recently decided not to import Avigan , saying there was not enough clinical data to prove the drug ’ s efficacy .
However , to address their need for a COVID-19 therapeutic medication , South Korea reported that the experimental antiviral drug remdesivir will be used to treat patients infected with COVID-19 , as part of a clinical trial .
On March 3 , 2020 , local media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ approval to begin phase 3 clinical trials of remdesivir for the treatment of COVID-19 in adult patients .
This approval by South Korea ’ s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is reported to have been granted 4-days after the application .

China’s positive reception of Avigan (Favipiravir) contrasts with Japan’s continued reservations.
Avigan initially obtained regulatory approval in Japan during 2014. Since then, clinical studies have indicated Avigan (Favipiravir) may cause serious side effects.
However, on March 17, 2020, Zhang Xinmin, China’s director of the National Center for Biotechnology Development said ‘Avigan (Favipiravir) was found to be effective in clinical trials during 2020.’
These studies in China concluded this medicine was effective in treating coronavirus-related symptoms and had no obvious side effects.
Additionally, Zhang said he formally recommended the use of this Avigan (Favipiravir) as a way to treat patients diagnosed with the COVID-19 disease, which is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
This influenza medicine was developed by Fujifilm Toyama, which recently signed a patent license agreement with China's Zhejiang Hisun Pharmaceutical.
This Chinese company said it received official approval to produce Avigan in February 2020 and intends to ramp up the output of a generic version.
To better understand its clinical efficacy, Fujifilm announced it is providing Avigan to Japanese hospitals for clinical research and is also preparing to conduct its own clinical tests in Japan.
This new research began during March in Japan, with results not expected for several months.
Separately, South Korea's ministry of food and drug safety recently decided not to import Avigan, saying there was not enough clinical data to prove the drug's efficacy.
However, to address their need for a COVID-19 therapeutic medication, South Korea reported that the experimental antiviral drug remdesivir will be used to treat patients infected with COVID-19, as part of a clinical trial.
On March 3, 2020, local media sources reported Gilead Sciences has been granted approval to begin phase 3 clinical trials of remdesivir for the treatment of COVID-19 in adult patients.
This approval by South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is reported to have been granted 4-days after the application.
COVID-19 disease medication development news is published by Precision Vaccinations.


thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-03-25--Of possible interest: Remdesivir Changes Access Outside of Clinical Trials

On March 22 , 2020 , Gilead Sciences announced they are transitioning from Individual Compassionate Use requests for remdesivir to Expanded Access Programs .
This change should enable accelerated access to remdesivir for severely ill coronavirus patients .
These US Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) programs are currently under rapid development in conjunction with national regulatory authorities .
Throughout this program transition period , Gilead is unable to accept new individual compassionate use requests due to overwhelming demand .
As an exception , compassionate use requests for remdesivir may still be made for pregnant women and children less @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confirmed COVID-19disease , and severe manifestations of the disease .
Gilead is working to rapidly assess the safety and efficacy of remdesivir as a potential treatment for COVID-19 through multiple ongoing clinical trials .
Clinical trials are the primary way to generate critical data that informs the appropriate use of investigational medicines .
On February 25 , 2020 , a randomized , controlled clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of remdesivir in hospitalized adults diagnosed with COVID-19 began at the University of Nebraska Medical Center ( UNMC ) in Omaha .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the USA to evaluate an experimental treatment for COVID-19 , the respiratory disease first detected in December 2019 in Wuhan , Hubei Province , China .
This disease is caused by the novel SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus .
Gilead ’ s statement says ‘ We recognize that there are severely ill patients who are unable to enroll in clinical trials and for whom no approved treatment options are effective.
’ ‘ Gilead has been working with regulatory agencies to provide remdesivir to these patients where feasible.
’ ‘ To date , we have provided emergency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the United States , Europe , and Japan.
’ ‘ In recent weeks , there has been an exponential increase in compassionate use requests for emergency access to remdesivir , related to the spread of the coronavirus in Europe and the United States.
’ ‘ This has flooded an emergency treatment access system that was set up for very limited access to investigational medicines and never intended for use in response to a pandemic.
’ ‘ We are focused now on processing previously approved requests and anticipate the expanded access programs will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any new requests for compassionate use would have been processed.
’ ‘ We recognize the urgent need and are working to implement expanded access programs as quickly as possible , with the continued support and collaboration of regulatory agencies.
’ Remdesivir ( GS-5734 ) is a novel antiviral drug in the class of nucleotide analogs .
It was developed by Gilead Sciences and has been found to show antiviral activity against other single-stranded RNA viruses such as respiratory syncytial virus , Junin virus , Lassa fever virus , Nipah virus , Hendra virus @ @ @ @ @

On March 22, 2020, Gilead Sciences announced they are transitioning from Individual Compassionate Use requests for remdesivir to Expanded Access Programs. This change should enable accelerated access to remdesivir for severely ill coronavirus patients.
These US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) programs are currently under rapid development in conjunction with national regulatory authorities.
Throughout this program transition period, Gilead is unable to accept new individual compassionate use requests due to overwhelming demand.
As an exception, compassionate use requests for remdesivir may still be made for pregnant women and children less than 18 years of age, with confirmed COVID-19disease, and severe manifestations of the disease.
Gilead is working to rapidly assess the safety and efficacy of remdesivir as a potential treatment for COVID-19 through multiple ongoing clinical trials.
Clinical trials are the primary way to generate critical data that informs the appropriate use of investigational medicines.
On February 25, 2020, a randomized, controlled clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of remdesivir in hospitalized adults diagnosed with COVID-19 began at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) in Omaha.
This is the first clinical trial in the USA to evaluate an experimental treatment for COVID-19, the respiratory disease first detected in December 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
This disease is caused by the novel SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
Gilead’s statement says ‘We recognize that there are severely ill patients who are unable to enroll in clinical trials and for whom no approved treatment options are effective.’
‘Gilead has been working with regulatory agencies to provide remdesivir to these patients where feasible.’
‘To date, we have provided emergency access to remdesivir for several hundred patients in the United States, Europe, and Japan.’
‘In recent weeks, there has been an exponential increase in compassionate use requests for emergency access to remdesivir, related to the spread of the coronavirus in Europe and the United States.’
‘This has flooded an emergency treatment access system that was set up for very limited access to investigational medicines and never intended for use in response to a pandemic.’
‘We are focused now on processing previously approved requests and anticipate the expanded access programs will initiate in a similar expected timeframe that any new requests for compassionate use would have been processed.’
‘We recognize the urgent need and are working to implement expanded access programs as quickly as possible, with the continued support and collaboration of regulatory agencies.’
Remdesivir (GS-5734) is a novel antiviral drug in the class of nucleotide analogs. It was developed by Gilead Sciences and has been found to show antiviral activity against other single-stranded RNA viruses such as respiratory syncytial virus, Junin virus, Lassa fever virus, Nipah virus, Hendra virus, and the coronaviruses.
SARS-CoV-2 outbreak news is published by Coronavirus Today.
COVID-19 disease medication development news is published by Precision Vaccinations.


Netanyahoo’s Corona Coup

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Share with kin , friends and workmates and ask them to do likewise .
DISPATCHES FROM MOON OF ALABAMA , BY “ B ” This article is part of an ongoing series of dispatches from Moon of Alabama Israel ’ s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahoo has used the corona crisis to launch a coup .
Netanyahoo has served as caretaker prime minister since December 2018 .
Three parliament elections have since ended in stalemate .
The first two , in April and September 2019 , left him and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chief Benny Gantz , without sufficient parliamentary support to establish a government .
Israels parliament , the Knesset has 120 seats .
Gantz ’ Blue and White has won fewer seats than Netanyahoo ’ s Likud ( 33-36 ) .
But following the third round , early this month , Gantz assembled a narrow majority of parliamentary supporters and on March 16 President Reuven Rivlin tasked Gantz with forming Israel ’ s next government .
Netanyahoo is accused of bribery , fraud and breach of trust and the trial against him was scheduled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sunday March 15 at 1:50 am Netanyahoo announced that the courts would be closed for public health reasons .
His trial has been moved to late May .
He also ordered the internal security service to secretly track the cellphone data of those suspected of possible infections .
His Health Ministry prohibited any gathering of more than 10 people and instructed the parliament to also follow that rule .
On March 16 the newly elected Knesset members were sworn in three at a time by Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein .
But two days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Netanyahoo ’ s Likud party , refused to convene the house quoting the new health guidelines .
Without a house session no new speaker can be elected and the parliament would be out of business until some unknown time in the future .
Meanwhile Netanyahoo is using emergency regulations to run the country .
Unable to use his majority Gantz asked the Israeli high court to intervene .
This Monday , March 23 , the court ruled without dissent that the speaker must convene the house for a plenum vote today .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ refused to follow the high court order , publicly resigned and said he had no intention of calling for a vote in the next 48 hours during which he is still the formal speaker .
On Friday the most senior lawmaker , Labor chief Amir Peretz , will become the interim speaker of the Knesset .
Should he call for a parliament session the first vote of the new Knesset would be for a new speaker and Gantz ally Meir Cohen is likely to win that vote .
The next vote would then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the parliament ’ s agenda .
Only then could the parliament start with some oversight over Netanyahoo ’ s current movements .
But for now there is no parliament speaker , no deputies and no arrangement committee to convene and formally open the parliament .
The Gantz coalition asked the High Court to hold Edelstein in contempt but as a Member of the Knesset Edelstein can claim immunity .
That immunity again can only be lifted by a parliament vote .
By a series of moves Netanyahoo has neutralized the courts and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a constitutional crisis .
Even cabinet sessions are only held by telephone and without the cabinet members receiving the written proposals Netanyahoo wants them to vote on .
Meanwhile Netanyahoo puts out new emergency regulations every day that steadily get harsher : In which democracy can a cabinet enact imprisonment penalties without a parliament vote on an applicable law ?
Netanyahoo ’ s current plan seems to be to go for a fourth election .
Every second day he is holding a prime time TV briefing to update the population on the corona @ @ @ @ @ @ @ additional popularity .
Even Trump ’ s approval numbers for handling the coronavirus crisis are at 60 % despite his botched response .
Gantz ’ s current majority depends on support from the Arab parties .
He will have difficulties to form a stable coalitions with them .
His only alternative is to ally with Likud and that would likely keep Netanyahoo at the helm .
If Gantz agrees to keep Netanyahoo at the top his Blue and White party may well fall apart .
By blocking the courts and parliament Netanyahoo wins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Meanwhile the novel coronavirus will indiscriminately affect the Jewish as well as the Palestinian population .
But the Zionist racism against the Palestinians guarantees that they will get less help .
As both populations can not be separated that behavior will likely increase the peak and the consequences of the outbreak for everyone .
Additionally the Haredim cult members will protest against the government ’ s measures of prohibiting religious services and passover festivities .
The current mixture of political , racial and epidemic pressure in Israel may well blow up in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conflagrations .
Posted by b on March 25 , 2020 at 16:47 UTC | Permalink “ b ” is Moon of Alabama ’ s founding ( and chief ) editor .
This site ’ s purpose is to discuss politics , economics , philosophy and blogger Billmon ’ s Whiskey Bar writings .
Moon Of Alabama was opened as an independent , open forum for members of the Whiskey Bar community .
Bernhard ) ” b ” ) started and still runs the site .
Once in a while you will also find @ @ @ @ @ @ @ You can reach the current administrator of this site by emailing Bernhard at MoonofA @ aol.com .
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License .

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DISPATCHES FROM MOON OF ALABAMA, BY "B"
This article is part of an ongoing series of dispatches from Moon of Alabama
[dropcap]I[/dropcap]srael's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahoo has used the corona crisis to launch a coup.
Netanyahoo has served as caretaker prime minister since December 2018. Three parliament elections have since ended in stalemate. The first two, in April and September 2019, left him and his top opponent, the former army chief Benny Gantz, without sufficient parliamentary support to establish a government. Israels parliament, the Knesset has 120 seats. Gantz' Blue and White has won fewer seats than Netanyahoo's Likud (33-36).
But following the third round, early this month, Gantz assembled a narrow majority of parliamentary supporters and on March 16 President Reuven Rivlin tasked Gantz with forming Israel’s next government.
Netanyahoo is accused of bribery, fraud and breach of trust and the trial against him was scheduled to open on March 19.
On Sunday March 15 at 1:50 am Netanyahoo announced that the courts would be closed for public health reasons. His trial has been moved to late May. He also ordered the internal security service to secretly track the cellphone data of those suspected of possible infections. His Health Ministry prohibited any gathering of more than 10 people and instructed the parliament to also follow that rule.
On March 16 the newly elected Knesset members were sworn in three at a time by Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein. But two days later the speaker, a member of Netanyahoo's Likud party, refused to convene the house quoting the new health guidelines.
Without a house session no new speaker can be elected and the parliament would be out of business until some unknown time in the future. Meanwhile Netanyahoo is using emergency regulations to run the country.
Unable to use his majority Gantz asked the Israeli high court to intervene. This Monday, March 23, the court ruled without dissent that the speaker must convene the house for a plenum vote today. But that did not happen. Speaker Edelstein refused to follow the high court order, publicly resigned and said he had no intention of calling for a vote in the next 48 hours during which he is still the formal speaker.
On Friday the most senior lawmaker, Labor chief Amir Peretz, will become the interim speaker of the Knesset.
Should he call for a parliament session the first vote of the new Knesset would be for a new speaker and Gantz ally Meir Cohen is likely to win that vote. The next vote would then be on the arrangement committee which plans the parliament's agenda. Only then could the parliament start with some oversight over Netanyahoo's current movements.
But for now there is no parliament speaker, no deputies and no arrangement committee to convene and formally open the parliament. The Gantz coalition asked the High Court to hold Edelstein in contempt but as a Member of the Knesset Edelstein can claim immunity. That immunity again can only be lifted by a parliament vote.
By a series of moves Netanyahoo has neutralized the courts and the parliament and has thrown the country into a constitutional crisis. Even cabinet sessions are only held by telephone and without the cabinet members receiving the written proposals Netanyahoo wants them to vote on.
Meanwhile Netanyahoo puts out new emergency regulations every day that steadily get harsher:
Anyone who leaves their place of residence for reasons not exempted by the emergency regulations is liable to be fined up to NIS 5,000. A person who has gone beyond the permitted distance [of 100 meters] could receive an NIS 500 fine or six months’ imprisonment, while one who operates public transportation in violation of the regulations can be fined NIS 5,000 or be imprisoned for six months. The emergency regulations were approved last night by the cabinet.
In which democracy can a cabinet enact imprisonment penalties without a parliament vote on an applicable law?
Netanyahoo's current plan seems to be to go for a fourth election. Every second day he is holding a prime time TV briefing to update the population on the corona crisis. That will likely bring him additional popularity. Even Trump's approval numbers for handling the coronavirus crisis are at 60% despite his botched response.
Gantz's current majority depends on support from the Arab parties. He will have difficulties to form a stable coalitions with them. His only alternative is to ally with Likud and that would likely keep Netanyahoo at the helm. If Gantz agrees to keep Netanyahoo at the top his Blue and White party may well fall apart.
By blocking the courts and parliament Netanyahoo wins time to make that scenario more likely.
Meanwhile the novel coronavirus will indiscriminately affect the Jewish as well as the Palestinian population. But the Zionist racism against the Palestinians guarantees that they will get less help. As both populations can not be separated that behavior will likely increase the peak and the consequences of the outbreak for everyone. Additionally the Haredim cult members will protest against the government's measures of prohibiting religious services and passover festivities. The current mixture of political, racial and epidemic pressure in Israel may well blow up in everyone's face and cause serious conflagrations.
Posted by b on March 25, 2020 at 16:47 UTC | Permalink
NOTE ^1000Careerist lackeys serving the elites control the American press. Ever pushing for war and inequality, covering up the oligarchy's crimes... They are in reality shameless disinformers. No wonder the world is in such terrible disarray.
About the author(s) "b" is Moon of Alabama's founding (and chief) editor. This site's purpose is to discuss politics, economics, philosophy and blogger Billmon's Whiskey Bar writings. Moon Of Alabama was opened as an independent, open forum for members of the Whiskey Bar community. Bernhard )"b") started and still runs the site. Once in a while you will also find posts and art from regular commentators. You can reach the current administrator of this site by emailing Bernhard at MoonofA@aol.com.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
ALL CAPTIONS AND PULL QUOTES BY THE EDITORS NOT THE AUTHORS
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