australiannationalreview--2020-06-05--Australia’s Push For A Covid-19 Inquiry Gathers Support From 62 Nations

Australia has received international backing for an independent inquiry into coronavirus as its trade tensions with China face further strain .
A draft resolution calling for impartial , independent and comprehensive evaluation of the responses to the pandemic has been co-sponsored by 62 countries , including India , Japan , Britain , Canada , New Zealand , Indonesia , Russia and all 27 EU member states .
Foreign Minister Marise Payne said it ’ s crucial to review the events of earlier this year to avoid a repeat .
“ There is positive support for an independent review into the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lessons necessary to protect global health , ” Senator Payne told The Australian .
“ This is about collaborating to equip the international community to better prevent or counter the next pandemic and keep our citizens safe.
” Prime Minister Scott Morrison has previously said the push for an inquiry into the origins of the Covid-19 crisis is “ completely unremarkable ” .
But China ’ s Foreign Minister Wang Yi lashed out at foreign politicians for politicising the pandemic .
Backing for the motion comes amid worsening relations between Australia and China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ businesses would probably start looking elsewhere to sell their products to spread their risk .
The minister also told ABC television on Sunday he had tried to contact his Chinese counterpart by phone directly to try and soothe the growing rift , but he has yet to get a return call .
China is threatening to slap a large tariff on Australian barley imports following an anti-dumping investigation , while it has blocked beef imports from four abattoirs .
Such actions have come within weeks of Australia calling for an inquiry into the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a furious response from China .
Senator Birmingham said the government has lodged a comprehensive response to China ’ s 18-month investigation into barley dumping , rejecting the suggestion that the Australian industry is subsidised so it can flood the market with cheaply priced barley .
He said he may be forced to take the issue to the World Trade Organisation if China presses ahead with its threat , an independent umpire Australia has used in the past to settle disputes .

By AAP | 10daily
Australia has received international backing for an independent inquiry into coronavirus as its trade tensions with China face further strain.
A draft resolution calling for impartial, independent and comprehensive evaluation of the responses to the pandemic has been co-sponsored by 62 countries, including India, Japan, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, Indonesia, Russia and all 27 EU member states.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne said it’s crucial to review the events of earlier this year to avoid a repeat.
“There is positive support for an independent review into the pandemic to help the world learn the lessons necessary to protect global health,” Senator Payne told The Australian.
“This is about collaborating to equip the international community to better prevent or counter the next pandemic and keep our citizens safe.”
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has previously said the push for an inquiry into the origins of the Covid-19 crisis is “completely unremarkable”.
But China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi lashed out at foreign politicians for politicising the pandemic.
Backing for the motion comes amid worsening relations between Australia and China after Trade Minister Simon Birmingham suggested local businesses would probably start looking elsewhere to sell their products to spread their risk.
The minister also told ABC television on Sunday he had tried to contact his Chinese counterpart by phone directly to try and soothe the growing rift, but he has yet to get a return call.
China is threatening to slap a large tariff on Australian barley imports following an anti-dumping investigation, while it has blocked beef imports from four abattoirs.
Such actions have come within weeks of Australia calling for an inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, sparking a furious response from China.
Senator Birmingham said the government has lodged a comprehensive response to China’s 18-month investigation into barley dumping, rejecting the suggestion that the Australian industry is subsidised so it can flood the market with cheaply priced barley.
He said he may be forced to take the issue to the World Trade Organisation if China presses ahead with its threat, an independent umpire Australia has used in the past to settle disputes.


australiannationalreview--2020-06-05--The Establishment Only Dislikes Trump Because He Puts An Ugly Face On The Empire

Barack Obama has given his perfunctory speech about the Black Lives Matter protests taking place in America today , and it was every bit as full of pretty words and empty of actual substance as you ’ d expect from a president who spent eight years stagnating the progressive movement with empty hope narrative while advancing the same murderous oppressive agendas as his predecessors .
The former president talked about changes that need to be made as though he wasn ’ t the most powerful politician in America for two full terms , praised the nation ’ s police officers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them protect and serve the people , and encouraged them to continue making empty gestures of solidarity with the protesters to calm them down .
“ I want to acknowledge the folks in law enforcement that share the goals of re-imagining policing , ” Obama said .
“ Because there are folks out there who took their oath to serve your communities to your countries [ who ] have a tough job , and I know you ’ re just as outraged about the tragedies in the recent weeks as are many of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grateful for the vast majority of you who protect and serve .
I ’ ve been heartened to see those in law enforcement who recognize , ‘ Let me march along with these protestors .
Let me stand side by side and recognize that I want to be part of the solution , ’ and have shown restraint and volunteered and engaged and listened because you ’ re a vital part of the conversation , and change is going to require everyone ’ s participation.
” George W Bush also weighed in on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conservative ” who murdered a million Iraqis sending liberals throughout the Twitterverse into fits of ecstasy with his emotional plea for “ empathy , and shared commitment , and bold action , and a peace rooted in justice.
” Establishment narrative managers on both sides of America ’ s imaginary partisan divide have been saturating the mass media with gushing praise for the two former presidents and their wonderful words of healing and unity , and indeed , the words are quite nice .
They will change exactly nothing , but they sound @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a US president ’ s real job is .
Not to end police brutality and systemic racism , not to make changes which benefit the American people , and certainly not to make the world a less violent and murderous place , but to say pretty words which lull the public into a pleasant propaganda-induced coma while the sociopathic oligarchs who really run things rob them blind .
This is not accomplished by tweeting obnoxious things about shooting “ thugs ” and getting censored by Twitter .
It is not accomplished by threatening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the states .
It is not accomplished by using the military to brutalize protesters so you can pose in front of a burnt church with an upside-down Bible .
It is not accomplished by calling the brother of George Floyd and being curt , uninterested and dismissive .
It is not accomplished by first mismanaging a pandemic , then mismanaging a response to an incendiary police murder , then having nothing soothing or sympathetic to say that makes people feel like you ’ re listening and you care .
It is not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ photos to circulate of the nation ’ s capital burning .
And that , right there , is the one and only reason why certain elements of the establishment do not like President Trump .
Whenever I point out the many , many evil establishment agendas that have been advanced by the current US president , I always get Trump supporters asking me “ Well if he ’ s serving the establishment , how come establishment media and politicians attack him so hysterically , huh ?
” This is why .
At first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrats and their aligned media shrieking about Trump with such an unprecedented degree of vitriol , but they aren ’ t doing this because Trump resists the establishment in any meaningful way on domestic or foreign policy ; he provides no significant resistance to toxic establishment agendas at all .
The reason there ’ s been such shrill , hysterical rhetoric about this president from establishment narrative managers is because unlike his predecessors , Trump puts an ugly face on the empire .
People who have dedicated their lives to advancing the interests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an incompetent manager whose oafish , ham-fisted approach to his role risks drawing attention to the evil things the empire does .
The US police force , for example , hasn ’ t gotten any more brutal or racist since Trump has been in office , he just hasn ’ t been able to manage events and narratives competently to keep the peasants from waking up and revolting .
Establishment narrative managers understand how to skilfully manipulate public perception without being obvious about it , and they understand how easily an incompetent steward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their propaganda trance .
They therefore dislike Trump for the same reason a new mother dislikes a noisy neighbor : they ’ ll wake the baby .
They don ’ t dislike Trump because he does good things , and they certainly don ’ t dislike Trump because he does bad things .
They dislike Trump because he does bad things in a way that startles the people out of their sleep .
That ’ s the real reason the political/media class has been behaving so weird the last four years .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not a loyal empire lackey ( he is ) , it isn ’ t because he ’ s a Russian secret agent ( he ’ s not ) , and it isn ’ t because he ’ s a uniquely depraved president ( he ’ s not ) .
It ’ s because he allows people to see the perverse mechanics of a globe-sprawling murderous empire for the sick , evil thing that it actually is .
That and nothing more .

By caitlin johnstone
Barack Obama has given his perfunctory speech about the Black Lives Matter protests taking place in America today, and it was every bit as full of pretty words and empty of actual substance as you’d expect from a president who spent eight years stagnating the progressive movement with empty hope narrative while advancing the same murderous oppressive agendas as his predecessors.
The former president talked about changes that need to be made as though he wasn’t the most powerful politician in America for two full terms, praised the nation’s police officers saying “the vast majority” of them protect and serve the people, and encouraged them to continue making empty gestures of solidarity with the protesters to calm them down.
“I want to acknowledge the folks in law enforcement that share the goals of re-imagining policing,” Obama said. “Because there are folks out there who took their oath to serve your communities to your countries [who] have a tough job, and I know you’re just as outraged about the tragedies in the recent weeks as are many of the protesters. So we’re grateful for the vast majority of you who protect and serve. I’ve been heartened to see those in law enforcement who recognize, ‘Let me march along with these protestors. Let me stand side by side and recognize that I want to be part of the solution,’ and have shown restraint and volunteered and engaged and listened because you’re a vital part of the conversation, and change is going to require everyone’s participation.”
George W Bush also weighed in on the protests, with the “compassionate conservative” who murdered a million Iraqis sending liberals throughout the Twitterverse into fits of ecstasy with his emotional plea for “empathy, and shared commitment, and bold action, and a peace rooted in justice.”
Establishment narrative managers on both sides of America’s imaginary partisan divide have been saturating the mass media with gushing praise for the two former presidents and their wonderful words of healing and unity, and indeed, the words are quite nice. They will change exactly nothing, but they sound nice.
And that is exactly what a US president’s real job is. Not to end police brutality and systemic racism, not to make changes which benefit the American people, and certainly not to make the world a less violent and murderous place, but to say pretty words which lull the public into a pleasant propaganda-induced coma while the sociopathic oligarchs who really run things rob them blind.
This is not accomplished by tweeting obnoxious things about shooting “thugs” and getting censored by Twitter. It is not accomplished by threatening to implement martial law against the will of the states. It is not accomplished by using the military to brutalize protesters so you can pose in front of a burnt church with an upside-down Bible. It is not accomplished by calling the brother of George Floyd and being curt, uninterested and dismissive. It is not accomplished by first mismanaging a pandemic, then mismanaging a response to an incendiary police murder, then having nothing soothing or sympathetic to say that makes people feel like you’re listening and you care. It is not accomplished by creating an environment which allows photos to circulate of the nation’s capital burning.
And that, right there, is the one and only reason why certain elements of the establishment do not like President Trump.
Whenever I point out the many, many evil establishment agendas that have been advanced by the current US president, I always get Trump supporters asking me “Well if he’s serving the establishment, how come establishment media and politicians attack him so hysterically, huh?”
This is why. At first glance it might seem strange to see Democrats and their aligned media shrieking about Trump with such an unprecedented degree of vitriol, but they aren’t doing this because Trump resists the establishment in any meaningful way on domestic or foreign policy; he provides no significant resistance to toxic establishment agendas at all. The reason there’s been such shrill, hysterical rhetoric about this president from establishment narrative managers is because unlike his predecessors, Trump puts an ugly face on the empire.
People who have dedicated their lives to advancing the interests of the oligarchic empire see Trump as an incompetent manager whose oafish, ham-fisted approach to his role risks drawing attention to the evil things the empire does. The US police force, for example, hasn’t gotten any more brutal or racist since Trump has been in office, he just hasn’t been able to manage events and narratives competently to keep the peasants from waking up and revolting.
Establishment narrative managers understand how to skilfully manipulate public perception without being obvious about it, and they understand how easily an incompetent steward of empire can snap people out of their propaganda trance. They therefore dislike Trump for the same reason a new mother dislikes a noisy neighbor: they’ll wake the baby. They don’t dislike Trump because he does good things, and they certainly don’t dislike Trump because he does bad things. They dislike Trump because he does bad things in a way that startles the people out of their sleep.
That’s the real reason the political/media class has been behaving so weird the last four years. It isn’t because Trump’s not a loyal empire lackey (he is), it isn’t because he’s a Russian secret agent (he’s not), and it isn’t because he’s a uniquely depraved president (he’s not). It’s because he allows people to see the perverse mechanics of a globe-sprawling murderous empire for the sick, evil thing that it actually is. That and nothing more.


australiannationalreview--2020-06-06--Face mask frenzy a boon for Antifa types

America ’ s youth have taken to the streets in Santa Monica , in Minneapolis , in Los Angeles , in New York City , in Washington , D.C. , and more , in protest of the horrible police killing of George Floyd , and they ’ re setting fires , burning businesses — burning St. John ’ s Church , the historic place of worship for American presidents — looting stores , smashing glass , tossing Molotov cocktails and fighting police .
And they ’ re doing it with the aid and assistance of mandated , recommended or acceptably @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus crisis : Every criminal , would-be criminal and aider and abettor to a criminal can carry out his or her criminal act in broad daylight , in bold openness , in brash disregard for law and order , all while disguising identity .
Oh what happy times COVID-19 and the government ’ s random , unscientific , politically motivated and factually questionable response to the virus has been for Antifa and Antifa ’ s thuggish types .
Most cities , counties and communities have local safety provisions in place that make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hoods with intent to disguise — and if not prohibited by ordinances , the locals at least frown on the full-face coverings , making it odd and suspicious to see them worn in public .
Now “ cover thy face ” has become national policy .
It ’ s hardly odd or suspicious to see young men prowl the streets , dark glasses over eyes , black cloth pulled from nose to chest .
What a boon this face mask frenzy is proving for criminal business .
“ Some property damage in Wilson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” WRAL-TV in North Carolina reported .
Police say these rioters and looters will pay for their crimes .
And some will .
Some will be arrested .
Some have been arrested .
But it ’ s doubtful all will .
Many , if not most , will walk away scot-free , laughing into their face masks , confident the local cameras and locals in the area can ’ t identify them .
And just think : If these face masks become part of America ’ s “ new normal ” — so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aren ’ t just a hindrance and a virtue signal of supposed COVID-19 concern for others .
They ’ re cover for criminals .

by cheryl k. chumley
America’s youth have taken to the streets in Santa Monica, in Minneapolis, in Los Angeles, in New York City, in Washington, D.C., and more, in protest of the horrible police killing of George Floyd, and they’re setting fires, burning businesses — burning St. John’s Church, the historic place of worship for American presidents — looting stores, smashing glass, tossing Molotov cocktails and fighting police.
And they’re doing it with the aid and assistance of mandated, recommended or acceptably worn facial coverings.
A face mask is a looter’s equivalent of a lucky day.
Thanks be to the coronavirus crisis: Every criminal, would-be criminal and aider and abettor to a criminal can carry out his or her criminal act in broad daylight, in bold openness, in brash disregard for law and order, all while disguising identity.
Oh what happy times COVID-19 and the government’s random, unscientific, politically motivated and factually questionable response to the virus has been for Antifa and Antifa’s thuggish types. Most cities, counties and communities have local safety provisions in place that make it illegal to wear facial coverings and hoods with intent to disguise — and if not prohibited by ordinances, the locals at least frown on the full-face coverings, making it odd and suspicious to see them worn in public.
Now?
Now “cover thy face” has become national policy.
Facial coverings are hardly odd.
They’re certainly not suspicious.
It’s hardly odd or suspicious to see young men prowl the streets, dark glasses over eyes, black cloth pulled from nose to chest.
What a boon this face mask frenzy is proving for criminal business.
“Chicago looting continues in Wicker Park following continued protests,” ABC7 Chicago reported.
“George Floyd protests spread nationwide,” CNN wrote.
“Some property damage in Wilson after abut 200 gather for protests,” WRAL-TV in North Carolina reported.
“Second day of Atlanta protests ends with property damage, 157 arrests,” AJC.com wrote.
Police say these rioters and looters will pay for their crimes. And some will. Some will be arrested. Some have been arrested.
But it’s doubtful all will.
Many, if not most, will walk away scot-free, laughing into their face masks, confident the local cameras and locals in the area can’t identify them.
And just think: If these face masks become part of America’s “new normal” — so will the anonymous crimes.
Face masks aren’t just a hindrance and a virtue signal of supposed COVID-19 concern for others. They’re cover for criminals.
They’re a criminal’s new best friend.


australiannationalreview--2020-06-06--UK-led Global Vaccine Summit raises $8.8 billion

Money will go to global vaccine alliance led by Bill and Melinda Gates which develops , distributes vaccines in poor nations The UK hosted the Global Vaccine Summit on Thursday , bringing together leaders from governments , civil society and the private sector in a virtual event to support Gavi , a global vaccine alliance led by Bill and Melinda Gates .
Gavi has operated for more than 20 years and develops and distributes vaccines in poor countries .
The summit surpassed its target of raising $ 7.4 billion and instead raised $ 8.8 billion .
British Prime Minister Boris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he hoped the summit would be a “ moment when the world comes together — uniting humanity in the fight against disease.
” “ To defeat the coronavirus , we must focus our collective ingenuity on the search for a vaccine and ensure that countries , pharmaceutical companies and international partners — like the World Health Organization — cooperate on a scale beyond anything we have seen before , ” he said .
“ We must use the collective purchasing power of Gavi , the vaccine alliance , to make that future vaccine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it .
“ If we are to make this the beginning of a new era of global health collaboration , we must also replenish the funding for the vaccines we already have — strengthening the routine immunization against preventable diseases in the poorest countries , ” he said .
Closing the summit , Johnson said : “ Just as we have…great military alliances like NATO , where countries collaborate on building their collective military defense…We now need the same spirit of collaboration and collective defense against the common enemy of disease.
” “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to cooperate on the surveillance and the sharing of information – data is king – that can underpin a global alert system so we can rapidly identify any future outbreak .
And it will mean a radical scaling up of our global capacity to respond.
” The UK is Gavi ’ s top donor and is calling on other governments to follow its lead .
This is the second time Britain has led the Gavi fundraiser , which takes places every five years .
Britain has warned that if infectious diseases are left @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they could reach the UK and other developed nations .
The summit was planned before the current pandemic ; pre-announced pledges already reached 75 % of the target .
The summit was attended by over 50 countries and 35 heads of state .
In April 2020 , International Development Secretary Liz Truss pledged £330 million a year from the UK ’ s aid budget over the next five years ( £1.65 billion ) to help protect 75 million children from preventable diseases .
The US has pledged $ 1.2 billion over three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Japan $ 100 million .
The Gates Foundation donated $ 1.6 billion .
“ In addition , the foundation is proud to support the new COVID-19 vaccine advance market commitment with a 100 million US dollar ( £79,375,000 ) contribution to help make sure that when a COVID-19 vaccine is discovered , everyone who needs it can have access – starting with healthcare workers and other high-risk populations , ” Bill Gates said .
Gavi has immunized over 760 million children and prevented over 13 million deaths .
The alliance has halved child @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plays a key role in improving global health security by helping national health systems and paying for global vaccine stockpiles to treat Ebola , cholera , meningitis and yellow fever .
The summit aimed to raise at least $ 7.4 billion for Gavi to immunize a further 300 million children against infectious diseases such as measles , typhoid , polio , cholera and HIV/AIDs by 2025 .
The project aims to save up to 8 million lives in some of the world ’ s poorest countries over the next five years .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the 10 % of children still not being immunized , two-thirds of whom are below the poverty line , often in conflict zones or urban slums , ” Gavi CEO Dr. Seth Berkley was quoted by the Guardian as saying .
The summit also tried to agree on plans for the future coronavirus vaccine to be distributed equally across the world and not just to Western countries that funded it .
To this end , the summit launched the Advanced Market Commitments ( AMC ) , defined by the WHO as “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of funds to subsidize the purchase , at a given price , of an as yet unavailable vaccine against a specific disease causing high morbidity and mortality in developing countries.
” “ This all started out in Wuhan , and within three months , 180 countries were infected .
Nobody is safe until everyone is safe .
So if we have reservoirs of this virus , it will affect the safety of the whole world , so we need to think about this globally , ” Berkley said .
“ At a time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the world is coming together here to show a collective willingness to build health security .
The estimate is this pandemic is going to cost the world $ 9 trillion , and we are asking about billions of dollars , so it is a lot .
But in the wider context , it is a rounding error .
“ The world needs to cooperate on a coronavirus vaccine since if every high-income country backed a single vaccine on its own , they are taking a risky bet .
The a priori chance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % , ” he added .
Gavi published research last week that showed the coronavirus has diverted health workers , meaning routine vaccination programs were being neglected .

By Karim El-Bar | Anadolu Agency
Money will go to global vaccine alliance led by Bill and Melinda Gates which develops, distributes vaccines in poor nations
LONDON
The UK hosted the Global Vaccine Summit on Thursday, bringing together leaders from governments, civil society and the private sector in a virtual event to support Gavi, a global vaccine alliance led by Bill and Melinda Gates.
Gavi has operated for more than 20 years and develops and distributes vaccines in poor countries.
The summit surpassed its target of raising $7.4 billion and instead raised $8.8 billion.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in his opening speech that he hoped the summit would be a “moment when the world comes together — uniting humanity in the fight against disease.”
“To defeat the coronavirus, we must focus our collective ingenuity on the search for a vaccine and ensure that countries, pharmaceutical companies and international partners — like the World Health Organization — cooperate on a scale beyond anything we have seen before,” he said.
“We must use the collective purchasing power of Gavi, the vaccine alliance, to make that future vaccine affordable and available to all who need it.
“If we are to make this the beginning of a new era of global health collaboration, we must also replenish the funding for the vaccines we already have — strengthening the routine immunization against preventable diseases in the poorest countries,” he said.
Closing the summit, Johnson said: “Just as we have…great military alliances like NATO, where countries collaborate on building their collective military defense…We now need the same spirit of collaboration and collective defense against the common enemy of disease.”
“It will require a new international effort to cooperate on the surveillance and the sharing of information – data is king – that can underpin a global alert system so we can rapidly identify any future outbreak. And it will mean a radical scaling up of our global capacity to respond.”
– Britain leads the way
The UK is Gavi’s top donor and is calling on other governments to follow its lead. This is the second time Britain has led the Gavi fundraiser, which takes places every five years. Britain has warned that if infectious diseases are left to spread in the developing world countries, they could reach the UK and other developed nations.
The summit was planned before the current pandemic; pre-announced pledges already reached 75% of the target. The summit was attended by over 50 countries and 35 heads of state.
In April 2020, International Development Secretary Liz Truss pledged £330 million a year from the UK’s aid budget over the next five years (£1.65 billion) to help protect 75 million children from preventable diseases.
The US has pledged $1.2 billion over three years and Norway $1 billion and Japan $100 million. The Gates Foundation donated $1.6 billion.
“In addition, the foundation is proud to support the new COVID-19 vaccine advance market commitment with a 100 million US dollar (£79,375,000) contribution to help make sure that when a COVID-19 vaccine is discovered, everyone who needs it can have access – starting with healthcare workers and other high-risk populations,” Bill Gates said.
– Global health
Gavi has immunized over 760 million children and prevented over 13 million deaths. The alliance has halved child mortality in 73 developing world countries and plays a key role in improving global health security by helping national health systems and paying for global vaccine stockpiles to treat Ebola, cholera, meningitis and yellow fever.
The summit aimed to raise at least $7.4 billion for Gavi to immunize a further 300 million children against infectious diseases such as measles, typhoid, polio, cholera and HIV/AIDs by 2025. The project aims to save up to 8 million lives in some of the world’s poorest countries over the next five years.
“One of the targets is to focus on the 10% of children still not being immunized, two-thirds of whom are below the poverty line, often in conflict zones or urban slums,” Gavi CEO Dr. Seth Berkley was quoted by the Guardian as saying.
– Coronavirus
The summit also tried to agree on plans for the future coronavirus vaccine to be distributed equally across the world and not just to Western countries that funded it.
To this end, the summit launched the Advanced Market Commitments (AMC), defined by the WHO as “a legally binding agreement for an amount of funds to subsidize the purchase, at a given price, of an as yet unavailable vaccine against a specific disease causing high morbidity and mortality in developing countries.”
“This all started out in Wuhan, and within three months, 180 countries were infected. Nobody is safe until everyone is safe. So if we have reservoirs of this virus, it will affect the safety of the whole world, so we need to think about this globally,” Berkley said.
“At a time of historic economic hardship and geopolitical strain, the world is coming together here to show a collective willingness to build health security. The estimate is this pandemic is going to cost the world $9 trillion, and we are asking about billions of dollars, so it is a lot. But in the wider context, it is a rounding error.
“The world needs to cooperate on a coronavirus vaccine since if every high-income country backed a single vaccine on its own, they are taking a risky bet. The a priori chance of any vaccine succeeding is about 5%,” he added.
Gavi published research last week that showed the coronavirus has diverted health workers, meaning routine vaccination programs were being neglected.


australiannationalreview--2020-06-06--Sydney’s Black Lives Matter protest deemed illegal by Supreme Court

A Black Lives Matter protest planned for the streets of Sydney on Saturday has been declared illegal .
A last-minute decision by the Supreme Court denied legal protection to anyone who chooses to protest at Sydney ’ s Town Hall this weekend .
New South Wales Police took legal action late on Friday to stop the proposed protest , in which almost 30,000 people registered their intent to attend .
Police Commissioner Mick Fuller was granted an injunction in the Supreme Court on the grounds the rally would breach COVID-19 health orders .
The lawyer representing the protest organisers said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decision and they would be forced onto footpath if roads weren ’ t closed for them .
This would push people together and only heighten the risk of spreading the virus , he said .
Justice Desmond Fagan rejected the argument and said anyone who did gather was “ irresponsible to their fellow citizens ” .
Preventative measures including supplied face masks and hand sanitiser were also dismissed as inadequate safety precautions .
The march is not banned , but rather “ deferred ” until health measures allow it to take place .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ was a “ flagrant disregard of the health rules ” .
“ All of us have given up so much and worked so hard to make sure we get on top of the virus , ” she said .
The daily number of new coronavirus cases across the state has been in the single-digits for several weeks .
Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant was asked to give evidence during the hearing and said there were likely undiagnosed cases of the virus in the community .

By
A Black Lives Matter protest planned for the streets of Sydney on Saturday has been declared illegal.
A last-minute decision by the Supreme Court denied legal protection to anyone who chooses to protest at Sydney’s Town Hall this weekend.
New South Wales Police took legal action late on Friday to stop the proposed protest, in which almost 30,000 people registered their intent to attend.
Police Commissioner Mick Fuller was granted an injunction in the Supreme Court on the grounds the rally would breach COVID-19 health orders.
The lawyer representing the protest organisers said people would be attending regardless of the decision and they would be forced onto footpath if roads weren’t closed for them.
This would push people together and only heighten the risk of spreading the virus, he said.
Justice Desmond Fagan rejected the argument and said anyone who did gather was “irresponsible to their fellow citizens”.
Preventative measures including supplied face masks and hand sanitiser were also dismissed as inadequate safety precautions.
The march is not banned, but rather “deferred” until health measures allow it to take place.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian earlier said the protest was a “flagrant disregard of the health rules”.
“All of us have given up so much and worked so hard to make sure we get on top of the virus,” she said.
The daily number of new coronavirus cases across the state has been in the single-digits for several weeks.
Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant was asked to give evidence during the hearing and said there were likely undiagnosed cases of the virus in the community.


australiannationalreview--2020-06-08--2 billion doses of the Oxford coronavirus vaccine will be available after a new deal that included $

2 billion doses of the Oxford coronavirus vaccine will be available after a new deal that included $750m from Bill Gates, AstraZeneca says

• 2 billion doses of the Oxford coronavirus vaccine are due to be produced after pharma giant AstraZeneca struck two new deals to double the supply .
• AstraZeneca partnered with the Serum Institute of India to supply doses to low-and-middle income countries .
400 million of these should be ready by the end of 2020 .
• There is still no guarantee the vaccine will work – but the company is pushing ahead with production anyway to shorten the timeline in case it does prove effective .
• 300 million of the doses are being funded by a $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Melinda Gates Foundation .
The global supply of a potential coronavirus vaccine being developed at Oxford University has been doubled to 2 billion after a deal including $ US750 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation .
The vaccine is being produced by AstraZeneca British drug maker , drawing on work by researchers from Oxford University .
It announced Thursday that it had signed agreements with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations ( CEPI ) and Gavi the Vaccine Alliance to boost its supplies .
The company has committed to mass-producing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , an unusual step designed to compress the long timeline of vaccine production .
CEPI and Gavi are both charities supported the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Health Organisation .
The $ US750 million agreement with CEPI and Gavi will support manufacturing , procurement and distribution for 300 million of the 2 billion doses .
The statement also said that AstraZeneca struck a licensing partnership with the Serum Institute of India ( SII ) , the world ’ s largest manufacturer of vaccines by volume , for 1 billion doses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ middle-income countries .
The deal includes “ a commitment to provide 400 million of them by the end of 2020 , ” according to the statement .
The company had already announced the manufacture of 1 billion doses last month , according to the BBC .
300 million of the potential vaccines are already pledged to the US and 100 million to the UK , the BBC said .
If clinical trials prove the the vaccine works , the first doses could be ready by September .
In the statement , AstraZeneca Chief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are working tirelessly to honour our commitment to ensure broad and equitable access to Oxford ’ s vaccine across the globe and at no profit.
” It remains unclear whether the vaccine , named AZD1222 , will work .
Soriot said the company should know by August , the BBC reported .
Richard Hatchett , chief executive of CEPI , admitted there was a “ substantial risk ” in investing in manufacturing a product that may ultimately not deliver , The Guardian reported .
Around 10,000 adult volunteers are currently testing the Phase @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UK , according to the AstraZeneca statement .

By MIA JANKOWICZ
2 billion doses of the Oxford coronavirus vaccine are due to be produced after pharma giant AstraZeneca struck two new deals to double the supply.
AstraZeneca partnered with the Serum Institute of India to supply doses to low-and-middle income countries. 400 million of these should be ready by the end of 2020.
There is still no guarantee the vaccine will work – but the company is pushing ahead with production anyway to shorten the timeline in case it does prove effective.
300 million of the doses are being funded by a $US750 million contribution from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
The global supply of a potential coronavirus vaccine being developed at Oxford University has been doubled to 2 billion after a deal including $US750 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The vaccine is being produced by AstraZeneca British drug maker, drawing on work by researchers from Oxford University.
It announced Thursday that it had signed agreements with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and Gavi the Vaccine Alliance to boost its supplies.
The company has committed to mass-producing the vaccine before it has been proved effective, an unusual step designed to compress the long timeline of vaccine production.
CEPI and Gavi are both charities supported the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Health Organisation. The $US750 million agreement with CEPI and Gavi will support manufacturing, procurement and distribution for 300 million of the 2 billion doses.
The statement also said that AstraZeneca struck a licensing partnership with the Serum Institute of India (SII), the world’s largest manufacturer of vaccines by volume, for 1 billion doses of the vaccine earmarked for low- and middle-income countries.
The deal includes “a commitment to provide 400 million of them by the end of 2020,” according to the statement.
The company had already announced the manufacture of 1 billion doses last month, according to the BBC.
300 million of the potential vaccines are already pledged to the US and 100 million to the UK, the BBC said. If clinical trials prove the the vaccine works, the first doses could be ready by September.
In the statement, AstraZeneca Chief Executive Pascal Soriot said: “We are working tirelessly to honour our commitment to ensure broad and equitable access to Oxford’s vaccine across the globe and at no profit.”
It remains unclear whether the vaccine, named AZD1222, will work. Soriot said the company should know by August, the BBC reported.
Richard Hatchett, chief executive of CEPI, admitted there was a “substantial risk” in investing in manufacturing a product that may ultimately not deliver, The Guardian reported.
Around 10,000 adult volunteers are currently testing the Phase II/III versions of the vaccine in the UK, according to the AstraZeneca statement.


australiannationalreview--2020-06-07--Jim Cramer: The pandemic led to ‘one of the greatest wealth transfers in history’

• The coronavirus pandemic has produced “ one of the greatest wealth transfers in history , ” CNBC ’ s Jim Cramer said .
• “ The bigger the business , the more it moves the major averages , and that matters because this is the first recession where big business … is coming through virtually unscathed , ” the “ Mad Money ” host said .
• “ I think we ’ re looking at a V-shaped recovery in the stock market , and that has almost nothing to do with a V-shaped recovery in the economy , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ corresponding lockdown made way for “ one of the greatest wealth transfers in history , ” CNBC ’ s Jim Cramer said Thursday .
The stock market is rising as big business rebounds from state-ordered stoppage of nonessential activity , while small businesses drop like flies , the “ Mad Money ” host said .
“ The bigger the business , the more it moves the major averages , and that matters because this is the first recession where big business … is coming through virtually unscathed , if not going for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comments come after Wall Street took a breather during a mixed day of trading in the midst of hopes of a quick recovery from the pandemic .
The Dow Jones Industrial Average ticked up almost 12 points to 26,281.82 during the session .
The S & P 500 and Nasdaq Composite both finished the day in the red by less than 1 % .
Investors reacted to worse-than-predicted economic data ahead of the May jobs report Friday .
The Labor Department reported on Thursday that new jobless claims the past week came in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a read of 1.775 million claims .
Despite the ongoing economic woes , the S & P index of 500 large-cap companies , which is considered a benchmark for the stock market , is within striking distance of its levels from the start of the trading year .
Since bottoming near 2,191 in March , the index is up about 42 % .
The tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 has recovered all of its losses from the coronavirus meltdown and set a new high on Thursday .
Many investors are betting on a V-shaped economic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think we ’ re looking at a V-shaped recovery in the stock market , and that has almost nothing to do with a V-shaped recovery in the economy , ” he said .
In order to help small businesses make it to the other side of the pandemic , the federal government needs to pass another stimulus package , given the social distancing mandates that remain in place , he added .
The American Bankruptcy Institute said Thursday that U.S. Chapter 11 bankruptcies in May ballooned by 48 % compared to a year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pesky real world asserting itself , but the only big bankruptcy we ’ ve seen int he stock market is Hertz , ” Cramer said .
Cramer said it still only scratches the surface of what impact the halt in global economic activity will have on the country .
The Senate on Wednesday sent a bill to be signed by President Donald Trump to relax rules on how businesses can spend relief funds provided by the Paycheck Protection Program .
“ The companies that took the money just got a big break : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on their employees to get the loans forgiven , down from the original 75 % .
That ’ s important , as most small businesses fail because they can ’ t afford to pay the rent , ” Cramer said .
“ But , in the end , the stimulus package probably won ’ t be enough , for one simple reason , ” he said .
“ It ’ s not going to work because of social distancing .
”

The coronavirus pandemic has produced “one of the greatest wealth transfers in history,” CNBC’s Jim Cramer said.
“The bigger the business, the more it moves the major averages, and that matters because this is the first recession where big business … is coming through virtually unscathed,” the “Mad Money” host said.
“I think we’re looking at a V-shaped recovery in the stock market, and that has almost nothing to do with a V-shaped recovery in the economy,” he said.
The coronavirus pandemic and corresponding lockdown made way for “one of the greatest wealth transfers in history,” CNBC’s Jim Cramer said Thursday.
The stock market is rising as big business rebounds from state-ordered stoppage of nonessential activity, while small businesses drop like flies, the “Mad Money” host said.
“The bigger the business, the more it moves the major averages, and that matters because this is the first recession where big business … is coming through virtually unscathed, if not going for the gold,” he added.
The comments come after Wall Street took a breather during a mixed day of trading in the midst of hopes of a quick recovery from the pandemic. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ticked up almost 12 points to 26,281.82 during the session. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite both finished the day in the red by less than 1%.
Investors reacted to worse-than-predicted economic data ahead of the May jobs report Friday. The Labor Department reported on Thursday that new jobless claims the past week came in at 1.877 million, while experts expected a read of 1.775 million claims.
Despite the ongoing economic woes, the S&P index of 500 large-cap companies, which is considered a benchmark for the stock market, is within striking distance of its levels from the start of the trading year. Since bottoming near 2,191 in March, the index is up about 42%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 has recovered all of its losses from the coronavirus meltdown and set a new high on Thursday. Many investors are betting on a V-shaped economic recovery, Cramer said.
“I think we’re looking at a V-shaped recovery in the stock market, and that has almost nothing to do with a V-shaped recovery in the economy,” he said.
In order to help small businesses make it to the other side of the pandemic, the federal government needs to pass another stimulus package, given the social distancing mandates that remain in place, he added. The American Bankruptcy Institute said Thursday that U.S. Chapter 11 bankruptcies in May ballooned by 48% compared to a year ago.
“That’s that pesky real world asserting itself, but the only big bankruptcy we’ve seen int he stock market is Hertz,” Cramer said.
Cramer said it still only scratches the surface of what impact the halt in global economic activity will have on the country.
The Senate on Wednesday sent a bill to be signed by President Donald Trump to relax rules on how businesses can spend relief funds provided by the Paycheck Protection Program.
“The companies that took the money just got a big break: they only need to spend 60% on their employees to get the loans forgiven, down from the original 75%. That’s important, as most small businesses fail because they can’t afford to pay the rent,” Cramer said.
“But, in the end, the stimulus package probably won’t be enough, for one simple reason,” he said. “It’s not going to work because of social distancing.”


australiannationalreview--2020-06-07--Anthony Fauci claims coronavirus vaccine will be produced before confirmation of its effectiveness

“ I would not be surprised if we have more than one season of ( coronavirus ) , with the @ @ @ @ @ will be much milder than the first , ” Fauci told Newsweek .
“ Particularly @ @ @ @ @ .
”

URGENT: JUST 7 DAYS REMAIN TO HELP SAVE INDEPENDENT MEDIA & ANR, SO LET'S CUT THE BS & GET TO THE POINT - WE WILL BE FORCED LAY OFF STAFF & REDUCE OPERATIONS UNLESS WE ARE FULLY FUNDED WITHIN THE NEXT 2 WEEKS - Sadly, less than 0.5% of readers currently donate or subscribe to us But YOU can easily change that. Imagine the impact we'd make if 3 in 10 readers supported us today. To start with we’d remove this annoying banner as we could fight for a full year...


australiannationalreview--2020-06-09--Hillary Clinton asks appeals court to help her dodge Judicial Watch deposition on emails and Benghaz

Hillary Clinton asks appeals court to help her dodge Judicial Watch deposition on emails and Benghazi

A three-judge appeals court panel heard arguments this week from Hillary Clinton ’ s lawyer and Judicial Watch as the former secretary of state seeks to avoid a deposition about her private email server and the Benghazi attack talking points .
Judicial Watch , a conservative watchdog group , argued Tuesday that the depositions of Clinton and Clinton ’ s former chief of staff , Cheryl Mills , ordered by a D.C. district court judge was necessary to understand whether Clinton attempted to avoid the Freedom of Information Act when she improperly used a private server to conduct her State @ @ @ @ @ @ @ searched for all her emails .
“ It is certainly within the authority of the district court to hear from the agency head herself about whether there was intent , ” said Judicial Watch attorney Ramona Cotca .
Clinton wanted to “ short-circuit this process by using the most potent weapon in the judicial arsenal to prevent the district court from ever being able to reach a determination of whether there was ever an adequate search , ” Cotca said .
The FBI investigated Clinton ’ s use of the server , hosted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chappaqua , New York , while she was secretary of state from 2009 to 2013 .
Although former FBI Director James Comey found Clinton was “ extremely careless ” in handling classified emails , no criminal charges were recommended against anyone following the bureau ’ s “ Midyear Exam ” investigation .
Clinton deleted 33,000 supposedly non-work-related emails .
“ Why is it that four years after the FBI closed its investigation that there are still additional Clinton emails that are being produced .
Why were they not searched or produced or located @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adding , “ Even today , the State Department does not know what is the universe of Clinton emails from the State Department — that is the significant issue here.
” The Judicial Watch lawyer said deposing Clinton would help determine if she had tried to “ thwart FOIA.
” Clinton ’ s legal team asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to issue a writ of mandamus , a corrective order which would instruct the lower court to change its ruling ordering Clinton and Mills to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lamberth said in March , “ It is time to hear directly from Secretary Clinton.
” “ We intervened in the case — Secretary Clinton did — when it became clear that her deposition might be an issue , ” said David Kendall , Clinton ’ s attorney , who was also appearing for Mills .
Two of the three judges on the panel — Obama appointee Nina Pillard and George W. Bush appointee Thomas Griffith — stressed that issuing a writ of mandamus would be an extreme move .
Pillard also claimed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a “ leaky vessel ” during the State Department ’ s search for Clinton ’ s emails appeared “ unfounded.
” Judge Robert Wilkins , another Obama appointee on the panel , asked : “ Why wouldn ’ t it be relevant to depose Secretary Clinton or Ms. Mills to clarify who may have corresponded with either of them or in general about the Benghazi talking points ?
” Kendall contended that the only relevant question was : “ Are there any more documents to produce ?
” The Clinton lawyer claimed that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ depositions “ is harassment.
” A State Department review of email practices of dozens of former agency officials and aides to Clinton found “ some instances ” of classified information being “ inappropriately introduced into an unclassified system.
” But investigators uncovered “ no persuasive evidence of systematic , deliberate mishandling of classified information.
” Mark Freeman , the Justice Department attorney representing the State Department , said the Trump administration didn ’ t support Clinton ’ s petition for mandamus .
“ The State Department ’ s approach to all of these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has just been to get through them — to respond to the FOIA requests , to push through any district court litigation , and to bring all these cases , and indeed the entire chapter , to a close , ” Freeman said , adding , “ We have not asked this court to issue the extraordinary remedy of mandamus , and we have not supported the petition at issue here.
” The virtual hearing stretched over an hour and a half .
The appeals court will likely issue an opinion on whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ request to avoid the deposition in the next few weeks .
Judicial Watch also wants to question Clinton and Mills about the talking points for former United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice ’ s appearances on television shows following the terrorist attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi .
Members of Ansar al Sharia launched a coordinated assault on Sept. 11 , 2012 , killing U.S .
Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens , foreign service officer Sean Smith , and CIA contractors Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty .
Clinton , Rice , and others @ @ @ @ @ @ @ video .
Some of the Tuesday arguments were reminiscent of the debate over the Justice Department ’ s move to drop charges against retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn .
Instead of immediately agreeing with that decision , D.C. District Court Judge Emmett Sullivan appointed an outside amicus , after which the Flynn legal team pursued a writ of mandamus with the D.C. appeals court in an effort to force Sullivan to allow the case to be dismissed .
DOJ lawyers weighed in in favor of mandamus in that case .
Cheryl Mills ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ representing Sullivan in that case .
Wilkins is on the three-member panel that will decide whether to grant mandamus .

By Jerry Dunleavy
A three-judge appeals court panel heard arguments this week from Hillary Clinton’s lawyer and Judicial Watch as the former secretary of state seeks to avoid a deposition about her private email server and the Benghazi attack talking points.
Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group, argued Tuesday that the depositions of Clinton and Clinton’s former chief of staff, Cheryl Mills, ordered by a D.C. district court judge was necessary to understand whether Clinton attempted to avoid the Freedom of Information Act when she improperly used a private server to conduct her State Department business and whether the agency adequately searched for all her emails.
“It is certainly within the authority of the district court to hear from the agency head herself about whether there was intent,” said Judicial Watch attorney Ramona Cotca.
Clinton wanted to “short-circuit this process by using the most potent weapon in the judicial arsenal to prevent the district court from ever being able to reach a determination of whether there was ever an adequate search,” Cotca said.
The FBI investigated Clinton’s use of the server, hosted in the basement of her home in Chappaqua, New York, while she was secretary of state from 2009 to 2013. Although former FBI Director James Comey found Clinton was “extremely careless” in handling classified emails, no criminal charges were recommended against anyone following the bureau’s “Midyear Exam” investigation. Clinton deleted 33,000 supposedly non-work-related emails.
“Why is it that four years after the FBI closed its investigation that there are still additional Clinton emails that are being produced. Why were they not searched or produced or located earlier?” Cotca asked, later adding, “Even today, the State Department does not know what is the universe of Clinton emails from the State Department — that is the significant issue here.”
The Judicial Watch lawyer said deposing Clinton would help determine if she had tried to “thwart FOIA.”
Clinton’s legal team asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to issue a writ of mandamus, a corrective order which would instruct the lower court to change its ruling ordering Clinton and Mills to be deposed. U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth said in March, “It is time to hear directly from Secretary Clinton.”
“We intervened in the case — Secretary Clinton did — when it became clear that her deposition might be an issue,” said David Kendall, Clinton’s attorney, who was also appearing for Mills.
Two of the three judges on the panel — Obama appointee Nina Pillard and George W. Bush appointee Thomas Griffith — stressed that issuing a writ of mandamus would be an extreme move. Pillard also claimed that Judicial Watch’s concern about a “leaky vessel” during the State Department’s search for Clinton’s emails appeared “unfounded.”
Judge Robert Wilkins, another Obama appointee on the panel, asked: “Why wouldn’t it be relevant to depose Secretary Clinton or Ms. Mills to clarify who may have corresponded with either of them or in general about the Benghazi talking points?”
Kendall contended that the only relevant question was: “Are there any more documents to produce?”
The Clinton lawyer claimed that “the real purpose” of the depositions “is harassment.”
A State Department review of email practices of dozens of former agency officials and aides to Clinton found “some instances” of classified information being “inappropriately introduced into an unclassified system.” But investigators uncovered “no persuasive evidence of systematic, deliberate mishandling of classified information.”
Mark Freeman, the Justice Department attorney representing the State Department, said the Trump administration didn’t support Clinton’s petition for mandamus.
“The State Department’s approach to all of these [Clinton] cases from the beginning has just been to get through them — to respond to the FOIA requests, to push through any district court litigation, and to bring all these cases, and indeed the entire chapter, to a close,” Freeman said, adding, “We have not asked this court to issue the extraordinary remedy of mandamus, and we have not supported the petition at issue here.”
The virtual hearing stretched over an hour and a half. The appeals court will likely issue an opinion on whether they will be granting Clinton’s request to avoid the deposition in the next few weeks.
Judicial Watch also wants to question Clinton and Mills about the talking points for former United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice’s appearances on television shows following the terrorist attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi. Members of Ansar al Sharia launched a coordinated assault on Sept. 11, 2012, killing U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens, foreign service officer Sean Smith, and CIA contractors Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty. Clinton, Rice, and others incorrectly blamed the attack on a YouTube video.
Some of the Tuesday arguments were reminiscent of the debate over the Justice Department’s move to drop charges against retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. Instead of immediately agreeing with that decision, D.C. District Court Judge Emmett Sullivan appointed an outside amicus, after which the Flynn legal team pursued a writ of mandamus with the D.C. appeals court in an effort to force Sullivan to allow the case to be dismissed. DOJ lawyers weighed in in favor of mandamus in that case.
Cheryl Mills’s attorney, Beth Wilkinson, is representing Sullivan in that case. Wilkins is on the three-member panel that will decide whether to grant mandamus.


australiannationalreview--2020-06-09--‘Professor Lockdown’ Modeler Resigns in Disgrace

Neil Ferguson is the British academic who created the infamous Imperial College model that warned Boris Johnson that , without an immediate lockdown , the coronavirus would cause 500,000 deaths and swamp the National Health Service .
Johnson ’ s government promptly abandoned its Sweden-like “ social distancing ” approach , and Ferguson ’ s model also influenced the U.S. to make lockdown moves with its shocking prediction of over two million Americans dead .
With all of his influence , it ’ s not surprising British media are making a great deal about Ferguson being forced to resign from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yesterday after revelations he had violated lockdown rules he had championed in order to conduct an affair with a married woman .
Ferguson admits he made an “ error of judgement and took the wrong course of action.
” Ferguson ’ s hypocritical violation of his beloved lockdown was the least of his errors in judgment .
His incompetence and insistence on doomsday models is far worse .
Indeed , Ferguson has been wrong so often that some of his fellow modelers call him “ The Master of Disaster.
” Ferguson was behind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ culling of eleven million sheep and cattle during the 2001 outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease .
Charlotte Reid , a farmer ’ s neighbor , recalls : “ I remember that appalling time .
Sheep were left starving in fields near us .
Then came the open air slaughter .
The poor animals were panic stricken .
It was one of the worst things I ’ ve witnessed .
And all based on a model — if ’ s but ’ s and maybe ’ s. ” In 2009 , a government estimate , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said a “ reasonable worst-case scenario ” was that the swine flu would lead to 65,000 British deaths .
In the end , swine flu killed 457 people in the U.K. Last March , Ferguson admitted that his Imperial College model of the COVID-19 disease was based on undocumented , 13-year-old computer code that was intended to be used for a feared influenza pandemic , rather than a coronavirus .
Ferguson declined to release his original code so other scientists could check his results .
He only released a heavily revised set of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ delay .
So the real scandal is : Why did anyone ever listen to this guy ?

By JOHN FUND
Neil Ferguson is the British academic who created the infamous Imperial College model that warned Boris Johnson that, without an immediate lockdown, the coronavirus would cause 500,000 deaths and swamp the National Health Service.
Johnson’s government promptly abandoned its Sweden-like “social distancing” approach, and Ferguson’s model also influenced the U.S. to make lockdown moves with its shocking prediction of over two million Americans dead.
Johan Giesecke, the former chief scientist for the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention, has called Ferguson’s model “the most influential scientific paper” in memory. He also says it was, sadly, “ one of the most wrong .”
With all of his influence, it’s not surprising British media are making a great deal about Ferguson being forced to resign from the government’s virus advisory board yesterday after revelations he had violated lockdown rules he had championed in order to conduct an affair with a married woman. Ferguson admits he made an “error of judgement and took the wrong course of action.”
Ferguson’s hypocritical violation of his beloved lockdown was the least of his errors in judgment. His incompetence and insistence on doomsday models is far worse.
Elon Musk calls Ferguson an “ utter tool” who does “absurdly fake science .” Jay Schnitzer, an expert in vascular biology and a former scientific direct of the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center in San Diego, tells me: “I’m normally reluctant to say this about a scientist, but he dances on the edge of being a publicity-seeking charlatan.”
Indeed, Ferguson’s Imperial College model has been proven wildly inaccurate. To cite just one example, it saw Sweden paying a huge price for no lockdown, with 40,000 COVID deaths by May 1, and 100,000 by June. Sweden now has 2,854 deaths and peaked two weeks ago. As Fraser Nelson, editor of Britain’s Spectator, notes: “Imperial College’s model is wrong by an order of magnitude.”
Indeed, Ferguson has been wrong so often that some of his fellow modelers call him “The Master of Disaster.”
Ferguson was behind the disputed research that sparked the mass culling of eleven million sheep and cattle during the 2001 outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. Charlotte Reid, a farmer’s neighbor, recalls: “I remember that appalling time. Sheep were left starving in fields near us. Then came the open air slaughter. The poor animals were panic stricken. It was one of the worst things I’ve witnessed. And all based on a model — if’s but’s and maybe’s.”
In 2005, Ferguson predicted that up to 150 million people could be killed from bird flu. In the end, only 282 people died worldwide from the disease between 2003 and 2009.
In 2009, a government estimate, based on Ferguson’s advice, said a “reasonable worst-case scenario” was that the swine flu would lead to 65,000 British deaths. In the end, swine flu killed 457 people in the U.K.
Last March, Ferguson admitted that his Imperial College model of the COVID-19 disease was based on undocumented, 13-year-old computer code that was intended to be used for a feared influenza pandemic, rather than a coronavirus. Ferguson declined to release his original code so other scientists could check his results. He only released a heavily revised set of code last week, after a six-week delay.
So the real scandal is: Why did anyone ever listen to this guy?


australiannationalreview--2020-06-10--Women in child-caring roles reported drinking more during COVID-19 pandemic

Women reported a substantially larger increase in their drinking habits during the COVID-19 pandemic than men as they took on increased childcare duties .
It comes as the World Health Organisation warns against drinking alcohol during the crisis , saying consumption increases the risk of coronavirus infection .
But a longitudinal study of more than 3200 people published on Wednesday found Australians reported drinking more during the pandemic than two to three years previously .
The peer-reviewed report , conducted by the Australian National University with the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare , found in May 22.8 per cent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since the start of COVID-19 , and 17.9 per cent of men reported an increase .
Co-author Professor Nicholas Biddle , from the ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods , said men and women reported different factors in their increased alcohol intake .
“ For males a strong predictor for increased drinking was because of a loss of job or decline in working hours .
For females a strong predictor for increased drinking was having a child-caring role , ” he said .
Women reported their amount of housework , looking after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ per cent to 20.9 per cent between February and April , while for men it increased from 4.1 per cent to 5.9 per cent .
Professor Biddle said women ’ s reported higher rate of caring has a stronger association with increased drinking .
He said for both men and women , particularly men , psychological distress was also a major factor .
Alcohol sales have not been dampened by the pandemic , according to the latest liquor retailing industry report from IBIS World released in May .
Panic buying in March caused @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spike in booze sales , the IBIS World report said , followed by a 36 per cent fall in April , bringing sales for the month 15 per cent below April 2019 levels .
Total alcohol consumption was expected to increase by 16 per cent in 2019-20 .
Director of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre , Professor Michael Farrell , said people may have started drinking more because they were at home with less structure , and increased anxiety and uncertainty .
“ There ’ s no surprise that it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it ’ s also clear that people who might have some vulnerability might be more exposed , ” he said .
The WHO said there were other harmful impacts of drinking that people should consider .
“ Alcohol consumption is associated with a range of communicable and non-communicable diseases and mental health disorders , which can make a person more vulnerable to COVID-19 , ” WHO ’ s regional office for Europe wrote .
“ In particular , alcohol compromises the body ’ s immune system and increases the risk of adverse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the increase in drinking as highlighted by the ANU survey , Professor Biddle said , was the strong link between mental health change and alcohol consumption .
He said the relationship between stress and anxiety and drinking meant there was the potential for unhealthy drinking to become entrenched if those issues do not diminish .
Professor Farrell said the pandemic had created a “ highly stressful environment ” , and he suspected a lot of the increased drinking would self correct over time .
“ I can ’ t obviously confidently predict that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people who will get into more substantial trouble … [ and ] there will be some people who develop a level of problem that will require some level of additional support , ” he said .
Professor Farrell said it was important to be wary about self-reported data and people ’ s capacity to monitor changes in their behaviour .
Professor Biddle said in general people were more likely to say they were drinking less rather than more in those types of surveys .
“ Even so , we found self-reported increases in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prior to COVID-19 , ” he said .
He said the results of ANU ’ s survey were compared to the larger National Health Survey and the National Drug Strategy Household Survey from previous years and found the data lined up closely .

By Rachel Clun and Dana McCauley
Women reported a substantially larger increase in their drinking habits during the COVID-19 pandemic than men as they took on increased childcare duties.
It comes as the World Health Organisation warns against drinking alcohol during the crisis, saying consumption increases the risk of coronavirus infection.
But a longitudinal study of more than 3200 people published on Wednesday found Australians reported drinking more during the pandemic than two to three years previously.
The peer-reviewed report, conducted by the Australian National University with the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, found in May 22.8 per cent of women reported an increase in drinking since the start of COVID-19, and 17.9 per cent of men reported an increase.
Co-author Professor Nicholas Biddle, from the ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods, said men and women reported different factors in their increased alcohol intake. “For males a strong predictor for increased drinking was because of a loss of job or decline in working hours. For females a strong predictor for increased drinking was having a child-caring role,” he said. Women reported their amount of housework, looking after children or other people increased from 18.6 per cent to 20.9 per cent between February and April, while for men it increased from 4.1 per cent to 5.9 per cent. Professor Biddle said women’s reported higher rate of caring has a stronger association with increased drinking. He said for both men and women, particularly men, psychological distress was also a major factor.
Alcohol sales have not been dampened by the pandemic, according to the latest liquor retailing industry report from IBIS World released in May.


australiannationalreview--2020-06-10--Coronavirus Shows Why We Need Separation of Medicine and State!

It seems like only yesterday .
Americans were denied the right to go to their churches .
They were denied the right to visit their loved ones in the hospital .
They were denied the right to open their businesses and go to work to provide for themselves and their families .
They were denied the right to go to restaurants , to bars , to hair salons .
No laws were passed denying these rights .
Even that would be illegal and immoral .
But what happened was worse .
They were denied these basic rights by governors , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who used the coronavirus outbreak as an excuse to rule by decree .
They stole power that was not theirs to take and wielded it at all levels to force America into three months of house arrest .
Then , in the midst of stay-at-home orders across the country , the same governors and local officials who locked Americans in their homes suddenly came around with their keys and threw open the doors .
Suddenly not only was it OK to go out into the street , it was required to go out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A cure ?
A miraculous vaccine ?
No .
The officials who locked Americans up found a cause they felt required Americans in the streets to protest .
Police had killed a black man , George Floyd , in their custody in Minneapolis and suddenly the need to protest trumped the need to “ stay home , save lives.
” Suddenly the same health “ experts ” who told us we must not gather in crowds or there will be death in the millions from coronavirus issued statements supporting gathering in crowds .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ protests signed by more than 1,200 doctors and other health professionals clarified that they “ do not condemn these gatherings as risky for Covid-19 transmission.
” However , they wrote , “ this should not be confused with a permissive stance on all gatherings , particularly protests against stay-at-home orders.
” Did the coronavirus develop some kind of superior intelligence enabling it to distinguish between those who were congregating for a “ good cause ” and those who were congregating for a “ bad cause ” ?
Of course not .
What has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus episode is the politicization of public health at the hands of authoritarians .
Two prestigious medical journals , The Lancet and the New England Journal of Medicine , were forced to retract studies they had published concluding that Hydroxychloroquine was harmful to Covid patients .
The rush to print the studies looks very much like a political move rather than one based on scientific principles .
Once President Trump revealed that he was taking hydroxychloroquine the mainstream media and even “ expert ” journals began attacking the drug .
This is what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We get the worst of both .
We get career bureaucrat Dr. Fauci telling us we can never shake hands again and that we must stay home until a vaccine is found .
Meanwhile , doctors across the globe are reporting that this variation of the coronavirus is disappearing on its own .
We have a tradition of separation of church and state in the United States for good reason .
The merger of state and church invites oppression and corruption .
We need to adopt this same approach to medicine and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this merger has produced the same kind of widespread tyranny and corruption .

By Ron Paul
It seems like only yesterday. Americans were denied the right to go to their churches. They were denied the right to visit their loved ones in the hospital. They were denied the right to open their businesses and go to work to provide for themselves and their families. They were denied the right to go to restaurants, to bars, to hair salons.
No laws were passed denying these rights. Even that would be illegal and immoral. But what happened was worse. They were denied these basic rights by governors, county judges, and even local mayors who used the coronavirus outbreak as an excuse to rule by decree. They stole power that was not theirs to take and wielded it at all levels to force America into three months of house arrest.
Then, in the midst of stay-at-home orders across the country, the same governors and local officials who locked Americans in their homes suddenly came around with their keys and threw open the doors. Suddenly not only was it OK to go out into the street, it was required to go out into the street!
What happened? A cure? A miraculous vaccine? No. The officials who locked Americans up found a cause they felt required Americans in the streets to protest. Police had killed a black man, George Floyd, in their custody in Minneapolis and suddenly the need to protest trumped the need to “stay home, save lives.”
Suddenly the same health “experts” who told us we must not gather in crowds or there will be death in the millions from coronavirus issued statements supporting gathering in crowds. An open letter on the George Floyd protests signed by more than 1,200 doctors and other health professionals clarified that they “do not condemn these gatherings as risky for Covid-19 transmission.” However, they wrote, “this should not be confused with a permissive stance on all gatherings, particularly protests against stay-at-home orders.”
Did the coronavirus develop some kind of superior intelligence enabling it to distinguish between those who were congregating for a “good cause” and those who were congregating for a “bad cause”? Of course not. What has happened from the beginning of this shameful coronavirus episode is the politicization of public health at the hands of authoritarians.
Two prestigious medical journals, The Lancet and the New England Journal of Medicine, were forced to retract studies they had published concluding that Hydroxychloroquine was harmful to Covid patients. The rush to print the studies looks very much like a political move rather than one based on scientific principles. Once President Trump revealed that he was taking hydroxychloroquine the mainstream media and even “expert” journals began attacking the drug.
This is what happens when medicine merges with the state. We get the worst of both. We get career bureaucrat Dr. Fauci telling us we can never shake hands again and that we must stay home until a vaccine is found. Meanwhile, doctors across the globe are reporting that this variation of the coronavirus is disappearing on its own.
We have a tradition of separation of church and state in the United States for good reason. The merger of state and church invites oppression and corruption. We need to adopt this same approach to medicine and the state. We now see how this merger has produced the same kind of widespread tyranny and corruption.


australiannationalreview--2020-06-11--Putin Imprisons 130 US Antifa Activists On ‘Terror Charges’ After Violent Riot

130 mostly American Antifa activists have been arrested in Moscow , Russia after violent rioting , provoked by “ violent foreign black-clad thugs ” broke out in a popular commercial district in the city centre .
Russian state media reports that Antifa activists organized the street protest and “ violently assaulted ordinary civilians ” on their way to work .
Antifa members have admitted they organized the protest to protest “ Russian hacking ” and attacked civilians “ because they were Russian ” and therefore “ responsible for helping elect Trump.
” Police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Antifa activists refused to do so , and made preparations for war with law enforcement .
Russian state media reported Antifa were then met with tear gas and “ non-lethal ammunition , ” also known as rubber bullets .
Antifa rioters clearly bore the trademark black and red flags , face masks , black attire , and downward spear emblems popular with the violent Antifa movement .
Mondays ’ s riot in Moscow was the first time Antifa have exported their protest against Trump ’ s presidency outside the United States .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ hail from the movement ’ s Californian chapter , are being held in some Russia ’ s harshest jails , awaiting a military trial ( as their acts are considered “ terroristic ” under Russian law ) , and facing up to 56 years in prison .
“ Read my lips , ” Putin said , “ Nobody comes to Russia and attacks my people , normal working people on their way to work , in the street like savages.
” “ These people say we have no right to keep them here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ land and committed an act of terror .
They are saying George Soros will make us release them .
Maybe we will release them in Syria where they can join up with their spiritual allies , ” Putin said , hinting at the commonly held Russian belief that Antifa are no better than Islamic terrorists , and working for the same cause .
However the news is unlikely to make a splash in the United States .
Mainstream news outlets , including CNN and MSNBC , have been fawning over Antifa since their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Last month , following the deadly Charlottesville riot , CNN put out a piece with a chilling Orwellian headline claiming Antifa seeks “ peace through violence .
”

By
130 mostly American Antifa activists have been arrested in Moscow, Russia after violent rioting, provoked by “violent foreign black-clad thugs” broke out in a popular commercial district in the city centre.
Russian state media reports that Antifa activists organized the street protest and “violently assaulted ordinary civilians” on their way to work. Antifa members have admitted they organized the protest to protest “Russian hacking” and attacked civilians “because they were Russian” and therefore “responsible for helping elect Trump.”
Police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets. After being told to disperse, the Antifa activists refused to do so, and made preparations for war with law enforcement. Russian state media reported Antifa were then met with tear gas and “non-lethal ammunition,” also known as rubber bullets.
Antifa rioters clearly bore the trademark black and red flags, face masks, black attire, and downward spear emblems popular with the violent Antifa movement. Mondays’s riot in Moscow was the first time Antifa have exported their protest against Trump’s presidency outside the United States.
Now the activists, many of whom hail from the movement’s Californian chapter, are being held in some Russia’s harshest jails, awaiting a military trial (as their acts are considered “terroristic” under Russian law), and facing up to 56 years in prison.
“Read my lips,” Putin said, “Nobody comes to Russia and attacks my people, normal working people on their way to work, in the street like savages.”
“These people say we have no right to keep them here, even though they came to our land and committed an act of terror. They are saying George Soros will make us release them. Maybe we will release them in Syria where they can join up with their spiritual allies,” Putin said, hinting at the commonly held Russian belief that Antifa are no better than Islamic terrorists, and working for the same cause.
However the news is unlikely to make a splash in the United States. Mainstream news outlets, including CNN and MSNBC, have been fawning over Antifa since their emergence in the public eye in 2017. Last month, following the deadly Charlottesville riot, CNN put out a piece with a chilling Orwellian headline claiming Antifa seeks “peace through violence.”


australiannationalreview--2020-06-11--Infuriating: We may have shut down the country for nothing

In a new report , the World Health Organization announced that asymptomatic carriers of the coronavirus “ rarely ” spread the virus to others .
If this is true , we just shut down the nation and drove our economy into a recession for nothing .
Like many others , I supported the initial shutdowns because I was worried that we knew too little about the coronavirus and who was spreading it , and we needed to prevent our healthcare system from being overrun .
Our health experts warned us that COVID-19 spread quickly and often unnoticeably , through carriers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , or perhaps never at all .
Add this to a total lack of mass testing , and a temporary nationwide quarantine made sense .
But now , the entire premise of the shutdown is being questioned .
“ From the data we have , it still seems to be rare that an asymptomatic person actually transmits onward to a secondary individual , ” Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove , head of the WHO ’ s emerging diseases and zoonosis unit , said , according to CNBC .
“ It ’ s very rare.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ into words how infuriating this discovery is .
If asymptomatic carriers aren ’ t the problem , we could easily have localized our response to the coronavirus by asking only those with symptoms to stay home and quarantining hot-spot areas where the spread was out of control .
Instead , we adopted a one-size-fits-all approach because we were acting under the presumption that any person at any time could be spreading it to just about anyone .
Granted , the WHO hasn ’ t exactly proven itself as a reputable source of information @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ’ d like to see other researchers confirm this finding .
And , it ’ s unclear whether Kerkhove includes presymptomatic carriers within her definition of “ asymptomatic.
” But if this conclusion is indeed fact , I ’ ll be the first to admit that I was wrong for relying on the word of experts who clearly had no idea what they were talking about .
And it ’ s the experts who should be held accountable .
Because , if true , this wasn ’ t just a mild mistake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cost this country hundreds of thousands of jobs and kept people from the things they need most : family , church , and community .
We ’ ll be wrestling with the consequences of this shutdown for a long time to come , and now , we must do so knowing that it might have been for nothing .

By Kaylee McGhee
In a new report, the World Health Organization announced that asymptomatic carriers of the coronavirus “rarely” spread the virus to others. If this is true, we just shut down the nation and drove our economy into a recession for nothing.
Like many others, I supported the initial shutdowns because I was worried that we knew too little about the coronavirus and who was spreading it, and we needed to prevent our healthcare system from being overrun. Our health experts warned us that COVID-19 spread quickly and often unnoticeably, through carriers who might not show symptoms for weeks, or perhaps never at all. Add this to a total lack of mass testing, and a temporary nationwide quarantine made sense.
But now, the entire premise of the shutdown is being questioned.
“From the data we have, it still seems to be rare that an asymptomatic person actually transmits onward to a secondary individual,” Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, head of the WHO’s emerging diseases and zoonosis unit, said, according to CNBC. “It’s very rare.”
It’s difficult to put into words how infuriating this discovery is. If asymptomatic carriers aren’t the problem, we could easily have localized our response to the coronavirus by asking only those with symptoms to stay home and quarantining hot-spot areas where the spread was out of control. Instead, we adopted a one-size-fits-all approach because we were acting under the presumption that any person at any time could be spreading it to just about anyone.
Granted, the WHO hasn’t exactly proven itself as a reputable source of information over the past few months, so I’d like to see other researchers confirm this finding. And, it’s unclear whether Kerkhove includes presymptomatic carriers within her definition of “asymptomatic.” But if this conclusion is indeed fact, I’ll be the first to admit that I was wrong for relying on the word of experts who clearly had no idea what they were talking about.
And it’s the experts who should be held accountable. Because, if true, this wasn’t just a mild mistake. It was a grievous error that cost this country hundreds of thousands of jobs and kept people from the things they need most: family, church, and community. We’ll be wrestling with the consequences of this shutdown for a long time to come, and now, we must do so knowing that it might have been for nothing.


australiannationalreview--2020-06-12--The WHO Throws a Wrench In What We All Thought About the Coronavirus; UPDATE: WHO Walks It Back

On Tuesday , the WHO held a press conference to clarify Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove ’ s comments about asymptomatic people spreading the disease being “ very rare.
” She described it as a “ misunderstanding , ” The Washington Post reported .
“ I wasn ’ t stating a policy of WHO or anything like that , ” she said .
“ We do know that some people who are asymptomatic , or some people who do not have symptoms , can transmit the virus on.
” The head of emergency programs for the WHO , Mike Ryan , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no “ intent of WHO to say there is a new or different policy , ” he explained .
“ There is still too much unknown about this virus and still too much unknown about its transmission dynamics.
” For months we have heard about how asymptomatic people , particularly the young , are unknowingly spreading the Wuhan coronavirus to vulnerable people , including the elderly and those with preexisting conditions .
The World Health Organization on Monday said asymptomatic people spreading the disease is actually “ very rare.
” “ From the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be rare that an asymptomatic person actually transmits onward to a secondary individual , ” Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove , head of WHO ’ s emerging diseases and zoonosis unit , said during a press conference .
“ It ’ s very rare.
” Originally , the WHO and the White House Coronavirus Task Force said that otherwise healthy people could contract the Wuhan coronavirus and pass it on to others without knowing it because they lack any symptoms , CNBC reported .
The asymptomatic spread was the very reason most of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ distancing was heavily emphasized .
According to Van Kerkhove , government officials are better off spending their time finding those who are infected and conducting contact tracing .
“ We have a number of reports from countries who are doing very detailed contact tracing , ” she explained .
“ They ’ re following asymptomatic cases .
They ’ re following contacts .
And they ’ re not finding secondary transmission onward .
It ’ s very rare.
” She also said that cases that have been labeled “ asymptomatic ” aren ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actually detectable but the person has mild symptoms .
Something is going on at the World Health Organization .
They keep changing their tune .
Just a couple days ago they said masks are no longer necessary in public .
That was a little more than one week after saying masks should always be worn .
Why should anyone believe what the WHO says , especially when it comes to the Wuhan coronavirus ?
They have been all over the place on this virus .
Remember : back in December , Taiwan made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus outbreak , as evidenced by the release of an email .

By Beth Baumann
UPDATE:
On Tuesday, the WHO held a press conference to clarify Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove’s comments about asymptomatic people spreading the disease being “very rare.” She described it as a “misunderstanding,” The Washington Post reported.
“I wasn’t stating a policy of WHO or anything like that,” she said. “We do know that some people who are asymptomatic, or some people who do not have symptoms, can transmit the virus on.”
The head of emergency programs for the WHO, Mike Ryan, expanded on the correction.
There was no “intent of WHO to say there is a new or different policy,” he explained. “There is still too much unknown about this virus and still too much unknown about its transmission dynamics.”
ORIGINAL POST:
For months we have heard about how asymptomatic people, particularly the young, are unknowingly spreading the Wuhan coronavirus to vulnerable people, including the elderly and those with preexisting conditions. The World Health Organization on Monday said asymptomatic people spreading the disease is actually “very rare.”
“From the data we have, it still seems to be rare that an asymptomatic person actually transmits onward to a secondary individual,” Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, head of WHO’s emerging diseases and zoonosis unit, said during a press conference. “It’s very rare.”
Originally, the WHO and the White House Coronavirus Task Force said that otherwise healthy people could contract the Wuhan coronavirus and pass it on to others without knowing it because they lack any symptoms, CNBC reported. The asymptomatic spread was the very reason most of the nation went on lockdown and social distancing was heavily emphasized.
According to Van Kerkhove, government officials are better off spending their time finding those who are infected and conducting contact tracing.
“We have a number of reports from countries who are doing very detailed contact tracing,” she explained. “They’re following asymptomatic cases. They’re following contacts. And they’re not finding secondary transmission onward. It’s very rare.”
She also said that cases that have been labeled “asymptomatic” aren’t actually that. Those cases are actually detectable but the person has mild symptoms.
Something is going on at the World Health Organization. They keep changing their tune. Just a couple days ago they said masks are no longer necessary in public. That was a little more than one week after saying masks should always be worn.
Why should anyone believe what the WHO says, especially when it comes to the Wuhan coronavirus? They have been all over the place on this virus. Remember: back in December, Taiwan made every effort to alert the WHO to the coronavirus outbreak, as evidenced by the release of an email.