If only they had done that 3 months ago
As I predicted, borders need to close. Places that don’t close the state border end up putting a border around every single home. It’s the same all over the world. But no one seems to have noticed how spectacular this backflip is.
In March when New York was the epicentre begging for ventilators, Donald Trump suggested quarantining the tri-state area to stop infections spreading to the rest of the US. It was exactly the right thing to do, but Governor Cuomo was enraged — declaring the idea was “preposterous”, “anti-American” and a “declaration of war”. Cuomo even argued it would be illegal for Trump to do so, and threatened to sue:
“I’ve sued the federal government a number of times over the years. I do not believe it’s going to come to that on this,” Cuomo said. “This would be a declaration of war on states, a federal declaration of war.“
Right now there are 22 US states which could threaten to sue Cuomo for the infections New Yorkers gave them.
It was weapons grade bluster on March 28, 2020, but which media outlets and creatures from the Swamp supported Donald Trump, and pulled up Cuomo for statements like this?
“Then we would be Wuhan, China, and that wouldn’t make any sense,” [Cuomo] said, adding that this [a two week quarantine] would cause the stock market to crash in a way that would make it impossible for the US economy to “recover for months, if not years”.
“You would paralyse the financial sector,” he said.
How much healthier the financial sector must look now that the 52,000 New York infections have become three and a half million infections across the US?
So finally, hypocritically, but sensibly, Cuomo has started closing borders; though the enforcement is too weak, and leaks are already occurring. Australia tried this, and it didn’t work. The NY quarantine will get tougher.
In other handy hints from Downunder we suggest using security guards that don’t sleep with their subjects.
22 States Now on Tri-State Quarantine List
July 13: The move is part of the state’s effort to try to enforce its 14-day quarantine requirements for travelers from 22 states who, as of Tuesday, are under a travel advisory because of rising numbers of people testing positive for the coronavirus in their states.
“We can’t be in a situation where we have people coming from other states in the country bringing the virus again,” Cuomo said during a press conference. “It is that simple.”
Travelers who leave an airport in New York state without filling out a form could face a $2,000 fine and be required to attend a hearing and complete a mandatory quarantine.
The fine for not self isolating is a $10,000 one.
…
It’s not clear how NY officials will be able to enforce the 14 day self isolation required of travellers who fill in the forms.
It’s the same pattern all over the world
Borders are the bargain tools to starve viruses. Only arrogantly rich nations can pretend they don’t need them. But even they succumb after the first wave of rampant RNA.
As usual, it’s all so selfish. Infected states want to keep borders open, sharing deadly germs. The same states suddenly change their minds when the places-they-infected start to send infections back. It happened with China, with New South Wales, and now it’s happened with New York.
How different the world looks when your home has survived the first spike.
How naive all the other states look for letting the virus fly in.
The Swamp has been either incompetent or sabotaging Trump. Borders should be the first tool (after masks) not the last.
If the state and federal lines had been shut in March, with masks and Vitamin D, with HCQ and mass testing, the US might have been down to just a couple of hundred new cases a day like Italy Some states would be completely free. Trump would have been seen as a hero. He’d be unstoppable.
Cuomo is the king of hypocrites and I am embarrassed to admit that I am a resident of New York State. Don’t forget this is the guy who ordered nursing homes to take COVID patients from the hospitals even though they clearly were not prepared to do so safely.
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I can prove you wrong on who is “King of the Hypocrites”
We have Trudeau in Canada who has put his foot in his mouth at a multitude of times on a multitude of subjects. Currently being investigated for his 3rd time breaking the law.
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Don’t forget the WHO and the UNs stake in this. The Marxist/commie/socialist demowits want to rejoin the UN if they regain power. We US of A citizens might just want to ammo up.
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Meanwhile, many Americans are getting busted in Canada.
We currently have a travel lockdown at the US border unless they state that they are heading straight to Alaska. Any visitors currently must self isolate for 14 days. Many Americans are getting busted, fined and escorted out of Canada.
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Masks are a form of control……
Over the people…..
NOT the virus…
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And propagating such stupidity should be a a lock up offence.
Yes that means you, J T
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Nice of you to prove JT’s argument. You disagreed and went straight to police state.
Discuss the issues? Offer supporting conversation explaining the merits? Break the argument down into individual points discussing the ability of open weave cotton to prevent micron sized viruses?
Nope – straight to the police state. JT is now an Enemy of the State and must be re-educated.
Sorry, Bill, but the studies say that masks MAY help prevent. The word MAY is selected deliberately because the study hasn’t found evidence to suggest wearing one makes it worse.
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Mudcrab, JT, yes, Bill’s response was over the top.
That said, I just don’t get the political opposition to mask wearing. There is plenty of evidence that masks reduce the spread, both in peer reviewed studies that I’ve published, meta-reviews, and in country wide associations. Furthermore, masks are cheap, low risk, and you could print MAGA or a US flag on them to neutralize any feeling of being obedient to the left.
Masks are so useful that placebo studies on doctors can’t be done because no one in the medical world thinks it would be ethical to ask a doc not to wear one. Are 10 million doctors wrong?
They put the word “may” in there because masks don’t guarantee someone won’t get infected. But they will reduce the odds. Would a 50% reduction in infection shorten lockdowns — absolutely, and by weeks. How many people do we want to kill and how many billions do we want to waste?
For people who want Trump to be able to do mass speeches, and want the economy to flourish, and who don’t want lockdowns, the opposition to masks is bizarre. It’s a gift to the Democrats and President Xi.
Sometimes people turn something into a political symbol. But they don’t have to stick with that symbol if it turns out to be helping the opposition or unhealthy.
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Sorry Jo
I am very intolerant of PDS sufferers
Salting your blog with nonsense.
Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.
🙂
PS That is more or less what the Italians did. in March
Said anyone not wearing a mask would be charged with manslaughter
It worked well at stopping PDS BS.
18
Yeah…..nothing like crushing freedoms with a sledgehammer I guess.
Some bloke ran onto the WA footy ground, got hit with a $50K coronavirus fine….thats pure tyranny, not a deterrent.
Heres an offical document for medicos to show risk of death assocaited with co-morbidities
This is a gold mine to see the internals of how the medical profession is assessing risk across age groups for COV19 – note the risk levels only start at age 50!!
So why are people younger than 50 under lockdown?
——————————–
https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2020/07/coronavirus-covid-19-guide-for-general-practitioners-to-inform-shared-decision-making-with-patients-around-risk-of-severe-illness-related-to-covid-19.pdf
“Hazard Ratios for in hospital COVID-19 death [4]
“Age (years) Increased risk (adjusted hazard ratio)
“50-59 1.0 (reference group)
“60-69 x 2.09 (1.84 -2.38)
“70-79 x 4.77 (4.23 -5.38)
“Over 80 x 12.64 (11.19 –14.28)
“A hazard ratio above one, such as 2.0, equates to 2.0 times higher risk compared to baseline.
————————
“Co-morbidities and other issuesWhile age is the factor most strongly associated with risk of severe COVID-19 illness, many chronic conditions appear to increase risk. [2, 4] In some studies male gender has been shown to increase risk. [4] Data from the UK also found that poverty was an independent risk factor not explained by co-morbidity or other risk factors. [4] First Nations peoples are thought to be at higher risk in public health emergencies. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples may be at increased risk of severe disease and should be considered a priority population when assessing potential risk related to COVID-19
“Chronic heart disease 1.27 (1.20 –1.35)
“Rheumatoid/Lupus/Psoriasis 1.23 (1.12 – 1.35)
“Controlled diabetes (HbA1c<58mmol/mol)(vs none) 1.50 (1.40 – 1.60)
"Non-haematological cancer (<12mths) (vs none) 1.56 (1.26 – 1.89)
"Liver disease 1.61 (1.33 – 1.95)
"Other immunosuppressive condition 1.69 (1.21 – 2.34)
"Kidney disease 1.78 (1.67 – 1.90)
"Respiratory disease (excluding asthma) 1.79 (1.79 – 1.93)
"Stroke/dementia 2.27 (1.99 – 2.58)
"Obesity Class III (≥40 kg/m 2) (vs none)
"Uncontrolled diabetes (HbA1c≥58mmol/mol)(vs none) 2.36 (2.18 – 2.56)
"Haematological malignancy (vs none)
Diagnosed 1-4.9 years ago 3.12 (2.50 – 3.89)
Diagnosed < 1 year ago 3.52 (2.41 – 5.14)
"Organ transplant 4.27 (3.20 –5.70)
"Risk appears to increase with the number of comorbid conditions. The proportion of COVID-19 cases who reported one or more comorbid conditions increased with the level of care required, with 76% of ventilated cases reporting comorbid conditions. [5]Condition (see list below) Increased risk of (95% confidence intervals) [5]
"No co-morbidities 1.0 (reference group)
"One chronic condition 1.8 (1.16 –2.77)
"Two or more chronic conditions 2.6 (1.61 –4.17)
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Various things corona here
https://commoncts.blogspot.com/2020/07/laura-ingraham-what-theyre-not-telling.html
Via various things corona there
http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/index.php/2020/07/16/wuhan-flu-52/
00
And catch this CNN backflip
https://www.spectator.com.au/2020/07/hcq-you-read-it-here-first/
40
Spectator Australia is spectacular.
Fancy CNN finally admitting what was clear all along to those who can think.
10
Great news. Thanks A I.
Cheers
Dave B
10
Walls work …
A massive 700m wall is being erected at Coolangatta to stop tourists illegally entering the state during coronavirus restrictions.
https://www.news.com.au/national/queensland/politics/qld-builds-border-wall-at-coolangatta-to-stop-illegal-entry/news-story/1d111be337880beed50bc24f2e84730f
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So east berlin..er coolangatta then?
21
Your papers!! vere are your papers!!!
10
It’s rather amusing. All of it.
In NZ, we aren’t immune, it will be our turn too, sometime soon. I’m giving it another 7 to 10 days here.
We’re in the dark season — the early days of the Sickness season.
What I forecast back in March/April is now coming to pass, a couple of weeks earlier than I thought, but otherwise, on time.
So you lot: hunker down (again) and this time take it seriously. Do without your footy.
While you’re passing time, read and re-read Jo’s earlier posts on Vitamin D. See if you can work out where you went wrong and then get yourselves measured. That will tell you your likelihood of surviving (or not) and you will know how to maximise it.
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Ahh I see you’re using your flat screen crystal ball again Soph..
BTW, You are getting confused.
The other day you said the virus was already back in NZ..
And that was a falsehood as well..
[SNIP pointless insults]
011
Sweden is rapidly approaching herd immunity. Deaths Rates are dropping dramatically.
Sweden never imposed mandatory restrictions, never closed schools , never closed gyms, bars restaurants and the like, and never closed borders.
The only mistake they made was not properly protecting their aged population.
Their death rate is far lower than The New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts cluster which had severe restrictions, lockdowns and the highest death rate in the works.
Sooner I or later the world will have to acknowledge they were right and the alarmists were wrong.
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Huhhhhh ? Completely misleading BS Peter.
🙁
The Swedes were dumb. It took them ages to stop the virus getting into aged care homes.
And it took a while for them to work out the most effective medicines
Especially for the large Somali refugee community
Who had very low Vitamin D levels.
But gradually the Swedes got their act together
And death rates have dropped.
PS No herd immunity has been established there either…
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Bill, not certain that is true.
There is evidence of herd immunity in Sweden, and New York…
https://youtu.be/uAHVxDBTb7k
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David,
You trust Tony Heller and what he says about a pandemic infectious disease ?
Ohhh dear !!
Good luck David.
09
I trust the charts he showed. And yes, he us an educated intelligent and sincere man. It is the way of a losing argument to immaturely attack the person making it vs. the substance.
71
Sometime around March Heller got infected by Pandemic Derangement Syndrome.
He’s been pumping out nonsense ever since.
You probably got your infection from him ?
04
I trust the charts he showed. And yes, he is an educated intelligent and sincere man. It is the way of a losing argument to immaturely attack the person making it vs. the substance.
40
“Trump would have been seen as a hero. He’d be unstoppable.”
Which is, of course, total anathema to a large proportion of the American public and to be avoided at all costs. Example: Trump on HCQ.
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I suggested several months ago here that, due to our view of personal freedom, and our multiple undisciplined and
uncontrolled populations, we were committed to the Swedish model. There is no meaningful restriction on private internal
travel by car into and out of New York, and the civil disobedience of garage parties replacing the bar scene is massive.
When the government kept even drive-in church services and movies closed, but supported and participated in massive street demonstrations,
all credibility was lost as Covid shifted in the public mind from a medical issue to a political one. No political reporting is remotely
trustworthy, nor does the “covid porn” being put out try to actually inform the folks as opposed to scare them.
New York remains far the worst impacted of any state. Given the behaviour of its citizens, waves of infection are quite possible, as elsewhere.
We’ll continue to do no better than modest curve flattening, as for the next 120 days perceived electoral advantage is far more important to our leaders than public health.
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Trump ‘prayed’ for a miracle.
hHs prayers were not answered.
If Trump had read Jo’s blog here back in February
And acted on her advice,
His political career would be far more assured than it is now.
09
He surely did not quote “science” twice in every sentence. Compare it with a progressive Governor Gavin Newsom, who scientifically closed California, then scientifically opened it, only to close it scientifically again. The Democratic party worships science.
80
Newsom was not listen to Jo here on tis blog.
He wound up listening to a bunch of PDS Crazies
Like some folk we see here in the comments.
And now like little Danny in Victoria
He has had to shut the state down again.
Very Clever !
06
Like they worship Climate “science”…..
21
They worship their idea of Science, not actual Science
31
I still dont think lock downs “work”
“Work” has many different measures of success.
THE Australian lock down – was to allow our state governments a buffer of time in order to get out health infrastructure better prepared for the large numbers of expected patients.
Did our states do this during our lock down (and unsustainable economic destruction)?
Lock down to “eradication” (use the term loosely) like New Zealand, achieves what? New Zealand has now trapped themselves in an isolation that WILL destroy their already tanked economy.
Eradication will not happen – therefore a policy of lock downs will not get us through this.
121
Sigh. In almost every country lockdowns reduce the spread 12 days later. This has been demonstrated many times. I am somewhat mystified that it needs to be said.
Success is being able to open pubs and clubs and gyms and stadiums. The only way to do that is with elimination and hard borders. Every country that does it will be able to fly to other countries that do that too.
The catch or drawback with elimination is that hard borders must be maintained with discipline. (See what happens here in WA. We may have stupidly let the virus in with “exemptions” for too many Victorians. How careless.)
There is no freedom while the virus roams. Business will be hit longer and harder, and the multiple lockdowns will be longer too.
64
Jan 31 Trump bans most of China to control the spread.
With that as a guide, why didn’t the 50 odd US states ban anyone from New York?
My daughter reports that planes are full, hardly anyone wears masks, and unless forced too, social distancing does not happen.
June 30 Morrison demands that QLD opens it’s border
The only immunity I can see is that developed by our politicians against science
25
In the US the states are controlled by the state governors.
What happens at National Level (ie – Trump) is different from State Level (Governors).
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Yes Mr MudCrab, I do know how a federal system works. In this post Jo states NY is now banning travellers from 22 states, my point is why did other states not ban NY back when it was the epicentre.
Could this whole post be a way of defending the truly woeful red state governors by deflecting blame to NY?
The data shows just how awful the US Federal, and state response has been, including NY
14
Trump is expected to lose because of coronavirus yet has always had zero influence other than shutting US borders To China which he did against the advice of most Democrat And Joe Biden. The Democrat states then quickly became very successful hot houses for the virus with the highest deaths per million due to their incompetence then spread the virus to the Republican states who when they sought to open up their economies had already been infected from those states. Trump really needs to prosecute the argument of who is really responsible for the magnitude of the spread and the number of deaths in the US because as I see it he has had no control over what the governors of the various states have done. His PR machine has a valid story to tell and he needs to start explaining who the real culprits in the US are.
There is one word that summarises the way Cuomo is carrying on now and that’s Chutzpah!
70
Trump had & has the authority to close the USA borders
And force mandatory quarantine on all permitted entry.
He didn’t do that.
Why ?
Well he said there would be a miracle.
The people of the USA are still waiting for that miracle.
And Cuomo ? He’s a two faced hypocrite.
09
Uncomfortable how the patterns of infection match the dominant political party in each state.
62
Are you inventing stuff still GA ?
07
I’d be more interested in deaths rather than game playing about infections and “cases”
10
WuFlu is a political entity.
In real terms it stopped being a medical condition months ago.
Everyone wants to cry over the 200 new cases discovered in a single day in Victoria, but casually ignore the 28,000 tests in the same time period.
That is less than 1%.
WHO – when they are not fawning over Lady GaGa – suggest that if your detection percentage is under 5 for at least a week straight then you have most likely beaten the virus and can start removing restrictions.
Also, while we are at it, road toll in Australia is about 46 per million (thankfully trending down; it was 300 per million in 1970) and I think we can agree that the median age of road deaths is not in the 70s or 80s and very few of those road deaths were suffering from pre existing medical conditions.
So, open question – if the Trillion wasted on shutting down the country had been spent on improving the quality of rural roads, driver education and traffic policing, would more lives have been saved?
71
The Pandemic Derangement Syndrome ( PDS )
Hard at work in Canberra.
Spreading misinformation propaganda leaflets
Warning that getting tested is dangerous.
I say lock them up !
Simple.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-17/act-conspiracy-theory-coronavirus-letter-delivered-to-canberrans/12465162
02
The virus just isn’t what it was cranked up to be. An 84 y/o old with dodgy valves dies of a virus and it’s treated as a heartless crime. If this is the new standard we are doomed. People still lining up to stick it to Sweden but their citizens were only too happy to make their personal choice and they did. Are they demanding lockdowns? Of course not. Their’s is one of the few governments to have neutralized the mind-bending Corona politics. I see Britain’s chief alarmists concedes that at least 2/3 of deaths so far were people that had only months to live. Common sense has left the building.
51
With you all the way, Matty.
Just like the climate change alarms and we are suckers if we fall for any of it.
20
A Melbourne infectious diseases doctor in isolation with Covid
Says there is no alternative to elimination.
Why ?
Because the medical staff will refuse to continually deal with outbreaks that threaten their lives & health !!!!!!!
Common sense from the doctor !
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-17/coronavirus-melbourne-doctor-suppression-or-elimination/12462518
Think about it Pandemic Derangement Syndrome infected.
02
Common sense from an infectious diseases doctor !
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-17/coronavirus-melbourne-doctor-suppression-or-elimination/12462518
03
My posting about an ABC story from Canberra
About misinformation about testing is ‘in moderation’ or suppressed ?
15
Link :
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-17/act-conspiracy-theory-coronavirus-letter-delivered-to-canberrans/12465162
04
Oh it would be supressed Bill, they are all after you you know.
11
Those dopey idiots in Canberra are after me ?
Nahhhh! They be dead or in hospital shortly.
I just worry about how many of others get infected with
PDS – Pandemic Derangement Syndrome
That’s more victims for the virus !
04
Dr. Michael Levitt, Stanford Prof. of Biophysics, Cambridge PhD and DSc, 2013 Chemistry Nobel Laureate
21
Thanks John for that quote from a USA professor of chemistry at Stanford, California, the USA.
They are doing sooooooo much better than us poor Aussies & Kiwis there in the USA !
Unfortunately the kind of attitude and advice he propagates has got the USA in the situation set out by World Of Meters.
3,300,000 million infections
And 143,000 dead.
And 7484 of those dead used to live in California.
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries
Hummmmm ? No thank you John.
He needs to cure his own country’s huge glorious stuff up before I’ll ever listen to any bull sh#t advice from him.
03
To be frank, Bill in Island OZ, nobody asked him. Maybe in a few years after being locked up on an island your thoughts may be different. The najority of deaths are in the over 65 year and older groups, with most of those having pre-existing conditions. Mismanagement by our political leaders have victimized the young and working groups of our country and destroyed the economy. Everyone can stay safe in their cave but when the money runs out for welfare watch the screams. WRT the US, Trump had no Federal control as Democratic mayors and governors cleared the hospitals and sent the disease into the nursing homes where a majority of the deaths occurred. 902 Australians died of influenza in 2019 and over 1100 in 2017. Nothing was said from politicians and it just passed as bad flu years in the media. If so much wasn’t made of COVID-19, and the pathetic UK modelling that predicted millions of deaths, this year would be also considered a bad flu year. Australia and New Zealand have backed themselves into a corner and any outbreak in the community will initiate more lockdowns and sending more people into bankruptcy and contributing to a major mental health problem in the community. Meanwhile, as the disease dies overseas and the populations achieve herd immunity we will stay in our cave. Better throw away your passport away mate, because a vaccine may never come.
41
You fail to impress John. Some reasons :
1: Your original comment was about a chemist not an expert in medicine or disease control in a country which has failed to protect it’s own people. I don’t give a rat’s *** about which Americans did it..( Red or Blue) American local, state & Federal governments stuffed up gloriously and now states like Florida & Texas are locking everybody down again. That is not an example for Australia.
2: You don’t stay on topic..You’ve made a series of rambling assertions without any evidence
3 : You think that this disease just effects the old. That’s pure bloody ignorance.It effects all humans
4: Herd immunity does not exist …
5: This is NOT the Flu Nor was ever the flu. That idea is just old smelly bull turds . It is a new pandemic infectious disease that is sweeping the whole planet.
6: New Zealand and Tasmania, SA, WA, Qld & NT are virtually free of your bloody virus. And there we have resumed pretty normal lives.. Along with a bundle of other countries like Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Czechnia etc…
[Please, everyone, keep the thread civil. – Jo]
03
John you’ve Pandemic Derangement Syndrome bad, bad, bad !
Seek help, OK ?
03
The poor blog filter is outraged again at my blunt dismissal of PDS – Pandemic Derangement Syndrome – sufferers !
Frankly ‘filter’, it’s what they deserve.
Their disinformation and ignorance spreads this dangerous disease.
03
Let’s set aside all of the politics for a moment. The simple hard cold facts are:
1. Masks are the most practical way to reduce spread within communities.
2. Travel restrictions are the most practical way to reduce spread between communities.
The virus only travels with/on people.
Jo is absolutely right. It’s all that simple!
01