Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2/Covid-19 Megathread

[Valmy]

Also I don't see what Trump has to do with vaccine development

Well, I guess he could speed up FDA validation, for instance, but that's not necessarily a good thing, as it could give the ok to an imperfect vaccine with low effectiveness or severe side effects.

Pool resources, provide funding and a mandate. The same way the Feds sped up getting to the Moon and developing an atomic bomb.

[Eddie Teach]

 

No, it's just a good approximation for how much something affects Valmy.

[Valmy]

No, it's just a good approximation for how much something affects Valmy.

Not true. In any case that was not the initial claim. It was about how bad it would be for the world, to which you claimed we are not important. Which is nonsense.

[The Minsky Moment]

Numbers are starting to fall in the US. It'd be interesting to see any data on people's behaviour as in they relaxed as numbers went down, then numbers started climbing so people started distancing more again etc, now numbers are going down and people will start relaxing. Because it sort of feels like that might be the cycle in the US now until there's a treatment/vaccine.

Bingo. We are on the boomerang cycle, the worst of both worlds. The fate of nations with third world kleptocratic governments.

[Sheilbh]

Pool resources, provide funding and a mandate. The same way the Feds sped up getting to the Moon and developing an atomic bomb.

Sure but the US is doing that as are all other countries. I just don't know how much credit Trump deserves for that

[celedhring]

Also I don't see what Trump has to do with vaccine development

Well, I guess he could speed up FDA validation, for instance, but that's not necessarily a good thing, as it could give the ok to an imperfect vaccine with low effectiveness or severe side effects.

Pool resources, provide funding and a mandate. The same way the Feds sped up getting to the Moon and developing an atomic bomb.

Those are not 1=1 comparisons though, the Manhattan and Apollo projects were carried out by federal agencies directly. The ability of the government to influence the private sector is certainly there, but it's not as strong.

[The Larch]

Also I don't see what Trump has to do with vaccine development

Well, I guess he could speed up FDA validation, for instance, but that's not necessarily a good thing, as it could give the ok to an imperfect vaccine with low effectiveness or severe side effects.

Pool resources, provide funding and a mandate. The same way the Feds sped up getting to the Moon and developing an atomic bomb.

Those are not 1=1 comparisons though, the Manhattan and Apollo projects were carried out by federal agencies directly. The ability of the government to influence the private sector is certainly there, but it's not as strong.

And research and medical testing still take their sweet time, you reach a point in which more resources don't really advance the situation. The worry would be cutting on safety protocols that make sure that the vaccine is safe in order to deliver it faster (ie, in time for the elections).

[Valmy]

Pool resources, provide funding and a mandate. The same way the Feds sped up getting to the Moon and developing an atomic bomb.

Sure but the US is doing that as are all other countries. I just don't know how much credit Trump deserves for that

EVentually the private sector had to step in and do it once they realized the Feds were not going to do anything. I found that deeply embarrasing.

[Sheilbh]

EVentually the private sector had to step in and do it once they realized the Feds were not going to do anything. I found that deeply embarrasing.

Oh no. With medical research, as with tech to help climate issues, I am very much a let a thousand flowers bloom type. The private sector won't have the resources to do this alone (or at all) but I'd rather states just spending money on every project than trying to work out the best project themselves.

[Valmy]

It is not an either or situation Sheilbh but this was an emergency with the potential to destroy the economy and the Feds did not take any leadership or provide large resources to get it taken care of. They have thrown a few peanuts big pharmas way but nothing that I consider sufficient given the size of the crisis. In any case we are a few months away now.

[Sheilbh]

It is not an either or situation Sheilbh but this was an emergency with the potential to destroy the economy and the Feds did not take any leadership or provide large resources to get it taken care of. They have thrown a few peanuts big pharmas way but nothing that I consider sufficient given the size of the crisis. In any case we are a few months away now.

It's weird defending the Trump administration but I think they've done what's right in this area - I mean they've spent $3billion on a number of different vaccine projects (whch also includes a right to purchase x million if any of them work). The UK government and EU have taken similar approaches and the UK hosted a conference - which the US attended - around coordinating all the different vaccine projects plus funding to ensure developing countries will have access.

I don't think this area has been wildly politicised so it's probably be run by civil servants rather than Trump. But I'm just not sure what more the US government's meant to do.

[Eddie Teach]

No, it's just a good approximation for how much something affects Valmy.

Not true. In any case that was not the initial claim. It was about how bad it would be for the world, to which you claimed we are not important. Which is nonsense.

No, I said our form of government was less important than the plague.

[Sheilbh]

Re the type of people I see being anti-mask, this Morrisons is just by me

Moment megaphone wielding anti-mask activists storm Morrison's and demand shoppers 'resist the new world order' and take off their face-coverings that are 'so bad' for them
    Protest group stormed supermarket telling shoppers 'Your masks are so bad for you' as they tried to buy food
    One accused bewildered buyers of never asking questions about rules and were happy to 'just wear a mask'
    Bizarrely one of the anti-mask protesters was actually wearing a mask from the Scream films himself
    Are you or do you know a member of mask protest group StandUp X? Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
By Dan Sales For Mailonline
Published: 15:26, 10 August 2020 | Updated: 18:28, 10 August 2020

A mob of anti-mask protesters stunned grocery shoppers after storming a supermarket yelling 'You guys need to resist'.

Members of group StandUp X walked into the Morrison's store in Peckham, south London, to lecture people on wearing face coverings during the pandemic.

As shoppers harmlessly filling up their baskets looked on, the protesters walked through shouting that people should not submit to coronavirus rules.

And they told people buying food: 'Your masks are so bad for you.'

Members of group StandUp X walked into the supermarket in Peckham, south London, to lecture people on wearing masks

One shouted: 'You are conditioned to believe everything the government tells you.

'Never ask questions. You never ask questions, just wear a mask.

'You know this agenda is the new world order agenda. They are conditioning you for the new world order guys. You guys need to resist.

'Resist the new world order guys. How many people die from the flu every year?

The unmasked protesters insisted the safety measures were not necessary to stop Covid-19 and people should ask questions

Bizarrely for an anti-mask protest, one campaigner was seen wearing one on his face, similar to the type in the Scream films

'You are not asking any questions. You are just wearing a mask because they tell you to wear a mask. Do some research.'

StandUp x describe themselves as a group that is 'peacefully questioning the narrative.'

They believe the new lockdown rules are a state of 'authoritarian control' and say they do not consent to social distancing measures.

Their website says: 'We do not consent to Government social distancing measures infringing upon public and private life.

'We do not accept enforced masks. We do not accept a dictatorship of lockdowns, threats of lockdowns, and Covid Ghettos.'

They also question the need for 5G and various other government and charitable ventures.

As shoppers watched them walk through the store chanting, video footage shows none were wearing masks.

In contrast, many of those buying food were adhering to guidelines put in place by PM Boris Johnson to reduce the spread of the virus.

One protester handed out leaflets, while another shouted: 'Don't let the government lie to you no more!'

Another chanted: 'We are the people, we are the power, we are the 99%.'

The video was posted on the group's Twitter account, alongside the cation: 'On our London protest in Peckham Rye yesterday we took a detour to Morrisons to wake up the shoppers #londonprotest #peckhamrye #morrisons #nomasks #awake #HumanRights #freedom #covid #Police #media #Plandemic #Plandemic2020.'

It followed a series or organised marches across Britain protesting about the coronavirus rules.

Rallies have been held in Brighton, Sheffield and London and one will also take place this Saturday in Shoreditch.

At the Brighton march at the weekend, a member of the group said it had a pro-freedom and anti-lockdown stance and that its aim was to 'save our rights'.

Last month hundreds of activists descended on Hyde Park in central London to protest the wearing of face coverings, ahead of them becoming compulsory in shops and supermarkets.

Signs reading 'I will not be masked, tested, tracked' and 'no mask' were heald aloft by demonstrators after they gathered for the Keep Britain Free march.

The movement was founded by Simon Dolan, an aviation tycoon worth around £200million, who earlier this month lost a High Court bid to overturn the government's lockdown rules.

He had launched the campaign on July 6, saying: 'I believe in freedom of choice for all and the protection of personal liberties. The Government's actions are crippling the economy, denying children education, and trampling over human rights.'

One man wore a plague doctor costume, another had a mask with the front ripped out and one donned a vest saying: 'Save human rights. No to 5G. No to vaccinations.'

People gathered to listen to speakers at a July protest organised by 'Keep Britain Free' which is against the wearing of masks

The protest was to counter the government announcement that masks must be worn in shops from July 24, which organisers branded a 'liberty-sapping regulation'.

The march, which started in Speaker's Corner and moved to Marble Arch, also looked to repel 'the erosion of freedoms in the UK' brought in during lockdown.

Two months after attending a similar protest in Hyde Park, Piers Corbyn, brother of former Labour leader Jeremy, has also been seen at demonstrations.

A Devon woman Lara Crabb has also become a face of the anti-mask movement.

She posted videos of herself online proudly going into shops without the face coverings.

Crabb, who is linked to Keep Britain Free, wrote on Twitter earlier this month she had been told off by one shop for not wearing the protection.

She fumed: 'I spend a lot of money in your stores.

'I don't expect to be mask "shamed" by your staff. That happened yesterday in your Dartmouth branch.

'Suggest you speak to them about their conduct. I will not ever wear a mask.'

Facebook user Aron Walton filmed himself walking around a Sainsbury's store with a grin on his face as he then asked a member of staff 'what's the policy' before telling him the rule cannot be enforced.

Lara Crabb spoke of people avoiding her 'like the plague' as she filmed herself shopping in a farm store and a Tesco branch in Devon without covering her nose and mouth with a mask. Meanwhile tattoo artist Aron Walton filmed himself entering a Sainsbury's branch without a face covering as he told staff they cannot enforce the new policy

Twitter account 'Mr. Grunt' recorded video of the moment he approached a Boots store and asked the masked guard if he could enter, to which the guard replied 'yes, there are masks back there'.

In the video, which was posted online with the caption 'Well done @BootsUK! #NoMasks', the man says 'I can't wear a mask, is that ok' before the masked guard responds 'yeah, that's ok'.

And in London, Facebook user Reis Daniel says 'f*** it, I'm going in' before he is told by a member of Sainsbury's staff that he is not allowed in the store without a covering.

Mr Daniel responds 'man, that's rough' before he snatches a bag of sweets by the check-out counter without paying for them and sprinting out of the store laughing.

Morrisons have been approached for comment following the protest, which took place on July 25.

Are you or do you know a member of mask protest group StandUp X? Email: [email protected]

StandUp X: The 'community of struggle against the New Normal'

A newly-formed group designed to oppose many of the government's rules and restrictions to try and prevent the spread of Covid-19, StandUp X describes itself as a 'community of struggle against the New Normal'.

It has already held a series of marches and says it invites anyone 'questioning the mainstream narrative' to join in its 'peaceful rallies'.

On its website, StandUp X says it does not consent to the 'illegal and disproportionate measures' and argues that Britain is 'living in a state of authoritarian control'.

Social distancing measures, the wearing of masks, the enforcement of lockdowns and 'Covid Ghettos' are among the rules and regulations StandUp X opposes.

It also wants to take a stand against vaccinations, claiming they 'violate the principles of the Nuremberg Code' - a set of research ethics principles for human experimentation created as a result of the Nuremberg trials at the end of the Second World War.

The code states: 'Any preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic medical intervention is only to be carried out with the prior, free and informed consent of the person concerned.'

StandUp X warns 'forced, coerced and mandated' vaccinations will see humanity become 'a mass science experiment profiting billions for pharmaceutical companies and their partners including Bill Gates'.

The group also opposes track and trace methods, describing it as a 'digital Gestapo' and a violation of personal privacy., while it claims the rollout of 5G technology is 'lethal to privacy as well as health'.

[Valmy]

Man so many things to be paranoid about. 5G, Vaccines, Masks, and ever more being created every day. It must be hell living in their bubble.

[PDH]

My momma's afraid to tell me
The things she's afraid of.