Covid-19 pandemic & Fake News - How you can help

AustinPowers

New Member
COVID-19 is new H1N1. When H1N1 appeared in 1918 it killed tens of millions within months. Today hundreds of millions of Americans are infected with H1N1 and developed immunity. If they don't lift the curfew and let people develop immunity then the economy will tank.

Mod edit: Provide supporting proof of claim that "hundreds of millions of Americans" are infected with H1N1 and developed immunity, keeping in mind that there was an H1N1 outbreak in the US in 2009 which caused 12k deaths.
-Preceptor
 
Last edited by a moderator:

hauritz

Well-Known Member
COVID-19 is new H1N1. When H1N1 appeared in 1918 it killed tens of millions within months. Today hundreds of millions of Americans are infected with H1N1 and developed immunity. If they don't lift the curfew and let people develop immunity then the economy will tank.
Not sure what you are suggesting here. Are you saying that we should sacrifice several million lives in an attempt to save the economy?
For starters, you would have to provide evidence that this would even work.

We don't even know if there are any long term effects from this disease if we just let it run wild in the community. There is some evidence that even mild infections could result in permanent damage to the lungs and kidneys. We don't know if people will even develop a long term immunity to the problem. We don't even know what the actual death rate is yet.

It would be incredibly irresponsible to back off too soon.
 

AustinPowers

New Member
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #4
this article suggests that recovered patients rather than developing an immunity have now become reinfected ,
Obviously. COVID-19 will eventually infect hundreds of millions as did H1N1. Those who are released from hospital are carriers who in turn infect others upon returning home.

Mod edit: Again, provide proof of the claim that people released from hospitals after being diagnosed and treated for COVID-19 are carriers who then infect others. At present there have been reports of some patients in S. Korea who were re-tested and came back positive following release but that doesn't support the blanket claim being made.
-Preceptor
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Todjaeger

Potstirrer
A further article to the above posting I did suggests that it is unknown as to the cause of the released patients again coming down with the virus
it would be interesting to discover if this has been noted elsewhere like Wuhan for instance or if it hasnt also interesting
There are a number of possible explanations. Until this has been researched and testing has occurred to determine what happened/is happening, it is something which science and healthcare need to be mindful of. At present S. Korea is reporting that approximately 7k COVID-19 cases have recovered, and at present it appears that 91 of those "recovered" cases have tested positive again. Potential explanations which immediately come to mind are, the negative tests prior to release were false negatives or the positive re-tests following release were false positives. It is also possible that the patients who re-tested positive did not develop and retain anti-bodies to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, meaning they did not build up immunity, and then ended up getting re-infected from a virus source.

Unless/until answers to these questions are known, or if there are reports of similar instances of recurrence or re-infection occurring in other countries then we really do not know what significance (if any) the news in the article has.
 

Preceptor

Super Moderator
Staff member
Curfew will only delay the inevitable. Eventually millions will be infected. It's not a question of if. It's a question of when. Rather than letting nature do its job now they rather tank the economy and send millions laid off. New strains of virus appears once every few years. What's their solution? Lock down the whole country every time? What's the point? They should do what China does and simply ignore it.

Member banned for failing to meet Moderator requirements for providing proof, as well as fearmongering regarding the current COVID-19 pandemic. Also it be apparent by now that the Moderator team really has no tolerance or sense of humor when people advocate taking actions which would result in the deaths of millions.
-Preceptor
 

Todjaeger

Potstirrer
Curfew will only delay the inevitable. Eventually millions will be infected. It's not a question of if. It's a question of when. Rather than letting nature do its job now they rather tank the economy and send millions laid off. New strains of virus appears once every few years. What's their solution? Lock down the whole country every time? What's the point? They should do what China does and simply ignore it.
Given some of the incorrect assertions which have been made recently, I felt obligated to clear up/correct a few things. First, that while the 1918 influenza pandemic was indeed an H1N1 strain, as was the 2009 'swine flu' pandemic, they were not the same strain of H1N1. There had been some evidence following both the 2009 pandemic and success in extracting and replicating samples from the 1918 pandemic that some vaccines developed for the 2009 H1N1 strain could provide some benefit vs. the 1918 H1N1 strain. One of the notable differences seem to be the toll the 1918 strain took on health individuals, likely caused by immune system triggers the virus would trip whereas people with more chronic health issues would have had a weaker overall immune system which was less able to have an exaggerated response.

Another issue requiring correction has to due to the frequency in which new virus strains appear. It is NOT an event which occurs every few years. In fact it happens all the time. If it did not, then there would not be "seasonal flus" nor would there be some years where the new flu vaccine works well, and other years not so much. One of the properties of influenza viruses is their ability to change and mutate, doing so readily which is why someone can become ill from the flu year after year, because anti-bodies their immune system develops to fight an infection one year might no longer be close enough to the new strain which has mutated from one around in prior years.

At present, it appears that the SARS-CoV-2 virus does not mutate as readily as an influenza virus, which suggests that once a vaccine is developed it should be more effective than a flu vaccine is, because the virus will likely have shifted less so anti-bodies developed from the vaccine are going to be more effective. This is of course also subject to change as new information comes in.
 

OPSSG

Super Moderator
Staff member
The forum welcomes logical members who are here to make friends and learn from others. Please read the Forum rules, before posting. This includes rules 14, 15 and 23, as follows:

14. You must post source of your information/articles ( link, website, book, magazine, etc.).

15. You must have fun and let others do the same.

...

23. There is both an expectation and requirement that members will put some effort into what they post with research, providing facts and links where appropriate and associated posting behaviors, to maintain the quality and level of discussion on DefenceTalk
 
Last edited:

OPSSG

Super Moderator
Staff member
Public service announcement on sharing fake and inaccurate news; or using a misleading interpretation of select facts to make a political point.

Many would most certainly like to share views, news and information about the on-going Covid-19 pandemic here or on other social media sites.

1. Be a RESPONSIBLE person, please DO NOT post and share FAKE news and information.

2. Do not be finger-trigger-happy and just share. READ through the news first instead of just the headlines. When in doubt, DO NOT share and post. Search the web, Google it and check with other major news websites to see if the news is correct.

3. Check the DATE of the news. In such fluid times when and where anything can change in the next 12 hours or a day. Yesterday's news or even this morning's news can be old news. Share and post timely news.

4. I STRESS and EMPHASIZE about READING the news article and information yourself first because by just reading the headlines, you could be misled then share. Thereby putting up MISLEADING messages of your own.

5. DO NOT behave like AustinPowers, Atlantic Realm, PhysicsMan, or t68, whose posts have been comprehensively debunked from multiple angles. Their posts are curated here in this thread as examples of what not to do.

All these could lead to unwanted and unnecessary panic. Fake news stops with you. Be Responsible, Read, Curate then Share.

#TogetherWeCanOvercome #Covid19 #Coronavirus
 
Last edited:

OPSSG

Super Moderator
Staff member
Living life with the threat of Corvid-19 spread in Singapore — under the current Phase 2 reopening plan

1. High test rates and use of masks to prevent the heath system from being overwhelmed—Singapore swabbed nearly 900,000 people, more than 15% of its 5.7 million population, according to official data — one of the highest per capita rates globally. The city-state made masks mandatory in public in April. While experts have said more studies need be done, there is growing evidence that wearing masks helps reduce the prevalance and severity of the virus. The WHO has recommended the use of masks in combination with other social distancing measures.

"We have adopted a good mask culture in Singapore. This makes the disease milder," said Dr Leong Hoe Nam, an infectious diseases expert.​

2. As of 19 Sep 2020, Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH) has confirmed an additional 15 cases, with 1 case in the community, who is a Singaporean. There are 5 imported cases, who had all been placed on Stay-Home Notice upon arrival in Singapore. Many of the new cases are asymptomatic and were proactively detected, the MOH said. 27% of the new cases have no established links.

3. When the health system is not overwhelmed, Singapore hospitals can give better care and have started using awake prone positioning (PP) combined with high-flow nasal cannula, to reduce mortality rates — with just 27 deaths among the more than 57,000 people who have been infected with Covid-19 — keeping the death rate at 0.05% instead of the average of 3%. Read more at Explainer: Why Singapore's Covid-19 death rate is the world's lowest

4. Amongst the cases residing in dorms, many been identified earlier as contacts of previous cases and were tested during quarantine, said the MOH. The remaining cases were detected through surveillance testing, such as the bi-weekly rostered routine testing of workers living in dorms.

5. About 5,700 workers who are required to undergo the routine testing have yet to do so, said the Ministry of Manpower, Economic Development Board, Building and Construction Authority, and Health Promotion Board in a joint statement.

6. Singapore’s ‘circuit breaker’ measures comprise a three-phase plan for gradual re-opening. After more than two months of lockdown, it entered phase two – the safe transition period – on 19 Jun 2020, after which Singaporeans could dine out in restaurants and bars, and regain some sort of social life.

7. Most restaurants and bars have reopened. Under the phase two regulations, customers must receive mandatory temperature checks and contact tracing procedures when visiting the venues. Each table can only serve groups of five people, and there should be a one-metre space between the tables.

8. Singapore will gradually re-open borders for Singaporeans to conduct essential activities overseas and to allow safe travel for foreigners entering or transiting through Singapore. Necessary precautions and safeguards will be in place. As the global situation remains volatile, such moves will be assessed and implemented separately from the timing of the three phases of re-opening outlined.

9. Singapore will continue building on the city-state’s capabilities in the following areas:

(i) Expanding testing capacity to be able to diagnose cases early, screen all individuals at risk, and protect the more vulnerable groups​
(ii) Speed up contact tracing to identify and isolate close contacts of infected persons​
(iii) Ensure sufficient healthcare capacity to deal with any potential surges in cases​
If community transmission rates remain low, Singapore can then move to Phase 3, next.

10. The goal is to transition eventually to Phase 3 as the ‘new normal’ by 2021 (if conditions allow) and Singapore is expected to remain at this state until an effective vaccine or treatment for COVID-19 is developed. What’s expected to be allowed in a future Phase 3:
  • Social, cultural, religious and business gatherings or events would have resumed
    Gathering sizes would have to be limited in order to prevent large clusters from arising.

  • Seniors would be able to resume day-to-day activities

  • Safe distancing measures need to be practised, peak period travel, crowded places and large groups need to be avoided.
 

OPSSG

Super Moderator
Staff member
US President Donald Trump said he and first lady Melania Trump have tested positive for COVID-19.

Trump made the announcement on his Twitter account on Thursday (Oct 1): "Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!"

Multiple White House staffers have tested positive for the virus, including Katie Miller, Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary, national security adviser Robert O'Brien, and one of the president's personal valets. Kimberly Guilfoyle, who is dating Trump’s oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., tested positive in South Dakota before an Independence Day fireworks show at Mount Rushmore. Until the Oct 1 announcement, Trump had consistently played down concerns about being personally vulnerable to contracting COVID-19.
 
Last edited:

John Fedup

The Bunker Group
The forthcoming election has already been complicated by Trump’s false claims of potential fraud with mail in ballots. Now there is the possibility he may not be able to run and there is a very slight chance Biden may have been infected during the debate. If any of this happens, the election outcome will be a C-F. Meanwhile, how many more senior administration officials will become infected by Trump’s encouragement to ignore masks? This could be an opportunity for Xi and Putin to stir the pot.
 

Todjaeger

Potstirrer
The forthcoming election has already been complicated by Trump’s false claims of potential fraud with mail in ballots. Now there is the possibility he may not be able to run and there is a very slight chance Biden may have been infected during the debate. If any of this happens, the election outcome will be a C-F. Meanwhile, how many more senior administration officials will become infected by Trump’s encouragement to ignore masks? This could be an opportunity for Xi and Putin to stir the pot.
No, it will NOT be an opportunity to stir the pot. The pot-stirring has already been going on for some time now. There is the potential for everything to get dumped into a Waring blender and Xi, Putin, Kim or one of the others to then hit the frape button though.

Depending on how the case goes, it could (finally) trigger an Article 25 Section 4 action, though that could also make the balloting problematic and without precedent.

Also of interest is whether or not Biden will get re-tested after 5 days, as that is apparently part of the procedures for some of the more senior/important officials within gov't if they have been exposed. It does make sense given the rate for false results in testing, as well as the potential for a newly infected person to not have had sufficient internal spread to leave traces for tests to detect.
 

Todjaeger

Potstirrer
Just remember this is a Covid-19 thread, not a US political thread, which is verboten here by the way, so don't derail the thread.
:mad: The unfortunate reality in the US is that COVID-19 is political at this point. This is of course problematic on a number of different levels, because a virus being a virus has no political affiliations in terms of who it will or will not infect. When both individuals, organizations, and officials/policymakers making response decisions based upon politics as opposed to medical/scientific best practices...

BTW there are still people in the US who seem firmly convinced that the virus is a hoax and/or exaggerated in terms of impact, despite the recent news about POTUS being hospitalized with COVID-19 and a number of administration officials having been at least exposed if not infected, along with congressional leadership. It does seem as though the stubborn refusal will continue until these holdouts either get infected, or personally see someone they know get infected with it.
 

ngatimozart

Super Moderator
Staff member
Verified Defense Pro
A RN SSBN CO is going to have some explaining to do to their Lordships of the Admiralty when his boat returns to the UK. I think that some members of the crew will be before the CO with their caps off well before the sub leaves US territorial waters. Stoppage of leave and pay might be the least of their worries.

 

StobieWan

Super Moderator
Staff member
Oh dear - bomber crews gotta be bomber crews I guess. Given infection rates in Florida, that's a whole kind of stupid.
 

Atlantic Realm

New Member
Well, 30 of them managed to get themselves infected. I'm actually surprised leave was granted - might have been better to keep 'em penned up.
Tested positive for shed viruses from months ago most likely. Florida managed the virus much better than peer states and most countries in the West.
 
Top