As expected new COVID wave here in the US. Hitting conservative areas and seeing 20% or more of classrooms and teachers are taken out by it. Schools closing down already in these areas as too many teachers are sick to stay open. Also these schools will not go remote learning, they will just burn these days like snow days.

I can't get the picture from my phone to here but we got an email from Alberta Health Services this morning that there is a "respiratory illness outbreak" at our school.

Wouldn't you know it that all the symptoms listed are that of COVID-19. And all the protocols outlined in the letter are what you should do if you have these symptoms. And my daughter caught COVID last week. And my son's teacher has been off this week after testing positive. And attendance is down in every classroom.

This comes a few weeks after our un-elected anti-vax conspiracy theorist Premier got into power and is threatening to cut funding to AHS, and has also blamed their staff shortages on the poor response to COVID-19. It's literally her party's fault there are staff shortages and she's saying it's their fault and that they're doing a bad job.

I want to scream.

China is still holding onto its " zero covid " policy.

As the BBC reports,

" For the past three years, the patience of one billion people in China has been stretched, growing thinner and thinner with every lockdown and round of mass Covid testing.

As thousands took to the streets in cities protesting against Covid restrictions, an exhausted nation has been asking how much longer must they endure Xi Jinping's zero-Covid policy."

People are dying because of policy now, not of covid.

This is a country ruled by a dictatorship that employs concentration camps, yet uses the slogan " Serve the People " .. the irony.

Control the people.

Oct 28, 2022 17:30:00 GMT RT said:

I can't get the picture from my phone to here but we got an email from Alberta Health Services this morning that there is a "respiratory illness outbreak" at our school.

Wouldn't you know it that all the symptoms listed are that of COVID-19. And all the protocols outlined in the letter are what you should do if you have these symptoms. And my daughter caught COVID last week. And my son's teacher has been off this week after testing positive. And attendance is down in every classroom.

This comes a few weeks after our un-elected anti-vax conspiracy theorist Premier got into power and is threatening to cut funding to AHS, and has also blamed their staff shortages on the poor response to COVID-19. It's literally her party's fault there are staff shortages and she's saying it's their fault and that they're doing a bad job.

I want to scream.

Our Winter was a nightmare here, my girls missed so much school.
Not Covid, just so many coughs, colds & tonsillitis etc.
The other issue with all the lockdowns is that nobody has any immunity to anything and it just sweeps through schools.

Up until a term ago the school was SUPER strict with staying home with any symptoms at all and required testing twice a week.
But so many kids are missing so much school that they have relaxed the policies.
So many kids apparently are messed up from lockdowns and refuse to attend school every day.
I am never the first one at drop off but anecdotally I can tell you that everyone is finding it hard to get back into the routine even now months later.

I feel for you RT the only thing that made winter not a total nightmare was that my wife works from home.

Nov 28, 2022 22:33:37 GMT NATH45 said:

China is still holding onto its " zero covid " policy.

As the BBC reports,

" For the past three years, the patience of one billion people in China has been stretched, growing thinner and thinner with every lockdown and round of mass Covid testing.

As thousands took to the streets in cities protesting against Covid restrictions, an exhausted nation has been asking how much longer must they endure Xi Jinping's zero-Covid policy."

People are dying because of policy now, not of covid.

This is a country ruled by a dictatorship that employs concentration camps, yet uses the slogan " Serve the People " .. the irony.

Control the people.

Ironically this could be the flame that ignites the powder keg that is Chinese domestic politics.
Did you see their coverage of the world cup?
They have stopped showing the grandstands because people became outraged to discover the rest of the world had moved on and was able to attend stadiums without masks.

In other Covid news I saw a report of infertility amongst men who had experienced Covid, with many men who were admitted to hospitalized for Covid now sterile and a reduction in sperm count with every male who has had it.

You're not putting on a tin foil hat too, are you iNCY?

Covid causing sterility I mentioned well over a year ago. Got dismissed by people as fake news or overreacting.

Antivaxers becoming infertile is darwinism at its best.

Nov 29, 2022 6:09:33 GMT NATH45 said:

You're not putting on a tin foil hat too, are you iNCY?

The difference between conspiracy theory and mainstream news is tracking at about 2 years...

I'm in the middle so maybe just a tin foil sun visor.

Nov 29, 2022 6:23:13 GMT c said:

Covid causing sterility I mentioned well over a year ago. Got dismissed by people as fake news or overreacting.

Antivaxers becoming infertile is darwinism at its best.

There wasn't any difference in vaxxed or non vaxxed outcomes from what I recall.
I still probably think this is a lab virus accidentally released.

In the US severe COVID predominately happens to conservatives for reasons the right wing media does not understand. Which means more conservatives will suffer from post COVID infertility by the simple fact more of them getting COVID, and still getting hospitalized to this day.  Conservative media is baffled why this only seems to effect one political party, perhaps the virus was designed that way.

So number crunching time, of the approx. 1,060,000 deaths in the United States and all it's territories, I crunched through until I got the percentage advantage either way. 

- Blue States make up approx. 550,000 of those deaths. Or approx. 52%
- Red States take approx. 442,000 or approx. 41%
- With 7% split amongst the remaining states/territories, (Red, Blue, Black, Green, Yellow... ) the Red States can't make up the difference. 

So, Blue States win!

So, this idea that dumb redneck conservatives are getting Covid and dying en masse as compared to the progressive left states isn't exactly true. It's not true at all. 

And it's a similar theme, although I can't be bother going through overall case number.. but the heavy-hitters in deaths, are the heavy-hitters in overall case numbers. No surprises. 

( Of course, it's impossible to survey each individual person on their voting habits x covid/health report to gain a better understanding. )

California - 96k
Texas - 89k
Florida - 82k
New York - 71k
Pennsylvania - 47k
Georgia - 41k
Illinois - 40k
Ohio - 39k
Michigan - 39k
New Jersey - 34k
Arizona - 31k
Tennessee - 28k
North Carolina - 27k
Indiana - 24k
Virginia - 22k
Massachusetts - 21k
Missouri - 21k
Alabama - 20k
South Carolina - 18k
Louisiana - 18k
Kentucky - 17k
Maryland - 15k
Wisconsin - 15k
Oklahoma - 15k
Washington - 14k
Minnesota - 13k
Colorado - 13k
Mississippi - 13k
Arkansas - 12k
Connecticut - 11k
Nevada - 11k
Iowa - 10k
Kansas - 9k
Oregon - 8k
New Mexico - 8k

Nov 29, 2022 12:11:07 GMT NATH45 said:

So number crunching time, of the approx. 1,060,000 deaths in the United States and all it's territories, I crunched through until I got the percentage advantage either way. 

- Blue States make up approx. 550,000 of those deaths. Or approx. 52%
- Red States take approx. 442,000 or approx. 41%
- With 7% split amongst the remaining states/territories, (Red, Blue, Black, Green, Yellow... ) the Red States can't make up the difference. 

So, Blue States win!

So, this idea that dumb redneck conservatives are getting Covid and dying en masse as compared to the progressive left states isn't exactly true. It's not true at all. 

And it's a similar theme, although I can't be bother going through overall case number.. but the heavy-hitters in deaths, are the heavy-hitters in overall case numbers. No surprises. 

( Of course, it's impossible to survey each individual person on their voting habits x covid/health report to gain a better understanding. )

California - 96k
Texas - 89k
Florida - 82k
New York - 71k
Pennsylvania - 47k
Georgia - 41k
Illinois - 40k
Ohio - 39k
Michigan - 39k
New Jersey - 34k
Arizona - 31k
Tennessee - 28k
North Carolina - 27k
Indiana - 24k
Virginia - 22k
Massachusetts - 21k
Missouri - 21k
Alabama - 20k
South Carolina - 18k
Louisiana - 18k
Kentucky - 17k
Maryland - 15k
Wisconsin - 15k
Oklahoma - 15k
Washington - 14k
Minnesota - 13k
Colorado - 13k
Mississippi - 13k
Arkansas - 12k
Connecticut - 11k
Nevada - 11k
Iowa - 10k
Kansas - 9k
Oregon - 8k
New Mexico - 8k

Except if you break this down by county it’s the red counties in the blue states with the most. And the red counties in the red states with the most. There are a few counties that don’t fit this pattern, but they are high population.

Nov 29, 2022 12:11:07 GMT NATH45 said:

So number crunching time, of the approx. 1,060,000 deaths in the United States and all it's territories, I crunched through until I got the percentage advantage either way. 

- Blue States make up approx. 550,000 of those deaths. Or approx. 52%
- Red States take approx. 442,000 or approx. 41%
- With 7% split amongst the remaining states/territories, (Red, Blue, Black, Green, Yellow... ) the Red States can't make up the difference. 

So, Blue States win!

So, this idea that dumb redneck conservatives are getting Covid and dying en masse as compared to the progressive left states isn't exactly true. It's not true at all. 

And it's a similar theme, although I can't be bother going through overall case number.. but the heavy-hitters in deaths, are the heavy-hitters in overall case numbers. No surprises. 

( Of course, it's impossible to survey each individual person on their voting habits x covid/health report to gain a better understanding. )

California - 96k
Texas - 89k
Florida - 82k
New York - 71k
Pennsylvania - 47k
Georgia - 41k
Illinois - 40k
Ohio - 39k
Michigan - 39k
New Jersey - 34k
Arizona - 31k
Tennessee - 28k
North Carolina - 27k
Indiana - 24k
Virginia - 22k
Massachusetts - 21k
Missouri - 21k
Alabama - 20k
South Carolina - 18k
Louisiana - 18k
Kentucky - 17k
Maryland - 15k
Wisconsin - 15k
Oklahoma - 15k
Washington - 14k
Minnesota - 13k
Colorado - 13k
Mississippi - 13k
Arkansas - 12k
Connecticut - 11k
Nevada - 11k
Iowa - 10k
Kansas - 9k
Oregon - 8k
New Mexico - 8k

That is misleading because it doesn't take population size into account. Per capita the list is much more red at the top. 

www.statista.com/statistics/1109011/coronavirus-covid19-death-rates-us-by-state/

And sure, Mississippi takes the top spot if viewing it per capaita with 13,000 deaths vs a population of 2.95m people. Or 0.44% fatality rate. We get that. 

California, with 96,000 deaths vs a population of 39.2m people. Sure, it's only a 0.24% fatality rate. So, sure, the Middle Manager will give you the tick on your Covid-19 audit for being under 0.3% dead. 

And you're right 4/5 of the top counties for overall deaths are red. (the leading county is blue) 

Hinds County - 834
Harrison County - 700
DeSoto County - 751
Rankin County - 519
Jackson County - 589

--------------------------------------------------------


All34LOL, it's not really " red counties " in Blue States... it's a blue wave of death. In the top 3 Blue States, Blue Counties lead the death toll. Overwhelmingly. 


Breaking down deaths in Blue State, California. The top 5 counties for deaths (96k total) and how they voted in the 2020 election : 

www.politico.com/2020-election/results/california/

Los Angeles County - 33k
San Bernardino County - 8k
Orange County - 7,500
Riverside County - 6,600
San Diego County - 5,500

Breaking down deaths in New York State. The top 5 counties for deaths (71k total) and how they voted in the 2020 election :


Kings County (Brooklyn) - 9,700
Queens County - 9,300
Bronx County - 6,600
Suffolk County - 4,500
New York County (Manhattan) - 4,200

Breaking down deaths in Pennsylvania. The top 5 counties for deaths (47k total) and how they voted in the 2020 election :

Philadelphia County - 5,300
Allegheny County - 3,600
Montgomery County - 2,500
Bucks County - 2k
Lancaster County - 2k

I said the big population centers were the exception. But you don’t really believe only blue voters live there do you? I know you don’t. But that’s the data you’re presenting.


Also as Gyro pointed out there’s more to it. For instance the deaths in the places you just posted were highest at the beginning early 2020. By late 2020 after mitigation efforts the death rates were higher amongst red counties.

Totaling numbers doesn’t tell the story.

I mean total numbers would skew towards blue areas because that’s where all the people live.


And Florida's numbers can’t be trusted at all as their governor had people arrested to keep numbers getting out.

Suffolk County (red) has a population of 1.526m, Bronx (blue) has a population of 1.472m.

Yet, Suffolk recorded 2,100 less deaths.

I'm sure, you could easily find examples if higher populated counties recording less deaths than like-for-like or less populated counties.

Nov 29, 2022 23:47:26 GMT NATH45 said:

Suffolk County (red) has a population of 1.526m, Bronx (blue) has a population of 1.472m.

Yet, Suffolk recorded 2,100 less deaths.

I'm sure, you could easily find examples if higher populated counties recording less deaths than like-for-like or less populated counties.

I wouldn’t characterize those two counties as like for like.

The Bronx has a pop density 34,917.7/sq mi
Suffolk has a pop density 1,637.0/sq mi



I’d also add the deaths in the Bronx were at their worst early on in Jan 2020and long islands happened across the whole line with a slight spike in the summer 2020.

And listen I’m not gonna defend New Yorks response at all. They dropped the ball early which I think also accounts for their numbers. It admit I’m making that argument on the basis of pop density and waves of the virus. It didn’t hit everywhere at the same time, and not all blue state responses were equal or timed identically. Neither were red states for that matter. I mean I live in a red state but we responded much more like the blue states.

I guess my argument is again those numbers aren’t the whole story.





And also it’s still out there. And people are still studying ALL this data. It might takes years of study to see what really happened. We still don’t know all the long term effects of the virus.

NATH45 Do you have something against per capita stats? LA county has 10,000,000 people. Of course there would be more deaths in raw terms, but per capita it's pretty middle of the pack.

Other factors I’m having trouble finding data on.


Age level of deaths by state.
Population density collated with death.
Deaths since vaccines and where they are happening.


Like I can find this data… but it’s poorly collated and and or not collated in these parameters. In short it’s largely incomplete.

Like I can tell that this week red states are doing more than twice blue state deaths. But cases are a Little higher in blue states… though this is suspect to me as I believe red state folks aren’t reporting as much, I only have personnel experience on that theory though as a red state rural redneck hillbilly myself I know how they do… cause I’m one of them and live and work and am related to some of them. Don’t even mean that in a necessary negative way either, I’m not saying they under report to skew the numbers. They just don’t report cause they don’t think it’s real, or don’t think it matters. Anecdotal but it’s my experience.

Nov 30, 2022 0:58:52 GMT All34LOL said:

Other factors I’m having trouble finding data on.


Age level of deaths by state.
Population density collated with death.
Deaths since vaccines and where they are happening.


Like I can find this data… but it’s poorly collated and and or not collated in these parameters. In short it’s largely incomplete.

Like I can tell that this week red states are doing more than twice blue state deaths. But cases are a Little higher in blue states… though this is suspect to me as I believe red state folks aren’t reporting as much, I only have personnel experience on that theory though as a red state rural redneck hillbilly myself I know how they do… cause I’m one of them and live and work and am related to some of them. Don’t even mean that in a necessary negative way either, I’m not saying they under report to skew the numbers. They just don’t report cause they don’t think it’s real, or don’t think it matters. Anecdotal but it’s my experience.

You probably nailed it All34LOL, there are a huge range of factors that relate to Covid mortality and it's difficult to isolate all of those data points.
Republicans are generally older than Democrats which skews numbers.
There is no doubt that vaccination is more prevalent in Democrats than Republicans, but Democrats are more prone to living in cities etc.
It seems like a really illogical way to analyze the data.

The reports I looked at tried to tie it to mask usage, but most recent studies have found that mask use is almost completely ineffective at stopping transmission... As is the vaccine.
The only real case for the vaccine that remains is the mortality rate in people over the age of 70.

Poverty has a pretty strong correlation to death, as well.

Access to healthcare was the big one for COVID. Most conservatives no longer have access to healthcare as their leaders opposed medicare expansion, then gutted funding until the rural hospitals all shut down. Many places now have no hospital within two hours. The urgent cares that replaced them were unable to deal with COVID and in most cases refused to even allow people with COVID in.  So when they got sick, if they could not afford to travel, they did not have access to ventilators.  Also in these healthcare deserts they were more likely to order medications Trump promoted online or take the horse dewormer from the livestock supply stores rather than seek real treatment, as the media they consumed claimed the hospitals were making people sick.

And the data is there for the county divide. Most liberal places saw high deaths during Alpha, but after vaccination the deaths shifted to conservative areas, particular during delta and omicron. And it makes sense, as counties with higher Biden vote rates, have higher vaccination rates, and the inverse is true for Trump.

Nov 30, 2022 2:25:50 GMT iNCY said:

Nov 30, 2022 0:58:52 GMT All34LOL said:

Other factors I’m having trouble finding data on.


Age level of deaths by state.
Population density collated with death.
Deaths since vaccines and where they are happening.


Like I can find this data… but it’s poorly collated and and or not collated in these parameters. In short it’s largely incomplete.

Like I can tell that this week red states are doing more than twice blue state deaths. But cases are a Little higher in blue states… though this is suspect to me as I believe red state folks aren’t reporting as much, I only have personnel experience on that theory though as a red state rural redneck hillbilly myself I know how they do… cause I’m one of them and live and work and am related to some of them. Don’t even mean that in a necessary negative way either, I’m not saying they under report to skew the numbers. They just don’t report cause they don’t think it’s real, or don’t think it matters. Anecdotal but it’s my experience.

You probably nailed it All34LOL, there are a huge range of factors that relate to Covid mortality and it's difficult to isolate all of those data points.
Republicans are generally older than Democrats which skews numbers.
There is no doubt that vaccination is more prevalent in Democrats than Republicans, but Democrats are more prone to living in cities etc.
It seems like a really illogical way to analyze the data.

The reports I looked at tried to tie it to mask usage, but most recent studies have found that mask use is almost completely ineffective at stopping transmission... As is the vaccine.
The only real case for the vaccine that remains is the mortality rate in people over the age of 70.

Thanks sometimes I do try and be fair and rational. I disagree about masks… only because again personal experience. I’m a pretty bad asthmatic. Not severe but decently bad. I catch every damn upper respiratory thing that comes through. I’m sick now. Not covid I’ve been tested.

My job requires a mask. And I wore a mask in every indoor place with the public. I didn’t catch shit in 2020. Didn’t catch shit in 2021 either. I was I my 20s last time that happened. Mask has been gone here since march I think. Maybe April. Since then I’ve had two sinus infections, covid, and the flu. And now whatever this is. I mean there’s a reason surgeons wear them right?

And maybe it doesn’t, but I feel we had to try. And I hope next time something deadly or even deadlier come along people at least try.

Mandatory masks people brought on themselves. If we asked that people just mask up while sick, no one would have wore them. Only way to get people to wear them while sick, was to make everyone wear them all the time. US at least does not do well with voluntary actions.

Masks primarily were to slow spread from the infected to the non-infected, and to slightly stop spread to the wearer of the mask when we did not have vaccines. The whole issue was handled poorly as masks were not encouraged during alpha to avoid people hoarding. Then we went to cloth for the same reason. A few places now are doing n95s as that is what we should have done from the start, but we lacked the supplies to do it after hoarding happened.

And data shows masks were effective in city areas, as they mask wearing is what seemed to start the slowdown or infection transmission. Some claim it is social distancing that caused it, and the masks simply reinforced that need, but even if so, it was still masking that lead to social distancing, something people would not have done if not masked.

Nov 30, 2022 3:54:00 GMT c said:

Mandatory masks people brought on themselves. If we asked that people just mask up while sick, no one would have wore them. Only way to get people to wear them while sick, was to make everyone wear them all the time. US at least does not do well with voluntary actions.

Masks primarily were to slow spread from the infected to the non-infected, and to slightly stop spread to the wearer of the mask when we did not have vaccines. The whole issue was handled poorly as masks were not encouraged during alpha to avoid people hoarding. Then we went to cloth for the same reason. A few places now are doing n95s as that is what we should have done from the start, but we lacked the supplies to do it after hoarding happened.

And data shows masks were effective in city areas, as they mask wearing is what seemed to start the slowdown or infection transmission. Some claim it is social distancing that caused it, and the masks simply reinforced that need, but even if so, it was still masking that lead to social distancing, something people would not have done if not masked.

If people wear N95 masks and exercise proper hygiene they have a good chance of avoiding infection...
nobody really does this though... I travelled and worked through a few places during the pandemic.
Most places masks were mandatory, but you would see people touching their masks all the time and then not disinfecting their hands... Which renders the mask useless.

The greatest use a mask has is as a psychological cue to people that they are in a pandemic and need to be mindful of other people and maintain their distance.
This is a powerful result, but it is a placebo.

On the n95 thing. I have story no one will believe and I don’t blame you if you don’t not sure I would had I not seen it.

I work for a large American retailer. My particular store ran out of n95s within days. Before there ever was a mandate. And shortly there after were pretty much unavailable company wide. For months, hell years really.


There is local charity here… that does international relief. This organization has a particularly loud mouthed zealot as its head. A very well recognizable person. I add rhe loud mouth part because he personally mistreated me and other employees in my store. Multiple times just a nasty man, his tv demeanor is not eh one he uses on the working class. Who has also said some things about masks not working I might add. Trust me everyone here should have at least heard of him or his father. It’s a multi million dollar account… one day out of the blue an entire truckload of n95s show up at my store. Special order… for said account. Keep in mind this is now full blown covid times and no one has these masks.


I took photos… but I was seen and told I should delete them. I reluctantly did. Though not sure what they would prove. Other than maybe here’s twenty pallets of n95 masks we supposedly can’t get.


Anyway I regret deleting them now. These masks were delivered to their national facilities rather than their international one by our in house trucks. I know this because they have two separate billing accounts. And I also saw the manifests and bills of lading. Part of my job, dontcha know.

So it went to their employees rather than international relief. And further went to if not mask deniers, then at least people who donate to said deniers campaigns and carry water for online.


Take it for what you will and feel free not to believe it after all I have zero evidence for it now.

I worked for a large national retailer in Australia during the pandemic.

I always found it strange, weird, odd and a little bit coincidental that there was an abundance of masks coming out of China into stores so quickly into this pandemic.

Within just a month, we were sitting on pallets of masks. Literally 100s of 1000s of masks. At that point, there was no mandate or even speak of one and very few were even entertaining masks in early 2020. Yet here we are, sitting on pallets of the things...

The KF94/KN95 masks were easier to make but were not as effective as the n95's. The internation elite at the start of the pandemic stockpiled n95's masks by the pallet, as All34LOL, himself seen. This left the KF94/KN95 ones being masks that most had to use as there was way less demand for them by the people who were hoarding. Even then many also hoarded the Korean KF94's leaving the Chinese KN95's the only masks of that style on the market quickly into the pandemic. Pretty sure China early on mandates factories produce masks as well. The US wanted to do this but Trump and many GOP members shut it down claiming it was socialism.

Mask deniers usually insisted everyone around them wear a mask. Trump, Tucker, Hannity, and many others had documented policy that people needed to wear masks. This was the great irony, people pandered to their audience about how bad masks were, while privately relying on their use.

Economic impact of long COVID estimated to be 3.7 trillion in the US.

Healthcare reform may be needed simply to avoid a recession.

Fun new reaction to COVID coming. New health freedom hospital policies are coming to some hospitals in the US. In these hospitals no vaccines will be encouraged and masks will optional. Neither of these are limited to treating COVID though. Surgeon does not want to wear a mask, they have the freedom not to. Children will no longer be subjected to doctors insisting they need polio or measles vaccines. People have the freedom to leave at any point, even if not medically cleared to or have an infectious disease.

All legal too, since before taking over the hospital boards, they changed local laws and it will take years of lawsuits to revolve legal conflicts this creates.

GOP holding up funding bills unless COVID protocols on the border are extended now. Who would have thought conservatives would be the ones begging for COVID safety.

www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/health-problems/legacy-of-harm-study-details-wideranging-collateral-damage-of-covid-lockdowns/news-story/f04a9008b346b7026124cd2c49163fb3

‘Legacy of harm’: Study details ‘wide-ranging collateral damage’ of Covid lockdowns

Lockdowns likely caused “more harm than benefit” with “wide-ranging damage” that will be felt for years to come, a grim new study has found.

Rise in non-Covid excess mortality
Mental health deterioration
Rise in child abuse
Rise in domestic violence
Widening global inequality
Food insecurity
Lost educational opportunities
Unhealthy lifestyle behaviours
Social polarisation
Soaring debt
Democratic backsliding
Declining human rights

Here's a picture of one of our leaders talking about the importance of wearing a mask, while not wearing a mask.



Here's a picture of a man not wearing a mask being pepper sprayed for not wearing a mask, by a police officer taking a relaxed approach to wearing a mask.