Covid Updates - Not Politics

[argh!]

In regards to those that tested positive after vaccination, I would like to see the cycle thresholds for those PCR tests.

It's well documented that if the cycle threshold is too high, you run the risk of a false positive. If they really want to prove a positive, then follow the PCR up with a viral culture...of course that takes time and money and I can admit that would be a huge undertaking if you did that for all positives.

ah, somebody who understands how 'scientists' can pull the ol' fakearoo. there are many ways, and it gets done all the time. all it takes is a relatively bright person who is desperate to keep their job (publish), get tenure, or a variety of other reasons, like 'please the boss'. i had more than one student who magically got every result predicted. it isn't too hard to find them and either straighten them out, or tell them 'goodbye'. this is also part of the reason why i changed my mind and decided 'industry', so to speak, was the better route, because there the results have to be honest, or they will eventually be found out by subsequent work, and the person fired for wasting time and money. also, there are plenty of 'technicians' who are better scientists than the people they work for.

 

[argh!]

Argh!

Question for you:

1. Can scientists establish conclusively whether the covid 19 virus was created in a lab or not? And
2. Has it been established that covid 19 was a naturally occurring virus that jumped species?

1) no, not without the ccp allowing independent scientists a look at the records of the wuhan lab.
2) no, and there's the rub, if there was something out there chinese scientists, who are almost all trained at our best universities in the u.s., would have likely found it, as they've extensively looked.

i already posted this article, as it best explains the possibilities: https://thebulletin.org/2021/05/the-origin-of-covid-did-people-or-nature-open-pandoras-box-at-wuhan/

 

[Jesse]

Argh!

Question for you:

1. Can scientists establish conclusively whether the covid 19 virus was created in a lab or not? And
2. Has it been established that covid 19 was a naturally occurring virus that jumped species?

1) no, not without the ccp allowing independent scientists a look at the records of the wuhan lab.
2) no, and there's the rub, if there was something out there chinese scientists, who are almost all trained at our best universities in the u.s., would have likely found it, as they've extensively looked.

i already posted this article, as it best explains the possibilities: https://thebulletin.org/2021/05/the-origin-of-covid-did-people-or-nature-open-pandoras-box-at-wuhan/

Interesting article. I came away with the thought that the bat lady and the ccp have a lot of splaining to do. How long can the ccp keep the records of the labs sealed, because they are obviously hiding data from the scientific world community. And what do you predict will be their undoing? As always thanks argh! You are a gentleman and a scholar and I’m proud that you are a Griz alum.

 

[PhxGriz]

1) no, not without the ccp allowing independent scientists a look at the records of the wuhan lab.
2) no, and there's the rub, if there was something out there chinese scientists, who are almost all trained at our best universities in the u.s., would have likely found it, as they've extensively looked.

i already posted this article, as it best explains the possibilities: https://thebulletin.org/2021/05/the-origin-of-covid-did-people-or-nature-open-pandoras-box-at-wuhan/

Interesting article. I came away with the thought that the bat lady and the ccp have a lot of splaining to do. How long can the ccp keep the records of the labs sealed, because they are obviously hiding data from the scientific world community. And what do you predict will be their undoing? As always thanks argh! You are a gentleman and a scholar and I’m proud that you are a Griz alum.

I'm not argh!, but this might help get to the bottom...if true. :lol:

https://mobile.twitter.com/adamhousley/status/1400679023668187137

 

[argh!]

1) no, not without the ccp allowing independent scientists a look at the records of the wuhan lab.
2) no, and there's the rub, if there was something out there chinese scientists, who are almost all trained at our best universities in the u.s., would have likely found it, as they've extensively looked.

i already posted this article, as it best explains the possibilities: https://thebulletin.org/2021/05/the-origin-of-covid-did-people-or-nature-open-pandoras-box-at-wuhan/

Interesting article. I came away with the thought that the bat lady and the ccp have a lot of splaining to do. How long can the ccp keep the records of the labs sealed, because they are obviously hiding data from the scientific world community. And what do you predict will be their undoing? As always thanks argh! You are a gentleman and a scholar and I’m proud that you are a Griz alum.

ha, i think many here would not agree that i'm a gentleman, but thanks anyway . as for your questions, the ccp has china so closed up, and control of a large part of their population via propaganda. it is endless and everywhere, but tourists who go there can't read or speak mandarin, so they don't realize it. currently they are doing anything and everything they can to deflect, try to make it sound like the virus came from imported frozen seafood (absurd), the u.s. army, bats, etc, etc... i don't think we'll actually ever know the truth, those scientists in wuhan and elsewhere live in fear, as do the people - even the rabid nationalists know that one wrong step, one wrong sentence heard by a snitch (they get paid), and they might wind up 're-educated'. i'd be surprised if information wasn't destroyed, unless maybe somebody was brave enough to save a copy somehow. apparently the lab workers who were sick in november have all disappeared, so to speak, that's the power the ccp yields within their own country.

having said that, we do have one way to possibly get some information - subpoena all of peter draszak's files, as he's a virologist in the u.s. who is in bed with the ccp, and with the wuhan institute, and as the fake head of the fake w.h.o. 'investigation' that was a year too late, he has reason to cover up what's happened, and possibly files with info in them.

as for the ccp's undoing, if it happens at all, it will probably be xi, who has turned into an ethnonationalist megalomaniac. his actions in the south china sea, his bullying of all neighbors (the ccp has border disputes with 17 countries), and his pledge to take taiwan soon all could wind up causing some kind of war. hopefully not a nuclear one, but with him, the current state of china seems similar to what happened in europe in the 30's, only it's worse, as the ethnonationalism is being pushed on all ethnic chinese. among other things, the ccp doesn't recognize dual citizenship, and considers every ethnically chinese person 'theirs', kind of like they consider every panda born in the world theirs.

sorry for the long post, this subject winds me up.

 

[PlayerRep]

"A Good Worker Is Hard to Find

The subsidies for not working continue to hurt the labor market.

"The extra $300 a week in enhanced jobless benefits is one problem, since millions of Americans can make more staying on the couch. This jobless pay isn’t subject to the payroll tax, unlike wage and salary income.

This is on top of regular jobless benefits, plus new or extended cash payments such as the $3,000 per child tax credit, additional ObamaCare subsidies, and the $1,400 checks to individuals. Again, no work required.

Economists Casey Mulligan, E.J. Antoni and Steve Moore estimate in a new study that in 21 states households that qualify can receive a maximum wage equivalent of $25 an hour in cash without working.

In 19 states, the maximum benefit is the equivalent of $100,000 a year in salary for a family of four with two unemployed parents. Not working is a rational economic choice."

https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-good-worker-is-hard-to-find-11622845855?mod=hp_opin_pos_1

 

[PhxGriz]

Interesting article. I came away with the thought that the bat lady and the ccp have a lot of splaining to do. How long can the ccp keep the records of the labs sealed, because they are obviously hiding data from the scientific world community. And what do you predict will be their undoing? As always thanks argh! You are a gentleman and a scholar and I’m proud that you are a Griz alum.

ha, i think many here would not agree that i'm a gentleman, but thanks anyway . as for your questions, the ccp has china so closed up, and control of a large part of their population via propaganda. it is endless and everywhere, but tourists who go there can't read or speak mandarin, so they don't realize it. currently they are doing anything and everything they can to deflect, try to make it sound like the virus came from imported frozen seafood (absurd), the u.s. army, bats, etc, etc... i don't think we'll actually ever know the truth, those scientists in wuhan and elsewhere live in fear, as do the people - even the rabid nationalists know that one wrong step, one wrong sentence heard by a snitch (they get paid), and they might wind up 're-educated'. i'd be surprised if information wasn't destroyed, unless maybe somebody was brave enough to save a copy somehow. apparently the lab workers who were sick in november have all disappeared, so to speak, that's the power the ccp yields within their own country.

having said that, we do have one way to possibly get some information - subpoena all of peter draszak's files, as he's a virologist in the u.s. who is in bed with the ccp, and with the wuhan institute, and as the fake head of the fake w.h.o. 'investigation' that was a year too late, he has reason to cover up what's happened, and possibly files with info in them.

as for the ccp's undoing, if it happens at all, it will probably be xi, who has turned into an ethnonationalist megalomaniac. his actions in the south china sea, his bullying of all neighbors (the ccp has border disputes with 17 countries), and his pledge to take taiwan soon all could wind up causing some kind of war. hopefully not a nuclear one, but with him, the current state of china seems similar to what happened in europe in the 30's, only it's worse, as the ethnonationalism is being pushed on all ethnic chinese. among other things, the ccp doesn't recognize dual citizenship, and considers every ethnically chinese person 'theirs', kind of like they consider every panda born in the world theirs.

sorry for the long post, this subject winds me up.

Subpoena Daszak is right. Apparently he has already been asked to answer specific questions with a middle of May deadline and he has refused.

 

[PlayerRep]

Interesting article. I came away with the thought that the bat lady and the ccp have a lot of splaining to do. How long can the ccp keep the records of the labs sealed, because they are obviously hiding data from the scientific world community. And what do you predict will be their undoing? As always thanks argh! You are a gentleman and a scholar and I’m proud that you are a Griz alum.

ha, i think many here would not agree that i'm a gentleman, but thanks anyway . as for your questions, the ccp has china so closed up, and control of a large part of their population via propaganda. it is endless and everywhere, but tourists who go there can't read or speak mandarin, so they don't realize it. currently they are doing anything and everything they can to deflect, try to make it sound like the virus came from imported frozen seafood (absurd), the u.s. army, bats, etc, etc... i don't think we'll actually ever know the truth, those scientists in wuhan and elsewhere live in fear, as do the people - even the rabid nationalists know that one wrong step, one wrong sentence heard by a snitch (they get paid), and they might wind up 're-educated'. i'd be surprised if information wasn't destroyed, unless maybe somebody was brave enough to save a copy somehow. apparently the lab workers who were sick in november have all disappeared, so to speak, that's the power the ccp yields within their own country.

having said that, we do have one way to possibly get some information - subpoena all of peter draszak's files, as he's a virologist in the u.s. who is in bed with the ccp, and with the wuhan institute, and as the fake head of the fake w.h.o. 'investigation' that was a year too late, he has reason to cover up what's happened, and possibly files with info in them.

as for the ccp's undoing, if it happens at all, it will probably be xi, who has turned into an ethnonationalist megalomaniac. his actions in the south china sea, his bullying of all neighbors (the ccp has border disputes with 17 countries), and his pledge to take taiwan soon all could wind up causing some kind of war. hopefully not a nuclear one, but with him, the current state of china seems similar to what happened in europe in the 30's, only it's worse, as the ethnonationalism is being pushed on all ethnic chinese. among other things, the ccp doesn't recognize dual citizenship, and considers every ethnically chinese person 'theirs', kind of like they consider every panda born in the world theirs.

sorry for the long post, this subject winds me up.

Thx. Interesting.

 

[argh!]

this opinion piece in the washington post sounds to me more like scientists covering for other scientists and trying to protect their grant money, rather than a truly logical analysis of the possibility of a lab leak. the authors conflate the possibility that the virus was engineered in the wuhan lab with the notion that the virus emerged from the lab, which is just embarrassing for me to read as a scientist. some kind of 'lab leak' certainly doesn't require the virus to have been manipulated, nor does the notion that the viral genome doesn't match how the writers think such a virus would be manipulated. i was trained to be skeptical of my own hypothesis, and try to come up with alternative versions that fit the data better. i guess virologists don't have to take courses in logic. i suspect greenie could pick the article apart better than me, except for maybe the strictly scientific jargon. that doesn't mean i am convinced it came from the lab, but science is a human endeavor, and you have to consider human errors as well as human motives when analyzing information at this level.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/virus-origins-nature-lab/2021/06/03/dd50eb62-c4a9-11eb-93f5-ee9558eecf4b_story.html

 

[argh!]

ha, i think many here would not agree that i'm a gentleman, but thanks anyway . as for your questions, the ccp has china so closed up, and control of a large part of their population via propaganda. it is endless and everywhere, but tourists who go there can't read or speak mandarin, so they don't realize it. currently they are doing anything and everything they can to deflect, try to make it sound like the virus came from imported frozen seafood (absurd), the u.s. army, bats, etc, etc... i don't think we'll actually ever know the truth, those scientists in wuhan and elsewhere live in fear, as do the people - even the rabid nationalists know that one wrong step, one wrong sentence heard by a snitch (they get paid), and they might wind up 're-educated'. i'd be surprised if information wasn't destroyed, unless maybe somebody was brave enough to save a copy somehow. apparently the lab workers who were sick in november have all disappeared, so to speak, that's the power the ccp yields within their own country.

having said that, we do have one way to possibly get some information - subpoena all of peter draszak's files, as he's a virologist in the u.s. who is in bed with the ccp, and with the wuhan institute, and as the fake head of the fake w.h.o. 'investigation' that was a year too late, he has reason to cover up what's happened, and possibly files with info in them.

as for the ccp's undoing, if it happens at all, it will probably be xi, who has turned into an ethnonationalist megalomaniac. his actions in the south china sea, his bullying of all neighbors (the ccp has border disputes with 17 countries), and his pledge to take taiwan soon all could wind up causing some kind of war. hopefully not a nuclear one, but with him, the current state of china seems similar to what happened in europe in the 30's, only it's worse, as the ethnonationalism is being pushed on all ethnic chinese. among other things, the ccp doesn't recognize dual citizenship, and considers every ethnically chinese person 'theirs', kind of like they consider every panda born in the world theirs.

sorry for the long post, this subject winds me up.

Subpoena Daszak is right. Apparently he has already been asked to answer specific questions with a middle of May deadline and he has refused.

if daszak receives any money from the federal government for research, either directly or indirectly, he is obligated to keep all data his lab has produced, unadulterated, for at least five years, and share it when asked. if he doesn't, he needs to be prosecuted.

 

[AZGrizFan]

Interesting article. I came away with the thought that the bat lady and the ccp have a lot of splaining to do. How long can the ccp keep the records of the labs sealed, because they are obviously hiding data from the scientific world community. And what do you predict will be their undoing? As always thanks argh! You are a gentleman and a scholar and I’m proud that you are a Griz alum.

ha, i think many here would not agree that i'm a gentleman, but thanks anyway . as for your questions, the ccp has china so closed up, and control of a large part of their population via propaganda. it is endless and everywhere, but tourists who go there can't read or speak mandarin, so they don't realize it. currently they are doing anything and everything they can to deflect, try to make it sound like the virus came from imported frozen seafood (absurd), the u.s. army, bats, etc, etc... i don't think we'll actually ever know the truth, those scientists in wuhan and elsewhere live in fear, as do the people - even the rabid nationalists know that one wrong step, one wrong sentence heard by a snitch (they get paid), and they might wind up 're-educated'. i'd be surprised if information wasn't destroyed, unless maybe somebody was brave enough to save a copy somehow. apparently the lab workers who were sick in november have all disappeared, so to speak, that's the power the ccp yields within their own country.

having said that, we do have one way to possibly get some information - subpoena all of peter draszak's files, as he's a virologist in the u.s. who is in bed with the ccp, and with the wuhan institute, and as the fake head of the fake w.h.o. 'investigation' that was a year too late, he has reason to cover up what's happened, and possibly files with info in them.

as for the ccp's undoing, if it happens at all, it will probably be xi, who has turned into an ethnonationalist megalomaniac. his actions in the south china sea, his bullying of all neighbors (the ccp has border disputes with 17 countries), and his pledge to take taiwan soon all could wind up causing some kind of war. hopefully not a nuclear one, but with him, the current state of china seems similar to what happened in europe in the 30's, only it's worse, as the ethnonationalism is being pushed on all ethnic chinese. among other things, the ccp doesn't recognize dual citizenship, and considers every ethnically chinese person 'theirs', kind of like they consider every panda born in the world theirs.

sorry for the long post, this subject winds me up.

Never ceases to amaze me what people on this board are super knowledgeable about. Thanks for the post, argh.

 

[Ursa Major]

ha, i think many here would not agree that i'm a gentleman, but thanks anyway . as for your questions, the ccp has china so closed up, and control of a large part of their population via propaganda. it is endless and everywhere, but tourists who go there can't read or speak mandarin, so they don't realize it. currently they are doing anything and everything they can to deflect, try to make it sound like the virus came from imported frozen seafood (absurd), the u.s. army, bats, etc, etc... i don't think we'll actually ever know the truth, those scientists in wuhan and elsewhere live in fear, as do the people - even the rabid nationalists know that one wrong step, one wrong sentence heard by a snitch (they get paid), and they might wind up 're-educated'. i'd be surprised if information wasn't destroyed, unless maybe somebody was brave enough to save a copy somehow. apparently the lab workers who were sick in november have all disappeared, so to speak, that's the power the ccp yields within their own country.

having said that, we do have one way to possibly get some information - subpoena all of peter draszak's files, as he's a virologist in the u.s. who is in bed with the ccp, and with the wuhan institute, and as the fake head of the fake w.h.o. 'investigation' that was a year too late, he has reason to cover up what's happened, and possibly files with info in them.

as for the ccp's undoing, if it happens at all, it will probably be xi, who has turned into an ethnonationalist megalomaniac. his actions in the south china sea, his bullying of all neighbors (the ccp has border disputes with 17 countries), and his pledge to take taiwan soon all could wind up causing some kind of war. hopefully not a nuclear one, but with him, the current state of china seems similar to what happened in europe in the 30's, only it's worse, as the ethnonationalism is being pushed on all ethnic chinese. among other things, the ccp doesn't recognize dual citizenship, and considers every ethnically chinese person 'theirs', kind of like they consider every panda born in the world theirs.

sorry for the long post, this subject winds me up.

Never ceases to amaze me what people on this board are super knowledgeable about. Thanks for the post, argh.

+1

 

[argh!]

Never ceases to amaze me what people on this board are super knowledgeable about. Thanks for the post, argh.

+1

ha, i think what i wrote sounds a bit like a conspiracy theory. that was just my experience, and opinion from following the situation. anyway, the whole thing has become so politicized, a segment of almost any population will probably doubt it's veracity, or just want to.

 

[AZGrizFan]

+1

ha, i think what i wrote sounds a bit like a conspiracy theory. that was just my experience, and opinion from following the situation. anyway, the whole thing has become so politicized, a segment of almost any population will probably doubt it's veracity, or just want to.

If it has to do with ANYTHING China is doing, it’s probably NOT a conspiracy. :? :?

 

[PlayerRep]

this opinion piece in the washington post sounds to me more like scientists covering for other scientists and trying to protect their grant money, rather than a truly logical analysis of the possibility of a lab leak. the authors conflate the possibility that the virus was engineered in the wuhan lab with the notion that the virus emerged from the lab, which is just embarrassing for me to read as a scientist. some kind of 'lab leak' certainly doesn't require the virus to have been manipulated, nor does the notion that the viral genome doesn't match how the writers think such a virus would be manipulated. i was trained to be skeptical of my own hypothesis, and try to come up with alternative versions that fit the data better. i guess virologists don't have to take courses in logic. i suspect greenie could pick the article apart better than me, except for maybe the strictly scientific jargon. that doesn't mean i am convinced it came from the lab, but science is a human endeavor, and you have to consider human errors as well as human motives when analyzing information at this level.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/virus-origins-nature-lab/2021/06/03/dd50eb62-c4a9-11eb-93f5-ee9558eecf4b_story.html

I wasn't sure what to make of the piece when I skimmed it last night. Your thought that it was scientists protecting each other and funding makes sense to me. While the lab may not have created Covid-19, it seems it is possible the lab released Covid-19, even if was naturally created Covid from captured bats or something like that. It certainly should be further investigated. There isn't much evidence or chain of connection that the Covid came from the animal market. The world needs to know where this Covid came from. If the Chinese released all relevant records from the lab, a lot would be learned or pulled out. Very suspicious that the Chinese won't cooperate.

"6. What role did that food market in Wuhan play?

Researchers aren’t sure. It could have acted as a contamination source, an amplifier for human-to-human transmission, or both. Of the first 174 known cases of Covid-19, 51 or 33% had links to the Huanan seafood market. In fact, it was a cluster of pneumonia-like illness among people connected to the so-called wet market that heralded the contagion. The market had 678 stalls and more than 1,180 employees supplying seafood products as well as fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, live animals and grocery items. (It was shut down at 1 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2020.) Ten stall operators were selling meat from wild animals raised in captivity. Importantly, some traded rabbits, bamboo rats, porcupines, badgers, hedgehogs and other mammals that may be open to infection. Of Covid-19 cases linked to the market, the first person became unwell on Dec. 12, 2019. Since the first known Covid-19 case preceded that by four days, it’s possible that the virus was introduced to the market by an already infected person -- potentially a trader or a visitor not showing symptoms -- who passed it to others. Testing after the market was closed found widespread contamination of the floor, walls, chopping boards and cleaning tools compatible with the virus being transmitted from infected people to surfaces. Supply chains to the market were extensive, with goods arriving from other countries and around China. Of the 336 samples collected from animals, none were positive for SARS-CoV-2, but it’s possible that not enough samples were taken.

7. Were there cases elsewhere?

Yes. Some early cases occurred among individuals who were linked to other markets in Wuhan and some had no market links. In addition, genetic sequencing of viral specimens collected from patients early in the pandemic showed there was some diversity already present, suggesting SARS-CoV-2 was more broadly distributed in the city."

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-04/where-are-we-in-hunting-for-the-coronavirus-s-origin-quicktake

 

[PlayerRep]

I spent an hour doing some original research in my basement lab and this is what I came up with.

But the most compelling reason to favor the lab leak hypothesis is firmly based in science. In particular, consider the genetic fingerprint of CoV-2, the novel coronavirus responsible for the disease Covid-19.

In gain-of-function research, a microbiologist can increase the lethality of a coronavirus enormously by splicing a special sequence into its genome at a prime location. Doing this leaves no trace of manipulation. But it alters the virus spike protein, rendering it easier for the virus to inject genetic material into the victim cell. Since 1992 there have been at least 11 separate experiments adding a special sequence to the same location. The end result has always been supercharged viruses.

A genome is a blueprint for the factory of a cell to make proteins. The language is made up of three-letter “words,” 64 in total, that represent the 20 different amino acids. For example, there are six different words for the amino acid arginine, the one that is often used in supercharging viruses. Every cell has a different preference for which word it likes to use most.

In the case of the gain-of-function supercharge, other sequences could have been spliced into this same site. Instead of a CGG-CGG (known as “double CGG”) that tells the protein factory to make two arginine amino acids in a row, you’ll obtain equal lethality by splicing any one of 35 of the other two-word combinations for double arginine. If the insertion takes place naturally, say through recombination, then one of those 35 other sequences is far more likely to appear; CGG is rarely used in the class of coronaviruses that can recombine with CoV-2.

In fact, in the entire class of coronaviruses that includes CoV-2, the CGG-CGG combination has never been found naturally. That means the common method of viruses picking up new skills, called recombination, cannot operate here. A virus simply cannot pick up a sequence from another virus if that sequence isn’t present in any other virus.

Although the double CGG is suppressed naturally, the opposite is true in laboratory work. The insertion sequence of choice is the double CGG. That’s because it is readily available and convenient, and scientists have a great deal of experience inserting it. An additional advantage of the double CGG sequence compared with the other 35 possible choices: It creates a useful beacon that permits the scientists to track the insertion in the laboratory.

Now the damning fact. It was this exact sequence that appears in CoV-2. Proponents of zoonotic origin must explain why the novel coronavirus, when it mutated or recombined, happened to pick its least favorite combination, the double CGG. Why did it replicate the choice the lab’s gain-of-function researchers would have made?

Yes, it could have happened randomly, through mutations. But do you believe that? At the minimum, this fact—that the coronavirus, with all its random possibilities, took the rare and unnatural combination used by human researchers—implies that the leading theory for the origin of the coronavirus must be laboratory escape.

When the lab’s Shi Zhengli and colleagues published a paper in February 2020 with the virus’s partial genome, they omitted any mention of the special sequence that supercharges the virus or the rare double CGG section. Yet the fingerprint is easily identified in the data that accompanied the paper. Was it omitted in the hope that nobody would notice this evidence of the gain-of-function origin?

But in a matter of weeks virologists Bruno Coutard and colleagues published their discovery of the sequence in CoV-2 and its novel supercharged site. Double CGG is there; you only have to look. They comment in their paper that the protein that held it “may provide a gain-of-function” capability to the virus, “for efficient spreading” to humans.

There is additional scientific evidence that points to CoV-2’s gain-of-function origin. The most compelling is the dramatic differences in the genetic diversity of CoV-2, compared with the coronaviruses responsible for SARS and MERS.

Both of those were confirmed to have a natural origin; the viruses evolved rapidly as they spread through the human population, until the most contagious forms dominated. Covid-19 didn’t work that way. It appeared in humans already adapted into an extremely contagious version. No serious viral “improvement” took place until a minor variation occurred many months later in England.

Such early optimization is unprecedented, and it suggests a long period of adaptation that predated its public spread. Science knows of only one way that could be achieved: simulated natural evolution, growing the virus on human cells until the optimum is achieved. That is precisely what is done in gain-of-function research. Mice that are genetically modified to have the same coronavirus receptor as humans, called “humanized mice,” are repeatedly exposed to the virus to encourage adaptation.

The presence of the double CGG sequence is strong evidence of gene splicing, and the absence of diversity in the public outbreak suggests gain-of-function acceleration. The scientific evidence points to the conclusion that the virus was developed in a laboratory.

[Actually, this is a piece by Dr. Quay is founder of Atossa Therapeutics and author of “Stay Safe: A Physician’s Guide to Survive Coronavirus”; and Mr. Muller is an emeritus professor of physics at the University of California Berkeley.]

"The Science Suggests a Wuhan Lab Leak

The Covid-19 pathogen has a genetic footprint that has never been observed in a natural coronavirus.

By Steven Quay and Richard Muller
June 6, 2021"

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-science-suggests-a-wuhan-lab-leak-11622995184?mod=hp_opin_pos_2

 

[PlayerRep]

Why didn't this golfer just get his covid shot? Out of the tourney he was leading by 6. Will not win about $1.7 million. Won't end up as the no. 1 rated golfer in the world.

"Golfer Jon Rahm Learns He Is Out Of PGA Tournament He Was Leading Over Positive Covid Test On Live TV"

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/golfer-jon-rahm-learns-pga-062719054.html

 

[PlayerRep]

Polson Stone and Tile has been shut down for several weeks due to two bouts of covid. They haven't been able to produce the products they had contracted and committed to produce. Contractors are delayed. People are pissed.

Why didn't they just get their shots?

 

[PlayerRep]

"The partisan divide in vaccinations is starker than you realize

The effort to reach the unvaccinated has become the latest political fault line in the Covid response."

"All but one of the 39 congressional districts where at least 60 percent of residents have received a coronavirus shot are represented by Democrats, according to a Harvard University analysis that presents one of the most detailed looks yet at the partisan split behind the nation’s diverging vaccination drive. By contrast, Republicans represent all but two of the 30 districts where fewer than one-third of residents have received a shot."

“For people who have traditionally limited-to-no access to health care, the revelation that they have to go to the vaccine does not come easily,” he said.

In fact, the magnitude of the struggle to broadly vaccinate low-income, minority communities that have been disproportionately hurt by the pandemic is obscured by the high levels of vaccine resistance among white conservatives. The stark racial disparities in vaccination would otherwise be far worse.

“Among the remaining unvaccinated people, white people are much more likely to say they are definitely not going to get the vaccine, whereas Black and Hispanic people are more likely to say they haven't gotten it yet but are hoping to get it soon,” said Liz Hamel, vice president and director of public opinion and survey research at the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Hamel said Black and Hispanic adults, according to surveys, are more likely to be concerned about taking time off from work, having to get a ride to get a shot or the cost of vaccination, even though the Covid vaccines are free. Lotteries and prize giveaways recently embraced by numerous governors to boost vaccination rates would do little to address these access barriers, said Brian Castrucci, president of the de Beaumont Foundation.

Republicans are roughly six times more likely than Democrats to say they have no interest in being vaccinated, according to recent polls. Democratic districts, meanwhile, are largely vaccinating at a faster clip, as local officials and organizations redouble efforts to reach the holdouts, with a focus on minority groups.

But data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and outside researchers find racial disparities in the vaccination effort are narrowing, particularly for Hispanics. During the last two weeks, more than one-quarter of first doses went to Hispanics, according to the CDC, almost twice the average over the previous six months."

Read in POLITICO: https://apple.news/AUNChS2KHThuySr127XQ5oQ

[A few tribes have had considerable resistance to getting shots, but, for the most part, Indian tribes and reservations have been very good about getting vaccinated. Native Americans were by far the worst hit by covid deaths, the last time I looked. I will hand it to Bullock (and Gianforte), as they put Native Americans (and other POC) in a fairly high category for getting early shots.

I truly don't understand why everyone doesn't get a shot. It's good for everyone, for the individual, for their family, for their places of employment, for beating the pandemic, and for the good of our country. It's free and easy. It's safe. It's so easy to get. It isn't political; it's the right think to do.]

 

[sdk.catfish]

PR making a whole lot of sense today on getting vaccinated but will any listen? What is confusing to me is why anyone really cares whether Covid19 came from a Chinese lab or from an unfortunate monkey, pig or chicken. What are you, personally or nationally going to do about it. China is going to do what China is going to do and their isn't a damn thing the US, or a worldwide coalition can do about it. China is now the most powerful nation in the world thanks to many years of the US being led by both political parties, accomplishing nothing. So I echo PR's sentiment, get vaccinated, wear a mask if needed, stay away from people you don't trust, and quit bitching about China.