Fantastic post, Monica. Thank you for pulling this all together so beautifully and rationally, pointing out the obvious illogic of where the U.S. health officials and media have been focusing in supposedly aiming for the improved health of Americans while ignoring or disparaging the most basic commonsense solutions right in front of them. As always, I am so grateful for your clarity of thought and expression. It makes me feel sane again when I read your articles.
There’s lots of information out there about how to improve your health. Most Americans ignore it. For example, this whole “fat shaming “thing. I’m sorry if folks are offended, but being fat is detrimental to your health. End of discussion.
Completely agree. Most Americans willingly and knowingly ignore their health, and too many are embracing the “Whatever shape my body is in, I’m good” mentality. And when I see a 300 pound woman on the cover of “Cosmopolitan” magazine with the caption “This is Healthy!”, that’s a sign that something’s gone very wrong.
But I also think that it’s difficult for people who want to be healthy to stay healthy, especially if they can’t afford to eat organic. Almost everything in our food supply is toxic, in varying degrees. The amount of chemicals and preservatives in even the most basic foods, like soup, is astounding. I recently read a post comparing the ingredients of a can of Campbell’s soup in the U.S. to the same can in the U.K. The difference was unbelievable; the list of ingredients in the American soup was three times longer and much higher in fat. If you’ve traveled abroad you can easily see and taste the difference. Whenever I go to Europe or Latin America, I actually lose weight without even trying.
But I also think that people can change their habits, with encouragement. We managed to do this with smoking, which was a huge addiction for a lot of people. If we put half the energy into getting people to step away from fast food and forcing companies to remove toxic food from shelves that we put into PSAs for vaccines, we could improve the health of millions of Americans in just a few years.
I would want there to be a book on this: America's curious attitude to food. Part of American (US) culture itself, this has existed for GOOD while. The first Trump (who catered to good rush workers) was pioneer in this.... maybe so! In any event we have a very curious attitude t-wards fooDd in dis corn tree.
I've been hesitating to conclude the vaccine is very dangerous.
Massive VAERS reporting can be partly attributed to the huge rate of vaccination (vaccines are normally administered approximately in line with births) and the increased awareness of VAERS, so that more reports are submitted.
On the other hand such huge volume of reports is hard to discount - the "where there's smoke, there's fire" adage comes to mind. It does seem likely that covid vaccines are being given a free pass compared to previous vaccines in this regard.
It is strange that the mortality for age 0-24 that you present does not trend in accordance with overall covid death rates. Combined with the generally accepted knowledge that covid morality for young people is low, we must ask what other factors could cause this?
The two that come to mind are dangers related to vaccines and to social isolation and depression. One did not exist before the mortality began increasing in 2020, and the other increased dramatically during the covid period lockdowns.
Social isolation has been trending back down, but young mortality is still increasing? Whereas adverse vaccination effects might be protracted, and vaccination boosters continue to be foisted upon people of all ages.
Your general point about health - diet, vitamin d, and exercise - is well taken, but I don't feel like these would explain increases in mortality for the young. Absent other explanations, that leaves me with increased doubts about covid vaccine safety!
My daughter in law worked on the front lines of a hospital during Covid. She was disgusted and angry about all of the overweight people who came in with the virus, presenting a huge burden on the front liners. I don't know how to describe what I think of the "inclusion" movement of the Left that anoints overweight people a pass. All I can think of to say is that it is so misguided and dangerous.
I heard the same thing from friends who worked in hospitals, Vicki. I think when experts and health care professionals realized the impact of weight as a risk factor for COVID-19, public health agencies should have emphasized this in all of their messaging. It doesn't take years to lose weight. We could have saved so many lives if only we'd given as much attention to reducing risk as we did to fashioning quick and easy solutions that involve drugs.
--The first reason a lot more Americans died is that a lot more Americans got infected, because we travel so much compared to other countries. We had the first big outbreak after China.
--How fat and sedentary and suffering from diseases of the rich we are compared to other countries was a factor, but countries like Iran, Brazil and India had proportionally more deaths than us:
--JFK started a major fitness campaign during his Presidency which Johnson continued. Michelle Obama promoted fitness too. I agree we need to focus more on health. The medical industry doesn't do that very well.
Thanks for your comment, Hazel. Yes, Iran, Brazil and India had a higher death rate proportionally, but I was making the point that the U.S. had the highest death rate of any Western (“developed”) nation, which is counter intuitive since we are supposedly one of the richest countries in the world.
I agree that lack of access to medical care during the height of the pandemic likely accounts for a number of delayed diagnoses. But most health care providers and hospitals had re-opened (requiring masking, of course) by mid to late 2021. So this amounts to a little more than a year in delayed diagnoses. I would certainly expect an increase in deaths among older and elderly Americans as a result of delayed diagnoses because they are at heightened risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer and other illnesses (diseases with risk factors that increases with age). But younger people aren’t in this same risk group. In fact, many young people in their 20s frequently go without health coverage for that very reason: the expense doesn’t justify their likelihood of needing coverage. If people between the ages of 25 and 44 don’t seek medical care for a year, should we really expect a steep rise in cancer, stroke and heart attacks in this cohort? That’s what puzzles me.
Ah, I remember Johnson’s initiative so well! I lived with his legacy in my youth and competed in the Presidential Physical Fitness Award Program in 4th grade. I loved it because it made good health a good natured competition among students. The program ended in 2013 under President Obama and was replaced by a program that removes the competitive component of fitness goals and “emphasizes individual progress over exceptionalism.”
Careful, the link above indicates Brazil and India had higher case fatality rates (CFR) than the US, not necessarily more infections or more deaths overall. CFR is high if deaths are confirmed from (or with) Covid but the identification of cases is low, i.e. testing and tracking of infections is poor.
India, with 4 times the US population, tracks as having half the infections and half the deaths from (or with*) Covid as the US.
It's almost certain (unless tests have an extremely high false positive rate) that case counts are under reported (who reports their positive test results these days?).
I suspect it's more likely that India under reported both cases and deaths when compared to the US. Total deaths attributed to covid suggest that the effects were much worse in the US than in India - 8 times higher per capita based on reported deaths. (Brazil, on the other hand has similar overall death counts per capita**).
*It's unclear to me what criteria for counting as a covid death is in each country. Many sources - primarily health care workers - suggest deaths in the US were counted as Covid deaths of the person who died had tested positive even if admitted for other conditions.
** US 3500 deaths per million, Brazil 3300 per million. Many smaller countries have higher reported death rates than the US, the link above lets you easily sort to identify these (Peru is the worst).
Huh? “emphasizes individual progress over exceptionalism.” Meandering Obam-thought! Just kind of sounds like pres. Obama. What a fascinating contrast, I would never have thought of that. (I have "individual vs. social")
Here’s a doozy of an article I think you will appreciate at the Bigger Picture substack…
“Finally, glancing at the bigger picture, we close by predicting that the narrative that was spun from the flawed PNAS study risks deepening ideological divides—reinforcing growing distrust in scientists and contributing to skepticism among those disinclined to consider a role for racism in health outcomes, while encouraging increasingly uncritical doubling down among those already committed to "race-first" practices. All our babies, black, white, or otherwise, deserve better.”
An excess death of 10% is a one in a hundred year event. That we have 40% without all sorts of bells and whistles going off is not a good sign.
Below is an even-handed historical view of the Covid 19 events. Having read a lot of the details presented previously, it is still a great article. It clarifies the sometimes disparate nature of our understandings of what has happened to us.
I know you are very busy but it's a keeper that lends itself to reading in chunks. Amazing website, new to me. It's a Jewish site, my background is Christian, Bahai. Have you ever heard of Betty Jane Walker? Educator from Youngstown Ohio who for over a decade wrote a column in the Youngstown Vindicator. She was my mentor for a while. Powerful gal.
Harris: "there was an urgency in stemming a rising tide of deaths from a novel pathogen of unknown origin and consequences. By mid-April, however, my fear gradually subsided when it became clear that those most at risk were elderly or had underlying conditions, and I was neither."
. . .
It was a society of an almost pathological level of individualism. In this society there is now a phenomenon affecting the whole or the GROUP. Now it is hopeless: this is because of the inability to think socially. This white society is totally crippled whenever it needs to think socially, and of course they never considered seriously the possibility of that happening. So: when it happens, then what? The false leaders go totally goes nutzoid, crazy. As we saw, AND as we continue to see.
Not only did they all go crazy during COVID's opening scenes; but they show no signs of improving. So we have to expect more of the same.
What they are terrified of is in my view their own inability to act like leaders should act. The gov. was caught wit' they pants down. They ain't gonna admit to any of it!!
"The bottom line is that we don’t know what’s causing this dramatic increase in excess deaths"
Of course we know. A vaccine that screws up the immune and circulatory systems, resulting in turbo-cancers and "sudden and unexpected" deaths by f-ing up the heart muscle and lining, along with neurological and other disorders.
Since we know this disaster could have been avoided with D, quercetin (or better, ivermectin) and zinc (among other prophylactics and prophylaxes), there must be something else. Perhaps they used a simple formula: spread pervasive lies using mass propaganda, designed to create fear, setting the stage for the populace to accept a totalitarian state.
Nov 27, 2023·edited Nov 27, 2023Liked by Monica Harris
Many good points.
Both my wife and I recovered from bad covid cases within 24 hours of taking ivermectin. She took it within a couple of days, I tried to follow medical advice and get monoclonal antibody treatment, and only when that was not approved in time (10 days after onset, bedridden the whole time) did I try ivermectin*. I felt better the morning after taking my first dose, and fully recovered within 24 hours (2 doses).
Coincidence? Maybe. For both of us?
*I was only able to get ivermectin because my wife worked for a doctor who believed in it (he also was aware of links to vitamin D deficiencies and advocated its use, along with zinc and a couple of others, for prevention). Thank God for him - I wonder how many people he saved? A shame voices like his were suppressed.
My partner and I also recovered quickly with Ivermectin. We know many others who had the same experience. Then again, we live in Montana, where it was readily available.
Nov 28, 2023·edited Nov 28, 2023Liked by Monica Harris
Here in Georgia - hardly a bastion of progressivism, but trending that way, it seemed verboten to discuss these things outside of certain closed circles. My wife's employer was afraid government action might be taken to curtail his treatment regimen if it became too widely known.
As opposed to my regular doctor, who responded to my positive test with "yep, you have covid, nothing I can do for you. Good luck". I had to advise him that monoclonal antibodies had just become available treatment.
The derision of ivermectin by mainstream medicine and government heath authorities was truly frightening. (Not so surprising that big pharma would oppose it). To offer no treatment at all when a generally safe, cheap and widespread drug offered some chance of working, on the basis of rushed scientific studies, was inhumane and unnecessary at best and criminally negligent at worst.
I was never a big fan of Jimmy Kimmel, but I borderline despise him now.
I agree. The dismissal, and even rabid disdain, for Ivermectin was truly perplexing, especially given that the drug has been used safely for decades. The rationale seemed to be that since Ivermectin wasn’t guaranteed to be 100% effective, then it was useless, and even harmful. But when it quickly became known that the novel vaccine was not 100% effective, either, it made no sense to rule out Ivermectin. This was especially true for young and/or healthy people who were not at significant risk from COVID-19. What possible downside was there for them?
It was unquestionably the most baffling period in my life.
Given a chance to go "Wild and crazy," many persons will jump at it. They prefer the new, Crazy pandemic world. During that period, b.t.w., Ivermectin sounded obscure. I thought it was possible that it was dangerous. They could have accepted it but horse medicine is not scientific. Also just not fit for this wild, OR crazy world of ours where we try to save people but Ooooops....the die! These members of our society were transitioning into their new Wild world, and this outside medicine didn't fit into the whole framework that we are trying to build. The freak-a-zoid medicine system then labelled it. Now at this point the way it was described seems to be they would call it a "horse medicine." There were instructions to call it "horse medicine." So taking it could literally turn you into a horse, because that is the Wild new World we are going into where everything will be Different and More Interesting. Although we couldn't save you. Because of the level you are descending to... and meanwhile, while you are taking the stuff, on the other hand there are honest persons. Good Persons: the Totally Good Government is trying to help. They want to save you. Hmmmm.... that is what they are probably already doing.... Only, darn. Hate to tell you, it looks dismal. Isn't the new world exciting, though? It is a Wild and crazy world we live in with big, huge numbers of dead people. But also, let me tell you: big pharma has to profit. This is part of the rules and, damnit --- there are rules here. Ones of the rules is the business sector has to profit. Back to the exciting Wild action now: with the media was focused on the horror of taking the stuff, the poison I mean, the hateful "I-vermin" or whatever it is no one, not even the medical establishment, could stop the death toll from going up. It continued to rise. That; how horrible the world is. It was HORROR. It was our karma. What has been given a standard description as that of animal medecince, horse medicine and you know horse medicine is not adequate. DO AS WE SAY. We are very clear that you know horse medicine ain't gonna cure this. It is no medicine for such a classy new pademic as the one the whole GLOBE is faced with today. No Class-A scary "pandemic" is going to be treated with some kitchen sink remedy as this. We are a scientific society and past that sort of acting out...
Even older people and those with comorbidities, so many of whom died - what harm would it have done to offer them ivermectin when nothing else was being done for them except putting them on ventilators and letting them die alone?
In India (based on anecdotes from a couple of people I know who visited family there, one of whom had family running a clinic), doctors were given free reign to try things, and they seemed to get their outbreak under control. I'd love to know what worked for them.
It seems like they can't even think. They have to have somebody telling them what to do. Or they want a "Brave New World" of pandemics and lockdowns and this is all well and good with them. At least it is different from the old world that they cannot stand to live in. I don't necessarily like it, but I do not try to jump ship in the middle of the Pacific.
I always try to make decisions based on actions vs words. The first clue that gave me pause that there was something funny going on with the government response and recommendations to Covid was Nancy Pelosi’s trip to the beauty salon and then Gavin Newsoms (sp?) dinner at The French Laundry, including no masks or social distancing.
That tells you everything you need to know right there. If our “leaders” were paralyzed with fear, like they wanted everyone else to be, I would have known it was serious. But they weren’t, so I knew not to trust anything they said.
I went to a cafe'. I was in Miami and it was right along the bay, so all the persons waiting in line at this cafe' were well to do. It was at the point where things were getting better, but when there was still a mask protocol, and I was not sure whether to wear one or not. Among these upper crust customers, not ONE was wearing a mask - so, I didn't wear mine.
Hi Monica, great post. There are lots of data showing a clear correlation between vaccine uptake and the excess deaths you are writing about, giving the conclusion that vaccine side effects are the culprit. Your observation about pushing COVID vaccines despite research showing the efficacy of Vitamin D, Ivermectin etc seems to relate to profit and the fear in the establishment that admitting the vaccines did not work, have serious and deadly side effects will result in litigation by the general public.
Excellent piece, Heike. Thanks for sharing! I never considered the war on disinformation in this light, but it makes so much sense. Penalizing people for disseminating disinformation presumes that the people regulating disinformation have a firm grasp on the truth and the facts. But the past three years (or more) have shown this not to be the case.
How can anyone be accused of spreading disinformation when the “truth” has pivoted from “COVID-19 absolutely originated in a wet market” to “there’s some evidence that COVID-19 may have originated in a lab” to “it seems more likely than not that COVID-19 was born in a lab”? Ditto for the long-denied existence of UFOs/UAPs, masking, the vaccine’s ability to stop infection or transmission, Hunter Biden’s laptop, WMDs in Iraq, etc. The list of disinformation that’s turned out to be true information is long, indeed.
This isn’t a matter of politics; any reasonable person should stop and ask, “Wait a minute...if your track record with the facts is this slippery, what gives you the right or the moral authority to censor people for spreading lies?”
It seems that many people never made a serious attempt to think critically, and since the pandemic all ability to use reason and logic have been thrown out the window. Buh-bye.
There are no words to tell you how grateful I am, Monica, for expressing what seems so strangely obvious but unaddressed in the public sphere!!! This is EXACTLY (though way more eloquently stated) what I have been saying over and over in my own household -- largely to deaf ears/hearts. It's so weird -- it's almost like some people literally can't hear it/take it in. They just sort of glaze over and the energy in the room just totally stagnates. Doubly weirdly, uptick conversations seem to bring them "back to life" again. (Reminds me of robots who have been programmed!) And these are people who are quite bright in regular life. As Noël King, one of the commentors notes, your writings "make me feel sane again..." And THAT is worth everything.
Yes, it is incredibly weird, Fresh. I've had the same experience when pointing out to my friends what seems rather obvious. You're spot on -- it's almost as if there's been some kind of "programming" that blocks the ability to take in certain information without rationalizing or deflecting (as a side note, I've noticed the same thing about the Ukraine War. If I dare mention that the conflict isn't working out as expected and that it may be time for us to broker a settlement with Russia, eyes glaze over or they go into rabid attack mode. It's creepy, to say the least).
I can't tell you how much it means to me to hear your feedback. I often feel so alone. Writing is my only connection with sanity, and it often feels risky to put thoughts out there because the backlash can be fierce, even in "safe" spaces like Substack.
“They” want people to believe we don’t have control over our health and outcomes. Their power depends upon a captive audience relying upon their guidance and belief in their magic serums for good health. If people realize that their health is largely under their own control via good eating, exercise and vitamins, we chip away at the fear mongers and take back power.
I completely agree that we should focus on empowering ourselves, and that’s how I’ve always lived my life. But I’m being realistic, and it seems to me that there are limits.
The reality is that the government does have a great deal of control over our health. Not just with fact checks that steer us into avoiding health “misinformation,” making it increasingly difficult for manufacturers of supplements to operate, and lowering the standards of organic foods, but also by supporting a Food Complex that holds us hostage because few Americans have the time of resources to raise and grow our own food.
If, for example, the FDA suddenly decided that “some” amount of pesticides in organic foods isn’t harmful, most Americans wouldn’t even be aware and, moreover, wouldn’t be in the position to do anything about it. Because most of us can barely afford food now and have few options.
Fantastic post, Monica. Thank you for pulling this all together so beautifully and rationally, pointing out the obvious illogic of where the U.S. health officials and media have been focusing in supposedly aiming for the improved health of Americans while ignoring or disparaging the most basic commonsense solutions right in front of them. As always, I am so grateful for your clarity of thought and expression. It makes me feel sane again when I read your articles.
Thank you, Noel. Your comments make me feel sane, as well!
Indeed, it is all about money not health.
There’s lots of information out there about how to improve your health. Most Americans ignore it. For example, this whole “fat shaming “thing. I’m sorry if folks are offended, but being fat is detrimental to your health. End of discussion.
Completely agree. Most Americans willingly and knowingly ignore their health, and too many are embracing the “Whatever shape my body is in, I’m good” mentality. And when I see a 300 pound woman on the cover of “Cosmopolitan” magazine with the caption “This is Healthy!”, that’s a sign that something’s gone very wrong.
But I also think that it’s difficult for people who want to be healthy to stay healthy, especially if they can’t afford to eat organic. Almost everything in our food supply is toxic, in varying degrees. The amount of chemicals and preservatives in even the most basic foods, like soup, is astounding. I recently read a post comparing the ingredients of a can of Campbell’s soup in the U.S. to the same can in the U.K. The difference was unbelievable; the list of ingredients in the American soup was three times longer and much higher in fat. If you’ve traveled abroad you can easily see and taste the difference. Whenever I go to Europe or Latin America, I actually lose weight without even trying.
But I also think that people can change their habits, with encouragement. We managed to do this with smoking, which was a huge addiction for a lot of people. If we put half the energy into getting people to step away from fast food and forcing companies to remove toxic food from shelves that we put into PSAs for vaccines, we could improve the health of millions of Americans in just a few years.
I would want there to be a book on this: America's curious attitude to food. Part of American (US) culture itself, this has existed for GOOD while. The first Trump (who catered to good rush workers) was pioneer in this.... maybe so! In any event we have a very curious attitude t-wards fooDd in dis corn tree.
I think it has to do with:
1)Money made on Covid vaccines and other products
2)Power and Control over People
3)Using a Crisis as a Smoke screen to cover up something entirely different
4)Resetting the World Order
Just watch good old movie: "Wag the Dog"....
Even it's almost a baby lullaby comparing to what we lived and living through...
I think #1 and #2 were definitely factors. The dots are also lining up for #4.
#3 is intriguing...time will tell.
BTW, loved “Wag the Dog”! That movie (like “V for Vendetta”) was truly ahead of his time.
You are an excellent and brave writer!
Thank you, Rachel!
I've been hesitating to conclude the vaccine is very dangerous.
Massive VAERS reporting can be partly attributed to the huge rate of vaccination (vaccines are normally administered approximately in line with births) and the increased awareness of VAERS, so that more reports are submitted.
On the other hand such huge volume of reports is hard to discount - the "where there's smoke, there's fire" adage comes to mind. It does seem likely that covid vaccines are being given a free pass compared to previous vaccines in this regard.
It is strange that the mortality for age 0-24 that you present does not trend in accordance with overall covid death rates. Combined with the generally accepted knowledge that covid morality for young people is low, we must ask what other factors could cause this?
The two that come to mind are dangers related to vaccines and to social isolation and depression. One did not exist before the mortality began increasing in 2020, and the other increased dramatically during the covid period lockdowns.
Social isolation has been trending back down, but young mortality is still increasing? Whereas adverse vaccination effects might be protracted, and vaccination boosters continue to be foisted upon people of all ages.
Your general point about health - diet, vitamin d, and exercise - is well taken, but I don't feel like these would explain increases in mortality for the young. Absent other explanations, that leaves me with increased doubts about covid vaccine safety!
My daughter in law worked on the front lines of a hospital during Covid. She was disgusted and angry about all of the overweight people who came in with the virus, presenting a huge burden on the front liners. I don't know how to describe what I think of the "inclusion" movement of the Left that anoints overweight people a pass. All I can think of to say is that it is so misguided and dangerous.
I heard the same thing from friends who worked in hospitals, Vicki. I think when experts and health care professionals realized the impact of weight as a risk factor for COVID-19, public health agencies should have emphasized this in all of their messaging. It doesn't take years to lose weight. We could have saved so many lives if only we'd given as much attention to reducing risk as we did to fashioning quick and easy solutions that involve drugs.
But if they fixed the problem, they wouldn't have a path to imposing a totalitarian state.
"experts and health care professionals" are failures at SOCIAL care. They are fixated on individualism
Better talk to Roxane Gay 'bout this...
This is interesting. A couple things...
--The first reason a lot more Americans died is that a lot more Americans got infected, because we travel so much compared to other countries. We had the first big outbreak after China.
--How fat and sedentary and suffering from diseases of the rich we are compared to other countries was a factor, but countries like Iran, Brazil and India had proportionally more deaths than us:
https://ourworldindata.org/mortality-risk-covid
--the main reason theorized in the article linked in your linked article for more people dying from non-Covid reasons was lack of medical care for other conditions that were less urgent during the outbreak and so had to wait: https://www.wsj.com/articles/rise-in-non-covid-19-deaths-hits-life-insurers-11645576252
--JFK started a major fitness campaign during his Presidency which Johnson continued. Michelle Obama promoted fitness too. I agree we need to focus more on health. The medical industry doesn't do that very well.
Thanks for your comment, Hazel. Yes, Iran, Brazil and India had a higher death rate proportionally, but I was making the point that the U.S. had the highest death rate of any Western (“developed”) nation, which is counter intuitive since we are supposedly one of the richest countries in the world.
I agree that lack of access to medical care during the height of the pandemic likely accounts for a number of delayed diagnoses. But most health care providers and hospitals had re-opened (requiring masking, of course) by mid to late 2021. So this amounts to a little more than a year in delayed diagnoses. I would certainly expect an increase in deaths among older and elderly Americans as a result of delayed diagnoses because they are at heightened risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer and other illnesses (diseases with risk factors that increases with age). But younger people aren’t in this same risk group. In fact, many young people in their 20s frequently go without health coverage for that very reason: the expense doesn’t justify their likelihood of needing coverage. If people between the ages of 25 and 44 don’t seek medical care for a year, should we really expect a steep rise in cancer, stroke and heart attacks in this cohort? That’s what puzzles me.
Ah, I remember Johnson’s initiative so well! I lived with his legacy in my youth and competed in the Presidential Physical Fitness Award Program in 4th grade. I loved it because it made good health a good natured competition among students. The program ended in 2013 under President Obama and was replaced by a program that removes the competitive component of fitness goals and “emphasizes individual progress over exceptionalism.”
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidential_Fitness_Test
Careful, the link above indicates Brazil and India had higher case fatality rates (CFR) than the US, not necessarily more infections or more deaths overall. CFR is high if deaths are confirmed from (or with) Covid but the identification of cases is low, i.e. testing and tracking of infections is poor.
India, with 4 times the US population, tracks as having half the infections and half the deaths from (or with*) Covid as the US.
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries
It's almost certain (unless tests have an extremely high false positive rate) that case counts are under reported (who reports their positive test results these days?).
I suspect it's more likely that India under reported both cases and deaths when compared to the US. Total deaths attributed to covid suggest that the effects were much worse in the US than in India - 8 times higher per capita based on reported deaths. (Brazil, on the other hand has similar overall death counts per capita**).
*It's unclear to me what criteria for counting as a covid death is in each country. Many sources - primarily health care workers - suggest deaths in the US were counted as Covid deaths of the person who died had tested positive even if admitted for other conditions.
** US 3500 deaths per million, Brazil 3300 per million. Many smaller countries have higher reported death rates than the US, the link above lets you easily sort to identify these (Peru is the worst).
Huh? “emphasizes individual progress over exceptionalism.” Meandering Obam-thought! Just kind of sounds like pres. Obama. What a fascinating contrast, I would never have thought of that. (I have "individual vs. social")
Here’s a doozy of an article I think you will appreciate at the Bigger Picture substack…
“Finally, glancing at the bigger picture, we close by predicting that the narrative that was spun from the flawed PNAS study risks deepening ideological divides—reinforcing growing distrust in scientists and contributing to skepticism among those disinclined to consider a role for racism in health outcomes, while encouraging increasingly uncritical doubling down among those already committed to "race-first" practices. All our babies, black, white, or otherwise, deserve better.”
https://open.substack.com/pub/unsafescience/p/white-doctors-kill-black-babies?r=ub7jx&utm_medium=ios
Great article — thanks for sharing. Going to restack this!
An excess death of 10% is a one in a hundred year event. That we have 40% without all sorts of bells and whistles going off is not a good sign.
Below is an even-handed historical view of the Covid 19 events. Having read a lot of the details presented previously, it is still a great article. It clarifies the sometimes disparate nature of our understandings of what has happened to us.
I know you are very busy but it's a keeper that lends itself to reading in chunks. Amazing website, new to me. It's a Jewish site, my background is Christian, Bahai. Have you ever heard of Betty Jane Walker? Educator from Youngstown Ohio who for over a decade wrote a column in the Youngstown Vindicator. She was my mentor for a while. Powerful gal.
http://www.tabletmag.com/sections/science/articles/needle-points-vaccinations-chapter-one
Thankyou 4 letting me add my comment./
Harris: "there was an urgency in stemming a rising tide of deaths from a novel pathogen of unknown origin and consequences. By mid-April, however, my fear gradually subsided when it became clear that those most at risk were elderly or had underlying conditions, and I was neither."
. . .
It was a society of an almost pathological level of individualism. In this society there is now a phenomenon affecting the whole or the GROUP. Now it is hopeless: this is because of the inability to think socially. This white society is totally crippled whenever it needs to think socially, and of course they never considered seriously the possibility of that happening. So: when it happens, then what? The false leaders go totally goes nutzoid, crazy. As we saw, AND as we continue to see.
Not only did they all go crazy during COVID's opening scenes; but they show no signs of improving. So we have to expect more of the same.
What they are terrified of is in my view their own inability to act like leaders should act. The gov. was caught wit' they pants down. They ain't gonna admit to any of it!!
"The bottom line is that we don’t know what’s causing this dramatic increase in excess deaths"
Of course we know. A vaccine that screws up the immune and circulatory systems, resulting in turbo-cancers and "sudden and unexpected" deaths by f-ing up the heart muscle and lining, along with neurological and other disorders.
Since we know this disaster could have been avoided with D, quercetin (or better, ivermectin) and zinc (among other prophylactics and prophylaxes), there must be something else. Perhaps they used a simple formula: spread pervasive lies using mass propaganda, designed to create fear, setting the stage for the populace to accept a totalitarian state.
Many good points.
Both my wife and I recovered from bad covid cases within 24 hours of taking ivermectin. She took it within a couple of days, I tried to follow medical advice and get monoclonal antibody treatment, and only when that was not approved in time (10 days after onset, bedridden the whole time) did I try ivermectin*. I felt better the morning after taking my first dose, and fully recovered within 24 hours (2 doses).
Coincidence? Maybe. For both of us?
*I was only able to get ivermectin because my wife worked for a doctor who believed in it (he also was aware of links to vitamin D deficiencies and advocated its use, along with zinc and a couple of others, for prevention). Thank God for him - I wonder how many people he saved? A shame voices like his were suppressed.
My partner and I also recovered quickly with Ivermectin. We know many others who had the same experience. Then again, we live in Montana, where it was readily available.
Here in Georgia - hardly a bastion of progressivism, but trending that way, it seemed verboten to discuss these things outside of certain closed circles. My wife's employer was afraid government action might be taken to curtail his treatment regimen if it became too widely known.
As opposed to my regular doctor, who responded to my positive test with "yep, you have covid, nothing I can do for you. Good luck". I had to advise him that monoclonal antibodies had just become available treatment.
The derision of ivermectin by mainstream medicine and government heath authorities was truly frightening. (Not so surprising that big pharma would oppose it). To offer no treatment at all when a generally safe, cheap and widespread drug offered some chance of working, on the basis of rushed scientific studies, was inhumane and unnecessary at best and criminally negligent at worst.
I was never a big fan of Jimmy Kimmel, but I borderline despise him now.
I agree. The dismissal, and even rabid disdain, for Ivermectin was truly perplexing, especially given that the drug has been used safely for decades. The rationale seemed to be that since Ivermectin wasn’t guaranteed to be 100% effective, then it was useless, and even harmful. But when it quickly became known that the novel vaccine was not 100% effective, either, it made no sense to rule out Ivermectin. This was especially true for young and/or healthy people who were not at significant risk from COVID-19. What possible downside was there for them?
It was unquestionably the most baffling period in my life.
Given a chance to go "Wild and crazy," many persons will jump at it. They prefer the new, Crazy pandemic world. During that period, b.t.w., Ivermectin sounded obscure. I thought it was possible that it was dangerous. They could have accepted it but horse medicine is not scientific. Also just not fit for this wild, OR crazy world of ours where we try to save people but Ooooops....the die! These members of our society were transitioning into their new Wild world, and this outside medicine didn't fit into the whole framework that we are trying to build. The freak-a-zoid medicine system then labelled it. Now at this point the way it was described seems to be they would call it a "horse medicine." There were instructions to call it "horse medicine." So taking it could literally turn you into a horse, because that is the Wild new World we are going into where everything will be Different and More Interesting. Although we couldn't save you. Because of the level you are descending to... and meanwhile, while you are taking the stuff, on the other hand there are honest persons. Good Persons: the Totally Good Government is trying to help. They want to save you. Hmmmm.... that is what they are probably already doing.... Only, darn. Hate to tell you, it looks dismal. Isn't the new world exciting, though? It is a Wild and crazy world we live in with big, huge numbers of dead people. But also, let me tell you: big pharma has to profit. This is part of the rules and, damnit --- there are rules here. Ones of the rules is the business sector has to profit. Back to the exciting Wild action now: with the media was focused on the horror of taking the stuff, the poison I mean, the hateful "I-vermin" or whatever it is no one, not even the medical establishment, could stop the death toll from going up. It continued to rise. That; how horrible the world is. It was HORROR. It was our karma. What has been given a standard description as that of animal medecince, horse medicine and you know horse medicine is not adequate. DO AS WE SAY. We are very clear that you know horse medicine ain't gonna cure this. It is no medicine for such a classy new pademic as the one the whole GLOBE is faced with today. No Class-A scary "pandemic" is going to be treated with some kitchen sink remedy as this. We are a scientific society and past that sort of acting out...
Even older people and those with comorbidities, so many of whom died - what harm would it have done to offer them ivermectin when nothing else was being done for them except putting them on ventilators and letting them die alone?
In India (based on anecdotes from a couple of people I know who visited family there, one of whom had family running a clinic), doctors were given free reign to try things, and they seemed to get their outbreak under control. I'd love to know what worked for them.
It seems like they can't even think. They have to have somebody telling them what to do. Or they want a "Brave New World" of pandemics and lockdowns and this is all well and good with them. At least it is different from the old world that they cannot stand to live in. I don't necessarily like it, but I do not try to jump ship in the middle of the Pacific.
Great article as always!
I always try to make decisions based on actions vs words. The first clue that gave me pause that there was something funny going on with the government response and recommendations to Covid was Nancy Pelosi’s trip to the beauty salon and then Gavin Newsoms (sp?) dinner at The French Laundry, including no masks or social distancing.
That tells you everything you need to know right there. If our “leaders” were paralyzed with fear, like they wanted everyone else to be, I would have known it was serious. But they weren’t, so I knew not to trust anything they said.
I went to a cafe'. I was in Miami and it was right along the bay, so all the persons waiting in line at this cafe' were well to do. It was at the point where things were getting better, but when there was still a mask protocol, and I was not sure whether to wear one or not. Among these upper crust customers, not ONE was wearing a mask - so, I didn't wear mine.
Hi Monica, great post. There are lots of data showing a clear correlation between vaccine uptake and the excess deaths you are writing about, giving the conclusion that vaccine side effects are the culprit. Your observation about pushing COVID vaccines despite research showing the efficacy of Vitamin D, Ivermectin etc seems to relate to profit and the fear in the establishment that admitting the vaccines did not work, have serious and deadly side effects will result in litigation by the general public.
Excellent piece, Heike. Thanks for sharing! I never considered the war on disinformation in this light, but it makes so much sense. Penalizing people for disseminating disinformation presumes that the people regulating disinformation have a firm grasp on the truth and the facts. But the past three years (or more) have shown this not to be the case.
How can anyone be accused of spreading disinformation when the “truth” has pivoted from “COVID-19 absolutely originated in a wet market” to “there’s some evidence that COVID-19 may have originated in a lab” to “it seems more likely than not that COVID-19 was born in a lab”? Ditto for the long-denied existence of UFOs/UAPs, masking, the vaccine’s ability to stop infection or transmission, Hunter Biden’s laptop, WMDs in Iraq, etc. The list of disinformation that’s turned out to be true information is long, indeed.
This isn’t a matter of politics; any reasonable person should stop and ask, “Wait a minute...if your track record with the facts is this slippery, what gives you the right or the moral authority to censor people for spreading lies?”
It seems that many people never made a serious attempt to think critically, and since the pandemic all ability to use reason and logic have been thrown out the window. Buh-bye.
"You can shine your shoes and wear a suit
You can comb your hair and look quite cute
You can hide your face behind a smile
One thing you can't hide
Is when you're crippled inside
[Verse 2]
You can wear a mask and paint your face
You can call yourself the human race
You can wear a collar and a tie
One thing you can't hide
Is when you're crippled inside"
Write on, Monica. There also seems to be more at work here than meets the eye. https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/guide-understanding-hoax-century-thirteen-ways-looking-disinformation#covid
There are no words to tell you how grateful I am, Monica, for expressing what seems so strangely obvious but unaddressed in the public sphere!!! This is EXACTLY (though way more eloquently stated) what I have been saying over and over in my own household -- largely to deaf ears/hearts. It's so weird -- it's almost like some people literally can't hear it/take it in. They just sort of glaze over and the energy in the room just totally stagnates. Doubly weirdly, uptick conversations seem to bring them "back to life" again. (Reminds me of robots who have been programmed!) And these are people who are quite bright in regular life. As Noël King, one of the commentors notes, your writings "make me feel sane again..." And THAT is worth everything.
Yes, it is incredibly weird, Fresh. I've had the same experience when pointing out to my friends what seems rather obvious. You're spot on -- it's almost as if there's been some kind of "programming" that blocks the ability to take in certain information without rationalizing or deflecting (as a side note, I've noticed the same thing about the Ukraine War. If I dare mention that the conflict isn't working out as expected and that it may be time for us to broker a settlement with Russia, eyes glaze over or they go into rabid attack mode. It's creepy, to say the least).
I can't tell you how much it means to me to hear your feedback. I often feel so alone. Writing is my only connection with sanity, and it often feels risky to put thoughts out there because the backlash can be fierce, even in "safe" spaces like Substack.
"And these are people who are quite bright in regular life."
Ah. Please see john Lennon lyric above..
“They” want people to believe we don’t have control over our health and outcomes. Their power depends upon a captive audience relying upon their guidance and belief in their magic serums for good health. If people realize that their health is largely under their own control via good eating, exercise and vitamins, we chip away at the fear mongers and take back power.
I completely agree that we should focus on empowering ourselves, and that’s how I’ve always lived my life. But I’m being realistic, and it seems to me that there are limits.
The reality is that the government does have a great deal of control over our health. Not just with fact checks that steer us into avoiding health “misinformation,” making it increasingly difficult for manufacturers of supplements to operate, and lowering the standards of organic foods, but also by supporting a Food Complex that holds us hostage because few Americans have the time of resources to raise and grow our own food.
If, for example, the FDA suddenly decided that “some” amount of pesticides in organic foods isn’t harmful, most Americans wouldn’t even be aware and, moreover, wouldn’t be in the position to do anything about it. Because most of us can barely afford food now and have few options.