Coronavirus: what Canadians need to know

Sun, 2021-01-24 14:53

NDPP

60% of COVID-19 long-haulers say government is 'absolutely ignoring them', Marketplace questionnaire finds (and vid)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/covid-long-haulers-seek-help-1.5881170

"Recent research has found that one in three of those who contract COVID-19 can go on to develop persistent symptoms, with studies citing heart, lung and cognitive issues, as well as debilitating fatigue and pain. They've come to be known as COVID long-haulers, and based on these recent statistics, Canada could have more than 200,000 of them at this point in the pandemic..."

Sun, 2021-01-24 15:31

#2253

cco

Marc Garneau says invoking Emergencies Act to prevent travel for reasons other than profit is on the table

Sun, 2021-01-24 16:13

#2254

NorthReport

Thanks cco. It's obvious why Canada is failing its citizens in its Covid-19 battle. BC NDP Premier John Horgan wants to shut down inter-provincial travel, airports, etc. but who in Ottawa wants to listen to an NDP Premier, eh!

Isn't it time Canada started following the approach of the countries that have succeeded such as Taiwan, Vietnam, China, New Zealand, etc. as opposed to those that have failed, like Sweden, US, and the UK.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_death_rates_by_country

Sun, 2021-01-24 16:47

#2255

cco

You think Canada is "failing its citizens" by allowing people to travel for non-business purposes, now, in 2021, when the overwhelming majority of transmission is domestic and being rich will always be an exemption to these measures? The NDP stood up against the War Measures Act 50 years ago. Will it do the same today?

I haven't seen any opposition to the trial balloon of limiting international travel to those who are wealthy enough to pay for 2 weeks in a hotel, of course, so I'm skeptical. Maybe next the government can raise the price of passports to $100,000, to really send a message!

"Bertrand Russell" wrote:
The notion that the desirable activities are those that bring a profit has made everything topsy-turvy. The butcher who provides you with meat and the baker who provides you with bread are praiseworthy, because they are making money; but when you enjoy the food they have provided, you are merely frivolous, unless you eat only to get strength for your work. Broadly speaking, it is held that getting money is good and spending money is bad. Seeing that they are two sides of one transaction, this is absurd; one might as well maintain that keys are good, but keyholes are bad. Whatever merit there may be in the production of goods must be entirely derivative from the advantage to be obtained by consuming them. The individual, in our society, works for profit; but the social purpose of his work lies in the consumption of what he produces. It is this divorce between the individual and the social purpose of production that makes it so difficult for men to think clearly in a world in which profit-making is the incentive to industry.

Sun, 2021-01-24 20:49

#2256

NorthReport

But I was so sure.......

https://www.salon.com/2021/01/24/the-hero-biochemist-who-pioneered-covid...

Mon, 2021-01-25 01:53

#2257

Pondering

There is no "for profit" exemption to travel. Trucks carrying goods are allowed through as are medical professionals who work cross border.

It's true that only the wealthy can afford to pay their hotel and extra 2 weeks and take it off work as well. Being wealthy means you can afford more stuff like longer vacations. That poorer people can't afford to do that does not to me mean that wealthy people should be denied it. Nor does it mean that poorer people should be able to do the same. Wealth will always buy some privileges. It shouldn't be the case with health care or education. The general perks of wealth are not the problem. The problem is that too much wealth is pooling at the top. It's that they don't pay high enough taxes nor high enough wages. It's that Amazon and others are profiteering. That they get to jet off on vacations is annoying but a distraction.

Mon, 2021-01-25 12:28

#2258

NDPP

Jab deliveries could fall by 60% - EU 'deeply dissatisfied' with AstraZeneca

https://youtu.be/CImyK7Y8ejU

"AstraZeneca has warned the EU's executive that there will be delays to its delivery of COVID-19 vaccines in the first 3 months of the year prompting the bloc's health commissioner to express 'deep dissatisfaction'.

Dutch and Danish police clash with anti-lockdown rioters

https://youtu.be/Lt7zCh1OYa4

Expect this to spread if repeated lockdowns, lack of test/trace/track, ltc eldercide, mixed messaging and other government mishandling of the pandemic continues.

Mon, 2021-01-25 16:29

#2259

NorthReport

As if fining a rich person does a lot of good.

Canadian mogul fined after getting Covid vaccine meant for Indigenous residents

Rodney Baker and his wife travelled to remote community of 100 in Yukon territory and claimed to be workers at a local motel

Rodney and Ekaterina Baker.

Rodney and Ekaterina Baker. Photograph: Ekaterina Baker/Facebook

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/25/canada-ex-casino-head-fine...

Mon, 2021-01-25 17:13

#2260

Pondering

Another cause for leftists to fight for, fines as a percentage of income rather than a flat amount.

Mon, 2021-01-25 19:07

#2261

NorthReport

80% of Canadians support BC NDP Premier John Horgan's request to close the provincial borders

https://globalnews.ca/news/7598069/majority-of-canadians-agree-inter-pro...

Mon, 2021-01-25 21:17

#2262

NorthReport

Baker earned 10,000,000 dollars in 2019 and he was fined 2,300. which must have really hurt him.

There is something to be said for having a fair society

Tue, 2021-01-26 02:15

(Reply to #2262) #2263

earthquakefish

Pondering wrote:

There is no "for profit" exemption to travel. Trucks carrying goods are allowed through as are medical professionals who work cross border.

It's true that only the wealthy can afford to pay their hotel and extra 2 weeks and take it off work as well. Being wealthy means you can afford more stuff like longer vacations. That poorer people can't afford to do that does not to me mean that wealthy people should be denied it. Nor does it mean that poorer people should be able to do the same. Wealth will always buy some privileges. It shouldn't be the case with health care or education. The general perks of wealth are not the problem. The problem is that too much wealth is pooling at the top. It's that they don't pay high enough taxes nor high enough wages. It's that Amazon and others are profiteering. That they get to jet off on vacations is annoying but a distraction.

Coincidentally, in Ontario, many warehouses, such as Amazon are of a much higher transmission level than travel. Manufacturing, etc... seem to be hot beds, which shutting down of retail (especially small ones, will not help). I am still a skeptic, but I wish some of the concerns raised were not the alarmist ones in media here. It does actually feed the thought, this is hysterics.

So if 3% of cases can be linked to travel, that's not a reason to close borders. Some can say, what about the variants? Well Ontario is dropping in cases, scary statistic, some nursing homes are now dealing with once one resident/staff gets ill, hundreds do, but in this way stats don't lie - less are falling ill. And when the medical community debates, how contagious the new strain is, while our cases drop, one must pause for a moment.

What has been lost in Ontario, this happens again and again in for-profit long term care homes. If that is the majority of consequence, with no quick remedy, then we need to see the shark at play

Tue, 2021-01-26 09:44

#2264

NorthReport

And what about Canada

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/european-union-astrazeneca-p...

Tue, 2021-01-26 11:52

#2265

NDPP

How the Liberals are bungling the vaccine endgame - Macleans

https://twitter.com/levinempc/status/1353708078189993989

"On August 24 macleans exposed it. Canada was the only Western nation which had not nailed down any vaccine orders. The Trudeau government dithered and Canadians are now getting sick and dying needlessly because of their incompetence."

Tue, 2021-01-26 19:36

#2266

NorthReport

How many masks to waer?

https://www.salon.com/2021/01/26/the-case-for-and-against-wearing-two-ma...

Tue, 2021-01-26 23:11

#2267

NDPP

COVID Canada Updates: 1/26/2021

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/

More than 100 million COVID-19 cases worldwide
Providence Therapeutics begins first clinical testing of Canadian-made covid-19 vax
Ont teenager's death sign of pandemic 'human rights catastrophe' newcomer advocates say

Tue, 2021-01-26 23:19

#2268

NDPP

Ontario's Care Crisis: Socialistproject.ca (podcast)

https://twitter.com/picardonhealth/status/1354243935116394498

"The failings of private long-term care homes, the need for paid sick days and inequitable vaccine distribution. With Natalie Mehra, executive-director of the Ontario Health Coalition."

Wed, 2021-01-27 18:13

#2269

NorthReport

https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/watch/fauci-announces-results-of-johnson-and...

Wed, 2021-01-27 18:16

#2270

NorthReport

Paul Krugman's predictions about the Republican party are coming true

Before President Joe Biden was sworn into office a week ago, liberal economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman predicted that Republicans in Congress would "magically rediscover fiscal conservatism" and oppose any coronavirus relief package he proposed. Sure enough, some Republicans are claiming that the new president wants to spend too much. And Krugman, in a Times column published this week, argues that Republicans in Congress are more interested in playing partisan politics than helping the millions of Americans who are still hurting financially because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

https://www.rawstory.com/future-of-us-gop-congress/

Wed, 2021-01-27 18:22

#2271

NorthReport

If you were an American would you wear one, or would you prefer to not get beaten up, eh!

https://dissentpins.com/collections/science-is-real?gclid=EAIaIQobChMImv...

Wed, 2021-01-27 22:39

#2272

NDPP

Dr John Campbell, Coronavirus Update: 1/27/2021

https://youtu.be/PrTvpBUdmHI

Variants.

Thu, 2021-01-28 03:04

#2273

NDPP

Make the Vaccines Public

https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/make-the-vaccines-public

"Why do we allow companies like Pfizer and Moderna to control our vaccine supplies in the first place? Like so many aspects of this pandemic, the vaccine shortage is a clear example of how the private sector has failed to protect us during the crisis. But it didn't have to be this way; not now or ever again. We have the capacity to create publicly owned, sustainable and low-cost alternatives to the pharma companies that are failing us..."

Thu, 2021-01-28 23:34

#2274

NorthReport

New Zealand reigns supreme

https://www.abc.net.au/news/politics/2021-01-27/new-zealand-tops-list-as...

Fri, 2021-01-29 11:27

#2275

NDPP

Coronavirus: EU Confirms Export Controls on Vaccines

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55860540

"The European Union has confirmed it is introducing export controls on coronavirus vaccines made within the bloc, amid a row about delivery shortfalls. 'The protection and safety of our citizens is a priority and the challenges we now face left us no choice but to act,' the European Commission said..."

Huge.

Fri, 2021-01-29 11:53

#2276

NDPP

Highly contagious UK COVID-19 variant will likely be dominant strain in Ontario by March, modelling suggests

https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/highly-contagious-u-k-covid-19-variant-will-l...

"The new mutated SARS-CoV-2 are clearly spreading in the community and will likely be the dominant version of the virus by March', Dr Adalstein Brown, co-chair of the province's COVID-19 science table, said on Thursday. 'The new variants give us less room to relax and less room for error."

Fri, 2021-01-29 18:27

#2277

NorthReport

If you look carefully you can see Canada's Prime Minister in there driving!

https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2021/01/29/Skidding-Vaccine-Rollout-Crashes-...

Fri, 2021-01-29 20:51

#2278

NDPP

Coronavirus: The Eradication Option

https://www.pressenza.com/2021/01/the-covid-19-pandemic-cant-be-managed-...

"The real answer to our dire situation is maddeningly obvious: adopt a strong elimination strategy rather than trying to chaotically manage a disease that is overwhelming us.

Yaneer Bar-Yam is the founding president of the New England Complex Systems Institute, where he is an expert on pandemics and other complex systems, and works with initiatives like CovidZero and COVID Action Group. In an interview, he explained to me that 'there is no point in time when it's not worthwhile to get rid of this within a period of five to six weeks.' Yes, it is true..."

Sat, 2021-01-30 02:49

#2279

NorthReport

Good unbiased article on what's needed to discover the origins

June, 2020

https://www.forbes.com/sites/coronavirusfrontlines/2020/06/19/did-covid-...

Sat, 2021-01-30 05:01

#2280

NorthReport

Now Moderna cutting Canadian vaccine supply by 20-25%

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/moderna-cut-deliveries-to-canada-1.5893307

Sat, 2021-01-30 05:27

(Reply to #2280) #2281

NDPP

[quote=NorthReport]

Good unbiased article on what's needed to discover the origins June, 2020 https://www.forbes.com/sites/coronavirusfrontlines/2020/06/19/did-covid-...

[quote=NDPP]

There's nothing unbiased about you or your Forbes article NR.

Scientists: 'Exactly Zero' Evidence Covid-19 Came from a Lab

https://www.cidrap.umm.edu/news-perspective/2020/05/scientists-exactly-z...

"Since the COVID-19 pandemic began the Internet has been teeming with provocative conspiracy theories that the novel coronavirus was (1) created in a Wuhan, China, lab and deployed as a bioweapon or (2) derived from bats, grown on tissue culture, intentionally or accidentally transmitted to a researcher, and released into community. Politicians have touted these theories in an attempt to blame China for the pandemic..."

Sat, 2021-01-30 05:53

#2282

NDPP

EU Slaps Ban on Vaccine Exports to Australia

https://twitter.com/australian/status/1355235156978593792

"Australia's immunisation rollout in disarray as EU slaps export ban on Covid jabs to Australia so Europeans can be vaccinated first."

Whither Canada?

Sat, 2021-01-30 06:17

#2283

NDPP

An old friend who now lives in Wiltshire, UK, age 65, retired and in good health, has been advised to report for their Pfizer jab today. By comparison, I don't expect any Canadian of similar age and condition should expect to receive theirs for another 8 months.

Sat, 2021-01-30 06:26

#2284

NDPP

Dr John Campbell, Coronavirus Update 1/29/2021

https://youtu.be/ynyYvM7rzQ0

Novavax - 89.3% efficacy, J&J and update

Sat, 2021-01-30 13:03

(Reply to #2284) #2285

eastnoireast

NDPP] [quote=NorthReport] Good unbiased article on what's needed to discover the origins June, 2020 <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/coronavirusfrontlines/2020/06/19/did-covid-19-come-from-a-lab-was-it-deliberate-bioterrorism-a-biodefense-expert-explores-the-clues/">https://www.forbes.com/sites/coronavirusfrontlines/2020/06/19/did-covid-...</a> [quote=NDPP wrote:

There's nothing unbiased about you or your Forbes article NR.

Scientists: 'Exactly Zero' Evidence Covid-19 Came from a Lab

https://www.cidrap.umm.edu/news-perspective/2020/05/scientists-exactly-z...

"Since the COVID-19 pandemic began the Internet has been teeming with provocative conspiracy theories that the novel coronavirus was (1) created in a Wuhan, China, lab and deployed as a bioweapon or (2) derived from bats, grown on tissue culture, intentionally or accidentally transmitted to a researcher, and released into community. Politicians have touted these theories in an attempt to blame China for the pandemic..."

we don't know at this point whether c19 was lab-assisted.

but there is no question that the capability exists, in the wuhan lab and several other places in the world.

there is also no question that the wuhan lab, with millions of dollars in funding from saint fauchi's department, was long engaged in specifically this research.

simply wrapping this up in the "anti china" flag (just like folks calling for air travel restrictions at the start of all this got the "anti china" label) is anti-science knee-jerk jerk-off liberal feel good.

-

Lab-Made? SARS-CoV-2 Genealogy Through the Lens of Gain-of-Function Research

https://yurideigin.medium.com/lab-made-cov2-genealogy-through-the-lens-of-gain-of-function-research-f96dd7413748

-

"Another nail in the "escaped from evil lab" theory? The overall molecular structure of this virus is distinct from the known coronaviruses and instead most closely resembles viruses found in bats and pangolins that had been little studied and never known to cause humans any harm.
"If someone were seeking to engineer a new coronavirus as a pathogen, they would have constructed it from the backbone of a virus known to cause illness... - Livescience"

But this is exactly what was done in a lab in 2015 and published in Nature medicine!

A SARS-like cluster of circulating bat coronaviruses shows potential for human emergence

Ralph Baric, Vineet Menachery and colleagues characterize a SARS-like coronavirus circulating in Chinese horseshoe bats to determine its potential to infect primary human airway epithelial cells, cause disease in mice and respond to available therapeutics.

www.nature.com

"Therefore, to examine the emergence potential (that is, the potential to infect humans) of circulating bat CoVs, we built a chimeric virus encoding a novel, zoonotic CoV spike protein—from the RsSHC014-CoV sequence that was isolated from Chinese horseshoe bats1—in the context of the SARS-CoV mouse-adapted backbone. The hybrid virus allowed us to evaluate the ability of the novel spike protein to cause disease independently of other necessary adaptive mutations in its natural backbone." *

*Menachery, V., Yount, B., Debbink, K. et al. A SARS-like cluster of circulating bat coronaviruses shows potential for human emergence.Nat Med 21, 1508–1513 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm.3985
**https://www.nature.com/articles/nm.3985

Sun, 2021-01-31 02:43

(Reply to #2285) #2286

earthquakefish

NDPP wrote:

EU Slaps Ban on Vaccine Exports to Australia

https://twitter.com/australian/status/1355235156978593792

"Australia's immunisation rollout in disarray as EU slaps export ban on Covid jabs to Australia so Europeans can be vaccinated first."

Whither Canada?

Well in balance, and ethics, if one place is hardly without a case, should they receive innoculation just cause of their connection to the commonwealth?

Sun, 2021-01-31 02:50

(Reply to #2286) #2287

earthquakefish

So, if you had been the Prime Minister, you would not have listened to your top public health officer, of the world health organization? I'm just curious. It's wonderful people have the ability in hindsight to critisize, but I am wondering what basis you would have made your decision upon?

NorthReport wrote:

If you look carefully you can see Canada's Prime Minister in there driving!

https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2021/01/29/Skidding-Vaccine-Rollout-Crashes-...

Sun, 2021-01-31 13:34

#2288

NorthReport

BC has been calling for closing the borders basically since the beginning. It is just common sense. BC also has a large Asian population, so probably BCers see more Asian news, and BCers saw mask-wearing in Asia long before we started.

Following science is important but scientists also are not immune to mistakes. And that includes scientific journals. Follow the money. It's always about the money. I just saw an ABC Full Measure news report about the US CDC website. It had some incorrect information on it for over a month. It was only when the media got involved was it changed. It favoured the drug manufacturer and 15 scientists has signed on their support. THE CDC website now has has an apology and a sort of correction on it.

http://fullmeasure.news/news/cover-story/cdc-investigation

But look what has happened to our vaccinations now because Ottawa relied on the business community.

Don't like Canada's new mandatory quarantine?

It's part of why New Zealand is now back to normal

Remember crowds? This one enjoys a SIX60 performance last week in Hastings, New Zealand, which has reported just 25 COVID-19 deaths. PHOTO BY KERRY MARSHALL/GETTY IMAGES

By March 20, New Zealand closed its border to basically anyone except residents, directly in opposition to the recommendations of the WHO

On Friday the Government of Canada announced a new program prescribing mandatory supervised hotel quarantines for all travellers entering the country. It’s one of the strictest measures yet imposed in the fight against COVID-19, but it’s a measure with good precedent: New Zealand, one of the most enthusiastic adopters of mandatory hotel quarantines, has been ranked the best performing county in an index of almost 100 countries based on their containment of the coronavirus.

As we here in Canada undertake the grim task of reviewing our ICU triage protocols, New Zealanders are packing into stadiums without masks and celebrating New Year’s Eve in dense crowds just like the old days. COVID-19 has killed 18,000 Canadians and counting, while New Zealand is at 25 deaths. The Pacific Island nation had a breach this week, with a couple of positive cases of the South African COVID variant, all linked to the same quarantine facility in Auckland. While New Zealand has been lucky, it largely has itself to credit for its success.

https://thestarphoenix.com/news/dont-like-canadas-new-mandatory-quaranti...

Sun, 2021-01-31 19:17

#2289

NorthReport

I support Dr Tam.

It is indeed very unfortunate for all the people who have died, the isolation, the loss of jobs, the business community problems, but Canada needed to completely shut down, including all its borders as well, for a month or so, and then reopen keeping its borders closed.

The government should have done that but was not prepared to do so. Just look at our vaccine distribution. And Canadians are now paying the price. We have a national health emergency which should have overriden everything else. And that is the government, and not Dr Tam's fault. There is a difference.

What has Canada been waiting for to start manufacturing a vaccine here? And it is not too late to start immediately either. But no, let the business community run things, eh! You might want to listen to today's CTV's Question Period.

Sun, 2021-01-31 19:13

#2290

NDPP

Rick Hillier gets new job advising Ottawa defence firm

https://twitter.com/rideauinstitute/status/1355133953926115331

"Hillier had ample vaccines to ensure innoculation of the entire vulnerable population of senior citizens in long term care (around 120,000). But he blames supply problems that came later for his failure to do so..."

And Doug Ford pays him $20,000 a month for this!?

Sun, 2021-01-31 19:21

#2291

NorthReport

Near-lockdowns aren’t enough to slow COVID’s spread, warns Dr. Tam

https://ipolitics.ca/2021/01/15/near-lockdowns-arent-enough-to-slow-covi...

Sun, 2021-01-31 19:31

#2292

NorthReport

https://twitter.com/antonioguterres/status/1355823890916757507

Sun, 2021-01-31 19:53

#2293

NDPP

Vancouver health authority rolls out COVID-19 vaccine on Downtown Eastside

https://twitter.com/cbcnewsbc/status/1355735813200478209

"Vancouver Coastal Health has started offering COVID-19 vaccines for vulnerable residents on the Downtown Eastside as part of Phase 2 of its immunization plan..."

Sun, 2021-01-31 22:59

#2294

NDPP

Outrage is not enough

https://consortiumnews.com/2021/01/28/covid-19-outrage-is-not-enough/

"The callousness with which bourgeois governments have handled the pandemic illustrates the need for an investigation of their criminal approach. Last week, Noam Chomsky and I reflected on the news..."

Mon, 2021-02-01 04:51

#2295

NorthReport

https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/why-rich-countries-should-subsidi...

Mon, 2021-02-01 05:11

#2296

NDPP

COVID Canada Update: 2/1/2021

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus

Canada surpasses 20,000 deaths due to COVID-19
Questions remain over Canada's vaccination drive
Novavax submits vaccine for approval
Ontario logs more than 1,800 new COVID cases, 43 deaths

Mon, 2021-02-01 12:51

#2297

NorthReport

Essential to follow the science, but our knowledge is constantly changing, and we appear to be learning new things about Covid-19 every day.

Worrisome New Coronavirus Strains Are Emerging. Why Now?

Across the globe, SARS-CoV-2 is evolving ways to evade the immune system and become more infectious. Blown pandemic response plans are to blame.

https://www.wired.com/story/worrisome-new-coronavirus-strains-are-emergi...

Mon, 2021-02-01 13:06

#2298

NorthReport

I doubt very much that Wired magazine is into conspiracy theories, but fill your boots.

But for those with an open mind and wanting to learn more, exploring Daszak's involvement is probably a good place to start.

If Covid-19 Did Start With a Lab Leak, Would We Ever Know?

The problem starts with the nature of the inquiries, which must determine, for starters, whether the SARS-CoV-2 virus went straight from wild animals to the population (the likeliest scenario, per most experts) or perhaps escaped from a laboratory setting. But many of the people who are most qualified to look into this question—the ones with the most relevant technical knowledge—also happen to be the ones who work in those very laboratory settings or have close professional ties with the people who do.

In other words, they’re exactly the people who might themselves be blamed (either directly or as part of a research community) if the virus were ever traced back to a lab.

This fundamental tension is not at all uncommon in the convening of expert committees, by governments or otherwise. Decades ago, the scientists who had relationships with tobacco companies were among those with the best understanding of the effects of smoking on public health, but their inclusion on health advisory committees was problematic and helped to motivate more rigorous approaches to managing conflicts of interest. Fortunately, governments around the world have a long track record of implementing these approaches; and it’s certainly possible to tap relevant expertise via formal questioning or testimony without including those with conflicts as investigators themselves. Unfortunately, it’s not clear that either of the leading investigations into the pandemic’s origins is following the relevant best practices.

For instance, both investigations include Peter Daszak, disease ecologist and president of the EcoHealth Alliance, a nonprofit with a history of conducting research into SARS-related coronaviruses and their effects on humans, including collaborative work done at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. The Wuhan Institute happens to be the only laboratory in China that is allowed to work with the world’s most dangerous pathogens, and it’s located at the apparent ground zero of the current outbreak.

Fully half of The Lancet's team had already suggested that any lab-leak hypothesis was a “conspiracy theory” months before their work began.

If there were a lab leak—and, again, most experts do not believe that the available evidence points in this direction—then both the Wuhan Institute and its US partner would be on a short list of candidates to investigate. It should be obvious that no one with any connection to either organization can play a formal role in any truly independent investigation into the pandemic’s origins. (Of course their expert input could and should be solicited through other means.)

It’s also worth noting that Daszak expressed certainty, very early in the crisis, that the disease originated in the wild. Last winter, just after the WHO first named the virus, he drafted a formal statement to “strongly condemn conspiracy theories suggesting that Covid-19 does not have a natural origin” and to “stand with” colleagues in Wuhan and across China. More than two dozen other scientists would sign that letter, which was published by The Lancet on February 19, 2020. Emails obtained via the Freedom of Information Act suggest that Daszak organized the effort from the start.

The two major investigations into the origins of the pandemic are compromised by potential conflicts of interest. Those problems need to be fixed—fast.

https://www.wired.com/story/if-covid-19-did-start-with-a-lab-leak-would-...

Mon, 2021-02-01 13:52

(Reply to #2298) #2299

NDPP

[quote=NDPP]

Scientists: 'Exactly Zero' Evidence Covid-19 Came from a Lab

https://www.cidrap.umm.edu/news-perspective/2020/05/scientists-exactly-z...

"Since the COVID-19 pandemic began the Internet has been teeming with provocative conspiracy theories that the novel coronavirus was (1) created in a Wuhan, China, lab and deployed as a bioweapon or (2) derived from bats, grown on tissue culture, intentionally or accidentally transmitted to a researcher, and released into community. Politicians have touted these theories in an attempt to blame China for the pandemic..."

Mon, 2021-02-01 13:57

#2300

NorthReport

Questions remain over Canada’s vaccination drive amid delays and fresh applications

https://www.nationalnewswatch.com/2021/02/01/questions-remain-over-canad...

Mon, 2021-02-01 14:06

(Reply to #2300) #2301

NorthReport

Is your article as accurate as your link?

NDPP wrote:

Scientists: 'Exactly Zero' Evidence Covid-19 Came from a Lab

https://www.cidrap.umm.edu/news-perspective/2020/05/scientists-exactly-z...

"Since the COVID-19 pandemic began the Internet has been teeming with provocative conspiracy theories that the novel coronavirus was (1) created in a Wuhan, China, lab and deployed as a bioweapon or (2) derived from bats, grown on tissue culture, intentionally or accidentally transmitted to a researcher, and released into community. Politicians have touted these theories in an attempt to blame China for the pandemic..."

Coronavirus: what Canadians need to know

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