It’s really infuriating to watch the mainstream media’s endless propaganda against zero covid and then now to turn around and now blame China for not protecting their citizens.
And in terms of the western situation (especially in the stupidest countries) according to the Zoe Covid Study in the UK we have 226,000 daily cases. That’s actually from 2 days ago, so I imagine we’re already approaching the all-time record. No protections at all. No worry at all. Except for Strep A, which people have no idea is caused by Covid weakening kids immune systems.
Maybe I’ll want to go somewhere again in a few more years. It’s insane.
This piece is packed with more solid information and thoughtful analysis than any of the spume coming out of your TV or in a newspaper. Thank you.
I'm interested to know more about China having a prescription drug cartel. Like everything else, the US, through things like the WTO, uprooted our entire manufacturing base and shipped it over there. China becoming "workshop to the world" was as much an American project as a Chinese one.
Just like in the 1980s when big companies eliminated R&D to boost shares and cut costs (most of which withered to empty shells, or disappeared), the US aristocracy only cares about money, right now. The obvious long-term consequences of depending on our goods coming from the other side of the world were never considered, or waved away with some economic jargon.
Fortunately, we stockpiled, at the beginning of the pandemic, some of the OTC meds that make you feel better when ill: nsaids, cough suppressants, etc. that we haven’t needed to use yet. And, as a practice, we never dispose of old prescriptions, unless they’re liquid-based. A study found that “90% of more than 100 drugs, both prescription and over-the-counter, were perfectly good to use even 15 years after the expiration date.”
So much truth. Here in Canada, our school boards won't accept purifiers or anything because we have govt officials running our province who don't believe in science and think covid, and a crumbling health care system is 'normal' So we have masks and stay home. Anyone we saw we did outside. Our holidays are just us this year. I am hoping by the next year it will be safe to send the kid back to school but time will tell.
I screamed about this for years and everyone said we never had an issue so you are just being paranoia'd
I also told them of the massive ramp up in food inflation starting in 2021-2022 ... same result.
Now if I hear any of them speak to this (most won't even bring it up), I will say "I told you so".
FYI as an addendum, India makes a lot of our drugs.
As for the inflation OMFG WTF is happening I give them the hay costs for a farm. I stated from 2015-2021 the price doubled, so that means expect all food prices to double from 2019 prices over the next 5-7 years ...
I personally stay focused to make sure I get 90 day supplies and always push the limits in getting the drugs queued up for what I need.
As for those sick children and parents, I would state you are in a red and GOP area, oh well. Natural selection for you ... (now that gets caught with my humanity filter since I care about people).
You write good stuff, Wildfire. My own perspective on Covid has changed slightly. I came down with it last week.
It was not too serious; I have had much worse head colds. But this is the first virus I have had in five years. Even before covid, I was becoming concerned about the long term effects of viral infections. I would occasionally wear a mask even then. I have a good stockpile of medications. Like one of your commentators, I think drugs remain good well past their expiry dates.
So I wrote something about getting covid, among other topics. If you want to read it, you know where my link is.
I should make one point of information about the Chinese. No, two. A few of your commentariate have made similar points.
One, the Chinese were not devious about taking out much of the US productive economy. Forty years ago the American industrial elite decided that American workers were getting too uppity and decided to shut their factories down and get stuff made in China. They have developed this mentality of late stage capitalist elites that economy is all about extracting rents from land and utilities, and manufacturing was secondary and could be done anywhere. Why not have it done where labor is cheapest?
Other point about China is that I do not think they are going to have a big covid wave, despite their vaccine limitations. Something everyone overlooks is that Africa has largely escaped covid, despite having few people vaccinated.
They just know how to do voluntary quarantines. They do not have idiots who think any kind of public health measure is interfering with their "rights". I think the Chinese will be much the same way.
I can’t be mad at Beijing subsidizing antibiotic production when that was the correct thing to do. A public-private partnership like that in the U.S. could’ve prevented a lot of grief. So...why didn’t we? Why do we always blame our disasters on someone else? Nothing is stopping us from exercising that same level of foresight - god knows we aren’t against monopolies in general. Are antibiotics not profitable enough to bother with?
Everyone always goes on about how draconian China’s zero-Covid policy is and how they’re anti-freedom and blah blah blah. The fact of the matter is that they hold 10% of the human population. The world cannot afford for China to be as reckless as the U.S. is.
But Americans get so hopped up on nationalism and sinophobia that they forget that public health is an all hands on deck issue. We need *everyone* to take contagion seriously or else all of humanity is screwed. Will that sink in before the next pandemic? Who knows!
Hi Jessica, as someone strongly in support of COVID precautions, I am very happy to see HEPA filters, N95 masks, remote options, avoiding shopping, avoiding travel, skipping out on eating out, and not attending in-person parties on your list of safety recommendations. However, I am concerned about the Copper Rescue recommendation for several reasons. For one, this is not a product with therapeutic properties and safety and risk profiles that have been established in a legitimate, appropriately documented, and careful way and according to relevant standards-- for example, through clinical trials, following FDA procedures, and being granted FDA approval (unlike masks, air purifiers, etc). On the other hand, it is a product that can cause injury and damage, especially when people lack proper knowledge or training about using this product. Altogether, it seems dangerous to make a recommendation that can lead to a false sense of security or can end up harming people (children, for one). I hope you might reconsider this recommendation or post a caveat with the aforementioned disclosures in the interest of objectivity and protecting people's health and well-being. I think this would be a fair and transparent approach if unproven remedies are to make it on the list of recommendations at all. I wish everyone safe, healthy, and compassionate holiday season and a safe and happy 2023.
I assume the antibiotics you need are for secondary infections. They don't do anything for covid, flu or rsv which are all viral. On the other hand, you definitely need stuff to control coughing, inflammation, congestion and fever. I gather that paxlovid really helps with covid, and it is in good supply, at least for now. You may get a rebound, but another round of paxlovid helps with that. Just be braced for the awful quinine taste in your mouth. Maybe pour yourself some gin and have a gin and tonic.
You can tell I'm old. When you said you're using Enovid, I assumed you were referring to the birth control pill. Enovid was the original hormonal birth control pill, but I gather it isn't used all that much if at all nowadays, since more modern pills work much better and have fewer side effects.
Hi Jessica, it appears the evidence you refer to with respect to Enovid is actually quite marginal, (p values just barely below .05) and is either weak or perhaps non-existent especially in the absence of replication. Looking at the figures in the paper, we cannot see the data spread (individual data points are not included on top of the bar graphs) to evaluate what is going on. I would consider qualifying the stated evidence as weak (at best) or add a caveat that more convincing data is needed.
It’s really infuriating to watch the mainstream media’s endless propaganda against zero covid and then now to turn around and now blame China for not protecting their citizens.
And in terms of the western situation (especially in the stupidest countries) according to the Zoe Covid Study in the UK we have 226,000 daily cases. That’s actually from 2 days ago, so I imagine we’re already approaching the all-time record. No protections at all. No worry at all. Except for Strep A, which people have no idea is caused by Covid weakening kids immune systems.
Maybe I’ll want to go somewhere again in a few more years. It’s insane.
This piece is packed with more solid information and thoughtful analysis than any of the spume coming out of your TV or in a newspaper. Thank you.
I'm interested to know more about China having a prescription drug cartel. Like everything else, the US, through things like the WTO, uprooted our entire manufacturing base and shipped it over there. China becoming "workshop to the world" was as much an American project as a Chinese one.
Just like in the 1980s when big companies eliminated R&D to boost shares and cut costs (most of which withered to empty shells, or disappeared), the US aristocracy only cares about money, right now. The obvious long-term consequences of depending on our goods coming from the other side of the world were never considered, or waved away with some economic jargon.
You speak truth
Thanks.
Fortunately, we stockpiled, at the beginning of the pandemic, some of the OTC meds that make you feel better when ill: nsaids, cough suppressants, etc. that we haven’t needed to use yet. And, as a practice, we never dispose of old prescriptions, unless they’re liquid-based. A study found that “90% of more than 100 drugs, both prescription and over-the-counter, were perfectly good to use even 15 years after the expiration date.”
Drug Expiration Dates — Do They Mean Anything? https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/drug-expiration-dates-do-they-mean-anything
So much truth. Here in Canada, our school boards won't accept purifiers or anything because we have govt officials running our province who don't believe in science and think covid, and a crumbling health care system is 'normal' So we have masks and stay home. Anyone we saw we did outside. Our holidays are just us this year. I am hoping by the next year it will be safe to send the kid back to school but time will tell.
I screamed about this for years and everyone said we never had an issue so you are just being paranoia'd
I also told them of the massive ramp up in food inflation starting in 2021-2022 ... same result.
Now if I hear any of them speak to this (most won't even bring it up), I will say "I told you so".
FYI as an addendum, India makes a lot of our drugs.
As for the inflation OMFG WTF is happening I give them the hay costs for a farm. I stated from 2015-2021 the price doubled, so that means expect all food prices to double from 2019 prices over the next 5-7 years ...
I personally stay focused to make sure I get 90 day supplies and always push the limits in getting the drugs queued up for what I need.
As for those sick children and parents, I would state you are in a red and GOP area, oh well. Natural selection for you ... (now that gets caught with my humanity filter since I care about people).
Informative and great advice, as always from Jessica Wildfire.
You write good stuff, Wildfire. My own perspective on Covid has changed slightly. I came down with it last week.
It was not too serious; I have had much worse head colds. But this is the first virus I have had in five years. Even before covid, I was becoming concerned about the long term effects of viral infections. I would occasionally wear a mask even then. I have a good stockpile of medications. Like one of your commentators, I think drugs remain good well past their expiry dates.
So I wrote something about getting covid, among other topics. If you want to read it, you know where my link is.
I should make one point of information about the Chinese. No, two. A few of your commentariate have made similar points.
One, the Chinese were not devious about taking out much of the US productive economy. Forty years ago the American industrial elite decided that American workers were getting too uppity and decided to shut their factories down and get stuff made in China. They have developed this mentality of late stage capitalist elites that economy is all about extracting rents from land and utilities, and manufacturing was secondary and could be done anywhere. Why not have it done where labor is cheapest?
Other point about China is that I do not think they are going to have a big covid wave, despite their vaccine limitations. Something everyone overlooks is that Africa has largely escaped covid, despite having few people vaccinated.
They just know how to do voluntary quarantines. They do not have idiots who think any kind of public health measure is interfering with their "rights". I think the Chinese will be much the same way.
-----------
One final point, You said you would be interested when I put out my piece about what kind of internet is really needed. I have it out. You and your friends can find it at https://yaxls.wordpress.com/2022/12/13/the-internet-we-need/
A cross post would be a really nice Holiday Present. Happy Christmas.
I can’t be mad at Beijing subsidizing antibiotic production when that was the correct thing to do. A public-private partnership like that in the U.S. could’ve prevented a lot of grief. So...why didn’t we? Why do we always blame our disasters on someone else? Nothing is stopping us from exercising that same level of foresight - god knows we aren’t against monopolies in general. Are antibiotics not profitable enough to bother with?
Everyone always goes on about how draconian China’s zero-Covid policy is and how they’re anti-freedom and blah blah blah. The fact of the matter is that they hold 10% of the human population. The world cannot afford for China to be as reckless as the U.S. is.
But Americans get so hopped up on nationalism and sinophobia that they forget that public health is an all hands on deck issue. We need *everyone* to take contagion seriously or else all of humanity is screwed. Will that sink in before the next pandemic? Who knows!
“Oops!…I Did It Again” by Britney Spears - The perfect covid era theme song.
Hi Jessica, as someone strongly in support of COVID precautions, I am very happy to see HEPA filters, N95 masks, remote options, avoiding shopping, avoiding travel, skipping out on eating out, and not attending in-person parties on your list of safety recommendations. However, I am concerned about the Copper Rescue recommendation for several reasons. For one, this is not a product with therapeutic properties and safety and risk profiles that have been established in a legitimate, appropriately documented, and careful way and according to relevant standards-- for example, through clinical trials, following FDA procedures, and being granted FDA approval (unlike masks, air purifiers, etc). On the other hand, it is a product that can cause injury and damage, especially when people lack proper knowledge or training about using this product. Altogether, it seems dangerous to make a recommendation that can lead to a false sense of security or can end up harming people (children, for one). I hope you might reconsider this recommendation or post a caveat with the aforementioned disclosures in the interest of objectivity and protecting people's health and well-being. I think this would be a fair and transparent approach if unproven remedies are to make it on the list of recommendations at all. I wish everyone safe, healthy, and compassionate holiday season and a safe and happy 2023.
I assume the antibiotics you need are for secondary infections. They don't do anything for covid, flu or rsv which are all viral. On the other hand, you definitely need stuff to control coughing, inflammation, congestion and fever. I gather that paxlovid really helps with covid, and it is in good supply, at least for now. You may get a rebound, but another round of paxlovid helps with that. Just be braced for the awful quinine taste in your mouth. Maybe pour yourself some gin and have a gin and tonic.
You can tell I'm old. When you said you're using Enovid, I assumed you were referring to the birth control pill. Enovid was the original hormonal birth control pill, but I gather it isn't used all that much if at all nowadays, since more modern pills work much better and have fewer side effects.
Heck, not as necessary but even drugs like tylenol have spot shortages.
No doubt hoarders, scammers, and price gougers won't be far behind.
Have you or any of your family had covid-19?
Hi Jessica, it appears the evidence you refer to with respect to Enovid is actually quite marginal, (p values just barely below .05) and is either weak or perhaps non-existent especially in the absence of replication. Looking at the figures in the paper, we cannot see the data spread (individual data points are not included on top of the bar graphs) to evaluate what is going on. I would consider qualifying the stated evidence as weak (at best) or add a caveat that more convincing data is needed.