waysider

I'm not sure you realize this, Allan, but this article offers no evidence to back the claim you made that I questioned.

Your evidence?

Regarding the Sen. Cassidy video: The Senator apparently doesn't understand the difference between long term (B-cell and T-cell) immunity and short term (antibody) immunity, though you would think his training as a physician would have covered that. He also seems to be unable to grasp that we can't possibly have data on people who never got tested or were asymptomatic. And, again, as a physician, he should certainly have an understanding of this concept. Some people made a choice to work remotely. We're not told why. Perhaps they have a medical issue that makes that choice the prudent one. We don't know. Regardless, what happened to the idea of "freedom to make a personal choice"? Apparently he would like to cherry pick which freedoms he considers valid. Clearly, his objective here is to discredit the effectiveness of the intervention program.

If you want to understand what's going on in a particular state, on any matter of interest, not just the virus situation, you can't simply look at the state en toto. You have to look at the differences in counties, districts, metro areas vs. rural areas, etc. You have to consider the differences in behavioral patterns and general attitudes.

High Covid rates in T supporter states is a statistical fact, not an opinion or speculation. You can clearly see it if you look at current state by state data.

I hadn't really thought of that. I don't speak ASL, myself, though I have known several people who do. I do know that when you express emotion or thought, it's important to place your sign in the proper location. For example, if you told someone "I love you.", that sign would emanate from the center of your chest. At least, that's my understanding of it. It gives me a whole new perspective on just how skilled those translators you see on press conferences and such need to be.

Completely off topic: The "pointing to a location" is a concept that is relevant to ASL.

I looked at Allan's link and several others that dealt with the unfortunate passing of Dr. Lutchmedial. Nowhere in the article or any of the many others was a cause of death listed. It's both disingenuous and misleading to suggest the reader should draw a conclusion linking his death to the Covid vaccine. But that's what Allan did. In addition, he has continually gone out of his way to inject rightwing, U.S. politics into this discussion, something that is expressly in violation of GSC rules. For some of us, this has been a discussion. For Allan, it's become a soapbox to rail against those who may not conform to his ill-informed, preconceived ideas. If you choose to interact with him, be advised, he does not respond to logical thought or evidence with which he disagrees.

"I'm sorry, all our operators are busy at the moment. Please enjoy this musical interlude while you wait."

And then there's this from Ohio: HERE ... Holmes County’s case rate is lower than the state average, its hospitalization rate is slightly above the state average, and its death rate is well above the state’s average.

You've crossed the line, Allan. (Or whoever you really are)

I'm pretty happy I can get 5G now, though.

As I've already stated, a child is 6x more likely to develop a heart problem from the disease than they are from the vaccine. It's really not a hard concept to grasp.

As with any treatment or vaccine, data continues to be collected and evaluated even after it's been released for use. This is called phase 4.

If it's not an implication, just say what you mean in a straight forward manner. I'll wait.

Taiwan has temporarily halted second doses for 2 weeks while it further assesses data. This is a long way from your implication they've found it to be unsafe.

I was kinda bummed when I didn't become magnetic. That would have been awesome!

Two points to unwrap here. First: The jury is not out. Kids don't live in a bubble. Whatever they do, wherever they go affects everyone they encounter. That means they are vectors for infection and petri dishes for virus mutation. I have personal experience with large groups of kids. It's not been all peaches and cream. That's all I'll say about that. Second: It's not all about whether they live or die. Some will develop MIS-C, some will suffer organ damage, some will suffer from reduced mental capacity, some will develop Long-Covid. We just don't know what the future holds for kids who get it and don't die. Did you know Polio is largely asymptomatic? Yes, Polio. That disease that can horribly cripple and disfigure those unfortunate enough to catch it. It's somewhere around 90-95% asymptomatic, though kids are prone to be more likely to exhibit symptoms. We would consider it unconscionable to take a chance on not vaccinating our kids against such a horrible disease. Myocarditis has become the new boogieman. We never seem to hear the baseline figure for it. There are many other causes that are much more likely to cause it than the vaccine. In fact, your child is 6 times more likely to develop myocarditis from Covid than from the vaccine. That's a risk/benefit decision that should be a slam dunk.

Oh, I'm not saying I disagree with you. I'm just saying there is no way to know the actual number of unreported cases. I, too, like to check the numbers. HERE is a site I like to peek at.

We can't really know this because we don't know how many asymptomatic and/or mildly symptomatic cases have gone untested and unreported. But, the case numbers we see reported is almost certainly lower than the actual number of cases. I do agree with you on the rationale of the rest of your statement, though.

52 year old local contractor, Joe Baloneyface, got vaccinated and, 2 weeks later, was squashed by a steam roller. Coincidence? I think not. (sarc) And you call this "critical thinking"? You say you've had Covid twice already. Where is the preventative value of the regimen you've been following? Well, that seems like a pretty strong argument for vaccinating as many people as possible so we give the virus less opportunities to mutate. Our full understanding of mid to long term consequences of anything will always be somewhat limited. But, ZERO? That's simply not honest. Yeah, it couldn't possibly be linked to the strict lock-down measures, could it?

Vitamin D is not a "preventative". It does not prevent you from becoming infected with the SARS-2 virus. This is a misconception. If you do become infected, however, it may help your immune system fight off serious disease. Data shows that inadequate levels of Vitamin D may lead to a more severe outcome when the body is subjected to viral infection. The vaccine, on the other hand, is a "preventive". It teaches your immune system how to recognize the virus and avoid becoming infected in the first place. In instances where it is not completely successful, it can minimize the effects of an infection. Vitamin D is important for good health but should not be thought of as an alternative to the vaccine.

Ivermectin still has some indirect value by virtue of eliminating health depleting parasites that could cause people to be more susceptible to a SARS-2 infection. That's an important benefit if accessibility to vaccine is limited, should they eventually become infected.

"Natural" immunity. Also known as "Got sicker than a dog and crapped my pants at Walmart" immunity.

I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on T.V... Heh I did work in a para-medical field at one time, though. I can tell you from experience that one of the biggest challenges practitioners face is patient compliance, getting patients to do as instructed without deviation. A common example would be discontinuing an antibiotic protocol before the allotted time. Some of these treatments, such as Ivermectin, do have data showing they can achieve a level of success IF the proper protocol is followed precisely. This is where the trouble begins. The protocol is complex and requires strict adherence. When used correctly, it's a relatively safe drug. When used incorrectly it can be deadly. If, for some reason, you are inclined to use one of these treatments, make absolutely certain you seek medical guidance and follow the instructions to the letter. These treatments do offer value to places that may be unable to use the vaccine due to logistic difficulties or lack of funding. Still, by far, the best option available is to get vaccinated as a prophylactic measure. Despite the misinformation circulating on the net, these vaccines have been extensively and thoroughly tested. They are relatively safe (everything has an element of danger.), readily available, inexpensive(Free in U.S.), and easy to administer. And remember, "You can't have your pudding if you don't eat your meat.".