Covid19 - Who is the guinea pig?

 

Covid19 - Should daily reports focus only on those who are likely to fall very ill?

The recent move to tighten safe management measures is not surprising but disappointing. The work-from-home policy may thin out the crowds. But some feel the vaccinated are being "penalised" with the dining-in numbers at F&B establishments reduced from five to two while the number allowed at hawker centres and coffee shops remains at two.

The authorities have repeatedly talked about Singapore living with the virus. Thus, this reversal in dining-in numbers is confusing, perhaps even sending a negative signal to both the local population and international communities.

Some countries have placed Singapore in their higher-risk travel group as we keep focusing on the total number of new cases per day.

From the daily Ministry of Health (MOH) press statements, we can tell that:

•About 98 per cent of the infected individuals had no symptoms or mild symptoms.

•Over the past 28 days, no one 18 years and below has required oxygen supplementation or intensive care unit (ICU) care.

•An average of more than 80 per cent of infected individuals who need oxygen supplementation or ICU care are 61 and above.

So is it time for MOH to report the number of just the 2 per cent new cases who are likely to fall very ill? At least one neighbouring country is already doing this.

If there are 2,000 new cases per day, 2 per cent works out to 40 cases per day. To allow for sufficient hospitalisation capacity, the percentage can be expanded to, say, 10 per cent and that will be 200 new cases.

When MOH announces 2,000 new cases per day, it causes unnecessary panic among the general public, especially those who are less informed of the more infectious Delta variant.

Of the patients who fall very ill, the elderly are much more likely to require oxygen or ICU care.

Should the authorities focus even more on this most vulnerable group? They can be identified easily at hawker centres, coffee shops and HDB void decks, chatting away for hours. Regrettably, most of them are either unmasked or improperly masked.

Besides educating them on the various safety measures, more safe distancing officers should be deployed where these seniors gather. Such deployment is less critical at shopping malls as these crowds are mostly younger people who are less likely to become very sick. That said, everyone must be socially responsible so they will not be infected and infect others.

The authorities can consider more measures (both incentives and disincentives) to further persuade the unvaccinated who are medically fit to be inoculated.

If Singapore can reduce or prevent the seniors from getting infected (particularly the unvaccinated), we can then truly move towards treating the disease as endemic. 

Anonymous

Japan has taken control of Chinese island of Taiwan through subterfuge.

                                                                                                                                                                                   The people in control of the Taiwan Democratic Progressive Party  ( DPP ) are not Chinese. They are the third generation descendants of former Japanese soldiers who invaded Taiwan in 1895.

Covid19 - Exposing the fakes, liars, incompetence and the greedy and ugly

 When the Americans heard of the virus, they banned flights from China.  Somehow the virus still found its way into the USA. Or were the virus there all the time? What the Americans failed was to keep the virus inside China.

When a few cases started in the USA, the Americans talked it away as fakes. Maybe they believed it was meant to kill Chinese and coloured people, not white Americans.  Their over confidence allowed the virus to spread all over America and killed hundreds of thousands of Americans. They failed to contain the spread of the virus. Incompetence, delusion or conned by their own schemers that told them it would not infect white Americans.

Then the Americans quickly pushed out their own vaccines, claiming that they were 95%  efficacy, the best in the world to prevent infection. The vaccines did not prevent infection. Their vaccines failed.

The Americans also claimed that with 60% or more vaccinated, their country would achieve herd immunity and life could be back to normal. They failed again. They could not achieve herd immunity even with a high rate of vaccinated by the world best vaccines they claimed to produce. They failed because of their own lies?

After 80% vaccinated, still not herd immunity, still must wear masks. The vaccinated are afraid to be infected by the unvaccinated! Holy shit.

Have the Americans done anything right about containing this pandemic? 

The Americans also badmouthed Chinese vaccines and forbid their allies and cronies to use Chinese vaccines. Did they did it right? The Chinese and many countries around the world  continue to use their own vaccines and doing extremely well in containing the spread of the virus. Life was as good as normal inside China. The Chinese vaccines were working so well that there was no need to call for a third booster shot.

The Chinese continue to produce their vaccines and used their vaccines and put in place stringent measures to prevent the spread of the virus in China. They were very successful and without having to boast about it. China has more or less achieved zero virus in the country.

Which foolish countries would choose to follow a reckless and deceitful country that could not manage to contain the virus, could not manufacture a vaccine that worked, and kept bragging about how effective were their vaccines, if 2 shots no good, 3 shots better, 4 shots betterer?

Why would foolish countries stupidly chose to follow the hilarious failure of the American ways, cannot contain, go for herd immunity, if it doesn't work, live with the virus, forget about zero virus? Accept more infections, accept more deaths, and open up the economy quickly for everyone to come.

Unfortunately this clownish approach would end up with so many infections, so many deaths, that no one would want to come, except those that are so badly infected that going to another equally badly infected country would make no difference. There is really no difference as either way, they would be infected in their home country or be infected in another country. And the clowns would claim success, that they have done a great job to open up the country and economy.

China and some successful countries continue to keep the infection to near zero in their countries and not saying anything.  When a country has done well, there is no need to brag about it. Just do it and enjoy the success, keeping the people safe and free from the virus.

Let the fools, fakes, liars, incompetence, the greedy and ugly live with the virus, with the infection and deaths.

What do you think?

China's way is wrong.  Chinese vaccines are ineffective, cannot use. The American way is the best.  American vaccines are the best?

AUKUS - ‘You have escalated the threat’: Mahathir blasts Australia on subs' said Mahathir

 

R u sure Asean is supporting Aukus?

‘You have escalated the threat’: Mahathir blasts Australia on subs

Australia’s planned acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines has made armed confrontation in the South China Sea more likely, according to veteran Malaysian politician Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

In an exclusive interview with The Australian Financial Review, Dr Mahathir said an arms race in the region was inevitable after the creation last week of the AUKUS pact as part of Canberra’s decision to buy nuclear-powered submarines.

He also fears the agreement could prompt China to match its claims with actions in the South China Sea.

“This agreement indicates you openly regard China as a possible enemy and that, if it comes to the crunch, you might even go to war. Just imagine what war would do to south-east Asia,” Dr Mahathir said.

His comments follow those of Malaysia’s Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who on Friday expressed concerns about the new security partnership.

According to a statement released by his office, Mr Ismail Sabri told Prime Minister Scott Morrison that Malaysia feared AUKUS could spark a nuclear arms race in the Indo-Pacific.

This would be the opposite of the peaceful coexistence on which AUKUS participants say the agreement is pinned.

Dr Mahathir, who dealt with three Australian prime ministers during his long first stint as Malaysian PM from 1981 until 2003, said Canberra had again proved that Australia identified as a European nation that just happened to be located away from Europe and the United States.

Australia looks west

“Australia keeps talking about the region, and about being much closer to the region. Yet, every time there is a crisis or problem, Australia looks west. It seeks friends from the West, not from the East,” he said over Zoom from his office in Kuala Lumpur.

The 96-year-old said the AUKUS agreement, and Australia’s role in particular, had changed the dynamic.

“You have improved your capacity to fight. Even if these submarines are not carrying warheads, they will introduce nuclear capabilities to the region,” Dr Mahathir said.

“So you have escalated the threat. This will elicit a response from China.″⁣

China until now has permitted boats to traverse the contested waters of the South China Sea. This could change, Dr Mahathir said.

“China has declared the South China Sea belongs to China. But it has not stopped ships sailing through, even warships. So far, China’s claim has just been a statement; they have not really been carrying out what they claim is their right to do certain things.

“If you bring in military weapons in the region and the alliance is supplying them with weapons, I think that will elicit some reaction.″⁣

Dr Mahathir, who fronted a coalition that won an historic victory in 2018 only to lose it due to infighting less than two years later, noted the Malay states had co-existed with China for centuries before the Federation of Malaya was formed in 1957.

The bilateral relationship has its frictions. Along with Brunei, the Philippines and Vietnam, Malaysia claims sovereign rights that clash with China’s view that it owns 90 per cent of the South China Sea.

Like other claimant states, Malaysia’s preferred forum for dealing with this territorial issue is the Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN). Since 2002, ASEAN has been working with China to develop a code of conduct for the South China Sea.

The long process shows no sign of resolution but for many involved, the process itself is successful if it keeps armed conflict at bay.

‘We ASEAN countries like to solve problems through negotiation.’

— Mahathir Mohamad, former Malaysian prime minister

“We ASEAN countries like to solve problems through negotiation,” Dr Mahathir said. “Malaysia is a small country; we are aware of that. We value China because it’s a big market for us, and they value us because they get some raw materials from us.

“We have to live next door to China, and we can’t be confronting them.” In Dr Mahathir’s view, Australia and the US are trying to push ASEAN states to take sides.

“You keep on trying to persuade ASEAN to confront China, to be unfriendly. We cannot do that. The United States has a lot to contribute to south-east Asia. But so has China,” Dr Mahathir said.

In his view, the idea of a balance of power, “that groups of countries are a threat to other countries” is “an old kind of thinking”.

He believes AUKUS is the latest sign the West has not adjusted to the rise of Asia.

“In the past, you were very comfortable because Eastern countries did not have the capacity that Europe and America had, but now many Eastern nations – Korea, Japan and China – have almost the same capacity as you.

“They want to send out rockets to outer space and so on. Let them do that. Compete there; that doesn’t hurt us. But don’t disrupt our market.” 

Anonymous