Xish

Earlier I discussed the insane excesses of Xi Jinping's "zero Covid" policy. The economic and social costs of the draconian, and doomed, effort to end transmission of the virus in China were unsustainable. The policy provoked the first mass protests of his rule, at great peril to the protesters, created supply chain shortages around the world, and severely damaged the Chinese economy. So yeah, not a good idea. But . . .

He suddenly turned 180 on a dime and eliminated all mitigations measures. The result has been equally catastrophic. Eric Fiegl-Ding is an epidemiologist who became well known as an early Cassandra about the Covid pandemic. Some people have criticized him for being overly alarmist, but for the most part his warnings have stood up well, although his style is probably overly dramatic. Anyway he's now gone supernova over the situation in China. Whether he's right to worry that the disaster in China will lead to a resurgence elsewhere in the world I'm no so sure, but in China it's bad. Very bad. I recommend you read the thread, but here's the first bleat:

THERMONUCLEAR BAD—Hospitals completely overwhelmed in China ever since restrictions dropped. Epidemiologist estimate >60% of  & 10% of Earth’s population likely infected over next 90 days. Deaths likely in the millions—plural. This is just the start—

 

Bodies are piling up outside the morgues because there isn't room for them, and the crematoria are backed up for days. Schools and factories are shut down again, not because of lockdown but because there's nobody to staff them. Obviously, with ineffective vaccines and few people having acquired natural immunity due to the previous policy, everybody is getting sick at once.

What many people apparently don't get is that the point of mitigation measures is not to extinguish the virus but to slow down transmission enough that health services don't get overwhelmed and other essential public services aren't compromised. We actually did that pretty well in the U.S. after the initial disaster in New York City. That pandemic control measures became politicized in such an insane way is one of this country's worst moments. The one thing everybody can do, which is basically cost free, is to get vaccinated and get boosted. Get the latest bivalent shot. Do it. 

 

Again, that there are politicians telling you not to is a disgrace. A crime against humanity. I've had five shots and I haven't gotten myocarditis, my testicles haven't swollen, and I have not become magnetic.Sure, Bill Gates knows my location but so far he hasn't bothered me. So do it.