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Coronavirus Surges Across the South

(The Authorities Have Lost All Credibility)

By Gary F. Zeolla

      I’ve been trying to figure out why there has been such a surge in Coronavirus (CV) cases across the south, when most of those states were doing so well. That was especially the case in Florida, Texas, and Arizona. But California and Louisiana have also been experiencing surges. The media has been blaming the surges on the reopenings of the states, saying they opened too soon. Somehow, I just knew that was not the reason.

Dr. Scott Atlas

      Then I saw Dr. Scott Atlas on FNC on July 11, 2020. He explained that the surges do not correlate with the reopenings. They better correlate with the protests and the borders situation. He explained that if you look at the timeline and the map, you see the surges have occurred in two main areas.

      The first is in the areas where there were massive protests. The surges occurred a couple of weeks after them. The second is along the southern border in states that border Mexico. He said, if you look across the border and at the map of Mexico, you will see that most of the Mexican cases are near the border. As such, the cases are being brought here from Americans crossing into the northern Mexican states then back or from immigrants (legal and illegal) entering our country.

      Furthermore, he says California has not really opened up, yet it is experiencing the same surge as states that have opened up. What this means is, the surges are not due to the reopenings. They are due to the protests and our porous border.

      He also said that the hospitals are not being overrun with CV cases. Some hospitals are getting full, but a lot of that has to do with delayed elective surgeries that were backlogged when such was stopped in the spring. He said that in most hospitals, only anywhere from 5-60% of their patients are CV cases. And in some cases, if someone comes in for say a hip replacement surgery, and the patient test positive for the CV, that is called a CV hospitalization, even if the person has no CV symptoms.

      He said we do need to increase hospital capacity. When he said that, I thought maybe Trump should sail the USNS Comfort and Mercy into the Gulf, as he did for New York City and Los Angeles earlier this year.

Reason for My Doubts

      The reason I knew the reopenings were not the reason for the CV surges as the authorities are claiming is I have lost all faith in the authorities, as have many others. The reason is, we were told for months that large gatherings were dangerous and that we had to stay at home and socially distance if we went out.

      But then these massive protests and riots occurred, with thousands or even tens of thousands of people cramming together in the streets, yet not only did the health officials and politicians not condemn and break up those gatherings, but they supported them and even attended them themselves. And that includes health professionals.

      Over 1,000 health professionals sign a letter saying, Don’t shut down protests using coronavirus concerns as an excuse…

      However, as public health advocates, we do not condemn these gatherings as risky for COVID-19 transmission. We support them as vital to the national public health and to the threatened health specifically of Black people in the United States. We can show that support by facilitating safest protesting practices without detracting from demonstrators’ ability to gather and demand change. This should not be confused with a permissive stance on all gatherings, particularly protests against stay-home orders (CNN).

      Then we were told that “contract tracing” showed these protests and riots were not the source of new surges in the CV. But they never thought to think that maybe those infected lied and said they were not at a protest in order to “protect” the protests. Or maybe they lied because there were one of the rioters, and they didn’t want to get busted for destroying property, vandalizing buildings, looting, and attacking police officers and others. “That wasn’t me breaking a store window and carrying off a TV. I was in a bar. That’s where I got infected.”

      Either way, the authorities continue to deny the protests are responsible for the CV surges, while blaming us average people for the spikes due to just wanting to live our lives. However, many of “just knew” that could not be correct, that these massive protests and riots just had to be the reason for the surges. If not, then all that we have been told about the CV was not true.

      In that case, there was no reason to cancel parades, such as for St. Patrick Day, Independence Day, even already here in Pittsburgh for Labor Day. There was no reason to cancel fireworks displays and outdoor sporting events. But all of that has been done. As such, it made no sense to say the protests and riots were not “super spreaders.”

      And the hypocrisy, such as seen in the quoted health professionals’ letter, was just too much. Protests over “racial injustice” are perfectly safe, but protests over stay-at-home orders and other outdoor gatherings are somehow dangerous.

      And don’t forget the multiple large funerals for George Floyd. Average people were not allowed to have more than ten people for their loved ones’ funerals, yet hundreds and even thousands attended George’s various funerals, including 500 inside for the final funeral. But not a word was said by the authorities about these funerals being dangerous in regard to the CV.

      If that many people could gather together inside for George’s funeral, it made no sense that people could not hold funerals for their loved ones and that churches could not hold services. The same goes for the business closures, especially the closures of gyms. They made no sense. Meanwhile, the authorities say screaming and chanting at a protest is safe, but they say singing in church is dangerous. It is just too much contradiction to accept anything they say.

      As for the border, that has been so highly politicized, it hard to believe anything coming out of the media. But we know Trump was criticized for trying to shut down the southern border, just as he was for his travel bans from China and Europe. But again, many of us just knew that people coming into the country had to be a problem with regard to the CV. And it appears that is the case. Despite Trump’s best efforts, the southern border still is not fully secure. That is because of the much resistance he has gotten from the left, and now that resistance is biting us in terms of the CV.

      If we had stopped all illegal immigration at the southern border and got control of legal crossings, we would not be seeing this surge at the border. But as it is, those cases will work their way throughout the county, to the harm of all of us. Thus, Trump was right, and the naysayers were wrong in regard to the border situation.

Dr. Beau Breeze

      Then I heard Dr. Beau Breeze of Texas on Townhall Review’s podcast on July 11, 2020. He said things are going as expected in Texas. The cases are rising, but that was expected after the reopening. But deaths are not. And the cases are not as severe as previously. In fact, most who tested positive for the CV and come to the hospital are being sent home.

      He explained that people feel different with the CV than with a normal cold or flu, so they get worried and come to the Emergency Room. But in fact, their symptoms are not serious enough to warrant hospitalization. He said for most people, it is “a disease like an extended cold.”

      But I would bet those ER visits are being counted as hospitalizations. In addition, it is no surprise we are seeing more cases given the greatly increased rate of testing. But the authorities keep hyping the number of cases, without correlating that to the number of tests. And they are ignoring that the new cases are less severe, now that mostly younger people are being infected. That is even the case here in SW PA.

The surge in covid-19 cases in Southwestern Pennsylvania is infecting a younger, less vulnerable demographic, and thus far the most recent cases appear to be less severe, doctors at UPMC [University of Pittsburgh Medical Center] said Thursday [7/9/20] (Trib. UPMC).

For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up in a couple of weeks. Older adults and people with existing health problems are at higher risk of more severe illness, including pneumonia, or death (Trib. 4 More).

Changing Advice on Masks

      I previously quoted Dr. Anthony Fauci from back on February 28 saying not to waste your money on the type of masks you buy at a pharmacy. Then in mid-March, Surgeon General Jerome Adams said only N95 or surgical mask do any good, but he implored the public not to buy them, so as to leave them for the medical professionals. But now, we are being mandated to wear the very type of masks they said back then did no good!

      Granted, the science might have changed since then. But I have heard too much conflicting evidence even now to be sure of anything. I heard one report that said a study was done of someone coughing into two petri dishes, one while wearing a mask and one while not. The petri dish coughed into without a mask showed much greater viral growth than the one coughed into with a mask. But then another report said the same test was done, and the two petri dishes showed not significant growth difference. Who am I to believe?

      I will say this, my practice is to wear a mask when going into a business if that business has a sign saying, “Masks Required.” If there is no such sign, then I don’t bother. But there is no way I am going to wear a mask if I am outside, nowhere near anyone else. But if I go without a mask, I am subject to “mask-shaming” by the self-appointed mask police. That is just plain silly.

      The co-op I do my grocery shopping at has a “Masks Required” sign, so I wear a mask. The first couple of times I went there and did so, I had no problems. But the last time, after shopping for over an hour, when I got back to my car and took off the mask, it felt like a rush of fresh air entered my lungs. It was like when you are holding your breath and then finally let it out. It feels so good to let out all of that carbon dioxide and to breath in oxygen. I think the difference was, this last time, it was very warm, so I got out of breath more easily. That needs to be considered, but it hasn’t been by the authorities.

Reporters Wearing Masks

      While I’m on the subject of masks, I want to relate a pet peeve of mine in this regard. It is local reporters wearing masks. I’m not referring to the newscasters in the studio. They generally do not wear masks. I am referring to the on-site reporters. Almost all of them on my three local news stations wear masks when giving their reports.

      However, there is no one anywhere near them! Of course, there has to be a cameraman in front of the reporter, but I would guess he is at last a few feet in front of the reporter. Meanwhile, there is no one else in the shot except the reporter. No one! As such, what is the mask for? It is virtue signaling. That’s it. It serves no logical purpose.

      Dr. Deborah Birx has made it clear that it is an “either/ or” situation. Either you should practice social distancing, staying six feet away from others, or, if that is not possible, wear a mask. You do not need to wear a mask if no one is within six feet of you.

      The only local reporter that seems to understand this is Elena Laquatra of WTAE (ABC affiliate). When the shot first goes to her, she always has a mask on. But she takes it off before she begins to give her report. In fact, this morning (7/13/20), as she was doing so, she said, “I’m removing my mask as there is no one around me right now.” Exactly! I just wish all reporters had such sensibilities.

Conclusion

      Bottom line of all of this is, the authorities have lost all credibility in the eyes of many of us in regard to the CV. Their lies about the protests and the borders and even about the CV numbers leaves many of us to not want to accept any of their draconian restrictions.

      If the CV were really as serious as they say, they would have broken up those protests and riots and supported closing our borders. But with not doing so, they have shown too much bias in their restrictions to take them seriously.

      I am not saying the CV is not a serious issue. It can be, for some people. And those who are at a high risk of serious CV consequences do need to take steps to protect themselves. Stay at home if you can, and practice social distancing when you go out or wear a mask if that is not possible.

      But for the rest of us, as I have been saying all along, our best defense is a healthy lifestyle. That does not guarantee you will not experience serious CV consequences, but it will greatly reduce your risk. But it might still make sense to practice social distancing or to wear a mask when that is not possible, at least if you’re going to be around someone at high risk.

      But most of all, what I am saying is the business closures and stay-at-home orders never made any sense. It might have made sense to ban very large gatherings. But the authorities lost any credibility in that regard when they supported the protests and riots. And that in turn caused them to lose credibility for ith all of their other recommendations with much of the public. That is why so many people are resistance to the social distancing and mask wearing orders. And we are especially skeptical about renewed business closures and other restrictions. If the protests and riots were not a problem, then none of that makes any sense.

References:

      CNN Health. Over 1,000 health professionals sign a letter saying, Don’t shut down protests using coronavirus concerns as an excuse.

      Federalist, The. The Media Are Lying To You About Everything, Including The Riots.

      Federalist, The. Media Raises Hysteria Over Trump Tulsa Rally After Celebrating Mass Protests.

      Fox News. Dr. Atlas: Coronavirus surges linked mostly to protests -- and proximity to US-Mexico border.

      NPR. Parties — Not Protests — Are Causing Spikes In Coronavirus.

      Townhall Review. Program. The President, the Pandemic and the Push to Election Day. July 11, 2020.

      Trib Live. 4 more states added to Pennsylvania travel quarantine list.

      Trib Live. Experts: Covid-19 surges hit cities that reopened early, not those with big protests.

      Trib Live. Protesters flood U.S. streets in huge, peaceful push for change.

      Trib Live. UPMC doctors say latest coronavirus cases less severe in Western Pa.

      Yahoo News. More than 2 weeks after start of nationwide protests, little sign of COVID spike, but officials remain cautious.

      Yahoo News. Protests May Have Spread Coronavirus, Some Cities Say.

Coronavirus Surges Across the South (The Authorities Have Lost All Credibility) Copyright © 2020 by Gary F. Zeolla (www.Zeolla.org).

The above article was posted on this website July 14, 2020.