Healthcare experts have warned countries around the world, which are considering phasing out lockdown restrictions, that a second-wave of infections and deaths is all-but certain.
These warnings have been issued amid the decisions taken around the world, where countries are hoping to contain the worst economic catastrophe since the Great Depression of the 1930s as well as the coronavirus itself. Many nations are playing a balancing act as civil unrest begins to rise.
“We are in uncharted territory,” said Dr Annelies Wilder-Smith, professor of emerging infectious diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, according to Al Jazeera. “Governments are having to strike a balance between this virus and the negative impacts of lockdowns on societies, including economic downturns, societal strife and mental health concerns. It’s a large experiment.”
Wafaa El-Sadr, professor of epidemiology at Columbia University, said that reopening economies is a “risk and a gamble” and that “viruses don’t know borders” in reference to the idea that nations reopening will also be putting their neighbouring countries at risk, highlighting the idea that this may no longer be just a domestic issue, but one that could severely affect foreign policy.
Families in Italy were reunited for the first time in two months while Spaniards were allowed to leave their homes to exercise. In the US, many states have loosely interpreted White House guidelines and the likes of Georgia and Alabama are reopening over concerns for the economic well-being of their citizens, with some of the larger cities yet to have been affected to any great extend. There are over 1.2 million confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States and over 75,000 people have lost their lives, according to Johns Hopkins University data. France is also one of the nations easing restrictions, despite being one of the worst affected regions in the world, while Germany’s target is to contain infections to a one-to-one rate so that healthcare systems aren’t overrun at any point, given that the virus is likely to spread as they ease their restrictions.
However, not a single nation around the world has met the WHO’s criteria for lifting restrictions, as outlined in a note published by Oxford University researchers.
The only nations that come close to meeting these criteria are South Korea and Taiwan and even though new infections have been on a downward trajectery, standing at almost zero for weeks, Taiwan recorded eight new cases today, having contained the virus relatively well for months now.
“The intent is now to live in a compromised situation, where you live with this virus and try to find a balance between the economic standstill and the cases and deaths,” Wilder-Smith added.
Furthermore, while Africa has been relatively less affected by the virus so far, the WHO has warned that there could be between 83,000 to 190,000 deaths on the continent as a result of the virus and as many as between 29 million and 44 million, should the virus not be contained.
In the US, the daily number deaths is expected to double to 3,000 by the beginning of June.
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Everyone wants to be safe, but we can never totally escape any risk whatsoever. More testing has been, and still is, being done. Hospital admissions have already been going down.
By now, most everyone who has watched TV is familiar with Dr. Fauci. But he is not the only one with a medical opinion. People are clammoring for their Governors to open things back up. They have kids to feed and house payments to make. Many will lose their business. But the governors will not be “standing in the bread line.” Many feel they are abusing their power. Some have taken to protesting.
Meet Dr. Sherri Tenpenny. I found this interview to be quite interesting. Hear her out, and decide what you think. https://beforeitsnews.com/health/2020/05/dr-tenpenny-this-is-the-biggest-scam-ever-perpetrated-on-the-human-race-3022120.html
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I have heard this side of the argument before @theOwl30, but it’s a because it’s not like reopening the economy is going to bring lost jobs back. Businesses aren’t just gonna come back from the dead. Breadlines won’t get any shorter. The only result is it spreads faster. And even if the economy (which was susceptible to a crash after a Trump inflated the stock market with tax cuts that went to the rich), did some how return to its previous levels… people would still go bankrupt from their medical bills because of the deeply flawed for-profit healthcare system. Dr Tenpenny’s logic is fundamentally flawed. This is a choice between being poor from staying indoors and being poor from being ill with a potentially lethal virus. Either way you’ll be poor. Except for the gun-wielding, overcompensating protestors, who probably all have the virus asymptomatically now anyways.
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Even if you leave Dr. Tenpenny out of it, there is also this, which aired on Fox News recently. What about these doctors?
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Okay, so firstly, stop watching Fox News. It is 100% the propaganda arm of the Republican Party. Sorry, this is just a fact. Also, go watch Fox’s coverage of COVID when the first cases hit the state. They were all saying “this is nothing to worry about” “it’s gonna go away” and downplayed the entire thing. Secondly, the fact that COVID is not deadly is what makes it so dangerous. Ebola doesn’t spread very far very easily because it kills its host and dies with them. COVID spreads like wildfire because a lot of people don’t even show symptoms and if they do it’s often days after they’ve been infected and come into contact with countless other people that get infected in turn. So sure, there’s a low chance of dying. But would you like to feel personally responsible for someone else’s death even if you do live. Perhaps a family member or a close friend or colleague gets infected by you. In fact it’s likely should you make regular contact with them. Are you gonna stand over dead graves and say it was worth it because it meant you could go to the gym?
And as for the diagnosing deaths as covid related when people are dying with covid and not from it… well that’s irrelevant because people die with AIDS not from it. Doesn’t mean that having AIDS didn’t weaken their immune system to exacerbate the comorbidity that they suffered. It’s misdirection from the truth. Is the government involved in some kind of conspiracy to inflate the COVID death rate? Possibly… but I haven’t seen any solid evidence on it. So I don’t have any reason to blindly believe the testimony of sources that aren’t credible. You should treat all the news you read with a healthy dose of skepticism. Even mine. But bear in mind that, unlike Fox hosts, I’m not being paid vast sums of money by Rupert Murdoch to stick to a particular narrative.
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You haven’t DIS-proven anything! You just label it “propoganda”. It you just whatever evidence you don’t like is “irrelevant”. How convenient.
I get my News from a variety of sources, not just Fox, including CNN and CBS news. You say I should treat all the news I read with a healthy dose of skepticism, but I wonder if you ever practice your own skepticism with anything that Fauci says, or CNNs Jake Tapper, or MSNBCs Rachel Maddow.
I have shared my sources and listen to different people who disagree with each other. Not just Fox.
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I don’t care for MSNBC or CNN either. They’re all big money, corporate media and look after themselves. I follow independent news outlets that don’t frame their news to support special interest groups. Kyle Kulinski, David Pakman, TYT, The Hill, Ben Shapiro, Michael Knowles, Steven Crowder. I mix it up with all the journalists that are responsible to their audience. Not some faceless billionaires. Your problem is that you think cable news is credible. I also follow BBC, Sky, RT and Al Jazeera. Because guess what? America isn’t the only country in the world… I’m an actual journalist by profession and qualification. I know my news, I’m able to distinguish fact from opinion. I really don’t need to cite my credentials. My argument is simply stronger than yours…
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All you’re doing is emotionally ranting about so-called qualifications.
I also read news online that isnt Cable News.
You have done NOTHING to prove or say: Tucker Carlson, or Dr. Sherri Tenpenny is specifically wrong about “X” and here is how. You try to discredit, but you’re quite poor at disproving, or even countering with another “expert” who specifically addresses what was claimed/said/shown by Carlson or Tenpenny. I’ve made ,my case. And it’s holding up quite well. I am also familiar with BBC and Sky News. But I see no point in going on. My points hold up as they are. Cheers!
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Okay, so firstly I entered a discussion in good faith. Secondly, this is supposed to relate to the article above. You’re bringing someone else’s story into the equation, so now I’m supposed to watch an hour long interview provided by a person citing Fox News as a credible source?
No need to get upset on your behalf. This is not a rant, this is me dismissing the credibility of the nonexistent argument you provided, which is nothing more than a link to a website I’ve never heard of. My time isn’t free. As for pharmaceuticals, I’m fully aware of the corruption of Big Pharma and the likelihood of them financially benefiting from this. But that’s a straw man. The point is going outside and breaking with lockdown restrictions is only going to lead to more infections and more trouble. But good chat. Thanks for your engagement
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