Category: Non-Fiction

The CDC has stopped reporting statistics

On March 2^nd, 2020 the CDC stopped reporting the number of people tested without offering any explanation. Upon inquiry from concerned democratic representative Mark Pocan, they stated that they were compiling testing data and “might” share it on the website.

All the CDC is reporting is actual deaths.

There is STILL inadequate testing as of March 4^th 2020, 4 pm PST.

What does this mean? How does it affect things?

1. The lack of statistical information, means less information flow. People will be less cautious than needed. Communities won’t be on alert.
2. If adequate testing is not done, it is more likely that people are infected and not treated, or are asymptomatic, or worse get it through communal transfer.

• https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/2/21161693/cdc-coronavirus-testing-numbers-website-disappear-expansion-us
• https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/04/health/cdc-website-coronavirus-testing/index.html

On March 4th 2020 about 1 pm. University of Washington announced that they have readied a new test.

This means

1. More testing = more reported positive = more news spread.
2. This is ONLY because there is more information flow and actual reporting. The CDCs attempt to have such restricted testing, muzzling information and communication only means that the people infected are not known by medical professionals. So for a while, it might seem like Washington state has a lot more people testing positive, and dying. BUT Washington State is is handling it better than Oregon or the federal officials. Please do not panic.
   • https://q13fox.com/2020/03/04/uw-medicine-develops-its-own-covid-19-test/
   • https://www.geekwire.com/2020/uw-medicine-ramps-new-coronavirus-lab-test-mass-distribution/
   • https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article240894301.html

This morning $8 billion was passed by congress to battle the virus. Hopefully this will help the states get their act together.

• https://www.npr.org/2020/03/04/812109864/bipartisan-negotiators-reach-deal-for-roughly-8-billion-for-coronavirus-response
• https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/04/lawmakers-strike-deal-on-more-than-7-billion-in-emergency-coronavirus-funding.html

The rumor mill is particularly harmful in such a global health issue. I’ve heard of racist attacks, people touting ‘silver liquids’, garlic, sesame oil, rasam powder, drinking cow’s urine, lemon juice, drinking bleach, and so many un-proven and completely false solutions to COVID-19.

1. Just because the virus originated in Wuhan does not mean that all Asians are infected. Don’t let your fears make you a racist. Be respectful of all people and animals.
2. You cannot get the virus from eating Chinese food.
3. People are touting commonly found spices and mixes (garlic, sesame oil, olive oil, oregano, rosemary, asafetida, a.k.a hing, turmeric, rasam powders, lemon juice etc.) as cures against all viruses:  Logically, if it worked, China, India, and Italy would not have any people who were affected.
4. Drinking bleach will corrode your mouth, your esophagus, and affect your breathing, ultimately injuring your lungs and breathing so much that death is hastened.
5. Drinking cow urine or eating cow dung is not only useless, but actually dangerous. Coronaviruses are typically zoonotic meaning they are transmitted from animals to human. (humans are technically animals, however the medical industry makes a specific distinction). Although the current coronavirus (beta version) resulting in COVID-19 is thought to sourced from a bat, it is very dangerous to willfully consume unsterilized cow urine, dung.
6. Silver liquids – There is no known study that proves this to work for any disease let alone a brand-new health issue.
7. Dogs are not transmitting coronavirus to humans. Please don’t abandon, kill, or eat your pet. None of those measures will help your health.
8. People only need to wait for a few months and the coronavirus will disappear. This is accurate for ‘some’ viruses only, but it is not necessarily proven in the case of COVID-19. If warm weather was a deterrent to this specific virus, then India, Sri-Lanka, Saudi-Arabia, Egypt, Nigeria, Senegal, UAE, and Qatar would not have seen any confirmed cases. These places have a typical temperature much higher than the winter temperatures in the United States, or Europe. Click here to find out which countries have been affected.

I will add any ridiculous rumor to this list as needed.