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Covid-19
A medical detection dog, during training to detect the presence of Covid-19 in samples of socks worn for 12 hours by volunteers in the UK. Animal cruelty...smelly socks??As they say two weeks is a long time in politics but this can easily apply to Covid-19 which simply keeps twisting and turning on a trajectory which defies our ability to fathom out what is really going on. There is a daily blast of information and misinformation on just about every media platform imaginable and the impact is incredibly predictable; what to believe, who to believe on any given day.
So, what has the recent three-week period dished up on the Covid-19 juggernaut? Firstly, top US infectious disease specialist,
Anthony Fauci, recently said that people who get vaccinated may require boosters within a year. Then he reneged: “I’m not sure we’re going to need boosters and if so, I don’t know at what point following the vaccinations we might need it.” The fundamental problem is that the vaccines are so new that NO ONE knows how soon their protection will wane. What on earth prompted Fauci to make these insane utterances given his lofty
Covid-19
A queue of people waiting patiently for vaccines in Bolpur, India. Vaccinated 200 million people. Way ahead of SA! position? In the mean-time scientists are trying to figure out which test results assure immunity. Millions of people around the globe have been vaccinated and probably believe that is the end of the road. No longer a need to sweat about this pesky virus. This becomes even more challenging for those with compromised immune systems. Recently scientists have indicated that an antibody test has been developed which can test for whether or not a vaccinated person has antibodies but they still don’t know how to interpret the results. Confusion reigns!
And then in further “breaking news” Bloomberg reported that dogs could help contain the pandemic. No kidding! The story told is that super sniffer dogs may offer a glimmer of hope and prevent long lines of inbound passengers at airports from having to endure uncomfortable nasal swabs for Covid-19 testing. There’s even a calculation suggesting two sniffer dogs could accurately sniff 300 passengers in 30 minutes. A French study showed that dogs detection reached 97 percent sensitivity. So, there you have it. Our canine friends could provide a cute service checking people for drugs, bombs and a virus which has humanity firmly in its grip.
Vaccines are very
Covid-19
Joe Biden..."Go get me the story boys!" much on the front burner globally as nations frantically go about trying to vaccinate their populations. Globally, as of 1 June 2021,
1,6 billion people have been vaccinated. Some countries are faring way better than others with
Israel a clear leader whilst
Canada has administered 22,6 million vaccine doses to date which equals 60 percent of their population.
The United Kingdom has hit the 60,9 million doses mark which equates to 88 percent of their population. And here in sunny
South Africa, the vaccination progress is dismal. To compound our challenges, we have now entered Level 2 Lockdown to try and slow the third wave which has arrived big time. This was known some three weeks ago and bizarrely our so called “Command Council” sat on their hands and waited. For what, one has to ask! Back to vaccines. Our pathetic efforts to procure vaccines and usual Government bungling meant we, not unsurprisingly, found ourselves at the back of the queue. This is failure on a massive scale and what did our President have to say in his “Family meeting” on 30
th May to announce a new lockdown level? Well, nothing other than to crow about the fact that just
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Zweli Mkhize. Yet another news conference to deny any wrong doing. At the very least he should have known about a dodgy R150 million tender awarded by his own Dept. of Health! short of a million people will be vaccinated by the end of this week. That represents
1,6 percent of the population. The other spin from Government is some delusional crap about vaccine “apartheid” in which they claim that vaccines are being withheld from poorer (African) countries. When in a mess, find something to blame for abject failure. An
Electronic Vaccine Data System (EVDS) has been launched which encourages all citizens to register for their vaccinations. It works as I suspect being computer and data based there are no humans in the process to stuff it up. All well and good and then the waiting game starts with anecdotal reports that some folk who registered have been waiting for almost 8 weeks for any information with regards to getting an actual vaccination. For the record, we registered on 17 May 2021. Let’s see how this pans out.
Level 2 lockdown in South Africa basically means curfew runs from 10pm until 4am, indoor crowds at functions are restricted to 50 people, outdoor to 250 people. Wearing of masks in public places is mandatory. An eminent scientist has recently gone on record to state that there are only a handful of simple
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Zapiro tells it like it is! When does the rot and stench of this outrageous theft and corruption end? actions one can take to try and prevent the spread of the virus. These include social distancing, wearing masks, and ensuring that in a confined space there is more external air flowing into that space than there is breath being emitted by those present. So, how is it possible that our taxi industry is simply left to go about it’s business filling taxis to the brim and it being winter, not too many open windows? Surely this has to be the perfect environment for the spread of any virus? One can understand that this is a means of transport to and from work for millions of people but hey, we have a pandemic and crisis on our hands. The answer to this non sensical scenario is actually simple; Rampahosa was told by the Taxi Associations that they would shut the country down if he dared tinker with their industry. So, logic would suggest that if the third wave gets into overdrive, the taxi industry and lack of Government backbone could be a huge contributory factor.
And then to cap recent events, the country received another bolt from the bowels of corruption with reports that a company called Digital Vibes, received between R90 and R150 million from the Department of Health for nothing more than scheduling the Minister of Health’s Covid-19 briefings. What makes this story truly sickening is that this company was recently formed and has little history or expertise in the field of communications. It gets worse. The key players in this bogus company worked closely with the Minister of Health in administrative roles. So, on the one hand we have a President who talks endlessly about bringing an end to the rot and corruption being perpetrated by his political buddies and right under his nose, it is alleged that the Minister of Health is up to shenanigans. He wasted no time coming out of the starting blocks to deny any wrongdoing (which is a key strategic pillar of ANC dogma). Ramaphosa, in true style, refuses to discuss this issue by deferring to the current investigation underway by the SIU (Special Investigating unit. We have no shortage of supply of these special commissions and organisations but sadly, very few criminal charges are laid or arrests made).
On the subject of vaccines, it is appalling that a number of African countries have not even accepted the need for inoculations. These include
Tanzania, Burundi and Eritrea. The real problem here is that travellers from these countries to any other country carry the virus with them which negates the efforts of those countries trying to inoculate their citizens. Disastrous for South Africa with its porous borders and illegal immigrants arriving from every corner of this continent. The irony of this bizarre situation is that the Presidents of both Tanzania and Burundi died in the last year and it was likely Covid-19 related.
So, why the deviation into negative reporting on what is happening in sunny South Africa? The reality is that the disastrous manner in which the ANC led Government has managed Covid-19 aided and abetted by industrial scale theft and corruption feeding off Covid-19 “opportunities” may well define our future as the ANC breaks apart and is finally voted out of power. There is simmering anger across this country including among previously rank and file ANC supporters.
No update would be complete without mention of
China. Joe Biden has done a complete 360-degree flip flop and has now instructed the US Intelligence agencies to “redouble” investigations into the origin of the coronavirus that caused Covid-19. There are a few avenues being pursued; did the virus originate in a Chinese lab, did it come from contact with an infected wild animal or was it a lab accident? Biden is demanding a report on the matter in 90 days. An enduring question; will we ever know the truth given the secrecy and disdain for human rights which are hallmarks of the Chinese Communist Party?
Still In
America, there is an evolving story suggesting that they “Should swing at this fat pitch.” The background is that America stepped up to the plate after World War Two with the so called “Marshall Plan” delivering huge benefits as Europe was rebuilt from the rubble of war. The Americans in return received a major geopolitical dividend and world stage dominance. It is in that context that talk of “swinging at this fat pitch” is taking shape with the idea that America should vaccinate the world and reap the global clout that would follow. Millions of lives saved, economic hardship averted and keep rampant Chinese global aspirations at bay. Stuff of fiction? Worth remembering the word NEVER was cancelled when the Brits voted for Brexit and Trump was voted in as President.
“The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.” – Albert Einstein
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Megan
non-member comment
Thank you, Tim, for another insightful, well researched and fascinating analysis of the current global and South African situation. Almost a year and a half later and the world continues to be in the grip of this vicious virus...with some interesting spin-offs, such as the move from office to home etc. Bruce and I had our first Pfizer vaccination at Stanger General Hospital earlier this week, whilst David, Minky and Melody are having theirs today. The second dose I’d due in 42 days. We registered and were accepted in March, but in fact the over-60’s do not need to be registered. Anyone over 60 is vaccinated. The process was quick, extremely well organised and efficient, whilst the staff were informative, helpful and supportive. I received an SMS from DoH within 2 minutes of being vaccinated, informing me of my vaccine batch number etc. There is light at the end of the tunnel.... Hoping to see you and Sue later in the year. Lots of love, special friends xx??