It's not over yet | 123 comments (123 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Blame the doctor, not the disease (none / 0)

Trump says public sick of coronavirus `idiots' like Fauci

US president Donald Trump hit out at leading virus expert Dr Anthony Fauci on Monday as he claimed that people were "tired of hearing Fauci and all these idiots".
In a call with campaign staff, which was also open to journalists, Mr Trump said that he believed people were tired of coronavirus and just wanted to be left alone. He also claimed that Dr Fauci was a "disaster"- "if we listened to [Fauci] we'd have 700,000, 800,000 deaths".
"Every time he goes on television there's always a bomb, but there's a bigger bomb if you fire him," he said.
Mr Trump's attack on Dr Fauci, one of the nation's top health officials who is leading America's response to the pandemic, comes as the number of Americans infected by Covid-19 rose past eight million over the weekend. States across the midwest are seeing a surge in cases. Iowa's positive test rate is now at 51 per cent, while Wisconsin set its biggest single-day record of cases on Friday.

Index of Frank's Diaries

by Frank Schnittger (mail Frankschnittger at hot male dotty communists) on Tue Oct 20th, 2020 at 12:43:26 PM EST

Re: Blame the doctor, not the disease (4.00 / 4)

I'm sure Fauci bashing plays well with his base. Never underestimate the ressentiment of low income whites and their membership to the Cult of My Ignorance Is Just as Good as Your Expertise.

She believed in nothing; only her skepticism kept her from being an atheist. -- Jean-Paul Sartre

by ATinNM on Tue Oct 20th, 2020 at 02:41:38 PM EST
[ Parent ]

ahem (4.00 / 2)

No one would associate me with Trump's base of ignorant white people. Yet I've made my disdain for Fauci's "scientific" credentials, public health "leadership", and NIH, NIAID product marketing in this particular episode of communicable disease apocalypses plain.

It is well-deserved.

by Cat on Tue Oct 20th, 2020 at 03:08:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: ahem (none / 1)

This is a good comment and definitely does not jibe with ATinNM's take.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.

by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Tue Oct 20th, 2020 at 03:56:46 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: ahem (4.00 / 4)

Oh dear ... during this SARS Covid-2 episode, or the China virus episode, Dr. Fauci was the sane person on public health advice. Quite true, Trump Inc. LLC won the products launch for his BIG Pharma benefactors on Operation Warp Speed.

In the UK the same Idiot ..

The government's secretive Covid contracts are heaping misery on Britain

The losers are "We the People" as the citizens of Manchester behind the red wall will find out.

by Oui on Wed Oct 21st, 2020 at 10:07:13 AM EST
[ Parent ]

smarter than yeast? (none / 1)

archive Thu Jan 30th, 2020

Sadly, mental disorder is a communicable disease, too.

by Cat on Wed Oct 21st, 2020 at 05:56:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: smarter than yeast? (4.00 / 2)

You forgot best part.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross suggested Thursday that the viral outbreak in China might offer an unexpected benefit for the U.S. economy: It could encourage American manufacturers in China to return to the United States.

by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Wed Oct 21st, 2020 at 06:07:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: smarter than yeast? (none / 0)

heh.

by Cat on Wed Oct 21st, 2020 at 10:25:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Blaming the doctor (4.00 / 3)

The point is he was speaking from the experience of other communicable diseases, and much was unknown about the novel Coronavirus, Covid-19. Hell, much is still unknown- like the long term effects of infection, like post viral disease syndrome with ME type symptoms, prolonged brain fog, and how long immunity lasts after infection.

I have a friend who swears he got it twice - but living in the UK he couldn't get a test first time around. Recent research also shows that people with mental disorder are far more likely to get the disease - again the exact reasons for this are up for debate.

We don't know enough about how often in is communicated through aerosols, through tiny droplets in coughts/sneezes etc., through contact with infected surfaces, and for how long it remains active at various temperatures on various types of surfaces. There is still debate over how effective standard issue face-masks are at prevention, and to what extent children can be vectors.

So I think its a bit over the top blaming medics for not having gotten everything right from day one. It's very easy being wise after the event, and everyone's a virologist now. Undermining what public health expertise we do have is not helpful, as the prevalence of the second wave now shows only too well - in large part enabled by people not following the best available public health advice.

Index of Frank's Diaries

by Frank Schnittger (mail Frankschnittger at hot male dotty communists) on Wed Oct 21st, 2020 at 11:00:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Blaming the doctor (4.00 / 4)

Your friend is not unique. We have some friends who had it in April - all the symptoms, not officially confirmed because there were no tests - and who now have it again, officially confirmed.

Which might suggest that a good few of the current cases are reinfections, albeit milder this time around.

And I agree about Fauci. Non-scientists seem to expect science to have instant perfect knowledge, and don't seem to understand that the scientific process is about continuous experimentation and refinement. Which - unfortunately - takes time.

But the fact that knowledge isn't absolute doesn't mean that the random opinion of a drive-by nobody on YouTube is just as valid as that of an experienced epidemiologist. It isn't. The science will get to a workable answer more quickly, and will be less likely to be horribly wrong along the way. Even if this still takes a while.

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Wed Oct 21st, 2020 at 11:27:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Blaming the doctor (none / 1)

All of which severely restricts the possibility that an effective vaccine will ever be found, if the immunity it confers only lasts a few weeks/months.

Index of Frank's Diaries

by Frank Schnittger (mail Frankschnittger at hot male dotty communists) on Thu Oct 22nd, 2020 at 12:07:44 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Blaming the doctor (4.00 / 2)

Maybe. So far this wave seems to have fewer deaths, so it's not all bad news.

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Thu Oct 22nd, 2020 at 09:25:14 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Covid-19 Vaccine (none / 0)

There's been a research finding announced in Science that allows an additional approach. But it's very early innings.

Neuropilin-1 facilitates SARS-CoV-2 cell entry and infectivity

The causative agent of coronavirus induced disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). For many viruses, tissue tropism is determined by the availability of virus receptors and entry cofactors on the surface of host cells. Here, we found that neuropilin-1 (NRP1), known to bind furin-cleaved substrates, significantly potentiates SARS-CoV-2 infectivity, an effect blocked by a monoclonal blocking antibody against NRP1. A SARS-CoV-2 mutant with an altered furin cleavage site did not depend on NRP1 for infectivity. Pathological analysis of human COVID-19 autopsies revealed SARS-CoV-2 infected cells including olfactory neuronal cells facing the nasal cavity positive for NRP1. Our data provide insight into SARS-CoV-2 cell infectivity and define a potential target for antiviral intervention.

She believed in nothing; only her skepticism kept her from being an atheist. -- Jean-Paul Sartre

by ATinNM on Thu Oct 22nd, 2020 at 03:47:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]

quite to th contrary (none / 0)

On or before 30 Jan, Fauci possessed all the knowledge needed to broadcast the most RUDIMENTARY prophylactic message to people foolish enough to trust his "expertise" and past "leadership" (not) controlling infectious disease at home and abroad.

ALL coronaviruses are respiratory pathogens--INHALED and EXHALED with air. THIS coronavirus is dangerous to your health. Chinese authorities fucking barricaded the city Wuhan to prevent ANYONE there from infecting other populations.
UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE, ALWAYS cover your mouth and nose in crowded locations. ALWAYS wash hands and common articles.

But he didn't do that. Moreover, he heaped mendacity on calumny of Trump's admin: Feb 17, 2020 | Top disease official: Risk of coronavirus in USA is 'minuscule'; skip mask and wash hands

The salient point is, Fauci should have retired from office with a fat pension 20 years ago, BUT his vanity got in the way of common sense and, evidently, the sincerity of admirers who continue to defend the dereliction of his duties.

by Cat on Thu Oct 22nd, 2020 at 01:18:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: quite to th contrary (none / 0)

The COVID-19 death toll could reach a half million in the U.S. by February unless nearly all Americans wear face masks, researchers said, a day after the number of new infections reported across the country approached a record high https://t.co/DCQp3Kpv1B pic.twitter.com/m7VuGtRCHX
— Reuters (@Reuters) October 24, 2020

oh.

by Cat on Sat Oct 24th, 2020 at 12:51:41 AM EST
[ Parent ]

archived (none / 0)

Sat Feb 29th, 2020, Wed Mar 4th, 2020, Mon Mar 23rd, 2020

by Cat on Sat Oct 24th, 2020 at 01:09:26 AM EST
[ Parent ]

It's not over yet | 123 comments (123 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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