Last September, the third wave of COVID was in full swing and COVID deaths reached their peak a few months later. On the other hand, this September brought the end of the COVID fourth wave which was not as deadly as the third wave. For the moment, COVID in the U.S. is in full retreat. The next wave may be coming with the cooler weather, but let’s take the good news when we can get it.
For most of the post I focus on the positives of our current situation (I think there are several). I also include several thought provoking interviews on the state of affairs today along with some warnings about policies from another highly credentialed medical expert, Dr. Ryan Cole. Towards the end of the post, I include some startling videos from Project Veritas and more of the same old crap from the usual suspects who never seem to learn anything.
During the month of September, COVID cases plateaued the first week and have been falling ever since. The current cases graph makes it abundantly clear that the cases are falling. Deaths too are starting to decline after reaching a peak of 1,840 per day in mid-September. Let’s hope the trend continues:
If you believe the vaccines are the key to getting us out of this pandemic (I’m not so certain myself), you should be pleased with the vaccination rates to date:
- A few Southern states which had low numbers earlier this summer have climbed quite a bit the last month or two. Oklahoma, Arkansas, Georgia, and South Carolina have surpassed 55% of their populations with at least one dose. Tennessee, Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi have surpassed 52%. In fact, all but three states (West Virginia, Idaho, and Wyoming) have surpassed the 50% mark.
- Ohio just became the 34th state to reach 50% fully vaccinated. Another eleven states are at 45% or higher and will likely reach the 50% mark by the end of the year. Only six small states with a total combined population under 13 million (4% of the U.S. population) have not yet reached 45% fully vax’d (North Dakota, Mississippi, Alabama, Idaho, Wyoming and West Virginia).
- Vaccinations began December 11, 2020. In the 291 days since the U.S. has administered more 390 million doses. This is a rate of more than 1.34 million per day, far exceeding the Biden administration’s goal of 100 million in 100 days.
- In a couple more weeks, two-thirds of all Americans will have received at least one dose. More than three-quarters of all adults already have received at least one dose.
- 55.3% of all Americans are fully vax’d; that’s two-thirds of all eligible (ages 12 and up). Of those who have not been vaccinated, the majority are under 18 years old, and I find it dubious that this population should even be vaccinated (see the Project Veritas video below for more). In addition, large numbers of unvaccinated have natural immunity and probably shouldn’t be vaccinated either (we don’t know exactly how many because our government won’t tell us).
All this leads me to the following conclusion: Americans have united behind a common goal to overcome COVID. The numbers above demonstrate that the country as a whole has responded to the call to be vaccinated. Unfortunately, during this pandemic we have been let down by our government leaders time and again. Our government has hidden the truth, outright lied to us, censored debate on the issue of COVID, withheld data from us, ignored or downplayed important and relevant facts, pitted one group of Americans against another, and has condemned ordinary Americans for its own failures. Our political leaders along with our political media and social media have divided the country for their own political expediencies. The apparent lack of unity among Americans is not a failing of everyday Americans; Americans are overwhelmingly willing to unite behind the common cause of defeating COVID just as we united during WWII or after 9/11; the lack of unity is a failing of our leadership which actively seeks to divide American citizens, a leadership who wants to use COVID as an opportunity to destroy their political opponents and consolidate their own power.
The current vaccination rate after nearly 300 days of vaccinations is still above 700,000 per day. Even if that rate falls a bit and we continue to vaccinate a half-million a day for the rest of the year, the U.S. will have something like 62% fully vax’d and 71% with at least one dose. If COVID is still around in a significant way this winter, you can be sure that your current government leaders will continue to blame the ever-shrinking small number of those who remain unvaccinated as the source of the problem.
Good News Regarding Treatments
I think the way out of this pandemic is to focus on treatments while continuing to encourage vaccinations of the most vulnerable. The last couple posts, I have focused more on COVID treatments and there is increasingly more good news on this front.
In mid-August, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis began advocating for monoclonal antibodies as treatment for the citizens of his state. A month ago, just as this push was ramping up Florida had nearly 350 COVID deaths per day, the highest numbers the state had experienced the last two years. However, in just one month, deaths have dropped 91% to 30 per day. This is one of the most remarkable declines that we have seen anywhere in the world in the last two years:
Florida’s vaccination rate has been the top twenty among the states all year, above the national average, yet they were devastated by the delta variant over the summer. When the governor increased treatments for patients, deaths plummeted. Do you think there is any connection?
This remarkable result is being duplicated in other places around the world. A doctor friend sent me the following text: “The third world uses Ivermectin and they are comfortable with it. They are leading the way and we are unable to learn from them.” India, for example, has seen absolutely stunning results recently:
Population 2/3 that of the U.S. completely free of COVID despite having low vaccination rate of 5.8%
America’s vaccination rate at 54% but cases still rising and restrictions still imposed.
“Uttar Pradesh was the first state in the country to introduce large-scale prophylactic and therapeutic use of Ivermectin. In May-June 2020, a team at Agra, led by Dr. Anshul Pareek, administered Ivermectin to all RRT team members in the district on an experimental basis. It was observed that none of them developed Covid-19 despite being in daily contact with patients who had tested positive for the virus,” Uttar Pradesh State Surveillance Officer Vikssendu Agrawal said.
As many as 64 districts reported no case of Covid-19 infection in the last 24 hours, whereas the other 11 districts reported new cases in just single digits.
India has four times as many people as the U.S., yet one-fourth the death rate. Their vaccination rates are a fraction of ours. How are they doing so much better? India appears to be following the science while the U.S. continues to follow the CDC and Dr. Fauci. Indians are not worried about the politics of vaccinations apparently. A couple weeks ago, I also mentioned that one of the Mexican states had adopted Ivermectin with great success (https://seek-the-truth.com/2021/09/12/delta-declines-covid-tyranny-rises/)
Although the U.S. as a whole has some catching up to do, at least in Florida, we are starting to see similar results from COVID treatments (although Florida is focusing on monoclonal antibodies and India and Mexico are using Ivermectin). Listen to the Florida governor contrast the two strategies:
DeSantis is saying the same thing I am hearing from my doctor friend (as well as other doctors speaking publicly). Our U.S. strategy for treating COVID has been absolutely perplexing; it makes very little sense. The federal government has been silent on early treatment; the recommended strategy, for the most part, has been to test people for COVID and then send them home (i.e. quarantine) if they are positive. There has been no emphasis on early treatments. Just wait a couple days and hope you don’t get deathly ill. The vast majority do not get deathly ill from COVID and are able to ride it out at home, but a significant portion need to be hospitalized and they don’t get effective treatment until they are seriously ill.
It seems perhaps this strategy is beginning to change; we have a few in the vanguard who are trying to treat people early and these treatments have proven effective and it is becoming more difficult to be ignored. As I mentioned previously, Joe Biden highlighted monoclonal antibody treatment in his September 9 speech during which he presented his COVID plan, the first time I recall a federal official other than Trump who has advocated for treatments (despite numerous medical professionals who have been beating the drum).
DeSantis even attempts to explain why treatments have been de-emphasized at the federal level. He is offering up the most benign explanation in saying that the federal government has de-emphasized treatments because they feared people would forgo a vaccine if they knew treatments were available. I think he offers these folks who are highly critical of his own policies far too much grace. Other possible and more likely explanations are more sinister.
Even before vaccines were available, another early treatment, hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), was attacked despite numerous testimonies from front-line doctors and support from scientists like Dr. Didier Raoult, considered the world’s foremost microbiologist. Even today, liberal media will assure you that HCQ has been thoroughly discredited, but the real reasons it was attacked are very suspect, foremost among them being Trump’s early support for it as a treatment https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/this-is-why-hcq-was-discredited-a-compilation-of-facts/.
HCQ was so successfully attacked that it is difficult to even obtain a prescription today, despite it being an effective and safe treatment for many other illnesses such as malaria, lupus, and arthritis, during the last sixty years. The same playbook is being used for Ivermectin and monoclonal antibodies. Why? Why is every new COVID treatment vigorously attacked by the liberal media? Doctors with sterling reputations are reflexively attacked when they line up against the “settled” science. Empirical results are dismissed in favor of the theoretical models or the opinions of other “preferred” scientists. Today, we even hear of pharmacies refusing to fill prescriptions for ivermectin: https://trialsitenews.com/forums/discussion/pharmacies-refusing-to-fill-ivermectin-prescriptions/.
Remember, Ivermectin is a drug which won the Nobel prize for medicine and has been prescribed billions of times in the last forty years, yet pharmacies are now refusing to fill valid prescriptions written by MDs. I have never heard of such a thing. HCQ as noted above was considered safe and effective and had been widely prescribed for many illnesses for more than 60 years, and, yet all of sudden (when endorsed by Trump), it became problematic. What is going on here?
When we add it all up, I think it is quite simply a massive failure of our federal government to recognize and promote COVID treatments as well as a desire to push certain remedies over others. The evidence is too compelling to ignore at this point and thankfully the situation is now being highlighted and rectified by pioneers like DeSantis. I look for other states to follow suit in the coming months. The success of COVID treatments is one of the most hopeful signs yet that the pandemic can be shoved into corner. Maybe also Biden’s acknowledgement of monoclonal antibodies will mean the liberal media slows their attack on treatments other than the vaccines and more people will finally be provided access to these treatments (although maybe not; see below).
The new Florida surgeon general who DeSantis just appointed also had some encouraging words regarding the new strategy. “We are done with fear”, he said.
Of course, it took the liberal media about five seconds to label him a crackpot, apparently because he opposes vaccine mandates and has been a skeptic of masks, lockdowns, and the other failed policies of the last two years:
Dr. Ladapo rejects vaccine mandates and has argued the vaccines themselves may be more dangerous than public-health experts have said. He questions the usefulness of masks. He has promoted the long-debunked hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 elixir.
He would be a comical figure were lives not at stake.
All these positions seem quite reasonable and worthy of further investigation; I have covered these same issues myself in numerous posts. Nevertheless, I take all this as a hopeful sign. Dr. Lapado seems like a breathe of fresh air.
It’s also interesting to note that if someone with Dr. Lapado’s credentials had been appointed by say California Governor Newsome and was immediately attacked by conservative media, there would be immediate counter-charges of racism. I like hearing what Dr. Lapado has to say not because he is black, but because he makes sense and appears to follow truth and science and think for himself. He is not a comical figure at all. Our media are the comical (and corrupt) figures; they attack Lapado simply because he is aligned with their biggest political opponent, Governor DeSantis.
One of the concerns that Dr. Lapado raised is regarding the safety of the vaccines. As stated above, the U.S. has administered almost 400 million vaccines. We would expect some adverse impacts from such a widely distributed medication. However, as I pointed out in last week’s post (https://seek-the-truth.com/2021/09/19/do-you-really-mean-it/), these vaccines seem to have more adverse impacts than most drugs. The FDA has pulled drugs from the market for fewer reported impacts than we have seen with the COVID vaccines.
I don’t offer a definitive opinion on the safety of these vaccines. I am not qualified to do so. But I would like to hear from the experts: does the good the vaccine has done (i.e. the lives saved) still outweigh the harm (the lives harmed or lost)? This is the real question for which we should demand an answer. I certainly hope so, but some of the stats reported raise at least an inkling of doubt. I think we need more transparency before we can really be sure.
What’s Your Blood Type?
Our pediatrician’s latest newsletter had this interesting tid-bit regarding various risk factors. You should note if you are in one of the risk groups highlighted below (as I am):
Link to newsletter: https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001xQbTsTOUeGCCuHBIaK9NoqSiCrtJi5d_kvi0-tJS-L8K1JEayZdxQWmPMtfopQ60MJ4FpkexhFqGUrTcYYKSxP-IEbqaboMe22l_ofG55c8%3D
In two studies published in MedRxIV over the past year, we see evidence based on over 1,000,000 gene analysis that blood type, ethnicity and metabolic risk factors are associated with a worse outcome. Blood group O is protective while A, as discussed in other studies, may be deleterious for health. The mechanism behind this effect is still up for debate. Being of a minority group, especially African American, carries a higher disease severity burden above the increased risk based on socioeconomic risks and antecedent metabolic disease burden compared to caucasian and hispanic populations. Further research needs to look at these data sets to identify cause and effect. Finally, they reaffirmed that metabolic diseases obesity and diabetes confer significant risk increases. The take home from this data set is that identified risk factors for severe disease should be discussed with the at risk groups to further encourage vaccination and lifestyle alterations
Many doctors have long found a connection between health and blood type. A few years ago I stumbled upon a book, Eat Right for Your Blood Type, which talks about diet strategies based on your blood type. I find the blood type study encouraging as everyone but me in my family has blood type O. I, unfortunately am blood type A, among the more susceptible, but at least it is better to know than not.
Project Veritas
Project Veritas in the last week has released three videos regarding COVID vaccines. Project Veritas, if you are not familiar with them, never actually makes the news or interprets the news; they simply show you what others are saying.
The first video shows several medical front-line medical personnel raising concerns about the vaccines as well as concerns about the suppression of adverse impacts. You should listen to this rather chilling video and demand accountability from our government officials. We all deserve to know the full truth:
In the second video, we hear from an employee of the FDA. This gentleman is not to be taken seriously, but he represents the lengths people, and more importantly people in our government, are willing to go to to vaccinate people. He keeps saying we need blow darts to ensure everyone is vaccinated; the tone is half-joking but I think also half-serious. If there were a way vaccines could be forcibly administered, he and many others in government (and outside of government) would clearly support it.
The lack of concern for anyone else’s point of view and the de-humanization of our fellow citizens is what alarms me in this video. I see this same attitude when I go about in public. For instance, when I am at the gym and I pass by a lady on the exercise bike, she instinctively reaches for her mask as I pass by, as if I am nothing but a ball of germs who might infect her. We need more direct contact with our fellow human beings to combat this de-humanization of our fellow man:
In the third video, we hear from two employees of Johnson and Johnson who are saying something very different in public than they are in these private discussions. The J&J scientist in this video clearly says children should not be vaccinated, among other things. This should really make you wonder how we got to this point:
https://www.visiontimes.com/2021/09/27/jj-scientist-second-grade-citizens-undercover-video.html
More Interesting Tid-Bits
If you have the time, below are some longer clips that I found quite enlightening with regard to the dilemma of our times.
Dr. Jordan Peterson is a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto. I consider him one of the great thinkers of our time. He is not overtly political, although his views are considered more on the conservative side. He came to prominence a few years ago after speaking out regarding Canada’s “hate speech” laws which punished people for not using preferred pronouns. Below is a link to Steven Crowder’s interview of Dr. Peterson. This is a fantastic interview. They talk extensively about the problems with science today and how the lack of real science has negatively impacted our approach to COVID. This discussion includes many other topics including a lengthy discussion of religion; move to the 35:00 minute mark for a discussion of science relevant to the topic of COVID:
https://www.louderwithcrowder.com/jordan-peterson-exclusive
Husband and wife Brett Weinstein and Heather Heying are evolutionary biologists on the left side of the aisle. They are clearly not conservative, anti-vaxers by a long chalk, but they too have many of the same concerns as others on the right regarding the lack of real science and the unhealthy infusion of politics into science. Dr. Weinstein came to prominence a few years ago when as a professor at Evergreen State College he objected to a “day without whites on campus”. His criticism of this policy was predictably deemed racist and he and his wife were forced to give up their tenured positions at the college (https://commonsensenation.net/a-day-without-white-people-at-evergreen-state-college/ ). Weinstein now hosts a regular podcast entitled Dark Horse. The pair are interviewed by Ben Shapiro during his Sunday conversation this past week. This is another fascinating discussion. Like Dr. Peterson, these intellectuals are far more interested in the truth than in advancing a political agenda:
Now we come to an actual medical expert, Dr. Ryan Cole who was interviewed by Steve Deace regarding COVID strategy. He too laments the deluge of anti-science so prevalent today as well as the importance of early treatment which I highlighted above. He also talks about antibody dependent enhancement which is something we need to avoid and which we may actually be running headlong into with our vaccination strategy (this is also something Dr. Robert Malone, inventor of the mRNA technology spoke of as well: https://seek-the-truth.com/2021/08/03/covid-two-questions-answered-some-good-news-and-a-reason-for-pause/):
The first 30 minutes of Deace’s show this past Monday highlights a number of the problems with COVID policy, including the fact that COVID policies may actually be doing far more harm than good:
Also, last week Deace had an interesting interview with Kyle Lamb who is data analyst for the state of Florida. Forward to the 31:00 minute mark for this interview:
https://rumble.com/vmuaat-what-really-happened-in-wuhan-guest-kyle-lamb-92221.html
Same Old Crap
During a CNN interview on September 10, Dr. Fauci was asked about natural immunity. Finally, a real question for Dr. Fauci from the liberal media! Fauci admits natural immunity is an actual thing, but he is still not too sure about its impact. Of course not, because fully acknowledging protection from natural immunity would drive a truck through the vaccine mandate and vaccine booster policies, so we need to wait until more are vaccinated before fully acknowledging such a truth. Here is more commentary on this:
source: thespectator.info/2021/09/11/dr-fauci-is-finally-asked-about-natural-immunity-and-now-i-want-to-punch-a-wall
So let me get this straight. The head of NIAID and the face of the pandemic response has no idea whether natural immunity exists or is durable? He’s seen none of the studies that show natural immunity confers stronger protection than two doses of the vaccine? He hasn’t looked at any of the real-world data sets? He hasn’t seen any of the numbers from the United Kingdom or Israel? Really?
No one believes this garbage. Rather, Fauci is lying again, in my opinion, because if he acknowledges natural immunity and how strong it is, he acknowledges how ridiculous Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate is. Any mandate that doesn’t include carveouts for natural immunity is logically asinine and spitting in the face of the science. So instead of just telling the truth and noting that there should be exceptions, Fauci plays dumb as if the freaking head of NIAID just has no idea about how natural immunity works.
It’s enough to make someone want to punch a wall. Deep breaths and all that.
My state of North Carolina dropped its mask mandate earlier in the year. It wasn’t brought back with the new Delta wave because I think our governor-king realized the mandates aren’t so popular and made a political calculation not to bring them back. Mask compliance in my locale is still fairly low, although I do see a significant minority wearing the masks, maybe 15% (mostly the useless clothe and paper masks). In Oregon, however, their governor-king decided to bring the mask mandate back:
Well, how did the new mandate work out for the state of Oregon? The mandate went into effect on August 13. For three weeks afterwards, the mandate cases in Oregon rose, hitting a new peak on September 1. A month-and-a-half after the mandate went into effect, COVID cases in Oregon are at the same level they were on August 13. We need more of this kind of science, don’t you think?
Finally, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a major deal with Pfizer for COVID boosters through 2024. It makes you wonder what this continued push to vaccinate everyone multiple times over is all about:
Back in the U. S., the FDA recently voted 16-2 against recommending boosters. Dr. Ryan Cole in the interview above believes this is the right approach. However, the Biden Administration and the CDC seem bent on following the Canadian approach despite a host of skeptics. Let’s hope a regime of never-ending mandated boosters, not to mention forced vaccines, is not in our future. Again, folks, push back now before such a dystopia becomes the norm.
Seek the Truth 
Without propaganda, people wouldn’t feel important writing blogs and would have to go back to their day jobs.
LikeLike
Writing about important items in a blog doesn’t matter unless those reading it take action. I try to inform and tell the story of what is happening, but once armed with the facts and truth we all need to take action to change the situation and make life better. Without action, without spreading the truth to others, without a real movement to influence the culture, none of this conversation we have here matters.
LikeLike
Once again, we encourage people to think for themselves. Whatever I, or anyone else writes, never, under any conditions, follow us without having observed, read, discussed with reliable people, and researched on your own, questioning everything until you understand. I would never allow a “blind follower”, telling them to go figure things out for himself, being responsible for his own decisions. In this day and age, far too many people are in it for their own ends, some just wanting to feel important or relevant, other’s making money, and others for power, but there are still people who speak from the heart, honestly, with no agenda outside honesty and hoping to encourage others to truly think for themselves with responsibility. I encourage people to be that.
LikeLike
Yes, I agree with you whole-heartedly. I would add one thing to what you said. We don’t want blind followers, but there are far too many blind followers among those we are up against. Too many people blindly follow experts like Dr. Fauci or the CDC without objectively analyzing what they say or without listening to their critics who are often experts themselves. Some people, as you say, are badly motivated, but others are well-intentioned but badly informed. People need to think critically; they need to question authority and the experts when it is appropriate, especially when they have failed the trust provided to them. There is a very small but very vocal and dedicated minority who is leading the vast majority of well-intentioned, good-hearted folks off a cliff. Don’t be led off a cliff. Be introspective and constantly examine your beliefs and assumptions to ensure they are still true. This is one major reason I write a blog: to appeal to the best in others who are unaware of how they are being manipulated. We are in existential times. Arm yourself with the facts, get involved, and take action.
LikeLike