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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Conspiracy Theories & Claims

The statistics video I watched was per 100 000 people for both vaccinated and unvaccinated based on ONS data.
Quote from the ONS website:

COVID-19 mortality rates lowest for those with at least three vaccinations​

Risk of death involving COVID-19 in England has been consistently lower for people who had at least a third vaccine dose or booster 21 days or more ago, compared with unvaccinated people and those with only a first or second dose.
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopula...nsights/vaccines#deaths-by-vaccination-status
 
Quote from the ONS website:

COVID-19 mortality rates lowest for those with at least three vaccinations​

Risk of death involving COVID-19 in England has been consistently lower for people who had at least a third vaccine dose or booster 21 days or more ago, compared with unvaccinated people and those with only a first or second dose.
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopula...nsights/vaccines#deaths-by-vaccination-status
Data is always best when it's explained by someone who is qualified to do as articles are often written in such a way to give only the impression desired and also often do not take into account other data.

I'll try and find the video I watched.
 
:) This may be fact but it feels like conspiracy territory:

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when little was known about the virus, the U.K. government briefly considered asking the public to exterminate every cat amid fears that the pets could spread the disease. Lord Bethell, a former deputy Health Minister from 2020 to 2021, revealed the news Wednesday during an interview with Britain's Channel 4 News.

"Can you imagine what would have happened if we had wanted to do that?" he added. The U.K. has some 10.9 million cats, according to the 2022 PDSA Animal Wellbeing report. The bombshell revelations have sparked astonishment from some on social media, with users sharing images of their own cats and vowing they would have put up a fight. 10 Downing Street's own feline friend Larry's unofficial Twitter parody account wrote: "hard not to take this personally."
 
:) This may be fact but it feels like conspiracy territory:

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when little was known about the virus, the U.K. government briefly considered asking the public to exterminate every cat amid fears that the pets could spread the disease. Lord Bethell, a former deputy Health Minister from 2020 to 2021, revealed the news Wednesday during an interview with Britain's Channel 4 News...

It's worth remembering though, that in brainstorming sessions all kinds of outlandish, extreme and apparently random ideas may get mooted before being immediately discarded; even the proponent may not actually entertain them as serious options.

I believe such behaviour is often actively encouraged in such contexts, especially in areas that need some drastic and or creative thinking - because, in a kind of mental trickledown, outlandish ideas based on a problem's reduction to its most basic elements can trigger more reasonable and nuanced thinking.
 
:) This may be fact but it feels like conspiracy territory:

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when little was known about the virus, the U.K. government briefly considered asking the public to exterminate every cat amid fears that the pets could spread the disease. Lord Bethell, a former deputy Health Minister from 2020 to 2021, revealed the news Wednesday during an interview with Britain's Channel 4 News.

"Can you imagine what would have happened if we had wanted to do that?" he added. The U.K. has some 10.9 million cats, according to the 2022 PDSA Animal Wellbeing report. The bombshell revelations have sparked astonishment from some on social media, with users sharing images of their own cats and vowing they would have put up a fight. 10 Downing Street's own feline friend Larry's unofficial Twitter parody account wrote: "hard not to take this personally."
....and so few recipes...
 
:) This may be fact but it feels like conspiracy territory:

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when little was known about the virus, the U.K. government briefly considered asking the public to exterminate every cat amid fears that the pets could spread the disease. Lord Bethell, a former deputy Health Minister from 2020 to 2021, revealed the news Wednesday during an interview with Britain's Channel 4 News.

"Can you imagine what would have happened if we had wanted to do that?" he added. The U.K. has some 10.9 million cats, according to the 2022 PDSA Animal Wellbeing report. The bombshell revelations have sparked astonishment from some on social media, with users sharing images of their own cats and vowing they would have put up a fight. 10 Downing Street's own feline friend Larry's unofficial Twitter parody account wrote: "hard not to take this personally."
I do remember this being aired at the time. I think there were even suggestions that dogs should go as well. I think we can safely say no matter how cowed and frightened the British public were, that would not have flown.
 
I do remember this being aired at the time. I think there were even suggestions that dogs should go as well. I think we can safely say no matter how cowed and frightened the British public were, that would not have flown.
It's the same logic as how that one country killed hundreds of weasels? Kill non-Humans who can carry the disease?
 
Looks like everything they put us through, mandates, masks, hand washing, 6 foot distance.... no difference or very little difference in all cases and that does not include vaccines.

Hand washing helped a bit​


Hand hygiene is likely to modestly reduce the burden of respiratory illness. Harms associated with physical interventions were under‐investigated

There is a need for large, well‐designed RCTs addressing the effectiveness of many of these interventions in multiple settings and populations, as well as the impact of adherence on effectiveness, especially in those most at risk of ARIs.

Physical measures, prevent respiratory viruses spreading between people

https://www.cochrane.org/CD006207/ARI...

Washing hands often RCTs on hand washing = 19 N = 71,210

Wearing masks, eye protection, gloves, and protective gowns RCTs on masks = 78 No RCTs on gowns and gloves

Wiping surfaces with disinfectant 6 trials

Avoiding contact with other people (isolation or quarantine) 3 RCTs

Not touching your eyes, nose, or mouth No RCTs

Sneezing or coughing into your elbow No RCTs

Keeping a certain distance away from other people (distancing) Examining people entering a country for signs of infection (screening) No RCTs

Examining people on entry Hand hygiene interventions versus controls (i.e. no intervention)

Pooling for the broad outcome of ARI 14% relative reduction in the number of people with ARIs in the hand hygiene group RR 0.86, (0.81 to 0.90) 9 trials, n = 52,105 moderate‐certainty evidence, suggesting a probable benefit. In absolute terms

A reduction from 380 events per 1000 people, to 327 per 1000 people.

Using more strictly defined outcomes of ILI Estimates of effect for ILI RR 0.94 11 trials, n = 34,503 low‐certainty evidence

Beneficial effect was not statistically significant if ILI, and laboratory-confirmed ILI were analysed separately

Laboratory‐confirmed influenza RR 0.91 8 trials, n = 8,332 low‐certainty evidence, suggest the intervention made little or no difference.

Composite (pooled) outcome ARI or ILI or influenza Hand hygiene may be beneficial with an 11% relative reduction of respiratory illness RR 0.89 low‐certainty evidence In absolute terms. This benefit would result in a reduction from 200 events per 1000 people, to 178 per 1000 people Few trials measured and reported harms very low‐certainty evidence.

Surface/object disinfection compared to control Numbers of cases of viral respiratory illness (ARIs, ILI, confirmed influenza)

Six trials

A significant reduction in ARI in the intervention group

OR 0.47 (53% benefit)
 
Most stores I enter these days that still have hand pumps have empty hand pumps. The pumps are still there, they're just empty.
Throughout the pandemic I rarely used hand sanitisers; there were reports it could somehow pass through the skin and adversely affect people with Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Googling it now I can find no reference to its impact on those, like me, with IBD. But it used to annoy the fuck out of me when entering a series of shops they would have someone standing guard at the door to ensure you used their smegin hand gel.
 
Add to that, the amount of stores using anti-bacterial hand gel to combat a virus beggared belief.

I challenged more than one store on this telling them I'd use it if it was anti viral. The response was always the same - a vacant and confused look.
 
Looks like everything they put us through, mandates, masks, hand washing, 6 foot distance.... no difference or very little difference in all cases and that does not include vaccines.

Hand washing helped a bit​


Hand hygiene is likely to modestly reduce the burden of respiratory illness. Harms associated with physical interventions were under‐investigated

There is a need for large, well‐designed RCTs addressing the effectiveness of many of these interventions in multiple settings and populations, as well as the impact of adherence on effectiveness, especially in those most at risk of ARIs.

Physical measures, prevent respiratory viruses spreading between people

https://www.cochrane.org/CD006207/ARI...

Washing hands often RCTs on hand washing = 19 N = 71,210

Wearing masks, eye protection, gloves, and protective gowns RCTs on masks = 78 No RCTs on gowns and gloves

Wiping surfaces with disinfectant 6 trials

Avoiding contact with other people (isolation or quarantine) 3 RCTs

Not touching your eyes, nose, or mouth No RCTs

Sneezing or coughing into your elbow No RCTs

Keeping a certain distance away from other people (distancing) Examining people entering a country for signs of infection (screening) No RCTs

Examining people on entry Hand hygiene interventions versus controls (i.e. no intervention)

Pooling for the broad outcome of ARI 14% relative reduction in the number of people with ARIs in the hand hygiene group RR 0.86, (0.81 to 0.90) 9 trials, n = 52,105 moderate‐certainty evidence, suggesting a probable benefit. In absolute terms

A reduction from 380 events per 1000 people, to 327 per 1000 people.

Using more strictly defined outcomes of ILI Estimates of effect for ILI RR 0.94 11 trials, n = 34,503 low‐certainty evidence

Beneficial effect was not statistically significant if ILI, and laboratory-confirmed ILI were analysed separately

Laboratory‐confirmed influenza RR 0.91 8 trials, n = 8,332 low‐certainty evidence, suggest the intervention made little or no difference.

Composite (pooled) outcome ARI or ILI or influenza Hand hygiene may be beneficial with an 11% relative reduction of respiratory illness RR 0.89 low‐certainty evidence In absolute terms. This benefit would result in a reduction from 200 events per 1000 people, to 178 per 1000 people Few trials measured and reported harms very low‐certainty evidence.

Surface/object disinfection compared to control Numbers of cases of viral respiratory illness (ARIs, ILI, confirmed influenza)

Six trials

A significant reduction in ARI in the intervention group

OR 0.47 (53% benefit)
I'd be curious to see how this surge in hand washing affected the rates of known common bacterial infections, like gastric upsets and so on. It'd be useful data.
 
Throughout the pandemic I rarely used hand sanitisers; there were reports it could somehow pass through the skin and adversely affect people with Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Googling it now I can find no reference to its impact on those, like me, with IBD. But it used to annoy the fuck out of me when entering a series of shops they would have someone standing guard at the door to ensure you used their smegin hand gel.
I tried to get in one place, but the idiot on the door wouldn't let me in unless I used some hand gel.
I tried to explain that it wouldn't do very much and was a waste of time, and that I wasn't going to touch anything anyway - but all I got was a vacant look. In the end, I had to use the stinkin' gel just to get him out of my face.
 
The response was always the same - a vacant and confused look.

the idiot on the door wouldn't let me

Even faced with logical argument we had people blindly following 'the rules' because they were either ignorant, or stupid, or couldn't be arsed to complain, or were just incapable of critical thinking.
You can't blame people for 'wanting an easy life' and it was just easiest for most to go along with all the bullshit we were being fed.
Yes there were sensible precautions that everyone should take to avoid catching anything, such as what we did before C19 came along anyway, things like staying home if you are unwell and limiting your contacts anyway ("No, lets cancel that plan to have dinner tonight - I've got a bit of a cold about me").
Remember, "Coughs and sneezes spread diseases, blow them in a handkerchief" sung to the tune of the German national anthem.
 
Add to that, the amount of stores using anti-bacterial hand gel to combat a virus beggared belief.

I challenged more than one store on this telling them I'd use it if it was anti viral. The response was always the same - a vacant and confused look.
Antibacterial gels will work against viruses if they are able to disrupt their lipid layer. Alcohol ones are best but others can be effective as well though there is less data.

More from Which.

https://www.which.co.uk/news/articl...itiser-gel-what-you-need-to-know-a2ias8z9jZWO
 
...I tried to explain that it wouldn't do very much and was a waste of time, and that I wasn't going to touch anything anyway - but all I got was a vacant look. In the end, I had to use the stinkin' gel just to get him out of my face.

Maybe the vacant look was simply a defence mechanism in response to dealing with yet another customer who knew best.

During the pandemic my attitude was that whether things worked or not, they made people feel safer, when a lot of people didn't feel safe at all. Shop staff were - as far as I'm concerned - front line workers, and whereas I might go in that shop once, shop staff dealt with hundreds of people a day, only going in once.

I get that - for various reasons - it was difficult or inadvisable for some, but for those of us whose only 'difficulty' was our opinions, my attitude was, for fucks sake - just wear the mask, just use the gel, just give people space. Seriously, how hard was it?
 
Even faced with logical argument we had people blindly following 'the rules' because they were either ignorant, or stupid, or couldn't be arsed to complain, or were just incapable of critical thinking.
You can't blame people for 'wanting an easy life' and it was just easiest for most to go along with all the bullshit we were being fed.
Yes there were sensible precautions that everyone should take to avoid catching anything, such as what we did before C19 came along anyway, things like staying home if you are unwell and limiting your contacts anyway ("No, lets cancel that plan to have dinner tonight - I've got a bit of a cold about me").
Remember, "Coughs and sneezes spread diseases, blow them in a handkerchief" sung to the tune of the German national anthem.
Yeah, people who aren't educated and don't actually know what is the correct course of action, will often do things that make NO sense to people who do know.

Then you have questions about WHY they think that something which is actually useless will help... and that gets messy fast.
Maybe the vacant look was simply a defence mechanism in response to dealing with yet another customer who knew best.

During the pandemic my attitude was that whether things worked or not, they made people feel safer, when a lot of people didn't feel safe at all. Shop staff were - as far as I'm concerned - front line workers, and whereas I might go in that shop once, shop staff dealt with hundreds of people a day, only going in once.

I get that - for various reasons - it was difficult or inadvisable for some, but for those of us whose only 'difficulty' was our opinions, my attitude was, for fucks sake - just wear the mask, just use the gel, just give people space. Seriously, how hard was it?
The part that bothered me most, is that making people feel safer.... when it's a false sense of security... makes them LESS safe.
 
The use of hand anti-bacterial sanitizer came about early in the pandemic before they really knew how it was transmitted. They originally thought it was contact and droplet transmission. I started to doubt this because if it was transmitted by contact, lots more people would have been sick just because all they had to do is touch a railing, table or other oft used and not thoroughly cleaned surface. I wash my hands all the time and have only had one cold (droplet transmission) in three years.

Washing hands with soap and water does the same as hand sanitizer. Hand sanitizer is just more convenient for places with no water available.

I am hesitant about using hand sanitizer because it is the ubiquitous use of this that is believed to have brought about the antibiotic resistant bugs, and will use soap and water when I have a choice.
 
Marburg virus?

l meant that Conspiracy Theory 1 has now become Fact 1 (As close as we’ll ever get, considering China’s attitude toward openness); Conspiracy Theory 2: “Anyone who doesn’t think that masks will save us all is a Covidiot!” is holed below the waterline and sinking; what insult from the early days of Covid hysteria will be exposed next?

maximus otter
 
l meant that Conspiracy Theory 1 has now become Fact 1 (As close as we’ll ever get, considering China’s attitude toward openness); Conspiracy Theory 2: “Anyone who doesn’t think that masks will save us all is a Covidiot!” is holed below the waterline and sinking; what insult from the early days of Covid hysteria will be exposed next?

maximus otter
Oopsie. I misunderstood what you meant.

I reckon that it'll be that the vaccines can cause sometimes horrific vaccine injuries and deaths (mainly heart attacks and strokes along with sudden death syndrome).
 
Oopsie. I misunderstood what you meant.

I reckon that it'll be that the vaccines can cause sometimes horrific vaccine injuries and deaths (mainly heart attacks and strokes along with sudden death syndrome).
I think that that myth has been disproved already, see picture. That gives a good score that will irritate both sides. That's good :)

Lab leak taboo = acceptable now
Vaccine is bad = disproved now

20230306_170855.jpg
 
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