To: Ventura County Board of Supervisors Steve Bennett, Linda Parks, Bob Huber, John Zaragoza and Kelly Long, CEO Mike Powers and Health Officer Dr. Robert Levin
From George Miller & Debra Tash
Following the so-called “Mainstream Media” (MSM) narrative on COVID-19 might cause one to think that we are in the midst of a serious, worsening pandemic that is an existential threat to society.
Preliminary evidence seemed to support this perception. The rapidly expanding plague in Wuhan caused people to drop in the streets. People were reportedly welded shut in their apartment complexes to stop the spread of the virus. A so-called expert in the UK produced a “model” which projected 2.2 million US deaths this year. “Cases” (defined as positive COVID-19 tests or symptoms shown) ballooned alarmingly, although they were nowhere near as many as the 60+ million H1N1/Swine Flu pandemic cases during the Obama administration, or the H3N2/Hong Kong flu in 1968, which killed 100,000 in the USA.
COVID-19 appeared to be more serious than more recent respiratory pandemics but, as it turned out, nowhere near as serious as predicted. Whether this was because it was overestimated or measures taken helped tame it is not entirely clear.
But, looking at national cases, hospitalizations and death statistics charted over time, we can easily see that the media and political prognostications are hyperbole (see charts below):
Data sources:
Cases reported (actually mostly just positive tests) are up, but tests are radically up, so that looks to be the main driver of increased cases. There is a recent spike in hospitalizations, but not as much as cases. Hospitalizations would lag cases due to the incubation period, though. Deaths are dropping disproportionately vs. cases and hospitalizations. This could be attributable to improved therapies and also that more cases are being identified from healthier populations. It could also be because the ranks of the very sick have already been depleted somewhat.
Reported COVID-19 deaths are down, but are not dropping anymore.
Also see CDC deaths numbers
Looking at statistics as percentages provides some additional perspective:
Source: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/covidview/index.html
NSSP: National Syndromic Surveillance Program
CLI- COVID-Like Illness
ILINet- Influenza-Like Illness
PIC- COVID
Testing percent positives have dropped considerably. Absolute number of of cases is up because testing has greatly increased. Hospitalization rate is down considerably. About 8200 nationally are in ICU’s. Percentage of PIC (COVID) deaths has dropped considerably. Percentages of ILI and CLI are both down. Less than 2200 are on ventilators, so the shortage panic was overblown.
If anything, the good news these charts show is even better. Why:
- Declared cases are creeping higher mostly because we’re doing a lot more tests. Many are false positives.
- Any death even remotely associated is shown as a COVID-19 death (or hospitalization), which is ridiculous. In many cases COVID-19 was not the proximate or main cause of reported COVID-19 deaths. We can’t know the exact numbers because of how data are collected and reporting is done, but we do know that almost all deaths have “co-morbidity” or other serious conditions present. So, true COVID-19 deaths are likely far lower than reported.
What is concerning is that public policy/lockdowns (a prison term) are being driven by some erroneous assumptions. This is exacting a heavy and unwarranted toll on our society in the form of:
- Financial- unprecedented increases in federal, state, local, business and corporate debt which will place heavy burdens on these and result in bankruptcy or dissolution of many organizations/families/persons. Federal debt increased more than it did in our first 200 years of nationhood, in only a few months.
- Sociological- job and home loss, suicides, mental/emotional illness, domestic discord, divorce, child abuse, illness and deaths from other causes, are all up dramatically.
- Societal- further division in an already fractured political environment, mask shaming, no maskers, fear and distancing, along with governmental dictates on social interaction, including holidays and family/friends gatherings.
It is past time to rethink the lockdown strategies which have wreaked havoc on our nation without commensurate benefits. Protection of the most vulnerable and making treatment therapies available are far better strategies.
The original objective of “flattening the curve” to keep treatment manageable for hospital and care workers has long since been achieved, but the goal posts keep getting moved.
There are some who say the COVID-19 pandemic was used as an excuse for increased control over the population or even that it was done for political purposes. Lockdowns of churches especially seem disproportionate to what was done to other activities/venues. The attack on the freedom of worship under the guise of public health has been blatant. By shuttering places of worship people have been removed from fellowship/spiritual nourishment. While liquor stores were deemed essential, churches were not along with gyms, places where soul and body are nurtured.
This nation has never been locked down in 244 years even though there have been more serious threats, so draw your own conclusions. Societies don’t quarantine the healthy, not ever.
We call on policy makers in government, business, politics, faith and NGO’s to act quickly to correct this situation.
Debra Tash is Editor-in-Chief of Citizensjournal.us, past president for Citizens Alliance for Property Rights, business executive and award-winning author, residing in Somis.
George Miller is Publisher/Co-Founder of CitizensJournal.us and a “retired” operations management consultant residing in Oxnard.
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Thank you. Only pressure on our “leaders” will change things. That pressure is the removal of everyone of them from every level of government.
More good news hidden on the back burner…
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/03/t-cells-responding-to-covid-19-six-months-after-infection-study-finds.html?__source=newsletter%7Cmorningsquawk
Ok so ‘splain this to me. I go to church with 6,000 plus people at Grace Community every Sunday for three months ( and Sunday evenings and Wed men’s group w 800+ men) and I have visited at Godspeak. We do not wear masks we hug,. we shake hands we do not SD…. Yet we are not sick, getting C-19 or dying. Therefore I conclude that either A. The C-19 is a hoax a lie a panic; OK you say its not! Yet we are not sick and dying therefore it must be B. We church attenders have an acquired spiritual immunity that totally protects us. Perhaps we are ‘infected” and the church buildings kill the virus? Therefore if you are correct that the C-19 threat is ‘real” then YOU should be in church getting the spiritual immunity that we all have because YOU are worried it is gonna kill you! Checkmate!
Miller’s & Tash’s article is a solid piece of journalism presenting both the facts and reasonable conclusions suggested by data. When data is interpreted so as to support a predefined narrative, it’s an abuse of science.
Let’s be honest, calling it a COVID-death because a person with comorbidities died while positive is simply disingenuous. Yes, COVID may have been a factor that advanced their condition. It likely was. But why not devise another category for “cause of death.” That’s an administrative decision made by policy-makers, not medical scientists.
Dr. Levin says that the COVID positive patient may have lived another ten years if they hadn’t contracted COVID. Correct, but if they hadn’t had the comorbidities, they would likely have lived that same 10 years after recovering from COVID. So what killed them; COVID or their other condition?
Stop labeling deaths as strictly COVID when there are comorbidities. Devise another category. There’s only one reason they don’t. Because it fits a predefined narrative.
Here is new analysis that makes sense…. the good news is that we have drugs for this condition…..
https://elemental.medium.com/coronavirus-may-be-a-blood-vessel-disease-which-explains-everything-2c4032481ab2
To the mainstream media: Quit pulling our Toobins and report the truth, for once !!
Look at the disparity between states in positive rates…
https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/public-health/states-ranked-by-covid-19-test-positivity-rates-july-14.html?origin=BHRE&utm_source=BHRE&utm_medium=email&oly_enc_id=6011H6512589H1A
Extremely brilliant article too, GREAT WORK!! Thank you for fighting for us!! I’ve sent over 20 emails to the BOS in the beginning of this lock-down, they NEVER reply to outside FACTS, they only listen to their dictators in a FREE WORLD…”outpoint”…BOS as to be replaced as well, but one big project at a time. Let’s unite & win to save America first, and that’s by voting for Donald J. Trump for a second term. As well as uniting to win on the Recall Newsom to remove our local governance dictator to get this back on track. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but that didn’t stop our forefathers fighting and dying for OUR future. Now it’s our finest hour to shine, what are you doing to secure America and it’s future?!
Flip the script in America pertaining the “CASES”. Statistically you are more likely to die in a car accident than Covid. Secondly, the “CASES” are a very good action for Herd Immunity. Considering our body holds thousands of different viruses already, Covid is NO different besides being manmade by CHINA as an act of WAR. Thirdly, our unethical elected politicians strategically placed all Medical Officers “in-charge” prior to the outbreak. Another manipulation brilliantly done by taking advantage of the people’s trust. Brilliant move to overtake the population. There are so many outpoints it’s useless to continue this conversation with the unethical elected politicians and Medical Officers who are their allies. They will spin the convo for years as they steal your freedom away. Let’s help POTUS bring light to the truth of HERD IMMUNITY, it could be the light at the end of the tunnel we are looking for, for the American people, they are the ones we need to help fully understand what WAR we are actually in, so #WeThePeople can save our community before all FREEDOM has been robbed from us by LIES. We call this “America’s Growing Pains”, it was bound to happen!!! Losing MSM to Big Pharma, losing social media platforms to China, losing local leaders to unethical governance, and schools and unions have been compromised, etc. We have our challenges, but we are the home of the brave. We’ll own our mistakes of relaxation as patriotic citizens, we’ll step-up and fight for everyone’s future, we’ll implement change greatly needed across all dynamics for ALL our American citizens, and we’ll do it with pride and love! GOD BLESS AMERICA #TRUMP2020
Outstanding work.
One of the things which really has had me scratching my head is YTD total morbidity numbers. Last that I looked they were actually slightly down from the prior year. So what does that say? That the “lockdown worked and masking worked in spite of those choices being contra-indicated by regulatory code and research parameters long established?
Or is it possibly a combination of other things? IE low fatality rate for SARS_CV2, and less people running around, so fewer traffic accidents?
But pretty safe to say that as the related impacts of this event resonate through cultures around the globe, that the total morbidity rate will increase and possibly do so dramatically. But that will probably not be from a viral infection, unless people wearing masks all the time and breathing an increased CO2 mix along with increased bacteria being cultured in mask media suffer depressed immune response, which will make this year’s version of the flu a heck of a lot more serious.
Mr Levin in particular has been a great disappointment, and his statement on PCR testing is pretty telling. I would hope that as the legal system gets it’s docket cleared, that he will be personally held to account, along with his colleagues, for the great deal of harm his actions have contributed to.
His public statements on contact tracing and intention to engage in actions which would further threaten our Liberty were very telling, in spite of his efforts to “walk them back”.
The response across the board at every level of Governance has been one of the most effective attacks on Public Health I have ever seen or heard of.
Politics being downstream of culture. I know where the finger points.
We must change that to restore Public Health and salvage our eviscerated economy and damaged psyche.
What you did with this article helps that.
Thank you
On testing. This says PCR test is accurate if done right.
False-positive COVID-19 results: hidden problems and costs
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600%2820%2930453-7/fulltext
There are many points made in your article but I will address just a couple of the main points.
It is said that many of the tests are false positives. There is no evidence to support this. The PCR test is a reliable and sensitive test. If you get a positive result from the test, you should accept the fact that you are infected or have been recently with COVID-19.
It was also stated that : ”any death…is shown as a COVID-19 death”. Of course a death in a person with one or more co-morbidities who gets a COVID-19 infection is counted as a COVID death (actually the doctor filling out the death certificate can choose to not count it). We do the same with influenza. A person is going through life with high blood pressure and diabetes gets COVID and dies. They would not have died, might have lived for 10 more years, had they not gotten COVID. The infection has tipped the scale toward a burden beyond which they could carry. A common cold would not have done that to them.
Has the county considered sewage monitoring? All hospitals and high schools are cadidates for sewage monitoring. According to an ASU study, sewage monitoring can detect clusters a week or more in advance of contact tracing .
https://www.citizensjournal.us/cdc-national-wastewater-sewage-surveillance-nwss/
What Dr. Levin is not saying is as to whether the C-19 ‘contributed” to the death. Or to what ‘level/extent”? There are people who have infections such as Hep C, herpes virus and others. These are present; yet they may or may not be ‘contributing”. If contributing there is the ‘extent/level’ that is the real determiner. An honest number ( using a std of evidence, testimony) as to ‘died of C-19″ is the actual true number. By Leven’s admission; that ‘true number” is far less. So I ask to have the ‘deaths” reviewed, records open to the public, lets see how honest doctors will break it down.
On “The Science”
https://www.citizensjournal.us/covid-19-two-things-about-the-science/