There have been extremely significant developments confirming that the “science” promoting lockdowns is more political than data-driven.
Last week, I reported that over 40,000 people, including over 4,000 epidemiologists, doctors, and public health professionals from around the world, signed the “Great Barrington Declaration” that urges nations to return to normal life as the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
Now, the World Health Organization (WHO) is warning world leaders against relying on COVID-19 lockdowns to control outbreaks…after previously saying countries should be careful how quickly they re-open.
WHO envoy Dr. David Nabarro said that such restrictive measures should only be treated as a last resort, the British magazine The Spectator reported in a video interview.“We in the World Health Organization do not advocate lockdowns as the primary means of control of this virus,” Nabarro said.“The only time we believe a lockdown is justified is to buy you time to reorganize, regroup, rebalance your resources, protect your health workers who are exhausted, but by and large, we’d rather not do it.”
In other words, after the curve was clearly flattened and as more treatment has become available (including Regeneron and Remdisivir that was used to treat President Donald Trump), protection of biologically vulnerable populations should have been implemented.
WHO’s Nabarro went into a detailed explanation of the impact continuing lockdowns have had on economically vulnerable populations.
“Just look at what’s happened to the tourism industry in the Caribbean, for example, or in the Pacific because people aren’t taking their holidays,” he said. “Look what’s happened to smallholder farmers all over the world. … Look what’s happening to poverty levels. It seems that we may well have a doubling of world poverty by next year. We may well have at least a doubling of child malnutrition.”
Meanwhile, Europe and Latin America are bracing themselves for a second surge of coronavirus cases, which include plans for further restrictions.
Germany and Poland enforced new restrictions to fight the coronavirus Saturday, as the number of cases surged in Europe and breached 10 million in Latin America and the Caribbean.Bars and restaurants are to close at 11:00 pm (2100 GMT) in Berlin until October 31 in a partial curfew, a measure already imposed—but starting an hour earlier—in the financial capital Frankfurt.With more than 400 new cases daily in Berlin, the shutdown of the German capital’s legendary nightlife also covers all shops except pharmacies and petrol stations, although they will be banned from selling alcohol.”This is not the time to party,” said Berlin mayor Michael Muller. “We can and we want to prevent another more severe confinement.”Police said “several thousand” people marched through Berlin on Saturday in a silent protest against restrictions. Protesters also rallied in Rome, Warsaw and London against mask-wearing requirements and virus curbs.
I assert that countries should have remained open during the summer when sunlight and outdoor activities would have enhanced Vitamin D production in most people. Vitamin D intake seems to be a key factor in staving off the worst effects of COVID19, and countries around the world could be enjoying the near-normal routines like Sweden. Now, with winter looming ahead, there has clearly been a missed chance to build herd immunity during this season.
One final thought: Many national policies rely on mask mandates, which I noted are doomed to failure in a post last week. Here is an example of why such mandates aren’t effective:
Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden was mocked on social media Friday for flouting basic hygiene rules, after a video went viral showing him pulling down his protective mask mid-speech in order to cough into his hand.The video shows Biden speaking to an audience in Nevada, when he pauses to lower his mask and cough into his hand — a practice that spreads more germs than coughing into the facial covering or his elbow. Biden then used the same hand to reapply and adjust the mask to his face.
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