CDC doctors on coronavirus mutations: ‘No evidence’ that these variants cause more severe disease
The new strain has been identified in Colorado, California….and China.
In December, I noted that there were questions about the potential severity of the disease caused by new coronavirus mutations that were detected in the United Kingdom.
Now it is being reported that doctors from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say there is no evidence that the newly detected strains cause a more severe version of the disease or a higher risk of death.
“It is important to know that at this time there is no evidence that either of these variants cause more severe disease or increases the risk of death,” Dr. Henry Walke, the incident manager for the CDC’s coronavirus response team, said Wednesday.
Walke described the known background details of each new variant.
“The first variant was identified originally in the U.K. and has likely been circulating there since September of 2020, especially in London and Southeast England. The second variant was first identified in South Africa and has been circulating there since October of 2020. This second variant developed independently of the first variant,” he said.
…Walke suggested that virus mutations are a normal part of disease circulation, “We expect to see new variants emerge over time. Many mutations lead to variants that don’t change how the virus infects people. Sometimes, however, variants emerge that can spread more rapidly, like these.”
This information is not widely published in our press. The news is focusing on the “mutation coountdown” of U.S. locations where the variants are being detected.
The first American case of the new strain was detected in a young man in the Colorado National Guard.
Colorado health officials say the man who tested positive for a COVID-19 variant that has raised alarms because it is thought to be a more contagious version of the disease is a Colorado National Guard soldier.
The man appears to be the first confirmed U.S. case of the variant, which was first identified in the United Kingdom. He has not traveled internationally, however, suggesting the variant was already circulating in Colorado.
The guard member, who is in his 20s, was deployed at the Good Samaritan Society nursing home in Simla, where the Colorado National Guard is responding to an ongoing outbreak. Simla is about 50 miles northeast of Colorado Springs.
A second guard member who was deployed to the nursing home has tested positive for COVID-19 is being investigated as potentially having the variant, too, state health officials say. That person also has not traveled internationally recently.
Despite all the lockdowns and pandemic restrictions, the new strain has also been reported in Southern California.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the infection found in Southern California during an online conversation with Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
“I don’t think Californians should think that this is odd. It’s to be expected,” Fauci said.
Newsom did not provide any details about the person who was infected.
And while the wheels of karmic justice turn slowly, they do turn. China is also now reporting its first case of the mutated coronavirus.
The variant was detected in a 23-year-old female student returning to China from Britain, who was tested in Shanghai on Dec. 14, according to the latest edition of China CDC Weekly published on Wednesday.
The case “poses a great potential threat to the prevention and control of COVID-19 in China”, the publication said.
Researchers ran gene-sequencing on the patient’s sample on Dec. 24 and found the strain is a variant known as “VUI202012/01”, the publication said.
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RUT HO.
Twitter will twutter them.
Gateway Pundit Suspended on Twitter for 12 Hours for Posting on Dr. Fauci’s Crazy Statement on Vaccines
But, but, but there was a 10 minute video on the internet by a “doctor” from the Imperial College that said this mutation “might” be 70% more contagious! So it MUST BE TRUE! Maybe it’s really 700% MORE CONTATGIOUS and we are ALL GOING TO DIE! Minorities most affected. The Kung Flu is RACIST!
Transmitability and severity are different things.
At some point, the lion who has been whipped for years by the ‘lion tamer’ will realize he can bite the guys head off, and will.
Even now, after almost a year, the media toss around new terms to make us feel ‘tamed’. Viruses don’t become ‘more fit’, the man should be retired a long time by now.
What is a case? What is a positive test? When are they the same thing (actually, almost never) in the news?
Who cares if everyone tests positive at some point? Over 99% of us don’t get sick, don’t get even ‘minimal symptoms’ and we certainly don’t need to stop work, stop eating and stop going to school. So until people rise up and say enough!!! we will see a new BS story every day, forever. Bah!
A 300k plus death rate suggests you should at least take the virus serious
That’s a big scary number mark. Please do tell us how many of that bug scary number died BECAUSE of the Chinese Death Kooties and how many died WITH the Chinese Death Kooties.
If you don’t understand the difference between the two then you have a bigger problem than a great big scary number ??
There are written guidelines around that issue. You are once again conflating two separate things the death certificate has two items contained within it. Firstly the cause of death and secondly other factors. My understanding is that it’s only where covid is the cause of death that is attributed to the overall statistics regards death rate.
The statistics are clearly complicated by a number of factors but if you compare the overall death rate year on year then it’s absolutely clear their is a significant increase in deaths. That’s hard to argue against. Do you have a counter argument?
You keep making statements like that and claim that you have evidence to back them up. Try producing it for a change, because all the evidence I’ve seen says that the number of deaths caused by COVID are a tiny fraction of the reported number. It’s pretty obvious to most observers that somebody who is killed in a motorcycle accident (to quote just one example) didn’t die from a cold (even if he happened to sneeze at just the wrong time). Likewise, most of the people in nursing homes or on hospice didn’t die from a cold – they died from their primary morbidity, even if the cold was the last straw that pushed them over the edge. Estimates of the number of people who actually died FROM COVID run to a few thousand, not 300k.
*BUUZZZZZ* Wrong, Mark. The popular fatality figures posted for COVID include any death where COVID is mentioned on the death certificate. This includes trauma deaths from automobile accidents, slip nd falls, drownings, and GUNSHOT WOUNDS. In fact, the CDC has publicly stated that the actual death rate due to COVID is around 6% of the posted total. That drops COVID fatalities to around 20,000 people. This is analogous to the number of fatalities attributed to common strains of influenza in a mild flu season.
Now, the increase in the overall death rate can be attributed to a number of things. One of which was the virtual shutdown of the medical system for non-emergency services. Diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, cancer, respiratory problems, and a variety of other fatal problems were not treated, until they became a critical problem. Then a number of them were classified as COVID related. Then we have the reported increase in suicide. This statistic has flown under the radar very well, largely due to the delay in generating centralized statistics on suicide. CDC still has not published the 2019 figures for suicide. Drug overdose increases are a little clearer, as statistics compiled from June 2019-May 2020 are available. These show a 34% increase in opioid overdose deaths, 81,230 total deaths during that period [https://emergency.cdc.gov/han/2020/pdf/CDC-HAN-00438.pdf].
@txvet2 @Mac45
I’d like to see the evidence you have that supports your statement. The burden is on you as the person advocating a conspiracy theory to show that the official statistics are wrong to such an extent that only thousands are dead vs the official stats.
With regard to your specific point about various causes of death being falsely attributed. This in the overwhelming number of cases is a lie.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKBN25U2IO
The link above has a good analysis of this.
So no you are both incorrect. As I’ve said the onus is on you with your conspiracy theory to prove it not the other way around. Just at a basic level it doesn’t work why would every country in the world lie about the stats it makes no sense. There is no motivation and there is no point to it.
Mark, all you have to do to see where my statements come from is to look at the CDC website and do a little Google search. In fact, Google what I said and you will be inundated with source material. Then, you can simply pick aand choose what to believe, like the rest of us.
The problem is, you are invested in the media account of what COVID is. So invested that you ignore any contrary information or data. First, people claimed that the public fatality figures were totally accurate. But, as more and more evidence surfaced that, non-pulmonary deaths even trauma deaths, were being included as COVID deaths, their claims changed to there was no evidence of “widespread” classification of COVID deaths which were not the result of COVID. But, it continued to get worse. In September, in an attempt to restore some semblance of competency to the institution, the CDC issued a press release which stated that they estimated that only about 6% of the 300,000+ deaths listed as due to COVID, were actually due directly to COVID. 6%. Well, that drops the number of deaths due to COVID to around 20,000; the same as a light flu season.
Now, the Reuters article. I love the mention of a person who died from traumatic blood loss due to a gunshot wound might also show HOMELESSNESS as a contributing factor. Incredible. Personally, I have NEVER seen a death certificate for death due to blood loss from a gunshot wound, show a contributing factor which did not cause the trauma or exacerbate the trauma, such as medical malpractice following successfully stabilizing the patient. Testing positive for COVID AFTER being shot, would not be a triggering factor, unless the person was symptomatic and those symptoms caused him to lose consciousness or control and accidentally shoot himself. The same is true of trauma from traffic accidents, falls, electrocutions, drowning and other trauma related deaths. Yet, in Colorado, a person who was the victim of a being shot to death by another person as a COVID victim simply because the victim had tested positive for COVID exposure with the preceding 30 days. And, the list goes on and on.
Now, as to your question as to why would every country in the world pad COVID statitics making no sense. That’s right. It makes no sense. However, the question that you fail to ask is why would every country in the world shut down their society and destroy their economy? Again, this makes NO sense what so ever. Especially when it was clear, early on that the virus was really only dangerously fatal to the elderly with co-morbidities. IN fact, the number of asymptomatic cases was so low, when compared to the number of cases tallied through testing for exposure, that medical “experts” were theorizing that as many as 70% of the infected were asymptomatic. The deadliest disease in thee lat 100 years was not even showing symptoms in 70+% of those infected? Really???
You are fee to believe whatever you like. No one really cares. Unless it directly affects them. Now we have a national economy, which had the lowest unemployment and highet GDP in the last 50 years, sunk to the highest unemployment numbers, in that period, and thee GDP is in the toilet. WE have projections that half the restaurants, bars and entertainment venues will never reopen and that 30% of the retail establishment will never reopen their doors. We have a significant percentage of the population who can’t pay their rent and are having to be bailed out by the government. Personal individual savings are way down. Landlords can’t pay their mortgages or taxes. All because governments, acting on unsubstantiated theories decided to close down society and the economy. If that is bad enough, look at Germany. To pay for the expense of supporting those who were put out of a job by the government, they are going to heavily tax those who are still working. And, if it turns out that COVID-19 is little more dangerous than influenza, then government leaders might have to answer to an extremely outraged populace [think French Revolution].
@Mac45
Ive seen where your statement comes from, the article i linked too explains the ins and outs of that statement. It explains why Covid in the overall death rate is the fundamental cause of death and links other primary factors. Using the 6% as the sole figure is not correct.
Im curious as to why you pick on the gunshot wounds and homelessness example. Given that para provides an explanation and a link to study supporting the statement.
Im not clear what your personal experience is with death certificates – what is it you do?
Their is a simple explanation for listing Covid as a primary cause of death after a gunshot wound. The victim was badly injured and went to hospital then caught covid. How are you going to separate the causes of death? Both factors have potential to cause death and combined its reasonable to say that its more likely you will die – fighting two battles is harder than fighting one.
Your statement about it making no sense appears to support my view that the death rate is correct. The logic is this, if it makes no sense for a conspiracy to be involved then there must be another reason ive already shown that within reason the national statistics are accurate. Even if the USA has inaccuracies (which im not saying) other countries have the same pattern ie higher covid cases = more deaths.
Finally with regard to your specific point about the media. Well as a general rule its best to read widely from all angles. Thats why i read this site. A lot of the media you disparage is made up of people who spend a lot of time trying to check the story they have written, fact checking editting etc. now clearly there are biases and sometimes mistakes are made which is why you should read widely but on the whole from a factual point of view they dont do a bad job.
You continue to miss the point. The cause of death is supposed to be what triggering event actually caused the person to die. If a diabetic is sitting on a bus bench and an out of control car leaves the roadway and hits and he dies from traumatic injuries suffered n the crash, his death is not attributed to diabetes. His death is officially attributed to the trauma suffered in the event. Now, if a heart patient is hit by a car in the same manner and that triggers a fatal heart attack, then both the trauma and the heart failure that resulted from it are often listed as the cause of death. In the George Floyd case, Floyd had advanced heart disease and several other potentially deadly physical ailments. What killed him was heart failure due to that advanced heart disease triggered by a voluntary overdose of deadly drugs. Either could have been the immediate cause of his death. No physical trauma was found and he displayed no symptomology consistent with any other diseases or condition. So, his death could be classified as either an accidental drug overdose, heart failure due to advanced heart disease or both. Understand the standard classification system used in assigning cause of death? Great.
However, what has happened with COVID related death classifications is that the deceased is being classified as being a COVID death even though that person presented none of the symptoms of the disease. They are being classified and reported as being COVID deaths simply because the deceased tested positive for exposure in either a pre-mortum or post-mortum test or simply because a physician says he thinks that the person may have been exposed to COVID. Remember, most of the death certificates, generated for attended deaths, are based solely upon the attending physician’s report. There is generally no autopsy and the Medical Examiner or Coroner usually pays only cursory attention to the details. However, what has been happening, lately, is that MEs, Coroners and state records agencies have been recording virtually any death where a suspicion of COVID exists as having COVID as being the cause of death or a triggering event.
If a person survives a gunshot wound and then sepsis sets in later, as a result of the wound, it can be possible to list either as the cause of death. However, in the vast majority of deaths from gunshot wounds, this delayed type of causality does not exist. Either the victim dies as a result of blood loss leading to hemorrhagic shock or the stress induced by the wounds which causes other organs to fail. It happens rather quickly, less than 24 hours and usually in a matter of minutes. Hardly time for the patient to contract, incubate a virus and display symptoms. So, do you have evidence to support your explanation that a recovering gunshot victim actually contracted COVID, during treatment, survived until COVID symptoms appeared 5-14 days later and then succumbed? Merely testing positive for exposure to a virus does not men that the patient is suffering from an active infection. Without symptomology of the disease, there is no way to say that the virus had any effect on causing the death.
As to your statement that padding COVID death statistics makes no sense is only viable if we assume that there is no nefarious reason for doing so. What I pointed out was that it makes no sense for every nation on Earth to lock-down their citizens and destroy their economies to combat a virus. So, why would they do that? In the case of the COVID statistics, there could be several parallel reasons ranging from simple greed [higher reimbursement rates for COVID treatment] to providing a rational for imposing and continuing these draconian response measures. Imposing and continuing the economy destroying lock-downs and restrictions is harder to explain, It could be that virtually every single national political leader is an incompetent boob, who blindly followed flawed advice from “experts” to some nefarious conspiracy.
You have not shown that US national COVID statistics are accurate. What you have shown is that they are NOT accurate. What we do not know is how accurate they are. What you have done is try to explain the inaccuracies which keep cropping up, in order to avoid addressing the problem.
As I said previously, if this was simply a case of statistical inaccuracy for academic purposes, it would not matter. But, our political class is allegedly using these statistics to create public policy which directly affects the rest of the citizenry in some very serious ways. If a leader follows the advice of an “expert” that flapping ones arms rapidly while falling from a great height will allow the person to land safely, then that political leader had better be right before he begins forcing people off the top of a skyscraper without a parachute. Here we have rapidly increasing evidence that the statistical reporting is inaccurate. And, this evidence points to the fact that it is extremely inaccurate. So, perhaps it is time to find out, through a comprehensive audit, exactly how inaccurate it really is; before we inflict further damage on the citizenry.
No Mac45 you’ve missed the point establishing cause of death is not necessarily straight forward. Sometimes the causes are combined as in there are multiple causes. Establishing that one or more causes werent triggers requires expertise and investigation so who are you to judge the medical experts opinion?
You continue to miss the point. The cause of death is supposed to be what triggering event actually caused the person to die. If a diabetic is sitting on a bus bench and an out of control car leaves the roadway and hits and he dies from traumatic injuries suffered n the crash, his death is not attributed to diabetes. His death is officially attributed to the trauma suffered in the event. Now, if a heart patient is hit by a car in the same manner and that triggers a fatal heart attack, then both the trauma and the heart failure that resulted from it are often listed as the cause of death. In the George Floyd case, Floyd had advanced heart disease and several other potentially deadly physical ailments. What killed him was heart failure due to that advanced heart disease triggered by a voluntary overdose of deadly drugs. Either could have been the immediate cause of his death. No physical trauma was found and he displayed no symptomology consistent with any other diseases or condition. So, his death could be classified as either an accidental drug overdose, heart failure due to advanced heart disease or both. Understand the standard classification system used in assigning cause of death? Great.
I dont see your below statement as being true, do you have evidence to support your claim that this is the case?
However, what has happened with COVID related death classifications is that the deceased is being classified as being a COVID death even though that person presented none of the symptoms of the disease. They are being classified and reported as being COVID deaths simply because the deceased tested positive for exposure in either a pre-mortum or post-mortum test or simply because a physician says he thinks that the person may have been exposed to COVID. Remember, most of the death certificates, generated for attended deaths, are based solely upon the attending physician’s report. There is generally no autopsy and the Medical Examiner or Coroner usually pays only cursory attention to the details. However, what has been happening, lately, is that MEs, Coroners and state records agencies have been recording virtually any death where a suspicion of COVID exists as having COVID as being the cause of death or a triggering event.
Again missing the point, combined causes. Singling out individual causes is hard. In context it is well known that Cvoid can cause death on its own so why put the effort into establishing the precise cause when its equally as valid that both could be?
If a person survives a gunshot wound and then sepsis sets in later, as a result of the wound, it can be possible to list either as the cause of death. However, in the vast majority of deaths from gunshot wounds, this delayed type of causality does not exist. Either the victim dies as a result of blood loss leading to hemorrhagic shock or the stress induced by the wounds which causes other organs to fail. It happens rather quickly, less than 24 hours and usually in a matter of minutes. Hardly time for the patient to contract, incubate a virus and display symptoms. So, do you have evidence to support your explanation that a recovering gunshot victim actually contracted COVID, during treatment, survived until COVID symptoms appeared 5-14 days later and then succumbed? Merely testing positive for exposure to a virus does not men that the patient is suffering from an active infection. Without symptomology of the disease, there is no way to say that the virus had any effect on causing the death.
IF it makes no sense to make up the figures then why would there be a ‘nefarious scheme’ you miss the point again that motive is important who gains from this. Well the government doesnt, Trump certainly didnt i mean he lost the election in part because of the impact of Covid. Besides which there is literally no proof of what you say other than for countries like China or Iran. The second part of your statement doesnt really make any sense locking down the economy is the only viable means of controlling the virus once it became so wide spread that you could contain it with contact and trace type methods. You simply have no evidence for a conspiracy that involve every country on the planet, a conspiracy that would require government agencies, health practitioners independant scientists, nationalised health services in other countries to lie over and over again on an industrial scale. And conveniently there lie is backed up by the over all death rates and endless stories of covid victims on news platforms. I know people who have had covid and i know people who work in hospitals over run with covid patients. So statistically, logically and anecdotally i know you to be wrong.
As to your statement that padding COVID death statistics makes no sense is only viable if we assume that there is no nefarious reason for doing so. What I pointed out was that it makes no sense for every nation on Earth to lock-down their citizens and destroy their economies to combat a virus. So, why would they do that? In the case of the COVID statistics, there could be several parallel reasons ranging from simple greed [higher reimbursement rates for COVID treatment] to providing a rational for imposing and continuing these draconian response measures. Imposing and continuing the economy destroying lock-downs and restrictions is harder to explain, It could be that virtually every single national political leader is an incompetent boob, who blindly followed flawed advice from “experts” to some nefarious conspiracy.
YEs i have your arguments are fundamentally flawed, they are backed up by the overall death rate, and your arguments about triggers dont work, the fact that the statistics of other countries tie in with the experience of the USA further proves that picky arguments about triggers are meaningless. Other countries have there own systems and procedures dealing with death certificates.
You have not shown that US national COVID statistics are accurate. What you have shown is that they are NOT accurate. What we do not know is how accurate they are. What you have done is try to explain the inaccuracies which keep cropping up, in order to avoid addressing the problem.
The evidence does not support your statement that the stats are inaccurate, if you have it state your source. As for the government response what else is it supposed to do but base its response on the stats and the medical advise? Of course the gov has to balance the wider impacts on the economy but the reality is this. Controlling the virus quickly allows the economy to reopen. In the case of the USA this hasnt happened its been piecemeal ineffectual fence sitting with the testing system taking forever to set up. Contact tracing has been poor too. As such you have peaks and troughs in the covid cases and this has ment lockdown measures have been reinstated dragging out the whole sorry affair.
As I said previously, if this was simply a case of statistical inaccuracy for academic purposes, it would not matter. But, our political class is allegedly using these statistics to create public policy which directly affects the rest of the citizenry in some very serious ways. If a leader follows the advice of an “expert” that flapping ones arms rapidly while falling from a great height will allow the person to land safely, then that political leader had better be right before he begins forcing people off the top of a skyscraper without a parachute. Here we have rapidly increasing evidence that the statistical reporting is inaccurate. And, this evidence points to the fact that it is extremely inaccurate. So, perhaps it is time to find out, through a comprehensive audit, exactly how inaccurate it really is; before we inflict further damage on the citizenry.
Its nice to know Twitter has a medical doctorate to make these calls.
It has been mutating all along. Cuz- that’s what viruses do.
Viruses also get on zoom meetings and decide to mutate into a super-mutation because a vaccine is about to be widely available and they need to keep the population fearful. Oh wait, that’s the media and blue state governors.
Yes they mutate , and knowing the consequence of that is pretty important don’t you think. Or should we remain ignorant that’s your solution is it?
Fauci is a quack, a nut case. Get him off the stage.
Democrat tyrants are sad to be losing their excuse for illegal lock downs killing small businesses & their employees… deaths from missed medical care related to heart attacks, strokes, cancer treatments & screening, accidents, gang banger murders, and .. are more deadly than the communist China virus.
CDC doctors are the last doctors we should be listening to. They are the worst failures in health care.
This is a media setup for Biden. They report that it is more contagious, more deadly, infects children and the under-60’s more readily, and possibly is immune to the new Trump vaccine.
Biden is going to “on day one”, demand tough measures to squash this new deadlier strain before it starts by doing all the things that the inept Trump refused to do last January.
When the new deadlier strain proves to be a big nothing burger, Biden and his media cohorts will declare victory and Biden will get Man of the Century for his quick and decisive action.
Of course, his new course of action is to do all the same things Trump has been doing only spending more money to get it done.
I think the intention is to force people farther apart, and enable far stricter controls on the populace – witness NY.
I think you have misread the article. The viral strain is not shown to be deadlier its more transmittable. This are genuine questions of concern. What would you say if the virus mutated into something else and they said nothing – youd shout cover up from the roof tops.