Chinese Officials Advising People to Mask in Response to Surge in Respiratory Illness

Chinese Officials Advising People to Mask in Response to Surge in Respiratory Illness

We have been following the news of the surge in respiratory illness and cases of pneumonia in China, which seems to be this year’s wave of disease.

However,  the spin some media entities are putting on the news of the outbreak and the questionable recommendations offered by “public health” organizations are much more concerning.

Yesterday, I noted that social media was filled with news that China was returning to mask mandates and social distancing about six months after formally declaring an end to COVID restrictions.

Here we are again! The nonsense out of China is indeed – nonsense but what will be the reaction here? Every mask mandate I’ve seen go up here in the U.S. has been curbed or taken down within days. Vax uptake is nil. Have we won?

Will lockdowns and masks make a comeback here? pic.twitter.com/mu8AJgLNQV

— Justin Hart (@justin_hart) November 28, 2023

And while it may come to pass that the Chinese government or local provinces reinstate mask mandates and social distancing, apparently, the recommendations are only suggestions at this stage.

The ministry called on local authorities to open more fever clinics and promote vaccinations among children and the elderly as the country grapples with a wave of respiratory illnesses in its first full winter since the removal of COVID-19 restrictions.

“Efforts should be made to increase the opening of relevant clinics and treatment areas, extend service hours and increase the supply of medicines,” said ministry spokesman Mi Feng.

He advised people to wear masks and called on local authorities to focus on preventing the spread of illnesses in crowded places such as schools and nursing homes.

What I find very troubling is that the World Health Organization (WHO) went right back to the failed COVID playbook by asking China to reinstate those measures.

People in China should wear masks, socially distance and stay home if unwell amid an outbreak of a mystery respiratory illness, global health chiefs have warned.

Cases of ‘undiagnosed pneumonia’ have been detected at hospitals in Beijing and in Liaoning, a province 500 miles northeast of the capital.

…The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged residents to don face coverings, stay away from ill people and remain at home if unwell. It has also called for the famously opaque nation to share ‘detailed information’ on the outbreak.

Numerous studies show that such covid era policies were utterly ineffective (which is why we have endemic covid now with all its myriad variants). Perhaps the Johns Hopkins study summarized the reasons for the colossal failure best:

The paper, entitled ” A Literature Review and Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Lockdowns on COVID-19 Mortality,” was authored by Jonas Herby, Lars Jonung, and Steve H. Hanke. Their findings are extraordinary, and I would like to highlight four reasons the lockdowns didn’t work as advertised.

1. Changes in social behavior cannot be mandated; they work best when people are persuaded to alter their actions voluntarily (e.g., social distancing).

2. Second, mandates only regulate a small portion of the potential contagious contacts and cannot really regulate nor enforce handwashing, coughing etiquette, distancing in supermarkets, or other rules.

3. As predicted, when closed bars and restaurants reopen, the disease will spread again.

4. Finally, and my favorite: Unintended consequences. Forcing people indoors increased their exposure likelihood and chances of infection rather than the reverse. It increased the viral load among those in the same house, causing more severe infections. Limiting shops that could remain open drove up the chance of infections as people were limited to where they could purchase items.

Some public health professionals are urging caution in light of the limited information that is currently available.

Leading scientists urged caution over fears of another pandemic on Thursday after the World Health Organization requested more information from China on a rise of respiratory illnesses and pneumonia clusters among children.

“We have to be careful,” said Marion Koopmans, a Dutch virologist who advised the WHO on COVID-19. “We really need more information, particularly diagnostic information.”

… They said based on the information so far, it was more likely to be a rise in other common respiratory infections like flu, as was seen in many parts of the world after COVID lockdowns were lifted. It could also signal a resurgence of COVID itself.

Meanwhile, it must be noted that the Netherlands is now seeing its own surge in pediatric pneumonia cases.

An alarming spike in pneumonia cases among children has been detected in the Netherlands, mirroring a similar surge in China.

Dutch health experts say a striking number have been sickened since rates began soaring in August, with most cases among those aged five to 14.

Surveillance data shows rates of the illness, which can prove life-threatening, are already nearly twice as high as the peak recorded last year.

As a reminder, WHO is trying to impose a power-grabbing “pandemic treaty” on the world, ginning up pandemic fears may be its play to ensure this power-grabbing monstrosity gets passed.

Instead, eat healthy, exercise, and get some sun. And encourage your children to do the same.

🚨🌎 Estonia, Slovenia, New Zealand, & now Slovakia have all REJECTED the WHO’s Global Pandemic Treaty Accord.

These unelected lunatics are wanting you to surrender your national sovereignty to an organisation primarily funded by Bill Gates. The same nut-jobs that are… pic.twitter.com/CDGzdJ32S9

— Concerned Citizen (@BGatesIsaPyscho) November 26, 2023

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