Coronavirus
- This topic has 1,592 replies, 41 voices, and was last updated 1 year, 5 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
A comrade in Australia has sent this from the Sydney Morning Herald of 14 April.
Anybody know who this Professor Doherty is? He seems to know the score:
[Quote] Nobel laureate and immunologist Professor Peter Doherty said the world needed to change its funding model for vaccine development.
“There is just not enough profit margin in it for pharma companies,” he said.
“They live by profits and the rules of capitalism. And capitalism has no interest in human beings other than as consumers.”
We have been discussing all about the difficulty in getting a reliable analysis of the pandemic. This article highlights the problem we all face, even the experts.
ALB:
Anybody know who this Professor Doherty is? He seems to know the score:
Peter Doherty is an admirable old fellow, who received a Nobel Prize in Medicine for describing a mechanism by which your body fights off viral infection.
In brief, he described how your body’s ‘killer’ cells recognise and attack your body’s virus-infected cells and zap them.
The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity is named after him.
The Doherty Institute, way back in January, were the first to grow the novel corona virus “having the real virus means we now have the ability to actually validate and verify all test methods, and compare their sensitivities and specificities – it will be a game changer for diagnosis”.
In ALB’s quote, Peter Doherty is saying no more than the unalloyed truth about the inadequacy of capitalist funding of medical research from a cooperative scientist’s clear recognition of the need for scientific cooperation.
You can read Peter Doherty’s delightful new weekly journalism Setting it Straight — at nearly 80 years, he modestly calls himself a “junior” journalist. In short time, you’ll learn more about virology (and have its terminology clarified) than elsewhere. Try first dipping into the historical article Pustules, Poxes and World Immunisation Week.
He is very immunologist. I have a very good textbook used by the UNAM ( Mexico ), School of Medicine, written by Dr Elba G Rdorgieuz Perez who has covered all the virus and bacterias known for many years, including the virus and bacterias studied in Tropical Medicine, and she has never received any Nobel Prize, as well Dr Murray he is a very good Microbiologist and his textbook is used in most of the School of Medicine around the world. It is known for many years that Vaccines do not produce enough income for Pharma companies, but there are millions of peoples who have been brainwashed that vaccines do not work, there is a tendency around the world to provide more support to conspiracies theories than to scientists, even more, at the present time doctors and nurses must be very careful because they can be attacked and killed by fanatics mobs
The Yankee propagandists have created the idea that Mexicans and Latin American only emigrate to the USA to work in the Agricultural fields, but there are thousands of scientists from Mexico, Chile and Argentina working in the USA, who have been taken by the USA by offering them a high salary, like the Argentinian who is one of the founders of Molecular and Cellular Biology and works for UCLA, and Dr Barcelo discoverer of the fifth cavity of the heart who owns a Medical School in Buenos Aires, and he is one of the best Anatomist, and it has one of the best laboratories in Embryology whoever enters that laboratory will see that human being came from an inferior animal. Natural sciences are in the hands of a few peoples. The Cuban doctors have been sub estimated too, and they are only good doctors when they arrive at the USA, but they have the same curriculum used by Harvard, Oxford and Yale
In one hospital in New York the cars of several doctors and nurses, the tires were punctured and vandalized by fanatics and ignorants
Thanks twc. I have bookmarked Professor Doherty’s blog to follow. We may as well become amateur virologists as well as amateur epidemiologists. Then we won’t make mistakes like misunderstanding what “asymptomatic” means !
FYI only – don’t expect many people to want to trawl through it- it is from the NHS frontline and not particularly a total endorsement of my position.
The hospital bed occupancy seems to vary from region to region.
The second wave stuff is bollocks [mostly].
It has RNA instead of DNA ; RNA is more ‘unstable’ so it mutates faster.
That is not automatically good as many of new generation virus’s are total duds.
Some will be improvements, for the virus, and not kill or seriously debilitate the host and send them to bed.
Whilst treacherously conferring immunity from the more nasty varieties.
Eg cowpox viz smallpox and Jenner was it?
Some mutants might be really horrible but they can come from anywhere.
That Chris Whiity person is a cretin or a liar ; How can you say correctly that the doubling time is 3-4 days; as I said here about 2 weeeks ago.
And say there might be a second wave; which is predicated on the idea of <5% infection rate.
Get a calculator out and multiply 2 by 2 and keep going and see how many you need to do to get to 35 million.
I know it pushes back and slows down; just like in chemistry.
14 Apr
London’s Nightingale hospital has remained largely empty, with just 19 patients being treated at the facility over the Easter weekend, HSJ understands.
According to draft plans, the temporary hospital in the Docklands was designed to have 2,900 intensive care beds, along with 750 further beds.
In early March, there were fears the capital’s existing intensive care units, which had around 770 beds combined, would be overwhelmed by coronavirus patients. This prompted national and regional leaders to target a four-fold increase in ICU capacity, and to build the Nightingale at the Excel conference centre.
However, internal data circulated to senior leaders over the Easter weekend, and seen by HSJ, suggested the established hospitals have been able to double their ICU capacity on their existing estates, raising the total available ICU beds to 1,555.
The same data showed 1,245 of these beds were occupied on Easter Sunday (80 per cent), suggesting the established hospitals have so far been able to cope with the surge in demand, without relying on large numbers being admitted to the Nightingale.
HSJ has seen data showing 19 patients were at the London Nightingale over the bank holiday, which has been confirmed by a senior figure who did not want their name to be published.
The low numbers at the Nightingale are also likely to be influenced by the tight criteria that was agreed for patients to be admitted there, which excluded the most frail patients.
According to the circulated data, south west London had the most spare capacity, with 67 per cent of ICU beds occupied on Sunday. At Croydon Health Services Trust, just 46 per cent of the 37 intensive care beds were occupied.
North London had the least spare capacity, with 204 beds (86 per cent) occupied.
There were two trusts with more than 90 per cent occupancy: Imperial College Healthcare Trust (95 per cent) and University College London Hospitals Foundation Trust (91 per cent).
An NHS England spokesman said: “While the data quoted here are not complete and validated, they confirm continuing success in ensuring we have available capacity to look after patients who need our care, which has been one of our overarching operational goals since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.”
Several acute trust chief executives have told HSJ they are keen to resume more planned operations, as the peak of new coronavirus cases has passed and many hospital beds remain empty.
Some trust leaders said they believed routine elective surgery could be restarted as early as next week. There is also tension between NHS hospitals — some of which are keen to resume their own planned care, especially the more urgent operations — and a desire to use private hospitals, which have been booked out by NHS England.
The government said yesterday the number of people in hospitals with covid-19 has fallen by 10 per cent over the last week. Around 42 per cent of acute beds are now unoccupied, according to figures seen by HSJ. The peak of new infection cases in hospitals was at about 3,000 on 1 April — the number is now about half that figure.
However, there will be fears nationally about the NHS seeking to return to normal and being caught out by ongoing covid-19 pressures, or by a second peak of infections.
One chief executive running several NHS acute hospitals said regulators had indicated private sector hospitals should be prioritised for returning general elective operations, over NHS sites, but argued against this.
The chief executive said: “The empty beds in my hospitals have been paid for also, as have the staff. I do not agree with the school of thought which suggests that you should push all elective care out to the independent sector as we also need to show patients that it’s safe to use the NHS again for non-covid-19 urgent care.
“The sooner we can show that we are managing the safety issues the better. Otherwise we risk taking years off lives through debilitating conditions which could have been treated.”
David Hare, chief executive of the Independent Healthcare Providers Network, wrote in HSJ this week that some of the “‘buffer capacity’ provided by the independent sector has not yet been needed”, and added: “As more urgent and possibly even routine elective care takes place under the instruction of NHSE, however, then it is clear that many independent hospital facilities can be used as ‘clean’ non-covid sites, ideally placed to help mitigate the inevitable backlog of patients that will build up over this period, guided of course by appropriate clinical guidance.”
Several NHS chief executives said they were considering how to reorganise the split of covid-19 and non-covid-19 areas to enable more normal activity to return.
However, others highlighted that a large amount of NHS capacity would need to be kept free in case of another covid-19 surge, and said guidance from the Department of Health and Social Care or NHS England would be needed on how many beds, including what critical care capacity, needed to be allocated to that.
Bringing back substantial elective care would also need staff such as anaesthetists to be taken off their covid-19 duties, and some equipment, such as ventilators which have been moved from operating theatres.
Several local NHS chief executives sources said consideration was being given to allocating some hospital sites as “hot” or “red” covid-19 sites and others for other care — but this would prove contentious, with most trusts keen to keep their elective work, and potentially public and politicians not wanting their local hospital to be coronavirus-only.
The temporary Nightingale hospitals are likely to have a role in providing some form of coronavirus care, as has already been signalled in London.
Matt Hancock earlier this week appeared to indicate operations could resume soon, but said the NHS needed to wait until it was “safe”.
An NHSE spokesman told HSJ this afternoon: “Next week we will set out guidance to the service on releasing and redeploying some of the treatment capacity that needed to be created while the number of covid-19 patients was rising so sharply.
“A public information campaign beginning this weekend will remind people that the NHS remains open for business, and it is important that non-covid19 patients can also still safely access the appropriate care and treatment they need.”
NHS England will next week set out a plan for “releasing and redeploying some of the treatment capacity” created to deal with coronavirus, now the healthcare impact of the peak of the virus has passed.
As cases mounted in mid March, NHSE asked the service to release 30,000 beds, by cancelling routine care and rapidly discharging patients, and block booked private sector hospitals to create nearly a further 10,000.
The government said yesterday the number of people in hospitals with covid-19 had fallen by 10 per cent over the last week. Around 42 per cent of acute beds are now unoccupied, according to figures seen by HSJ — much greater than normal for this time of year. The peak of new infection cases in hospitals was at about 3,000 on 1 April — the number is now about half that figure.
An NHSE spokesman told HSJ this afternoon: “Next week we will set out guidance to the service on releasing and redeploying some of the treatment capacity that needed to be created while the number of covid-19 patients was rising so sharply.
“A public information campaign beginning this weekend will remind people that the NHS remains open for business, and it is important that non-covid19 patients can also still safely access the appropriate care and treatment they need.”
There has been mounting concern about the impact of delaying so much planned care, and that people are avoiding emergency care partly because they think the NHS is closed. Emergency department attendances have fallen by about half, and emergency admissions have also plummeted.
HSJ today reported several trust chief executives are keen to resume routine elective work and are exploring how.
Yet there will be concern about releasing the freed up space, staff and kit — much of which was used to create spaces with oxygen support, and some critical care, for patients with coronavirus — in case there are further peaks of the virus and associated demand.
Bringing back more normal work may also require further major restructure to try to separate ”hot” or “red” covid-19 services from “cold” or “green” covid-19-free areas. There is a debate about how much the private sector should be relied on for routine elective care; and how to use the new temporary Nightingale hospitals.
Health and social care secretary Matt Hancock told the Commons on Wednesday government wanted to “reopen the NHS” to patients with non-coronavirus conditions “as soon as it is safe to do so”.
24 apr
The government has announced that the “restoration of other NHS services” will start tomorrow on a “hospital-by-hospital” basis.
Health and social care secretary Matt Hancock used today’s daily ministerial coronavirus briefing to announce that resumption of healthcare which has been suspended due to coronavirus will begin on Tuesday. He said the initial focus would be on the most urgent services, citing cancer and mental health as examples.
They will be reintroduced on a locally-decided basis, depending on the level the virus is currently impacting different areas and trusts, which varies widely, and how easily they can reintroduce the work, he said.
Mr Hancock, asked about the plan by HSJ during the briefing, indicated that a large-scale return would be enabled because the government is setting out to avoid a so-called second peak of the virus spreading, so the NHS will not need to keep tens of thousands of extra beds free in readiness. Experts and governments around the globe are concerned about the prospect of further peaks of the virus spread as they move to release distancing measures.
Further NHS England guidance on the plan is expected this week.
Just over 40 per cent of acute beds are currently unoccupied — much greater than normal for this time of year — but many acute hospitals have been reorganised to separate covid and non-covid areas, and make way for large numbers of beds with critical care facilities, and oxygen support.
Mr Hancock announced the resumption of services will be done through a “locally driven approach, system-by-system. The principle is that the most urgent treatment should be brought back first and that it needs to be done according to local demands on the system. There are parts of the country where coronavirus numbers are much lower than others”.
He said he could not give a “concrete answer” to when the bulk of general planned care would return, “but it will take place gradually over weeks, starting from tomorrow”.
NHS England’s national medical director, Stephen Powis, added: “It will occur hospital-by-hospital and region-by-region as infection rates are different, and different organisations have stepped up to manage the surge in slightly different ways.”
The plan may frustrate some who are waiting for surgery in areas — such as London, Birmingham, Greater Manchester and Cheshire and Mersey — which still have more coronavirus patients in hospital.
On the NHS’ readiness for a potential second coronavirus peak, Mr Hancock said: “One of the tests we set before we adjust social distancing measures is that we should avoid the risk of a second peak because that means we would have to halt the restoration of the NHS for non-covid treatment. That has an impact itself on the health of a nation, and an impact on the indirect death rate.
“We have to be sure we don’t have that second peak so the NHS is making sure it can reopen where that locally is appropriate given local pressure on the system and taking into account [the capacity] of Nightingale hospitals.”
He added that the eight Nightingales currently confirmed “are not going to be used for non-covid patients” as they are designed for people that need intubation but said “the fact they are there does help us restore the core NHS”. London has said it wants to move covid-19 critical care and step-down patients there so hospitals can move back to normal work. They will all be used in some form initially, the health and social care secretary said, but this could change in future.
Professor Powis said the government will be “keeping their use under review”.
He added: “We are now in position to reinstate services [that have been] stepped down/interrupted… but it is not a sign the lockdown is about to be reduced, it’s the reverse, the lockdown… has provided the capacity to get back to restarting services such as elective.”
27 apr
A hospital trust is treating all its black, Asian and minority ethnic staff as “vulnerable and at risk” of coronavirus and is prioritising them for fitting of masks.
People from BAME backgrounds appear to be disproportionately likely to develop severe coronavirus symptoms. Analysis published by HSJ last week revealed 63 per cent of health and social care staff known to have died from the virus were black or Asian, despite these groups only making up 16 per cent of the NHS workforce.
Somerset Foundation Trust has now included all its BAME staff in the vulnerable and at risk group, and is asking managers to have conversations with them and discuss concerns. It is thought to be the first NHS organisation to take this step.
In a letter to staff, the trust’s chief executive Peter Lewis said: “While we don’t yet have any conclusive research or national guidance, we feel that is the right approach to take.
“We also hope that you feel comfortable sharing any concerns you have about any underlying conditions so that these can be taken into consideration when planning your work.”
The letter also said all BAME colleagues and their families will be able to access testing within the first five days of developing any symptoms, and any who require an FFP3 mask — which offers greater protection than a normal surgical mask — will be supported to be fit-tested as soon as possible. Staff were also reassured covid-19-related sick leave would not affect their future progress or job role.
Mr Lewis said: “We recognise how worrying it is at the moment for our colleagues and we want to provide them with as much support as we can.
“Our BAME colleagues make a significant contribution to our trust and the care we provide to patients. We are grateful for their ongoing commitment.”
Less than 10 per cent of the trust’s workforce are from a BAME background, although this rises to nearly 20 per cent among medical and dental staff. None are thought to have died from covid-19.
Yvonne Coghill, director of NHS England’s workforce race equality standard unit, tweeted “many should follow the lead of Somerset FT,” describing the trust as “compassionate” with strong leadership.
The government has launched an inquiry into why people from BAME backgrounds appear to be disproportionately affected by covid-19.
Government guidance states any adult who is normally advised to get a flu jab each year is regarded as at increased risk of severe illness from coronavirus. This includes people with chronic asthma and other respiratory conditions; chronic heart, kidney or liver diseases; those with weakened immune systems; those with diabetes; those who are pregnant; and those who are seriously overweight.
People in these groups have been “strongly advised” to follow the guidance on social distancing, which includes avoiding contact with anyone displaying symptoms of covid-19 and working from home, where possible.
27 apr
Stroke victims could be admitted to district general hospitals which do not normally provide such care if specialist units do not have the beds or staff as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Guidance published by NHS England states that freeing up beds usually occupied by stroke patients to care for those suffering from coronavirus is “paramount”.
The Stroke Association has said it is vital “high quality care” continues to be provided – and that they have access to thrombolysis, where clots blocking blood vessels are “dissolved,” during this time.
The move was proposed alongside “virtual consultant cover” to help specialist stroke units remain open if consultant staff are on sick leave. The guidance – which was updated on 16 April – suggests “shadow rotas” of additional consultant staff should also be set up where services have limited consultant cover.
Telemedicine use should be encouraged to allow remote review of patients in emergency departments who may need thrombolysis, and a regional telemedicine rota could provide continuity of service.
Stroke medicine has been the subject of significant consolidation in recent years, as evidence built that patients where best cared for specialist units even if they had to travel further to reach them. As a result, many DGHs no longer regularly treat the most seriously ill stroke patients.
The guidance said reducing the number of stroke beds to accommodate non-stroke patients was “paramount” but it was crucial to ensure stroke patients had access when needed.
Charlotte Nicholls, head of policy at the Stroke Association, said the guidance was understandable as a temporary measure, but added: “It is essential that any changes to the stroke pathway maintain high quality care for stroke patients, and remain committed to prioritising thrombectomy, mechanical removal of clots, and thrombolysis treatments for those eligible.
Asked how thrombolysis – normally delivered by specially trained nurses – would be delivered in units which do not normally admit stroke patients, Dr David Hargroves, GIRFT national clinical lead for stroke, replied: “While there is currently no need to use them, and every part of the country will be working to ensure that remains the case, this guidance – drawn up and endorsed by expert clinicians – provides contingency plans to ensure people will still have access to stroke experts, brain scanning and emergency interventions even if coronavirus puts unprecedented strain on local ambulance services.”
NHS England will next week set out a plan for “releasing and redeploying some of the treatment capacity” created to deal with coronavirus, now the healthcare impact of the peak of the virus has passed.
As cases mounted in mid March, NHSE asked the service to release 30,000 beds, by cancelling routine care and rapidly discharging patients, and block booked private sector hospitals to create nearly a further 10,000.
The government said yesterday the number of people in hospitals with covid-19 had fallen by 10 per cent over the last week. Around 42 per cent of acute beds are now unoccupied, according to figures seen by HSJ — much greater than normal for this time of year. The peak of new infection cases in hospitals was at about 3,000 on 1 April — the number is now about half that figure.
An NHSE spokesman told HSJ this afternoon: “Next week we will set out guidance to the service on releasing and redeploying some of the treatment capacity that needed to be created while the number of covid-19 patients was rising so sharply.
“A public information campaign beginning this weekend will remind people that the NHS remains open for business, and it is important that non-covid19 patients can also still safely access the appropriate care and treatment they need.”
There has been mounting concern about the impact of delaying so much planned care, and that people are avoiding emergency care partly because they think the NHS is closed. Emergency department attendances have fallen by about half, and emergency admissions have also plummeted.
HSJ today reported several trust chief executives are keen to resume routine elective work and are exploring how.
Yet there will be concern about releasing the freed up space, staff and kit — much of which was used to create spaces with oxygen support, and some critical care, for patients with coronavirus — in case there are further peaks of the virus and associated demand.
Bringing back more normal work may also require further major restructure to try to separate ”hot” or “red” covid-19 services from “cold” or “green” covid-19-free areas. There is a debate about how much the private sector should be relied on for routine elective care; and how to use the new temporary Nightingale hospitals.
Health and social care secretary Matt Hancock told the Commons on Wednesday government wanted to “reopen the NHS” to patients with non-coronavirus conditions “as soon as it is safe to do so”.
24 apr
The NHS has been warned of the “lasting impact” and worse outcomes likely to result from delaying cancer screening programmes amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The disruption or suspension of services has caused concern among patients, while cancer charities have told HSJ health leaders should move quickly to reinstate screening programmes where possible.
Current NHS England policy suggests screening programmes are supposed to be continuing, though whether to pause them officially is under review. However, HSJ understands disruption to screening is widespread across England.
In late March, London’s public health commissioner wrote to providers and commissioners in the capital to say the national adult screening services for cancer and other diseases were unable to provide screening to meet quality standards.
The threat from covid-19 infection and the national policies on social distancing meant “the benefits from maintaining screening through these programmes are outweighed by the risk posed to the NHS and the population,” the letter added.
However, on 21 April, NHSE’s national director of public health commissioning and operation sent an email to the NHS regions, seen by HSJ, under the subject “recovery of adult screening programmes”.
It said: “Service restoration will need to be undertaken as safely as possible and it needs to be undertaken in a methodical, planned and consistent way in order to minimise any risk to individuals receiving these services.”
Each screening programme has a national task and finish group that will “coordinate and ensure the necessary consistent systematic approach to maintaining these national population-based programmes and we will only achieve that by working on this collectively please,” the email added.
The screening programmes rely on the routine testing of sections of the population for the presence of cancer to catch the disease as early as possible. Delays caused by pausing the programmes now risks causing problems for years to come, HSJ has been told.
Genevieve Edwards, chief executive of Bowel Cancer UK, said: “The undeniable truth is that any decisions taken during this crisis regarding bowel cancer screening, either at a national or local level, will undoubtedly have a lasting impact. Those of screening age, 60-74, whose bowel cancer goes undiagnosed may suffer worse outcomes as a result of a later diagnosis.
“It’s vital that NHS England [has] clear, outlined plans in place to ensure any backlog in delivering bowel cancer screening; and the subsequent colonoscopies required for people with a positive screening test, can be cleared as soon as it is safe.”
Rob Music, chief executive of cervical cancer charity Jo’s Cancer Trust, said: “Data from our services show a high level of fear and confusion around cervical screening and colposcopy with many worried about the impact of delays on their health.
“Workforce across primary and secondary care will be an ongoing issue as greater numbers are accessing tests and receiving diagnoses.”
Baroness Delyth Morgan, chief executive of Breast Cancer Now, said: “We now need clear plans to be put in place to recover breast screening services once the crisis has passed, and to ensure catch-up appointments are offered to all those who have been affected.”
An NHS England and NHS Improvement spokeswoman said: “In areas where local providers have taken the decision to postpone screening due to the risk of coronavirus, they must now put plans in place to resume services for patients as quickly and as safely as possible.
“Patients are strongly encouraged to seek help from their GP if they have symptoms, as always.”
Dave, what point are you trying to make by repeating these news reports in lengthy detail? Is it that the government should not have treated the epidemic as a public health emergency and not give priority to trying to deal with it, to do “fuck all” as you once put it, and let it run its course?
You do realise that nobody’s going to read a post of that length? Why not just summarise what is reported and provide a link for anyone to follow up if they want to check or know more?
Correction. The link to the article “Vaccine Development is a Case of Market Failure” is broken. It should read https://www.smh.com.au/national/vaccine-development-is-a-case-of-market-failure-here-s-why-20200413-p54jez.html
About half of all workers worldwide are in danger of having their livelihoods destroyed because of the pandemic, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has warned. The figure equates to more than 1.5 billion people. Already, two billion informal workers have seen their wages fall by a global average of 60% during the first month that the pandemic unfolded in their region.
“For millions of workers, no income means no food, no security and no future. Millions of businesses around the world are barely breathing,” said ILO Director-General Guy Ryder. “They have no savings or access to credit. These are the real faces of the world of work. If we don’t help them now, they will simply perish.”https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-52466471
Surely there will be a reckoning – consequences for the governments and industries that imposed lockdowns with little or no compensation.
We can debate why it may have seemed necessary. i have already made my position clear that its oranges and apples to compare nations with a fully developed social safety net and those other countries that lack welfare systems or even health systems. (an example is a drought in California is not the same as a drought in Horn of Africa…one has insurance cover and does not lead to famine, the other starves people to death)
And the UN are indicating the full pandemic is still to hit those countries, the ones least prepared to weather the storm. The pandemic is not going to be over just because we relax lockdowns in the UK/US/EU.
There are also scary but so far I believe it is not been fully confirmed stories that some of the patients who are hospitalised and recover, it is not a full recovery and there are long-term chronic after-effects. It is not just solely a matter of possible re-infection. What will be the future burden on health budgets if it transpires to be true?
And of course there is also other bad news with some economists predicting food shortages and price rises occurring.
We got to ask ourselves will people come to a better understanding of how expendable they are under capitalism…just mere collateral damage as our masters endeavour to revert back to normal business as usual.
Just some depressing thoughts
Yes, those workers are fucked whatever the governments there decided or didn’t decide. No lockdown and they risk death from the virus; lockdown and they starve — because they are living in a capitalist world where you have to have a money income to survive.
The pope recognised this, hence his call for them to be paid a universal basic income. But there’s no chance of that happening. In fact as long as there’s capitalism there’s nothing that can be done about it.
So, socialism is quite literally the only way out for them, where everybody would have access to what they needed to live and enjoy life as a matter of right, only possible on the basis of the Earth’s natural and industrial resources having become the common heritage of all.
We can publish thousands of scientific investigations and opinions about this virus, we can talk about the best epidemiologists, microbiologists, internists, but at the end, the conclusion is that socialism is the only solution that we have in order to survive. The question is: Are peoples going to learn that capitalism is not our solution? When are we going to wake up from this world of fantasies and false illusions? When are we going to stop supporting the fucking leaders and their ministers?
This is the very recent banned viral youtube with already 4.3 million views done by two frontline doctors in front of a hostile pro-lockdown press
Watch it to the very end after it looks like it has finished.
https://off-guardian.org/2020/04/29/watch-dr-erickson-covid19-briefing-censored-by-youtube/
Dave,
For a critique of their case, see Bret and Heather – 11th Dark Horse Podcast
Interesting for their non-Marxian, but approximate, comments on scientific method.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.