Trying to understand COVID-19 is a minefield . With the friends in the unions on the left and sovereignty joined by the conspiracy theorists and the business corporations on the right.
In some ways it reminds me of the climate change debate with all manner of facts thrown around , some true some not true. The only consistency is the failure of government to put people before business and the economy .
Labours NZ Government and PM Adern in particular has received praise around the world for their handling of COVID-19 pandemic , After all NZ has only lost 44 humans while Ireland a country with similar population has had 5,700 COVID-19 deaths. I agree that NZs is better than some other ountries governments, especially right wing and populist ones and many old and unhealthy are alive because of it. Shown by a Guardian April 2021 article titled "Mexicos high Death Toll Blamed on Populist Government" see here. But like the Christchurch Mosque shooting I disagree that Adern and Labour have done a good job or even the best they could do.
While the left and unions act and argue to support workers as they should theres been a whole area of critique of government they have not done . Without this critique of government the left has allowed the right , alt right and conspiracy theorists to fill the void and protest and raise the rate of anti government ,anti freedom and anti-vax argument as seen by the protests gathering in strength /numbers. Drawing in many reasonable people , vaccine hesitant or those who have thought beyond government rhetoric but have no where else to protest, who are not necessary right wing.
The left (real left not political left) are normally good at critiquing the real cause of issues /symptoms of problems and argue , often in the minority , to change or fix the cause not increase government authoritarianism to hide the problem/ symptoms eg fix economy to fight crime and drugs not outlaw drugs and build more prisons and arm more police . But they seem to be silent .
The lefts position on government and its reaction on both Christchurch shooting and government gun ban was weak . See my stronger post here . COVID-19 has magnified the lefts conflict dilemma , when it comes to critiquing government when government is helping the workers and loved ones at the same time its screwing us [building power ,taking freedoms, running up debt , allowing inequality to grow , maintaining a housing crisis , while failing to fulfil election promises - lower child poverty, build 100,000 houses and halt immigration etc].
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Lets start with some facts
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, shortened to SARS-CoV-2, is actually the virus that causes COVID-19 (the disease). As the name indicates, this virus is genetically related to the SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) that caused an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2002-2003, however it is not the same virus.
Reporting data shows that the COVID-19 disease is killing just over 2% of reported cases and nearly all of those are in older people thou its probably less as much goes unreported. These deaths also have comorbidities (at least one other disease) . This older statistical data of New York [here] shows 96% of COVID-19 deaths, are over aged 45 yo with near half over 75 yo and between 89 - 99 % have comorbidities (depending on report cited). In other words it’s mostly vulnerable [unhealthy and elderly ] dying from COVID-19. Not only that but those comorbidities are the biggest human killers before COVID-19 pandemic hit. They are mostly lifestyle non communicable diseases caused by several factors we could change and are therefore avoidable. Another factor in death seems to be amount of exposure , the more you are exposed to COVID-19 the more likely you are catch the virus and die from COVID-19.
In a different worldmeters website; 89% of the times, the person who died had one or more underlying medical conditions. [here] Which states 89% die with underlying conditions including ; Diabetes, Lung Disease, Cancer, Immunodeficiency, Heart Disease, Hypertension, Asthma, Kidney Disease, and GI/Liver Disease. [source]
Theres no mention of peoples health in any government COVID-19 response/strategy. I see many Ministry of Health updates with facebook posts and on youtube videos , people get cellphone text updates . The technologies there , yet nothing about the level of health , or ill health [non communicale disease] in this case which is the biggest killer not only in NZ but worldwide and the biggest causal factor of COVID-19 deaths.
Theres no mention anywhere of the fact theres links between a healthy gut (which relies on the same disease mitigation acts- diet, not eating processed or inorganic foods ) and the immune system. Read here
Top 10 USA death statistics by category . Read here
What is the cause of alot of these diseases
- Monsanto and other for profit agricultural businesses [big ag] poisoning our food - see Monsanto crimes – organic foods not promoted enough. Fake tests and science. Read here
- Dupont and others poisoning our water with its PFOA used in Teflon then . Like Monsanto , Dupont knew from its own tests in the 1970s and its employee health problems that it was carcinogenic . Dupont hide its test , lied to EPA . When discovered bribed EPA , white washed science, stalled critical analysis of it . PFOA/PFAS are still an allowed unregulated chemical. Read here
– McDonalds and and other fast food outlets selling unhealthy food.
- Supermarkets sell unhealthy food ; sugared, fatty , artificial dyed etc -
- We eat too much meat and dairy
- Theres stress in society created by the governments economy , housing crises, precarious jobs , debt and worry of paying bills for lifes needs etc.
- Lack of exercise
- Obesity and overweight . 42% of Americans and 31% NZ obese.
- Smoking
All causing the health crises that kills most humans pre COVID-19 and the cause of COVID-19 comorbidities and cause of most COVID-19 deaths.
Watch Dr Fungs quick interview on cancer here here
Lets look at where government screwed up that we should be critiquing at the very least.
a) government put profit over people
· When I first heard about SARS-CoV-2 I wrote to the immigration minister requesting they shut the international borders in mid february, a full month before they did.
· A year later in Feb 2021 after hearing of people and SARS-CoV-2 getting out of MIQ facilities I contacted government and told them to to get their act together at temp facilities or build new purpose built facilities . Of course they didn’t and NZ had an outbreak in August 2021 that led to a long lockdown Aucklands still in.
· Auckland went from level 4 to level 3 lockdown too early I believe led by the business round table and John Key . At that point I knew they had lost control and probably when elimination strategy went out the window.
· MIEB is lead agency on the vaccine rollout not Ministry of Health .
· Now while Auckland and NZ suffers under Aucklands border control and lock downs , because government was slack in its international border control government is rolling out relaxed international border controls for business people but not public . When they say business, Im guessing the rich/capitalist owners.
https://www.miq.govt.nz/travel-to.../self-isolation-pilot/
Govt ultimately focuses on business - eg want to keep borders open
rather than shutting them . Noticeable in countries with highest death counts but
also in NZ who closed international borders too late and opened internal borders
to early . Vietnam closed borders early and did even better than NZ with no
deaths until Aug 2020 , and one of the reasons COVID-19 came back was opening
borders and lessening restrictions to restart the economy.
https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/vietnam-ends-zero-covid-it-too-soon
It should be obvious that under capitalism and the pressure to make the economy work it is really showing us that we work for the economy instead of it working for us.
b) NZ Government was not prepared
The WHO , Bill Gates , Dennis Carroll [PREDICT- USAID], Vaclav Smil [scientist], Michael Osterholm[infectious disease] , Robert G. Webster [Virologist ], Jeremy Konyndyk, [ former USAID] , Dr. Luciana Borio [former White House National Security Council (NSC)] and others warned world governments of a coming pandemic and to be prepared for them for years beforehand.
They also warn a bigger pandemic is coming.
Yet
-Labour party campaigned in 2017 elections on fiscal neutrality and promised no new taxes meaning under funding government institutions allowing ministry health and hospitals to be run down
- NZ Government had no purpose built MIQ facilities and relied on inadequate temporary facilities in hotels and now homes for the vaccinated.
- NZ Governments have allowed the general Kiwi populations health to run down, through health misinformation and bad regulation on corporations.
Government predicted up to 5,000 cases a week even with 90% vaccination rate. This is a result of government putting profit over people and now implementing measures to make up for it.
I am ;
- - Calling out Labour Governments austerity and lack of preparedness for a pandemic
- Calling out Labour Governments for putting people over profit .
- Calling for nationalisation of drug companies especially vaccine makers
- Calling for treatment of Facebook and Google as a information dissemination tools to be nationalised and treated as non profit media source like Radio NZ is.
- Calling out that above all else this pandemic is a health crisis not a COVID-19 crisis . Calling out the governments poor record on regulations to provide safe to eat food whether it be, in growing or the processing or fast food. None of which is being mentioned or considered in COVID-19 response .
- Calling out the governments poor economy that drives crisis , uncertainty , causing stress that leads to ill health .and to conspiracy's.
- - Calling out Labour Governments poor record in its school curriculum and lack of teaching of critical thinking that allows conspiracy's to grow unchecked. In particular calling out NZ Labour Party's abysmal avoidance and failure of its 5th goal. [see pg 2 here]
- Calling out that we are not a team of 5 million because inequality's growing under COVID-19 while it effects poor and working class differently than the rich , not just because coercion is needed to force vaccinations
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Now lets look at the controversial vaccine coercion
Leaving aside alt right wings, conspiracy theorists , business and other players behind the scenes driving the anti-vaccination arguments & “freedom” protests
Government has mandated a vaccine in border control, health, disability, teaching, prisons , police and army and certain private businesses because people haven’t been getting it or getting it as fast as government wants. Saying it will effect 40% of the workforce when announcing it in 26 Oct 2021. Government is instituting a vaccine passport in which its admitted its being used to coerce more vaccines . Police have search and warrantless arrest powers extended under COVID-19 Response Act
In supporting government actions in first lockdown I argued against many who said its to costly to the economy and mental wellbeing [ increasing depression , suicide] for something that’s just the flu.
But because of the above government failures, and its recent behaviours and more research in the meantime ive changed my tune in the middle of the long recent Auckland lockdown which has been over 3 months and I believe our government has doubled debt to $125b
Ive done an OIA to Minister of COVID-19 Response, Hipkins. They refused to give Pfizer trial data that they based their Comirnaty approval on, on the basis of commercial privacy – the usual transparency bs . They’ve confirmed theyre not doing any long term studys as that’s being done by Pfizer. So we cant see the data but have to rely solely on NZ Governments word who is relying on Pfizer. That and whatever statistics/studys people find.
All we know is Pfizer cant be trusted, but apart from Pfizers claims , hospitalisation statistics do confirm its effective at reducing hospitalisations and people dying of COVID-19.
Comirnaty was designed to reduce COVID-19 symptoms not transmission to my knowledge. Comirnaty hasn’t been fully approved as the long term studys on its safety and efficiency ,(including transmission or durability ) have not finished . MRNA is a new type of vaccine not used before except with Ebola briefly in 2014 where case fatality was between 25 & 90% , when very few would not take an untested vaccine in those circumstances.
Comirnatys effectiveness wanes in a short time , within 6 months its decreased substantially enough government is already recommending 3rd shot to those on the first march 2021 rollout. What happens in another 6 mths ? The trial data used for approval would have only been on 2 vaccine shots not multiple more.
Any other claims are just that , claims. The only source government says to trust is itself - Currently on government Medsafe website says
“It’s harder to find out how well the vaccine stops people passing on (transmitting) the COVID-19 virus. Recent studies show that the Pfizer vaccine can reduce transmission of the virus. These studies looked at the number of people infected with COVID-19 after they’d been vaccinated and their close contacts." [read here]
A recent Nov 2021 herald article says similar viral loads but less infected time for vaccinated. [read here]
Gibratar a small island with 100% vaccination is currently having outbreaks of the virus.
A Norwegian cruise liner travelling the Caribbean with 100% vaccinated crew and passengers have 17 confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 currently (9dec2021)
It should be clear that vaccines main purpose is to reduce hospitalisation and death from COVID-19 for those vaccinated . Sure it has some effect on transmission but nothing conclusive on amount. Nothing NZ Governments prepared to state .
The NZ government has mandated vaccines and introduced a vaccine passport after calling for a 90% vaccination rate to achieve herd immunity because people have hesitated or refused to get it . These reasons derive primarily from health safety concerns about the the vaccine because the NZ Government or Pfizer is not trusted. The main purpose of these acts is to coerce a higher vaccination rate , to make up for those choosing not to be vaccinated .
Lets be clear, a vaccine mandate is coercion , just as a fine for speeding is . Yes they are consequences but its still coercion . A fine for speeding [which is a victimless] crime is punishment. Thats its only purpose - to hurt you enough to make you change your mind - thats coercion . The vaccine certificate is the same , PM Adern has admitted it in an interview . Watch here.
All this raises a problem for those supporting vaccine coercion because it means theres little trusted evidence as government says its the only source. Then it just becomes an argument of facts and studies we can find to support our argument for or against. Studies like the Great Barrington Declaration" are against vaccine coercion and 100% population lockdown as NZ is doing . Peer reviewed might be better but according to government they cant be trusted. The same applies with doctors . Trust them except the ones who dissent the main opinion. New research comes through by dissenters often shot down by medical establishment and big pharma.
The World Health Organisation does not support vaccine mandates . Read here in April 2021 report . In Dec 2021 in the wake of Austrias announcement WHO says only as absolute last resort . Read DW article here . NZ is not in an absolute last resort position.
Those in supporting vaccine mandates and vaccine passports as coercion as justified tools to up vaccination rates all “ for the greater good” have several problems in their arguments.
- - First theres no natural immunity [from previously catching SARS-CoV-2] included in the vaccine mandate exemption or the vaccine certificate, most other countries have this (USA also being an exception - being addressed by a "Natural Immunity is Real Ac" pushed thru congress by a republican senators )
Read BMJ article here
Read CNN article on natural immunity reinfection rates here
Read the Israel study here
Request to CDC to include natural immunity , here
- Theres even some evidence that the common cold offers some help in the COVID-19 fight
Read Nature article here
- - Secondly , the COVID-19 Response (Vaccinations) Legislation Act 2021 was passed in one day under urgency a couple days ago (25th or 26 Nov 2021) – without public consultation with no chance to add things like the above . When you have 3 readings in the same day you may as well have one reading as that gives no time to research factors brought up in previous session debate . The government announced the policys at least a month earlier so had time for public consultation and debate albeit short. From memory same applied to the automatic weapons ban after Christchurch mosque shooting. Neither were urgent matters. Thats not democracy.
- - Theres no need for every one to be vaccinated as the government is no longer planning on elimination . At 90 % vaccination theres no need for coercion . No other countries with high natural immunity are planning on elimination or 90% vaccination rate, they hope for 80% . WHO only recommended at least 70%.
Hospitals ,prisons, respite and retirement villages outside of individual homes are only places vulnerable exist and could easily argue every one working and visiting there should have vaccine but that’s still not enough so they need masks, social distance, regular negative tests etc
“That is why, the WHO says, a mandate should only be considered when governments have made proactive and sufficient efforts to address concerns of those who refuse to get a shot and if low vaccination rates in the absence of such rules put others at risk of serious harm.”
- - Greater good does not really apply anywhere else in our lives where it counts eg taxes , poverty, housing as we live under neo liberalism
And in doing so fails Labours 2020 Election manifesto of solidarity [see here]
- - Both breach the Bill of Rights Act 1990 and UN Declaration of Human Rights 1948 NZ is signed up to . Sure government legally has an out clause under s 4 & 5 of Bill of Rights and Article29 in UN Declaration of Human Rights . But that’s not the point , it’s a foot in the door and it means we have no rights as they can all be overridden by NZ Government at any time. All they need do is site greater good. And whose job is it to decide the greater good - I would not trust any government as they are notorious at deciding and all have departments breaking all sorts of law and legalislation and morals for the greater good.
While a court case verdict in favour of border worker mandate used the greater good argument. It means we are relying on court to check and contradict any nefarious use of it . As we know the courts primary purpose is not to dispense justice but to uphold legislation that protects government , private property and capitalism and is driven culturally and politically . Look at the recent Nov 20121 Kyle Rittenhouse case . Although USA is worse for justice than NZ in this regard , a NZ example is Bishop v Wi Parata [1877].
Its literally just the end justifys the means argument.
Which can be used for bad as well as good . War and conscription is a prime example of a such an example the left normally oppose.
- Coercion in which government and health require people to trust it – does the opposite , it reduces trust
“Building citizens' trust is fundamental to the development and the consolidation of democracy, and the erosion of Institutional Trust may endanger established democracies and the system of government”.
- - We cant live like this forever. Eventually we will have to treat SARS-CoV-2 like the flu. Which I believe it will become as did the 1918 Spanish Flu which is estimated to have killed up to 50million humans. Which wont happen if we lockdown the healthy unvaccinated.
- - We have no idea about length of use of , or governments (NZ and others) ultimate purpose of vaccine certificate. I am still waiting for an OIA on this.
NZ just announced today a new international border policy coming in Jan 2022 beginning with Australia , with the same rules basically with vaccinated getting preferential treatment – no MIQ but 7 days self isolation at home , while unvaccinated need do 7 days MIQ . Im assuming they both need a negative test in which case this is unreasonable discrimination and so wilful /punishment/malevolence.
John Minto is the only other leftie raising some similar concerns. Read here
I believe the long term effect on society is worse by NZ Government Covid-19 policy in my opinion than those possible deaths of COVID-19 . In the government creating and strategy of handling of the COVID-19 situation , even if you could still justify the coercion we should be in support of natural immunity as inclusion in government COVID-19 strategy as most other countries have. There are very valid concerns about the governments behaviour and we should at least have a cautionary viewpoint in government breaching the NZ Bill of Rights Act 1990 and UN humans Rights Declaration 1948 to achieve their COVID-19 response end and be critical of any government overreach and use of coercion and possible nefarious uses to combat the problem especially around differentiating between vaxxed and unvaxxed at least till the phase 4 long term Pfizer study is over and we have more trust worthy government data.
malcolm daniel
27 Nov 2021
updated 10 Dec2021
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