{"id":164745,"date":"2020-07-13T12:00:58","date_gmt":"2020-07-13T11:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=164745"},"modified":"2025-01-10T15:09:13","modified_gmt":"2025-01-10T15:09:13","slug":"facts-about-covid-19-july-2020-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2020\/07\/facts-about-covid-19-july-2020-update\/","title":{"rendered":"Facts about COVID-19: July 2020 Update"},"content":{"rendered":"
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10 July 2020<\/h1>\n

Fully referenced facts about Covid-19, provided by experts in the field, to help our readers make a realistic risk assessment.
\n<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cThe only means to fight the plague is honesty.\u201d<\/em> — Albert Camus, 1947<\/p>\n

Overview<\/h4>\n
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  1. According to the latest immunological and serological studies, the overall lethality of Covid-19 (IFR) is about 0.1%<\/a> and thus in the range of a strong seasonal influenza<\/a> (flu).<\/li>\n
  2. In countries like the US, the UK, and also Sweden (without a lockdown), overall mortality since the beginning of the year is in the range of<\/a> a strong influenza season; in countries like Germany, Austria and Switzerland, overall mortality is in the range of a mild influenza season.<\/li>\n
  3. Even in global \u201chotspots\u201d, the risk of death for the general population of school and working age is typically in the range of a daily car ride to work<\/a>. The risk was initially overestimated because many people with only mild or no symptoms were not taken into account.<\/li>\n
  4. Up to 80% of all test-positive persons remain symptom-free<\/a>. Even among 70-79 year olds, about 60%<\/a> remain symptom-free. Over 95% of all persons develop at most moderate symptoms<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  5. Up to 60% of all persons may already have a certain cellular background immunity<\/a> to Covid-19 due to contact with previous coronaviruses (i.e. common cold viruses). The initial assumption that there was no immunity against Covid-19 was not correct.<\/li>\n
  6. The median age of the deceased in most countries (including Italy) is over 80 years<\/a> (e.g. 86 years in Sweden) and only about 4%<\/a> of the deceased had no serious preconditions. The age and risk profile of deaths thus essentially corresponds to normal mortality<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  7. In many countries, up to two thirds of all extra deaths occurred in nursing homes<\/a>, which do not benefit from a general lockdown. Moreover, in many cases it is not clear<\/a> whether these people really died from Covid19 or from weeks of extreme stress and isolation<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  8. Up to 30% of all additional deaths may have been caused not by Covid19<\/a>, but by the effects of the lockdown, panic and fear<\/a>. For example, the treatment of heart attacks and strokes decreased<\/a> by up to 60% because many patients no longer dared to go to hospital.<\/li>\n
  9. Even in so-called \u201cCovid19 deaths\u201d it is often not clear<\/a> whether they died from<\/em> or with<\/em> coronavirus (i.e. from underlying diseases) or if they were counted as \u201cpresumed cases\u201d<\/a> and not tested at all. However, official figures usually do not reflect<\/a> this distinction.<\/li>\n
  10. Many media reports of young and healthy people dying from Covid19 turned out to be false: many of these young people either did not die<\/a> from Covid19, they had already been seriously ill<\/a> (e.g. from undiagnosed leukaemia), or they were in fact 109 instead of 9<\/a> years old. The claimed increase in Kawasaki disease in children also turned out to be false<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  11. Strong increases in regional mortality can occur if there is a collapse in the care of the elderly and sick<\/a> as a result of infection or panic, or if there are additional risk factors such as severe air pollution<\/a>. Questionable regulations<\/a> for dealing with the deceased sometimes led to additional bottlenecks<\/a> in funeral or cremation services.<\/li>\n
  12. In countries such as Italy and Spain, and to some extent the UK and the US, hospital overloads due to strong flu waves are not unusual<\/a>. Moreover, this year up to 15% of health care workers were put into quarantine<\/a>, even if they developed no symptoms.<\/li>\n
  13. The often shown exponential curves of \u201ccorona cases\u201d are misleading<\/a>, as the number of tests also increased exponentially. In most countries, the ratio of positive tests to tests overall (i.e. the positive rate) remained constant at 5% to 25%<\/a> or increased only slightly. In many countries, the peak of the spread was already reached well before the lockdown<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  14. Countries without<\/em> curfews and contact bans, such as Japan<\/a>, South Korea<\/a>, Belarus<\/a> or Sweden<\/a>, have not experienced<\/a> a more negative course of events than other countries. Sweden was even praised<\/a> by the WHO and now benefits from higher immunity compared to lockdown countries.<\/li>\n
  15. The fear of a shortage of ventilators was unjustified<\/a>. According to lung specialists, the invasive ventilation (intubation) of Covid19 patients, which is partly done out of fear<\/a> of spreading the virus, is in fact often counterproductive<\/a> and damaging to the lungs. Medical experts recommend<\/a> using a more gentle oxygen therapy instead.<\/li>\n
  16. Various studies have shown<\/a> that the main routes of transmission of the virus are neither long-range aerosols<\/a> (i.e. tiny particles floating<\/em> in the air) nor smear infections<\/a> (i.e. on surfaces), but direct<\/em> contact and droplets<\/em> produced when coughing or sneezing.<\/li>\n
  17. The medical effectiveness of face masks in healthy<\/em> and asymptomatic<\/em> individuals remains questionable<\/a>. Experts warn that such masks may interfere with normal breathing and may become \u201cgerm carriers\u201d<\/a>. Leading doctors called them a \u201cmedia hype\u201d and \u201cridiculous\u201d<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  18. Many clinics in Europe and the US remained strongly underutilized<\/a> or almost empty<\/a> during the Covid19 peak and in some cases had to send staff home<\/a>. Millions of surgeries and therapies were cancelled<\/a>, including many cancer screenings and organ transplants.<\/li>\n
  19. Several media were caught trying to dramatize<\/a> the situation in hospitals, sometimes even with manipulative<\/a> images and videos. In general, the unprofessional reporting<\/a> of many media maximized fear and panic in the population.<\/li>\n
  20. The virus test kits used internationally are prone to errors<\/a> and can produce false positive and false negative results. Moreover, the official virus test was not clinically validated<\/a> due to time pressure and may sometimes react positive to other coronaviruses.<\/li>\n
  21. Numerous internationally renowned experts<\/a> in the fields of virology, immunology and epidemiology consider the measures taken to be counterproductive<\/a> and recommend rapid natural immunisation<\/a> of the general population and protection of risk groups.<\/li>\n
  22. At no time was there a medical reason<\/a> for the closure of schools, as the risk of disease and transmission in children is extremely low<\/a>. There is also no medical reason<\/a> for small classes, masks or \u2018social distancing\u2019 rules in schools.<\/li>\n
  23. The claim that only (severe) Covid-19 but not influenza may cause venous thrombosis and pulmonary (lung) embolism is not true, as it has been known for 50 years<\/a> that severe influenza greatly increases the risk<\/a> of thrombosis and embolism, too.<\/li>\n
  24. Several medical experts described<\/a> express coronavirus vaccines as unnecessary<\/a> or even dangerous<\/a>. Indeed, the vaccine against the so-called swine flu<\/a> of 2009, for example, led to sometimes severe neurological damage<\/a> and lawsuits in the millions. In the testing of new coronavirus vaccines, too, serious complications<\/a> and failures<\/a> have already occurred.<\/li>\n
  25. A global respiratory disease pandemic can indeed extend over several seasons<\/a>, but many studies of a \u201csecond wave\u201d are based on very unrealistic assumptions<\/a>, such as a constant risk of illness and death across all age groups.<\/li>\n
  26. In places like New York City, nurses described an oftentimes fatal medical mis\u00admanage\u00adment <\/a>of Covid patients due to questionable financial incentives<\/a> or inappropriate medical protocols. On the other hand, early treatment<\/em> with zinc and HCQ turned out to be effective<\/a> after all.<\/li>\n
  27. The number of people suffering from unemployment, depressions<\/a> and domestic violence as a result of the measures has reached historic record values<\/a>. Several experts predict that the measures will claim far more lives<\/a> than the virus itself. According to the UN 1.6 billion people<\/a> around the world are at immediate risk of losing their livelihood.<\/li>\n
  28. NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden warned that the \u201ccorona crisis\u201d will be used for the permanent expansion<\/a> of global surveillance. Renowned virologist Pablo Goldschmidt spoke of<\/a> a \u201cglobal media terror\u201d and \u201ctotalitarian measures\u201d. Leading British virologist Professor John Oxford spoke of<\/a> a \u201cmedia epidemic\u201d.<\/li>\n
  29. More than 600 scientists have warned of<\/a> an \u201cunprecedented surveillance of society\u201d through problematic apps for \u201ccontact tracing\u201d. In some countries, such \u201ccontact tracing\u201d is carried out directly by the secret service<\/a>. In several parts of the world, the population is being monitored by drones<\/a> and facing serious police overreach during lockdowns.<\/li>\n
  30. A 2019 WHO study on public health measures against pandemic influenza found that from a medical perspective, \u201ccontact tracing\u201d is \u201cnot recommended in any circumstances\u201d<\/a>. Nevertheless, contact tracing apps have already become<\/a> partially mandatory in several countries<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    See also<\/strong>:<\/p>\n