The COVID-19 Pandemic Has Jumped the Shark

When the World Health Organization and President Trump declared that the novel SARS-Cov-2 had reached pandemic levels (which only means that a large number of people in multiple geographic locations are affected; it has nothing to do with the severity of the illness), I was, like most Americans, concerned. My family, like most, took extra precautions such as washing our hands more frequently, keeping bottles of hand-sanitizer in our bags and cars, and making an effort to avoid anyone with a sniffle.

Since then, the entire response to COVID-19 has spun completely out of control, to the point that I refuse to take it seriously any more.

Moving the Goalposts and Medical Claims Fraud
In March, the White House, in conjunction with the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control (NIH and CDC), released their plan for “15 Days to Slow the Spread”, which encouraged extra attention to hygiene and staying close to home in order to keep medical services from being overwhelmed by patients with this novel (new) coronavirus. This was accomplished. With a few exceptions in New York City and the greater Boston area, hospitals not only were not overrun, but ended up furloughing and even laying off staff as revenue dropped. Now, two month later, we are told that shutdowns must continue until either a cure or a vaccine is found.

This, my dear friends, is nonsense.

The first influenza vaccine was developed in 1940  and is widely available today. Even still, the flu infects millions and kills tens of thousands every single year. There is no cure, and even Tamiflu is useless if the disease is not caught in time.

It has also come to light that hospitals may be committing fraud by listing COVID-19 as the principal diagnosis in cases where having the virus is second to another illness such as cancer. This basically means that if a patient is admitted to the hospital because of symptoms from their cancer, and doctors discover that the patient also has coronavirus, they will put down “coronavirus” on the claim form before listing the “cancer” diagnosis. This is a huge deal for Medicare patients, because Medicare pays hospitals a pre-determined rate for services based on that first-listed diagnosis (Diagnosis related groups, or DRGs). Medicare will pay $13k for a patient with COVID-19 ($39k if the patient is put on a ventilator) as opposed to maybe $5k for a patient with pneumonia. Ergo, hospitals have a financial incentive to get as many coronavirus cases as possible.

Conflicts of Interest
Dr. Fauci dismissed evidence that a combination of hydroxychloroquine, azythromycin, and zinc could be an effective treatment. Instead, he pushed for Remdesivir. The difference? The first three drugs cost pennies, the Remdesivir thousands. He claimed he was concerned about potential side effects from the HCQ, conveniently ignoring the fact that any medicine comes with risks and side effects. (See Dystonia. It Sucks.) I’m sure this is only a coincidence, but Dr. Fauci also holds several patents related to HIV/AIDS treatment. Fauci is also a part of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s “Global Vaccine Action Plan” where he serves on the Leadership Council. Bill Gates has been very vocal in the last several weeks about developing a coronavirus vaccine.

Inconsistent Practices Encroaching on Civil Rights
Why is it okay for people to “social distance” in grocery stores, but not parks and beaches? Why are people being fined for attending church services in their cars?Why are counties releasing inmates from prison (a quarantined community if there ever was one) and yet a Texas mother was thrown in jail for operating her own business? “We the People” are routinely threatened with prison or fines for trying to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads.

Masks are the newest example of virtue-signaling. Just a few weeks ago, the CDC recommended that masks not be worn because, frankly, they’re pretty useless. Today, anyone who dares step outside without being suffocated in their own CO2 are threatened with fines, prison, and the social media equivalent of being tarred and feathered.

If homemade cloth masks are truly effective, why not hand them out to the prisoners and keep them behind bars where they belong?

Governor Cuomo Should Be Arrested for Manslaughter
We knew early on that the elderly and those with pre-existing systemic conditions (diabetes, congestive heart failure, ESRD) are most at risk, and yet Gov. Cuomo of New York refused to let nursing homes turn away patients who tested positive for the virus, allowing the virus to spread like wildfire. Some patients who were admitted even came with their own body bag.

Hyperbole and CNN
“If it saves even one life!” is hysterical cow manure. Are we going to take cars off the road because 30,000 or more are killed in motor vehicle accidents each year? Of course not. Abortion facilities remain open, while cancer patients have been forced to delay or forgo therapies and surgeries that could have prolonged or even saved their lives. People have died from heart attacks and strokes because they were too afraid to seek medical attention in the emergency room. That type of hysteria comes directly from the nightly news.

As if that weren’t enough, on Thursday, CNN is hosting “A CNN Global Town Hall: Coronavirus Facts and Fears” featuring none other than teenage climate change expert Greta Thunberg. That link is to MSN, by the way, not Babylon Bee or the Onion.  Do they really expect the average American, who is more concerned with making sure he still has a job so he can keep the lights on, to take them seriously?

Stop letting the mainstream media, left-wing politicos, and neighborhood Karens scare you into thinking this is the end of the world.

It isn’t. Not even close.

Now go wash your hands.