WOO-HOO! It's 949 today. Can we make 1000?!

[Russell]

BTW why do you think nurses and doctors wear masks in hospitals? For decoration? Because they don't know any better? Because they help reduce infection and cross infection?

Nah, nurses and doctors wear masks in hospitals to stop them from French kissing each other...

Can't have that.

[Wage Slave]

BTW why do you think nurses and doctors wear masks in hospitals? For decoration? Because they don't know any better? Because they help reduce infection and cross infection?

Nah, nurses and doctors wear masks in hospitals to stop them from French kissing each other...

Can't have that.

My god, I think you are right. As evidenced by the number of doctors who end up marrying nurses. it's all that kissing and nothing to do with infection control at all!

[Mike Oxlong]

Doctors wear masks to protect patients from their own droplets, and during procedures where sprays or splashes of bodily fluids are likely. They have to get up close and personal to examine sick or injured people, and will be poking and prodding ears, nose, throat, or open wounds. Same reason dentists and their techs wear them. Same reason surgeons do. To keep their own droplets out of the incision, and to keep the patient's blood etc. out of their own face. They are working in extra clean and sterile environments, and operating theatres have high flow oxygen to compensate for wearing masks for extended periods. Further, masks are used as designed - as single use disposable units. One mask, one patient. If it becomes wet during surgery or other treatment, it is changed. A wet mask is much more permeable and creates a wick effect drawing in all manner of pathogenic debris and thus becomes useless/dangerous. Bog standard medical safety practices. Even as recently as MERS the WHO & CDC were giving the public solid information on how to use masks correctly, but all that has gone out the window. No one washes their hands if they inadvertently touch the front of their mask, many don't only use the loops to remove masks and fail to sanitize their hands afterwards, most wear the same mask all day/over many days. Cloth masks have long been known to be cosplay. Fauci himself even co-authored a paper back in 2006 that found the primary killer during the Spanish flu was not the virus, but secondary bacterial pneumonia from...wearing masks. The warm moist face covering is an ideal breeding ground for all manner of bacteria and fungi.

[Wage Slave]

You really have to stop believing everything you read on your un named alternative news websites. It is often, as here, completely untrue.

Social media users have been publishing a screenshot of a tweet, which erroneously claims that during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, people died of bacterial pneumonia from masks and that Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and a key member of the White House coronavirus task force, knew this and wrote about it in 2008. In fact, the study that Fauci co-authored in 2008 does not mention masks and found that bacterial pneumonia led to most deaths in the Spanish flu pandemic when it had been preceded by “viral damage,” or influenza infection.

https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-fauci-mask-pneumonia-1918-idUSKBN277200

[Mike Oxlong]

Ah right, the one in 2006 was on the effectiveness of chloroquine against SARS-CoV. You've found a minor nit to pick, unable to address any other of the many points.

[Wage Slave]

Minor nit? It was a striking and bold, but sadly once again false, assertion. Many points? Sure, and what are they again?

That graphic looks fake to me and as you have provided no source we are all going to assume it is. And it doesn't say, as you claim, wearing a mask causes any harm. In any case, we know that the number of people contracting influenza is almost down to zero so something in the hands. face, space formula is working. We can safely assume your influenza is being mistaken for COVID theory is false.

We have a large increase in the number of cases and in the number of cases needing hospital admissions. This increase far greater than any increase in the number of tests performed.

Accuse me of erring on the side of caution but I still think that masks, hand washing and social distance need to be maintained. If nothing else it is clearly keeping influenza under control which is a huge benefit to stretched hospitals. I also think that people talking about "the scamdemic" and telling people there is nothing to worry about is dangerous. That belief plus telling them that hands/face/space are positively harmful is turning people into spreaders. You should stop doing it.

I'm bored with this now, as there is no challenge. Over and out.

[Taro Toporific]

Tokyo reports 816 new COVID-19 cases Sunday
The Japan Times | Jan 3, 2021
Tokyo reported a Sunday record of 816 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, TBS reported.
The number of severely ill patients based on Tokyo’s standards increased by more than six from the previous day to above 100 on Sunday, TBS said, hitting the highest level since a state of emergency over the epidemic was lifted in the country in May.
“Tokyo’s medical system is now put under strain, but we still see no sign of infection cases having peaked out,” an official of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government said.
More...

[Mike Oxlong]

Ah, poor little WS. Saving the world is boring for him. Not even delusions of grandeur does it for him anymore.

Washing hand is positively harmful? Point us to where I wrote that. Face is positively harmful? Again, the quote oh great one. Space is positively harmful? Go ahead and have your gottcha moment with a simple quote. Bet you can't. You have to misconstrue my position to cover your own lack of logical consistency not to mention lack of life science understanding.

Even the slightest bit of research and study is beyond you. Fake graphic? Type in a few words from it, and come up with: https://tinyurl.com/yahqo4ey. The WHO.

My influenza link regarding heart attacks? Straight to the CDC website. The only thing that's fake is the lab coat you wear while posting the forum.

[Wage Slave]

I was going to ignore you but this is just too perfect. I thank you for that graphic because it is a perfect example of misrepresentation to deceive on social media and as such will be very useful to me. It is a bit of text that has been taken from the document you linked to and then presented out of context, with other snippets including logos, to appear as if it is a conclusion or announcement of interim guidance. It is neither. The text has been sliced and diced and taken out of context as Mr Raffensperger said recently of that video in Georgia. In fact, the text presented in your sliced and diced graphic is the first paragraph in a discussion of the evidence for the benefit of mask wearing in communities. This is on page 8. It is a standard academic discussion - one the one hand x, on the other y and also some people have found z. This text is the x part. To take out x and then present it as a conclusion or guidance is fabrication and gross misrepresentation.

In fact on the cover page there is a summary of the key points. The first two state:

The World Health Organization (WHO) advises the use
of masks as part of a comprehensive package of
prevention and control measures to limit the spread of
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. A mask
alone, even when it is used correctly, is insufficient to
provide adequate protection or source control. Other
infection prevention and control (IPC) measures include
hand hygiene, physical distancing of at least 1 metre,
avoidance of touching one’s face, respiratory etiquette,
adequate ventilation in indoor settings, testing, contact
tracing, quarantine and isolation. Together these
measures are critical to prevent human-to-human
transmission of SARS-CoV-2.
• Depending on the type, masks can be used either for
protection of healthy persons or to prevent onward
transmission (source control)

And there are plenty more statements espousing the practice of wearing masks. Nothing at all of your fatality generating bacteria cultured in masks though. Sorry.

Anyway, honestly, thank you because this is an absolutely textbook example of this type of lie. It will be very useful. My only doubt is whether you really are so deluded as believe this kind of misinformation (and lies) or whether you are just trying to wind me up. I like to think the best of people so I think probably the latter - so sayonara sunshine and thank you.

[jingai]

I'm going to go with Mr Wage on this one- Britain penny pinching its hospitals is really only relevant to Britain.

I don't worry so much about fomites on surfaces more (though it's not a zero concern so I do wash my hands if not disinfect spaces) but care greatly about air.

It's not just one droplet that gets you sick so masks are about harm reduction and reducing the number of particles available to enter the air, or conversely how many can enter through the wearer's mask. Combined with limiting occupancy numbers and ventilation and you can greatly avoid risk of infection. Honestly, back in March I thought masks were just sanitary theater but did review scientific literature which were all either positive that non-perfect sub-N95 masks greatly reduce risk of transmission and infection, or by design were inconclusive. There was nothing that suggested harm. So on balance the evidence was good enough for me and I now wear masks in the times I have to be indoors with others.

[Mike Oxlong]

Doesn't matter the country boys, it's the policies they enact. Japan had 7% fewer hospital beds in 2018 compared with 2008, yet only a 1% population decrease over the same period. Another clever trick is to test hospital staff several times weekly or even everyday, then send them home to quarantine with any positive PCR test. Up to 40% of staff absent, but all that gets reported is that the hospital is way overworked. No kidding. Anywhere missing that many staff are gonna look overburdened.

Oh, and Jingai, a fomite is the thing that carries/transmits infectious particles, not the particles themselves. Like the toilet seat excuse WS used when explaining to his wife that the herpes came from a fomite, not no stinkin' whore. He didn't contact no spreader, whether or not for money.

Anyhow, times sure have changed since SARS 17 years ago...
https://www.smh.com.au/national/farce-m ... dgnyo.html

[Grumpy Gramps]

Anyhow, times sure have changed since SARS 17 years ago...

Yes, there's a good reason, we called these things SARS masks back in the day.

[Taro Toporific]

Gee, where should I start looking for a new baseball bat and barbed wire?

Tokyo reports over 1,200 new COVID-19 cases, hitting second-highest daily figure
The Japan Times|6 hours ago
Tokyo confirmed over 1,200 new new COVID-19 infections on Tuesday, the second highest daily tally on record after reporting 1,337 cases on Dec. 31.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/ ... over-1200/

bat-and -barbed-wire.jpg

[Mike Oxlong]

My old man passed away yesterday due to lockdown and postponed/canceled cancer screening. His health crashed two months ago, necessitating emergency care, where they found an aggressive and terminal cancer. Had he been able to get routine care eight months ago, who knows. This whole rob Peter to pay Paul routine is sick in the extreme.

[Taro Toporific]

Tokyo reports over 1,200 new COVID-19 cases, hitting second-highest daily figure
Tokyo confirmed over 1,200 new new COVID-19 infections on Tuesday, the second highest daily tally on record after reporting 1,337 cases on Dec. 31.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/ ... over-1200/

WOO-HOO! It's 1,500+ today. Can we make 2000?!

Tokyo set to announce record 1,500 new cases on Wednesday, as Suga is set to announce new State of Emergency.
japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/01/06...
With a state of emergency looming, Tokyo on Wednesday was on the verge of reporting a record 1,500-plus cases of the deadly new coronavirus, media reports said.
The news came a day after Japan recorded new record highs for COVID-19 infections, deaths related to the disease and the number of severe cases.
On Tuesday, the nationwide tally of new cases was 4,913, while the single-day death toll linked to the virus reached 76, both record highs. It also saw the number of patients with severe COVID-19 cases rise by 40 from the previous day to a record 771.
The previous daily record for nationwide cases was 4,520, marked on Thursday.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/ ... ona-cases/

[Taro Toporific]

The covid vaccine will be released in Japan two months later than in other countries. A bit like movies. Maybe the gov't needs time to work on subtitles.
via @ortospace

"What, Me Worry?"

What-me-worry.jpg

[Grumpy Gramps]

It's because of the longer (shorter?) intestines of the Japanese people. Maybe the insidious vaccine works only on foreigners; needs to be thoroughlly tested, before they can bother the Emperor to OK the release.

[matsuki]

My old man passed away yesterday due to lockdown and postponed/canceled cancer screening. His health crashed two months ago, necessitating emergency care, where they found an aggressive and terminal cancer. Had he been able to get routine care eight months ago, who knows. This whole rob Peter to pay Paul routine is sick in the extreme.

Damn, really sorry to hear that. Sorry for your loss.

My mother was having prescription issues because they cancelled all her appts and kept postponing the rescheduling. Eventually the hospital agreed to call in a refill and that bought her 30 more days but who knows if she can get another appt by then. No doubt the medical system is being fucked by all this and Covid risk getting priority is often not the wisest decision for many situations. The vaccine can't be released soon enough.

BTW, I flew back from freedomland yesterday and the new process at Narita was a joke...

・Required me to have a negative PCR test to even embark to Japan. The official format from the MOJ was a borked word file with inconsistent formatting that had a "SAMPLE" box over the section they apparently wanted a doctor to sign. (and I'm not talking about the sample of one filled out, that was on the next page) Only PCR testing available to me was at the airport and like most other places andling testing, they were lab workers....not doctors, so the best I could do was "sign" see attached myself and staple a print out of the results pdf I was e-mailed. Upon arrival at Narita, the workers seemed incredulous I actually had the paperwork and test results. They honestly seemed to not even give a shit, just stamped it and sent me on to the next station. (think Japanese license renewal process) Almost nobody else even bothered or were denied entry.

・I transferred in Worst Korea, a country apparently not designated a danger so most of the passengers were sent through without further issue....despite spending 2 hours on a plane with those of us who were considered high risk. Why not simply test everyone?

・Right off the plane it was a game of musical chairs with Eigo Dekinai staff leading the game...great plan. When they finally had everyone seated, random workers would come by to check your documents....which consisted of them meaninglessly flipping through your passport as if they were actually checking where you have been (Go though the motions, right?) when they clearly weren't. Some teeth sucking, rinse, repeat...and more waiting for??? After 3 staff had done this and walked back and forth with no rhyme or reason, one finally sent me on to a desk where the J-bot literally consulted her flowchart on how to handle my situation. (there was not a single person ahead of me so not sure why I was made to wait so long...maybe they were out to lunch? I was eventually sent for testing and did that song and dance and then was sent to wait in what was normally the departure lounge. Seating for hundreds of people....I was in A1. It took about an hour for them to clear me and send me to immigration....There were 20 staff and maybe 3 of us waiting for results but we all laughed when they still used the PA to call our numbers as if the room was full

・Immigration was only 2 agents running from desk to desk...and the assistants made me fill out 2 additional health forms that contained the same questions and other bullshit as the forms I already had. The immigration agent processed me and then sent me to the other agent for "dabbuchekku"

・Custom agents, bored as fuck, assembled 3 guys to help me with my insane amount of luggage. Better and friendlier service than the airport luggage staff. They x-rayed 2 of my boxes to make sure I wasn't fucking with them and then escorted me out with a smile. They laughed pretty hard when I asked if they thought the Olympics was really possible.

After all that shit, I am still being monitored via LINE and quarantined for 14 days....mind you, that's with negative test results on the 2nd and 5th. The agent actually said "if you are using business as your exception, "business track," you don't need to quarantine." I can't complain since my office is playing along but if business will get you out of quarantine, what is the point of all this?

[Grumpy Gramps]

Brr, I am happy not to have to travel right now!

Is LINE a government app that they can force onto you? I thought, it was a thing like Facebook? If anyone would try to force Whatsapp onto me, I'd outright refuse; not on my personal phone. Sorry, Luddite me knows nothing about LINE

[matsuki]

Brr, I am happy not to have to travel right now!

Is LINE a government app that they can force onto you? I thought, it was a thing like Facebook? If anyone would try to force Whatsapp onto me, I'd outright refuse; not on my personal phone. Sorry, Luddite me knows nothing about LINE

The lack of airport lounges and open restaurants makes the airport experience 9999X worse than usual.

LINE is becoming a thing like facebook but primarily for messaging. I just wanted to get the hell out of there ASAP so I did the dance and will delete/block it after the quarantine period.

[Taro Toporific]

According to FNN, there were only 2,447 COVID-19 cases in Tokyo today,

新型コロナ 東京都で新たに2447人の感染確認 過去最多 重症者は121人
国内
2021年1月7日 木曜 午後2:49
新型コロナ、東京都で新たに2447人の感染確認。過去最多。重症者は121人。

【関連記事はこちら】
「新型コロナウイルス 特設ページ」
https://www.fnn.jp/articles/-/128101

- Let's 3,000 happy!

3000-happy.gif

_____________

Speaking of 3,000...3,000 infected Tokyoites had no place to go for treatment according to The Asahi Shimbun:

3,000 infected Tokyoites had no place to go for treatment
The Asahi Shimbun | 2021-Jan-7
More than 3,000 people in Tokyo who tested positive for the novel coronavirus were denied hospital treatment or self-isolation chambers during year-end period because public health centers are already overwhelmed in the COVID-19 crisis.
A health ministry expert panel made a fresh plea for prompt measures to slow the spread of the disease at a Jan. 6 news conference following a meeting earlier the day.
More...

[matsuki]

So about those olympics....

[Grumpy Gramps]

Exclusive: As Olympics loom, Japanese approval of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine unlikely till May

TOKYO (Reuters) - Moderna Inc’s COVID-19 vaccine is unlikely to win approval in Japan until May due to requirements for local clinical trials, the distributor said, casting doubt over a nationwide vaccination rollout before the summer Tokyo Olympics.

With an eye on the Olympics due to start in late July, Japan has secured rights to at least 540 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from several Western developers, the biggest quantity in Asia and more than enough for its 126 million population.

But Tokyo faces a major regulatory bottleneck due to requirements for local clinical trials before requesting approval. Several other countries have fast-tracked the review process to expedite mass inoculations.

A Japanese trial of the Moderna vaccine, which has already won approval in the United States, Europe, Canada and Israel, is due to start this month.

Masayuki Imagawa, the head of the Japan vaccine business for Takeda Pharmaceutical Co, told Reuters it would likely take several more months to complete the trial and said securing approval in May was “the best case scenario”.

Takeda, Japan’s biggest drugmaker, is a critical component to Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s aim to have enough vaccines for the population by June before the Summer Games, currently scheduled to start on July 23.

he company is handling domestic approval and imports of the Moderna shot and local production of Novavax Inc’s vaccine, whose development and approval in Japan is further off.

Moderna did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

[...]

It's going to be rather tight for the Olympics methinx.

[matsuki]

I don't even know where to place the blame....I mean, other countries expedited the approval, with the Olympics looming, why wasn't that done here? A step back from that is the whole "we Japanese" are soo unique humans that medicine affects our longer intestines differently mindset. Then there is a question of storage, I remember reading the country just isn't prepared to store enough vaccine at the moment. If we want to go full conspiracy, feet are being dragged to let the virus alleviate the elderly population problem as much as possible.

I suppose we can have an Olympic bubble with limited/no fans...most likely scenario IMO but then you have an insane amount of money invested in all the Olympic related infrastructure and besides sponsorships/TV licensing, and merchandising, almost no income or local economy boost. Abenomics final arrow saved for one's own head? Beyond the Olympics, if this gets much much worse while the rest of the world gets vaccinated and is in recovery, tourism and business is going to be fucked beyond recovery for much longer than they think. At that point, the "Go To Another Country" campaign starts looking more appealing.

[Taro Toporific]

It's going to be rather tight for the Olympics methinx.

Yep.

IOC's Dick Pound says Tokyo Games are uncertain
japantimes.co.jp | 2021/01/08
Dick Pound, a longtime International Olympic Committee member from Canada, hinted the rescheduled Tokyo Games could be in doubt due to the continued spread of the novel coronavirus, the BBC reported Thursday.
“I can’t be certain because the ongoing elephant in the room would be the surges in the virus.”
More...

the-olympics-suck_bigtime.jpg

[Russell]

I don't even know where to place the blame....I mean, other countries expedited the approval, with the Olympics looming, why wasn't that done here? A step back from that is the whole "we Japanese" are soo unique humans that medicine affects our longer intestines differently mindset. Then there is a question of storage, I remember reading the country just isn't prepared to store enough vaccine at the moment. If we want to go full conspiracy, feet are being dragged to let the virus alleviate the elderly population problem as much as possible.

I suppose we can have an Olympic bubble with limited/no fans...most likely scenario IMO but then you have an insane amount of money invested in all the Olympic related infrastructure and besides sponsorships/TV licensing, and merchandising, almost no income or local economy boost. Abenomics final arrow saved for one's own head? Beyond the Olympics, if this gets much much worse while the rest of the world gets vaccinated and is in recovery, tourism and business is going to be fucked beyond recovery for much longer than they think. At that point, the "Go To Another Country" campaign starts looking more appealing.

LOL. I like that.

"Go To Another Country" campaign!

[Russell]

My old man passed away yesterday due to lockdown and postponed/canceled cancer screening. His health crashed two months ago, necessitating emergency care, where they found an aggressive and terminal cancer. Had he been able to get routine care eight months ago, who knows. This whole rob Peter to pay Paul routine is sick in the extreme.

Sorry to hear about your old man, Mike.

[Taro Toporific]

Oh, just great...

Japan's National Institute of Infectious Diseases has detected another new variant of coronavirus, neither U.K. nor South African, in four people who returned home from Brazil.
The Japan Times | Jan 10, 2021
Another new variant of the novel coonavirus has been found in Japan, the health ministry said Sunday.
The new mutant strain, which is partly similar to different variants reported in the U.K. and South Africa, was detected in four infected people who arrived from Brazil, the ministry said.
More...

Corona-zombies.gif

[matsuki]

Just wait til the CCP starts saying the origin of the virus is Brazil and starts a campaign to rebrand it as the Samba-virus.

[Taro Toporific]

Tokyo confirms 1,219 coronavirus cases on Monday
NHK News/Propaganda | 2021-Jan-11, 3pm
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government says it confirmed 1,219 new cases of the coronavirus in the capital on Monday.
That is the [b]highest-ever figure for a Monday.[b] The daily tally has exceeded 1,000 for seven days in a row.
The total number of infections in Tokyo now stands at 76,163.
A record 131 people are in serious condition.