Monday 27 April 2020

Covid-19 virus update, 27 April

My spreadsheet from figures at Worldometer 
HK Total = 1038. New = zero. For third time in a week.

At Moofish last night fully booked. Met some sailing mates whose boat is stuck in Portugal coz virus closes all ports.

Random fun photo (click to enlarge):

The international backlash against China. Are its diplomats doing more harm than good?
Finally… lockdowns ease
Gates Foundation funding best seven ideas for vaccine.

Friend living in China says the word on the street* is that the virus was accidental escape from the P2 level lab (ie, not the more secure P4 Wuhan Institute of Virology). The Huanan wet market story was part of the cover up. Close down market, clear out the wild animal stalls and declare job done.
Friend said an international team of experts had visited both facilities in October and issued a damning report on lack of safeguards, specifically warning of possible virus escape. Friend has visited “thousands” of facilities in China in decades of work there and says it’s often shocking how poorly run and maintained many of them are.
* [Online activity in China is vibrant and open, despite the army of paid government censors, the 五毛 Wu Mao brigade. See “Digital Disobedience” at China Digital Times. Friend also relies on talks with locals and foreigners. All anecdotal; then again, the counter is also anecdotal…]
Friend says only way China can restore any trust is to come clean and let in outside experts to investigate.
My own cautious view was that an accidental escape is a “maybe”. It’s always difficult to prove a negative, but the only thing we have against the accidental escape theory is the Chinese government denials. Virologists say it’s possible.
Chinese government denials not helped by the following story:
New York Times reports EU censored its own report on Chinese Covid disinformation after pressure from Beijing. Shame on you, EU.

Lockdown costs qualified by Chicago U professor. Astronomically higher costs than value of deaths.. To do this he has to put a dollar value on a human life, which he explains. Costs in Tilliins, not counting share market losses.
Become a Lockdown Sceptic!