Wuhan Lab Might be COVID Origin

[Lanoraie II]

Wow, it's almost as if this wasn't exactly what they stated when the virus first started getting spread in November/December of 2019. Shocker.

[Shofercia]

After 90 days, will we have a conclusion?

Probably not. I would prefer we have a solution for the future versus assigning blame.

Solution: stop Gain of Function research until we fully investigate the issue.

Culpability tells us who not to believe about anything else, and therefore is inseparably tied to "solutions for the future".

That’s not the way people work. Applying blame means the problem is over. We punished the wrong doers and we are good.

I would rather have a solution from what went wrong and what we could have done.

You can’t get this if you are bent on applying blame.

Let’s not forget much of the blame hunt is driven by trying to hide how incompetent the last president was in this matter.

I just don't want COVID 2.0 to destroy the World's Economy. It's struggling as is. If a bunch of scientists are going to have to have their quest put on hold, so be it. The needs of the People of Earth outweigh the needs of Gain of Function researchers.

[Grave_n_idle]

I just don't want COVID 2.0 to destroy the World's Economy.

You're looking at it the wrong way.

Covid-19 was more lethal than Zika, but spreads far less easily. It spreads far better than Ebola, but is far less lethal. So what we got in 2020 was a really middle of the road disease - it could have been far more effective at spreading, and it could have been far more lethal. It also could have had a longer dormant stage or less non-fatal symptoms.

This was a practice run. And we did really, really badly.

[The Black Forrest]

Probably not. I would prefer we have a solution for the future versus assigning blame.

Solution: stop Gain of Function research until we fully investigate the issue.

That’s not the way people work. Applying blame means the problem is over. We punished the wrong doers and we are good.

I would rather have a solution from what went wrong and what we could have done.

You can’t get this if you are bent on applying blame.

Let’s not forget much of the blame hunt is driven by trying to hide how incompetent the last president was in this matter.

I just don't want COVID 2.0 to destroy the World's Economy. It's struggling as is. If a bunch of scientists are going to have to have their quest put on hold, so be it. The needs of the People of Earth outweigh the needs of Gain of Function researchers.

Gain of function research? You have a source for that?

[Grave_n_idle]

Gain of function research? You have a source for that?

Rand Paul suggested it. Given his propensity for talking through his ass, that's probably where he found it.

[The Black Forrest]

Gain of function research? You have a source for that?

Rand Paul suggested it. Given his propensity for talking through his ass, that's probably where he found it.

Oh FFS. You lost me at Rand Paul.

[Major-Tom]

I just don't want COVID 2.0 to destroy the World's Economy.

You're looking at it the wrong way.

Covid-19 was more lethal than Zika, but spreads far less easily. It spreads far better than Ebola, but is far less lethal. So what we got in 2020 was a really middle of the road disease - it could have been far more effective at spreading, and it could have been far more lethal. It also could have had a longer dormant stage or less non-fatal symptoms.

This was a practice run. And we did really, really badly.

Sort of, but look at SARS. COVID, by all accounts, was 2-5% lethal when it was new, now much less so thanks to weakening strains, stronger experimental drugs, etc etc. SARS was about double the lethality, but not even half as infectious.

These viruses sort of function on a plane where transmission rates tend to correlate downwards as the lethality rate rises, and vice versa. Barring a massive viral anomaly in the next century or two, I think COVID is as bad as we're going to see it on a global level for a long time. Probably in my lifetime.

[Grave_n_idle]

You're looking at it the wrong way.

Covid-19 was more lethal than Zika, but spreads far less easily. It spreads far better than Ebola, but is far less lethal. So what we got in 2020 was a really middle of the road disease - it could have been far more effective at spreading, and it could have been far more lethal. It also could have had a longer dormant stage or less non-fatal symptoms.

This was a practice run. And we did really, really badly.

Sort of, but look at SARS. COVID, by all accounts, was 2-5% lethal when it was new, now much less so thanks to weakening strains, stronger experimental drugs, etc etc. SARS was about double the lethality, but not even half as infectious.

These viruses sort of function on a plane where transmission rates tend to correlate downwards as the lethality rate rises, and vice versa. Barring a massive viral anomaly in the next century or two, I think COVID is as bad as we're going to see it on a global level for a long time. Probably in my lifetime.

In the sciences, we tend to think of things as one-in-ten or one-in-a-hundred events. What that means is, although we expect them to be rare, we expect them to occur at a rate of, for example, one event in a hundred years.

SARS was a one-in-a-hundred event. And it occurred about 90 years after the last one-in-a-hundred epidemic, so it seemed about right.

The next one-in-a-hundred epidemic event was only ten years later (MERS).

The next was only 9 years after that (Covid).

It is pretty much guaranteed that the next outbreak comparable to Covid will be within the next ten years. And in all seriousness, this one isn't even over yet - the gamma variant is already more than twice the transmission rate of the alpha variant, the delta variant is one-fourth times more transmissible than THAT.

[Shofercia]

Solution: stop Gain of Function research until we fully investigate the issue.




I just don't want COVID 2.0 to destroy the World's Economy. It's struggling as is. If a bunch of scientists are going to have to have their quest put on hold, so be it. The needs of the People of Earth outweigh the needs of Gain of Function researchers.

Gain of function research? You have a source for that?

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/wuhan- ... hite-house

National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins has said the WIV was told not to use the funds for gain of function research but had no way of knowing whether the lab complied... "Gain-of-Function research that can increase the contagion or strength of a virus must be very closely monitored," Lucas said.

https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/who-we-ar ... n-research

December 19, 2017 - NIH Lifts Funding Pause on Gain-of-Function Research

Today, the National Institutes of Health announced that it is lifting a funding pause dating back to October 2014 on gain-of-function (GOF) experiments involving influenza, SARS, and MERS viruses. GOF research is important in helping us identify, understand, and develop strategies and effective countermeasures against rapidly evolving pathogens that pose a threat to public health. The funding pause was lifted...

I just don't want COVID 2.0 to destroy the World's Economy.

You're looking at it the wrong way.

Covid-19 was more lethal than Zika, but spreads far less easily. It spreads far better than Ebola, but is far less lethal. So what we got in 2020 was a really middle of the road disease - it could have been far more effective at spreading, and it could have been far more lethal. It also could have had a longer dormant stage or less non-fatal symptoms.

This was a practice run. And we did really, really badly.

Except data from states that opened, such as Florida, is looking similar to states that were still closed at the time, such as California. Also, I get that scientists want to play with really, really, really naughty viruses and politicians/generals want to play with really, really, really naughty countries, but without a strong economy, those games don't mean jack shit. The average human being doesn't give a rat's ass about that, but cares about housing, water, food, and healthcare.

In California we can cure quite a few diseases, and yet homeless are dying on the street in record numbers. I don't that you've quite realized just how bad this economic hit was. A good economy demands diversity, meaning diversity in types of industries and in the range of large/medium/small businesses in those industries. When a bunch of large businesses run the show, change is slow, and shit like 2008 can happen. We haven't had an economic correction since 2008, and what happened with COVID was a shift, not a correction. That means a correction is still coming.

If we get too many alternating shifts/corrections, then the upcoming generation isn't going to be able to create wealth, meaning that when the peons come for societal wealth, there won't be many to defend it. That also means that those of us who created our own wealth, especially in our hyper-globalized economy, have a thousand and one exit plans, and you'll be left with a broken down society. And how badly we did during this "test run" will mean peanuts compared to the hellscape of economic devastation. So it's not me that's looking at it wrong - it's you.

[The Fantasy tech Caliphate]

There, not 'here'. If you honestly think that I'm some sort of wumao from a single typo then you were never really interested in an honest examination to begin with. All that nonsense about being a good investigator was just hot air.

I mean, the constant deflections and "maybes" and "supposes" to try and distract from the evidence and suggest no investigation is needed make more sense now.

It's ok. I won't press it. Don't want to get anyone in trouble. Consider this a concession of the discussion, if you prefer.

He’s not a Chinese shill, he literally advocated the abolition of police and of the penal law on another thread.

[The Black Forrest]

I mean, the constant deflections and "maybes" and "supposes" to try and distract from the evidence and suggest no investigation is needed make more sense now.

It's ok. I won't press it. Don't want to get anyone in trouble. Consider this a concession of the discussion, if you prefer.

He’s not a Chinese shill, he literally advocated the abolition of police and of the penal law on another thread.

This is what is called a gravedig violation. Unless you have new information for the topic; don’t comment on it. You will find a mod will lock this when they notice it.

[The Archregimancy]

You will find a mod will lock this when they notice it.

Like this.