Vaccines alone not enough
Comment from Prof. Robert Clancy in Australia
Let me state clearly from the outset: vaccines are critical; they will save lives; we should all get behind them.
Vaccines, however, do have limitations. They need to be paired with effective, safe drug treatment. I believe two candidates are safe, cheap, available and effective. They are ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine. Australian health authorities, however, say there is not enough evidence to support their use in the treatment of COVID-19. I disagree with them.
Since my name was aired in this matter, I’ve received calls from people offering truly crackpot opinions, some telling me I am right – without knowing what I think – while others have suggested I should leave it to the “experts”.
Concerned by the controversy, the University of Newcastle, where I am an emeritus professor in the School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, has issued a statement stressing that I am not speaking on its behalf and saying it does not consider me a COVID-19 expert.
These opinions are indeed my own. I am not speaking for the university (although over the years it has often wanted me to). As an immunologist, I am, however, an expert and I believe my opinions need some clear air.
COVID-19, like influenza, infects the airways mucosal compartment. There are useful lessons from influenza, for which vaccines give partial immunity, of short duration, and with a poor response in the elderly. Early evidence suggests similar outcomes are probable with COVID-19 vaccines.
Herd immunity is unlikely. If it occurs it will likely be of short duration, requiring annual vaccination for continued immunity. Vaccines will be at the core of community management, but they are not enough on their own.
Ivermectin (IVM) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) have been used as antimicrobials for half a century with impeccable safety records. They prevent virus assemblage within infected cells and inhibit the inflammatory response. COVID-19 is a two phase disease, with the initial “viral phase” followed by severe life-threatening inflammatory disease requiring hospitalisation. Antivirals only work on the early viral phase (as with shingles, influenza and herpes infections).
Poorly constructed studies of the anti-viral HCQ on hospitalised COVID-19 patients mistakenly led to the drug being categorised as a “failed” therapy. That misunderstanding continues to dominate many official sites, despite there being at least 27 clinical studies in early disease – 10 of which were randomised clinical trials – showing a composite level of 63 per cent protection against admission to hospital and/or death. Similar data supported use in prevention of infection (as it did for malaria).
IVM came later, and avoided much of the political noise, but again was missed by many authorities. More than 30 studies have led to impressive meta-analyses, most recently by Therese Lawrie, an epidemiologist. Data from 17 studies showing a reduction of death by 83 per cent was so dramatic that she concluded it was now unethical to include untreated patients as controls.
Both drugs are used extensively in many countries, with dramatic reductions in COVID-19 deaths.
All studies have faults, but we are faced with an horrific pandemic, with few options for early treatment.
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Will a Hard-Left Turn Lead to Pushback?
BY VICTOR DAVIS HANSON
The corruption of the Renaissance Church prompted the Reformation, which in turn sparked a Counter-Reformation of reformist, and more zealous, Catholics.
The cultural excesses and economic recklessness of the Roaring ’20s were followed by the bleak, dour and impoverished years of the Great Depression.
The 1960s counterculture led to Richard Nixon’s landslide victory in 1972, as “carefree hippies” turned into careerist “yuppies.”
So social, cultural, economic and political extremism prompts reactions — and sometimes counterreactions.
The Bush-Clinton-Obama continuum of 24 years cemented the bipartisan fusion administrative state. Trump and his “Make America Great Again” agenda were its pushback.
The counterreaction to the populism of the Trump reset — or Trump himself — is as of yet unsure.
Joe Biden’s tenure may mark a return to business as usual of the Bush-Clinton years. Or, more likely, it will accelerate the current hard-left trajectory.
Either way, it seems that Biden is intent on provoking just such a pushback by his record number of early and often radical executive orders — a tactic candidate Biden condemned.
On almost every issue — open borders, blanket amnesties, canceling the Keystone XL pipeline, promoting the Green New Deal, and hard-left appointees — Biden is touting positions that likely do not earn 50 percent public support.
When Biden made a Faustian bargain with his party’s hard-left wing of Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to win the election, he took on the commitment to absorb some of their agenda and to appoint their ideologues.
But he also soon became either unwilling or unable to stand up to them.
Now they — and the country — are in a revolutionary frenzy. The San Francisco Board of Education has voted to rename more than 40 schools honoring the nation’s best — Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln — largely on racist grounds that they are dead, mostly white males.
Statues continue to fall. Names change.
The iconic dates, origins and nature of America itself continue to be attacked to meet leftist demands. And still, it is not enough for the new McCarthyites.
Social media are banning tens of thousands. Silicon Valley and Wall Street monopolies go after smaller upstart opponents.
A wrong word destroys a lifelong career. Formerly sane pundits now call for curtailing the First Amendment. Thousands of federal troops blanket a now-militarized Washington, D.C.
If Trump’s pushback tried to return to traditions ignored during the Obama years, Biden’s reset promises to become far more radical than Obama’s entire eight years.
Trump likely lost his second pushback term for two reasons — neither of which had anything to do with his reset agenda.
First, the sudden 2020 pandemic, quarantine, recession, summer-long demonstrations and riots, and radical changes in voting laws all ensured that 100 million ballots were not cast on Election Day, derailed a booming economy, and finally wore the people out.
Second, Trump underestimated the multitrillion-dollar power and furor of Silicon Valley, Wall Street, the media, Hollywood and the progressive rich. Those forces all coalesced against him and swamped his outspent and outmanned campaign.
With 24/7 blanket ads, news coverage, endorsements and social media messaging, Trump sometimes was easily caricatured as a twittering disrupter. The inert and mute Biden in his basement was reinvented as the sober and judicious Washington “wise man” antidote to Trump’s unpredictability.
Had Biden continued his moderate campaign veneer, the current left-wing radicalism might not have prompted a counterreaction.
Instead, Biden is now unapologetically leading the most radical left-wing movement in the nation’s history.
Pundits thought Biden’s prior hints of a single four-year term would make him a weak lame duck. Instead, the idea of just one term has liberated the 78-year-old Biden. We forget that septuagenarians can be as reckless as 20-year-olds. Some old guys can feel their careers only have a few remaining years and might as well go out with a bang — and a legacy.
For now, Biden enjoys a congressional majority for the next 24 months. He has no plans to run for reelection. He sees both realities as a liberating blank check to accomplish what the much more heralded rock star Barack Obama never could.
Experts assured voters that Biden would work on a bipartisan consensus and bring back “normality.” He would “unite” the country.
That will not happen. How ironic that Biden will not just be pushed and pressured by the radicals whom he brought to power, but he may be leading them forward to cement an even harder-left legacy.
Will there be a reaction to this extremism?
The left is assured that radical changes in voting laws and demography, the fears of COVID-19, the antifa-Black Lives Matter uprising and anger at Trump over the Jan. 6 Capitol riot have all permanently changed the electorate — and pushed it further leftward.
If they are wrong, they have instead alienated and insulted the American people, and will reap the whirlwind in 2022 of the wind they are now sowing.
https://pjmedia.com/victordavishanson/2021/02/04/will-a-hard-left-turn-lead-to-pushback-n1423020
************************************IN BRIEF
Unity! Democrats pass budget resolutions needed to bypass GOP on big COVID spending package (Examiner)
Healing! Biden's Social Justice Department sends message that some racism is okay with dropped Yale lawsuit (PJ Media)
Obama center in Chicago, estimated at half a billion dollars ($174 million of which will be footed by taxpayers), to break ground this year despite complaints (Fox News)
"I've met constant resistance to my product vision": Parler board terminates CEO John Matze (Fox News)
Major gun-rights group Virginia Citizens Defense League banned from Facebook without explanation (Disrn)
New COVID infections have fallen 45% in the U.S., but vaccines are not the main driver (Daily Mail)
McKinsey reaches $573 million settlement with states for its role in marketing opioids (Forbes)
Russian cheating notwithstanding, U.S. signs five-year New START nuclear arms treaty renewal (UPI)
Europe troop withdrawal plans "on hold," top general says (Politico)
Biden administration to reopen immigrant "overflow facilities" once politically dubbed "kids in cages" (Disrn)
Defense secretary arbitrarily calls for 60-day assessment of extremism within military (Examiner)
Another 779,000 Americans filed for unemployment last week (Forbes)
Tragic shooting in Oklahoma kills one adult, five young children (Disrn)
Texas temporarily blocked from kicking abortion mill Planned Parenthood out of Medicaid (UPI)
Texas Department of Public Safety mistakenly sends Amber Alert featuring "Chucky" doll (Fox News)
Policy: A private fix for public health (City Journal)
Impeachment case absurdly argues Trump was "singularly responsible" for Capitol riot (NY Times)
"He holds no public office from which he can be removed": Lawyers offer Trump's constitutional answer to impeachment article (Daily Wire)
Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell strike deal on Senate power-sharing agreement (Fox News)
Unity! House starts work on coronavirus relief after press secretary warns Biden won't "slow down" for Republicans (Fox News)
Senate confirms Pete "Pothole Problem" Buttigieg as transportation secretary (The Hill)
Critical roadblock: Joe Manchin says he doesn't support raising minimum wage to $15 per hour (The Hill)
Can't live without Trump: CNN prime-time ratings crash 44% in first week of Biden era (Hot Air)
People with COVID antibodies may only need one vaccine dose (Daily Mail)
White House confirms Space Force will continue under Biden administration (Examiner)
Texas lawmakers introduce bills to protect the dignity of women's sports (Examiner)
Local Kroger stores close as Long Beach, California, "hero pay" ordinance backfires (FEE)
Double Standards: John Kerry took private jet to Iceland for environmental award, called it "only choice for somebody like me" (Fox News)
Leftists aim to restore net neutrality rules — and go much further (Examiner)
Policy: How to strike back against Big Tech censorship (Power Line)
Friendly fire: Some of Biden's top economic advisers are pushing back on his stimulus package (Daily Caller)
Totally trustworthy: Pennsylvania secretary of state at the center of Trump election concerns resigns for failing to comply with an unrelated state election law (NY Post)
Bail fund praised by Kamala Harris has twice freed the same rioter. He was just charged again. (Daily Wire)
Stacey Abrams (in addition to BLM) nominated for Nobel Peace Prize (The Hill)
Governor Andrew Cuomo loses nine top health officials after downplaying experts (Fox News)
Who'd a thunk it? Top epidemiologist says double-masking increases infection risk (Disrn)
CBO sees rapid growth recovery, labor force returning to pre-pandemic level by 2022 (CNBC)
Landlords are struggling to make ends meet as CDC extends eviction ban (FEE)
"They are playing with our lives": Locals lash out at Biden canceling Keystone XL (Daily Wire)
Dodge warns that regulations are killing the V8 engine (Auto Blog)
This woman disembowels the pervasive brainwashing of Critical Race Theory in under 60 seconds (Not the Bee)
Biden threatens sanctions against Burma following military coup (Daily Caller)
Seventy-four percent of American teens and young adults embrace moral relativism (Disrn)
SpaceX announces first space flight manned solely by civilians (Examiner)
Anti-vaxxers won't stop harassing a Chattanooga nurse they're convinced is dead (Daily Beast)
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Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:
http://snorphty.blogspot.com (TONGUE-TIED)
http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)
http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)
http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)
http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)
http://awesternheart.blogspot.com.au/ (THE PSYCHOLOGIST)
https://heofen.blogspot.com/ (MY OTHER BLOGS)
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