Now there’s a catchy title for you! I can’t take credit for this term,
possibly coined by former NY Times reporter Alex Berenson, and we’ll get into the heart of the
matter in a moment. But first, it’s long past time to remind people just
how ubiquitous viruses really are.
An oft-repeated
figure suggests that there are 1031 virus particles on Earth, and that at least one of them infects
every living cell on the planet. Need more? Considering that the
size of a virus ranges from 20 - 300 nanometers, if you could lay them
end-to-end, the column would extend almost 200 light years into space.
And, speaking of space, there are over ten million times more viruses on Earth
than there are stars in the entire universe.
Before you
freak out too much about how many people are testing positive for SARS-CoV-2),
note that Human Herpesvirus 6
is found in almost 100% of humans, and is associated with many diseases far
more serious than COVID-19. HHV-6’s little brother HHV-4
(aka Epstein-Barr) is “only” present in 90-95% of us, and while well-known as
the cause of infectious mononucleosis, it is also associated with certain
cancers and chronic fatigue syndrome. And, Herpesviruses come with a
bonus. Once you’re infected, the virus remains in your body forever.
Varicella-zoster
virus, commonly known as the cause of chickenpox, hangs around and can manifest
later in life as the very nasty disease of shingles.
Still, it is
important to realize that the vast majority of viruses do not cause disease in
humans. Typically, when a virus jumps to humans from another species, there can be problems, as our immune
systems must now confront this new invader, and will sometimes overreact—this
overreaction causing disease. A virus will self-defeat if too many hosts
die. Usually,
new viral outbreaks tend to become less harmful with time; and potential hosts
develop better immunity.
As to “Panic
Porn,” as it relates to COVID-19, it seems to date back to this tweet
by Berenson. To his credit, Berenson spends a lot of time debunking the
COVID-19 hysteria, and documents everything he says. Want to be impressed?
Scroll through his staggering volume of postings. Currently pinned, is this gem.
Then, there’s this one
relating correspondence from J.B. Neiman, a managing partner and general
counsel of Texas-based Complete Care, a company that owns 13 free-standing
clinics, who got in touch because he “wants people to hear his story as opposed
to the mainstream media.” Among Neiman’s points:
1.
In
June, we tested over 2,231 patients (data through [23 June]). Positive
rate is now close to 20% (was 4-6% in May). Vast majority of the cases
are mild to very mild symptoms. Average age of the people getting tested
in mid-30s.
2.
Very
different patient (in terms of age) than we’ve seen before June. Most of
these patients would not have met criteria that we previously had (and all the
health facilities had) for COVID testing. Now with more testing kits we
are able to test a broader group of patients.
3.
Clinically,
we’ve had very few hospital transfers because of COVID. Vast majority of
the patients are better within 2-3 days of the visit and most would be
described as having a cold (a mild one at that) or the symptoms related to
allergies.
4.
In
terms of what is driving them to the ER—Roughly half have been told by their
employers to get a test. They have a sneeze or a cough and their employer
tells them to go get tested. The other half just want to know.
5.
Heard
several stories of how discharge planners are being pressured to put COVID as
primary diagnosis— as that pays significantly better.
6.
Overall,
based on what we are seeing at our facilities, the above information is really
a positive story. You have more people testing positive with really
minimal symptoms. This means that the fatality rate is less than commonly
reported.
Tell me if you’ve
heard this one before: The mainstream media is biased. Berenson’s Twitter feed, along with many others
will try to give you the non-panicky side of the story.
Sure, we all
know that “If it bleeds, it leads.” These days, though, we have the added component of
breathtaking political bias. Before the Internet, alternative print
sources were available, but relatively unknown. Now, it is possible to
discover every point of view in seconds. And, if you think something is
missing, switch to a different search engine.
Michael D. Shaw
Exec
VP
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