WHO calls for science-based info to curb virus spread

| 23/09/2020 | 59 Comments

(CNS): As Cayman marked another day with no new infections of the coronavirus either in the community or among the more than 200 people in isolation, the World Health Organization (WHO) urged countries to put plans in place to promote science-based information about the COVID-19 pandemic. Cayman recorded 174 negative test resultson Wednesday and has just four asymptomatic active cases.

But Cayman’s success in suppressing this virus is rare. Most countries, especially those in Europe, South and North America, India, as well as the UK, are battling surges of the infection. More than 32 million people have contracted the virus worldwide and over 980,000 have died.

Global health agencies and non-profits are deeply concerned about the false information about this virus that is contributing to its spread. Some misinformation is not just inaccurate but deliberate, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that when the virus began to spread across the globe, “inaccurate and even dangerous messages proliferated wildly over social media, leaving people confused, misled and ill-advised”.

Announcing a new initiative, called “Verified”, to fight misinformation and promote science, the UN leader pointed to the critical role facts will play in building public confidence in the safety and efficacy of any future COVID-19 vaccines.

“Misinformation and disinformation put health and lives at risk, and undermine trust in science, in institutions and in health systems,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

“To fight the pandemic we need trust and solidarity and when there is mistrust, there is much less solidarity. False information is hindering the response to the pandemic so we must join forces to fight it and to promote science-based public health advice,” he added.


 

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Thanks again WHO and China for the Wuflu, the sane world won’t forget!

  2. Anonymous says:

    “It is possible to say almost anything without contradiction provided you begin your utterance with the words “A study has shown …” or “Scientists now tell us that …””

    Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology
    by Neil Postman

  3. Anonymous says:

    Biggest risk factors for COVID-related heart damage is age and obesity…was announced today by mainstream media.

    Nearly all MLA members are obese. Some are ancient. This explains why they would want to keep Cayman closed.

    • Anonymous says:

      That thinking explains much of it for sure. People with money (usually older) are at greater risk, but they can afford a broken economy, maybe even profit from it. They are also in charge in one way or the other.

    • Anonymous says:

      I know one Caymanian, a professional still working, who is 84, looks 60, trim and toned and sharp.

      Why MLAs and Ministers are so obese? Why some high rank RCIPs members are obese?

    • Anonymous says:

      Taking a vitamin D is also a huge benefit to prevention. I have sick people all around me and I and my family can’t seem to catch it (insert lucky charm here). However, the “studies” for what they are worth say that the hormone (Vit D) binds with our cells in the same “parking places” that the CV does. If you are exposed, then the virus finds a full parking lot with no where to dock.

      For what its worth. It isn’t expensive so what the hell – got nothing to lose.

      • Anonymous says:

        All my family members took vitamin D, calcium serum and PTH tests. All are D deficient, some severely(less than 15), but luckily no parathyroid hormone issues and normal Ca.

        Low Vitamin D levels are caused by two very different reasons and is common in people without any other health problems, but low vitamin D can also be caused by a parathyroid tumor. The connection between parathyroid disease and low Vitamin D can be confusing, even for many doctors. Parathyroid tumors cause low Vitamin D, not the other way around, and low Vitamin D cannot cause a high calcium. You cannot treat a parathyroid tumor with high doses of Vitamin D.
        https://www.parathyroid.com/low-vitamin-d.htm

  4. Anonymous says:

    Quite interesting view on medicine in 1903. Quite humorous and so true in 2020.

    From the book MONT ORIOL OR A ROMANCE OF AUVERGNE
    A NOVEL By GUY DE MAUPASSANT, 1903

    “Moreover, Mazelli knew how to make medicine itself interesting; he spoke about it with such ease, with such gaiety, and with a sort of light skepticism which helped to convince his listeners of his superiority.

    “‘Tis very simple,” said he; “I don’t believe in remedies—or rather I hardly believe in them. The old-fashioned medicine started with this principle—that there is a remedy for everything. God, they believe, in His divine bounty, has created drugs for all maladies, only He has left to men, through malice, perhaps, the trouble of discovering these drugs. Now, men have discovered an incalculable number of them without ever knowing exactly what disease each of them is suited for. In reality there are no remedies; there are only maladies. When a malady declares itself, it is necessary to interrupt its course, according to some, to precipitate it, according to others, by some means or another. Each school extols its own method. In the same case, we see the most antagonistic systems employed, and the most opposed kinds of medicine—ice by one and extreme heat by the other, dieting by this doctor and forced nourishment by that. I am not speaking of the innumerable poisonous products extracted from minerals or vegetables, which chemistry procures for us. All this acts, ’tis true, but nobody knows how. Sometimes it succeeds, and sometimes it kills.”

    And, with much liveliness, he pointed out the impossibility of certainty, the absence of all scientific basis as long as organic chemistry, biological chemistry had not become the starting-point of a new medicine. He related anecdotes, monstrous errors of the greatest physicians, and proved the insanity and the falsity of their pretended science.

    “Make the body discharge its functions,” said he. “Make the skin, the muscles, all the organs, and, above all, the stomach, which is the foster-father of the entire machine, its regulator and life-warehouse, discharge their functions.”

    He asserted that, if he liked, by nothing save regimen, he could make people gay or sad, capable of physical work or intellectual work, according to the nature of the diet which he imposed on them. He could even act on the faculties of the brain, on the memory, the imagination, on all the manifestations of intelligence. And he ended jocosely with these words:

    “For my part, I nurse my patients with massage and curaçao.”

    • Anonymous says:

      Curaçao is a liqueur flavored with the dried peel of the bitter orange laraha, a citrus fruit, grown on the Dutch island of Curaçao.

      Anybody sells it in Cayman so I complete my massage with it?

  5. anon says:

    All I know is… they better not bring no vaccine here.

  6. Anonymous says:

    980,000 people have died but NOT FROM Covid, most died WITH Covid.
    This is the part so many miss. Vulnerable people die from additional disease on top of the issue they are fighting, and/or old age. that’s how life works and nothing changes that.

    Did you know that nearly 60 MILLION people die every year. 60 MILLION.
    People die. that’s how it works
    Covid does indeed accelerate the death for many vulnerable people who most likely would also have died if they’d simply caught another respiratory type disease – their immune systems are already weakened.
    The problem here is that we dont shut down the world for other killer diseases.
    but why now for Covid19?
    We already have access to incredible data that shows the death charts in countries globally since Jan 2020 and they’re doing exactly what they’d do in a higher than normal flu season.
    it’s hard to believe if all you’ve watched has been the constant news panic hysteria OR even if all you’ve listened to is our own government and how they’ve been guided by Dr Lee.
    has anyone asked this question:
    what if Dr Lee is wrong?
    What if most of the human population already has a built in immunity (t-cells, cross, other science stuff based on real evidence).
    What if PCR testing is prone to exaggeration? (the way they shake the specimens so vigorously can and does create miniscule traces of prior evidence of infection that’s not anywhere remotely contagious and usually dead, BUT it’s marked as positive simply because you’ve shaken it so hard).

    it is very hard for the masses of us who are not scientists and have been fed this near ceaseless news feed of panic to even consider for a moment that actually, we’ve got this wrong.
    just look at global EXCESS DEATHS. They are statistically NO WORSE than the flu season of 2018. Do you remember the lockdown of 2018? No of course you don’t, there wasn’t one.

    People. Just for a moment, do some research and don’t assume that the news is right and the end is nigh. It is far from that.

    yes, the virus is terrible, terrible, terrible. For nearly nobody. That’s not meaning those it is terrible for are NOBODIES. But it does mean that it’s no worse than all the other mega killers out there that we live with daily.

    For sure, its super contagious and spreads without symptoms and it’s probably (not definitely) right to have shut everything down at the start as we had no idea really. But to continue like this? with all the info we now have?

    utter madness. And for Cayman to continue with border lockdowns and 14 day quarantines? until a vaccine that wont be here in any significant volume or efficacy for years? When most of us are ALREADY IMMUNE to it (you are, just research it. The virus you likely already had. Just like a cold. you got thru without even knowing much about it)

    oh boy. But so many of us are totally persuaded due to 6 months of relentless panic hysteria, even this post will be completely denounced as uninformed.

    All i ask – has anyone considered if the loudest scientists are wrong? Closer to home, what if Dr Lee is wrong? For sure, Cayman has many vulnerable people (old/obese). But you’re equally vulnerable to the flu. And we didn’t send ourselves into economic doom for the flu.

    Global excess deaths are the true marker in this. Yes, social separation has helped keep it down. But full lockdowns and border closures are not necessary. Stay socially distant from tourists. We usually do anyhow!

    At the very least, consider the alternative – what if we got this wrong? Because so far, the facts are coming out showing that we did get this wrong. It’s hard to believe. But those facts, they are pesky things you know. Just look at global trends in seasonal respiratory diseases over the past 150 years. And look at excess deaths currently. And then wonder, wtf have we allowed ourselves to be subjected to?

    • Anonymous says:

      We haven’t got this wrong. If this gets into the community it will be fatal to some people. Even those who it “doesn’t harm” have lingering effects and permanent damage done to them. I woukd suggest you stop getting your news from President Trump and instead read studies and peer-reviewed medical journals for information.
      Cayman is taking the right approach in limiting travel to protect the people who live here.

      • Anonymous says:

        Cayman is taking a stick your head in the sand approach with the belief you look superior for trying to stay Covid free.

        The world is open out there and there are systems in place that allow borders to open with good testing and follow ups.

        • Anonymous says:

          Totally agree 8:53 pm. Just read an article in the Compass that the Kimpton and the Ritz will be closed till Oct. 2021. Not looking good. That is a year from now.

          • Anonymous says:

            Not too long ago the paranoids were arguing staycationing could keep the island hotels going. Would love to hear from them now.

            • Anonymous says:

              Same folks crowing about the High Network Individuals pouring in to Cayman to take advantage of 16 days imprisonment, all inside with no outside activities. I don’t think they know any HNI’s or they would have asked them before stating something so absolutely stupid.

      • Anonymous says:

        yes it will be fatal to some people, you are right. but not to 000’s. And there are lots of things that are fatal to some people. that’s the point. But we’ve never done what we’ve recently done. and the catastrophic fall out from what we are doing is far worse already in terms of economic fall out and could be worse in terms of deaths (cancer not being diagnosed, operations being missed, etc).
        look at excess deaths.
        they don’t really come up in any meaningful statistical volume and certainly no worse than ‘non pandemic’ flu seasons of recent years
        its hard to believe, but the facts back this up, you just have to for a moment take a look and at least consider the alternate view
        if you still think you’re right, that’s fine.
        but at least, take a look

      • Anon says:

        Unfortunately your comment exhibits Cayman’s problem, ignorance of facts and extreme hysteria. The initial post presented an objective analysis, yet instead of countering objectively, you sought to label and categorize the author as a truml supporter, presumably in an attempt to dismiss the the comments. Shall we dismiss you as a far left radical cnn antitrumper?
        Unfortunately covid has become incredibly political, media and politicians have misrepresented much if the facts for their own benefit. Our own Mr. Alden is not exempt from this, he has repeatedly sounded off the panic horn and promotes the false belief that if anyone sets foot on the island, all Caymanians will die. His position is to finish his term as a hero, no covid deaths, regardless of the consequences of shut down.
        At some point the emergency powers of the government to continue a shutdown need to be seriously rebutted through legal action.

        • Anonymous says:

          Wish I coukd give you a thousand likes!!!

        • Heller says:

          Yet another pontificated, keeper of justice and the likes hmm.

          You go ahead and challenge bobo ya got the money and the good intention go right ahead. Stop talking and do it nah. Save us will ya .

      • Anonymous says:

        Who’s to say it’s not in the community? Many have not tested. One person who tested positive was released from quarantine. Another tested positive days ago. Ever thought it’s out there but simply not as deadly as pitched.

    • Anonymous says:

      They are just like religious fanatics won’t hear you.

      Let them walk toward the cliff in their attempt to “save lives”.

      The most mind numbingly idiotic mission in human history happening in the Cayman Islands.

    • Anonymous says:

      Look at the number of deaths in each country for the first 8 months of the year, then look at the average number of deaths over the same period for the last 5 years.
      The only major difference is COVID this year.
      The number of extra deaths this year is actually OVER the number of COVID deaths given but around a third.
      So the deaths from COVID are actually under reported. This makes sense as they don’t test dead people for the virus, and there were not enough test or tests that worked for the first 4-5 months.

      So you are way off

  7. Anonymous says:

    Health will never be found in a pill and immunity will never be found in a needle. You aren’t seek because you have a pharmaceutical deficiency in your body.

    You don’t need WHO to tell you what to do. Use your own brain, go to the beach. Choose Sunlight, water and oxygen, not pills and vaccines.

    • Anonymous says:

      Yes because hanging out at the beach cures cancer. The comments section on this story reads like a special needs class for imbeciles. Why do you people even get your kids educated? Pull them out of school since you all clearly know everything.

      • Anonymous says:

        You misunderstood it. Once one got cancer, hanging out at the beach won’t cure it, for his health, the state of being free from illness or injury is a history.

        Health will never be found in a pill. CORRECT. Treatments can be found in a pill form. Treatments extend lives, but hardly ever restore health.

        Modern medicine is all about treatments, not preventions. Spending time in nature is prevention.

    • Anonymous says:

      Correct. God made me as He did.

      How can you improve that?
      Oh yes, take a vaccine.

      F*ck off.

  8. Anonymous says:

    So Sweden pretty much ignored everything the WHO, CDC and the most brilliant scientists recommended and they are no worse off than N. America, S. America or Europe. Shouldn’t they all be dead by now? Their death curve is flat.

    • Anonymous says:

      FFFS this blog has been taken over by a cabal of stark-staring-mad followers of the “carrot headed man child”

      • Anonymous says:

        As usual when confronted by facts you resort to insulting the other opinions. Who’s the man child?

      • Anonymous says:

        the carrot headed man childs problem is two fold: he has no real respect among blue states, and he struggles to enunciate

        however some of the things he tries to state regarding covid19 are infact accurate. he says it will go away, he’s right to a point. take a look at the charts, its going away just as most diseases do (but none disappear 100%, and that’s normal and he probably didn’t mean 100% anyhow)

        he also tries to say that if you stop testing, there are no psitives. he’s struggling to state here that we are in a case-demic, not a pandemic, meaning that for sure with more tests we KNOW about all the cases..but the cases are there anyhow, and infact with knowing more cases we see the death rate %’s collapse. he’s right again but he can’t elucidate properly because he’s losing his marbles on the global stage

        i’m not a fan of his at all, but he does tend to grab defeat from the jaws of victory on many things he says..he’s so close, but so far!

      • Anonymous says:

        FFS explain Sweden. Why aren’t they off the charts with death since they didn’t follow the scientists you like?

        • Anonymous says:

          Big pharma intends to nuke Sweden before Xmas and therefore using Sweden as proof of potential error shall be challenging

          please move on, get in line, bend over

          • Anonymous says:

            I HATE that you may actually b right! The medical community is run by what the pharmaceuticals can provide. As someone said above, they treat the sick rather than teach prevention!! THAT is the sick part.

            • Anonymous says:

              👍👍👍

            • Anonymous says:

              We could see something of a medical revolution if everyone would stop listening to the “medical experts”. In the 1980’s the FDA put forth the food pyramid and we have been plagued with type 2 diabetes ever since. Other associated illness follow along with it.

              Get rid of the sugary drinks (and sugar in general), lower the wheat/carb intake, and start eating food that doesn’t have a label on it. If it is processed you aren’t eating food but a product. Real food needs no label to describe what is in it.

              Ref: Wheat Belly, Tripping over the Truth, Obesity Code, Why We Get Sick

              If everyone or just a few would start reading these references you can clearly follow the history of where we are now medically speaking. If you read it – it will make you mad, and hopefully cause an about face in our general medical condition. Imagine the exploding medical costs being reduced to nothing but handling accidents, infections, instead of the massive number of chronic conditions.

              Make sure to hit the dislike button before you actually read or research any of this.

        • Anonymous says:

          Why does everyone hold Sweden up as being the poster child for corona? They are 13th in the world for deaths per capita, just being Italy who are ‘the worst in Europe’ if you believe popular news stories. Sweden is also a highly educated and community based society, telling them the facts and allowing them to collectively choose a safe path is relatively easy compared to societies who are more ‘me’ focused. There is no ‘one size fits all approach’ to this.

          • Anonymous says:

            Oh I see, you think that being 13th is just about right for a country that ignored nearly every pre-caution set out by scientific conventional wisdom including the WHO. Shouldn’t their death toll and infection rate be number 1 giving all of the massive and daily scare tactics we’ve digested for 6 months? According to the prophets of doom, Sweden should be far and away worse than every country. They’re not. And now don’t even have the potential to be.

            While you’re at it, explain Japan. They didn’t lock down either.

            You are a shepherds dream.

            • Anonymous says:

              They say common sense isn’t so common. Those whose point to Sweden at 13th being a bad number when Sweden didn’t lock down just shows there’s no end to limits of stupidity.

              • Anonymous says:

                Try reading, it helps. Sweden is quite unique in that it has a predominantly well educated population, they are able to follow guidelines without Government diktats, they trust their Government, and their Government trusts them. Find me another country that fits that bill. They came out quite well because of their people, not because they did, or didn’t do x or y. If we tried doing nothing, we wouldn’t replicate Sweden’s relative success.

                • Anonymous says:

                  This is a beauty of a comment. Because Swedes are smarter and superior, they didn’t have to lockdown, Stay home, wear a mask, close their businesses or close their border.
                  I guess the virus behaves differently around high intelligence.
                  If only we were smart.

  9. Anonymous says:

    So the China bought and paid for WHO Ltd. of misinformation now want to be the sole arbiters of truth. Craptastic.

  10. Anonymous says:

    Yes science based facts vs the never ending, contradictory BS pushed by WHO to push vax agenda. Tedros is not even a scientist himself and please research his track record on vax related projects over the past 10-15 years…its not so good!

    • Anonymous says:

      I did look into his background. How is he not a scientist? In 1986, Tedros received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Asmara.He studied at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and was awarded Master of Science degree in Immunology of Infectious Diseases from University of London in 1992. As the Minister for Health in Ethiopia,they were able to turn around Ethiopia’s record of the highest number of new HIV infections in Africa, bringing the number down dramatically.

      Where are you getting your “facts” from?

    • Anonymous says:

      A scientist. FFS he’s not even a real Doctor!

  11. Paul Black says:

    There is nothing scientific about Cayman governments current “plan”. Simply ignorning the FACT that this virus is not deadly for 99.9% of people, and that the average age of people who die of covid is older than the average life expectancy in US. Also, only 6% of people who died from covid 19 didnt have any other preexisting conditions, average was over 2 pre-existing conditions.

    • Anonymous says:

      And may the fleas of a thousand camels infest your armpits.

    • Anonymous says:

      There are hundreds of thousands of dead people who would disagree with you. This virus can kill people and has killed people. Long term effects are not yet fully known. Such an ignorant comment…

      • Anonymous says:

        Faykerooni!

      • Anonymous says:

        The US has seen mass protests. The police are deemed essential workers. On top of going to work every day, they have had to deal with crowds. This year 100 police have died with Covid. 35 have been shot and killed. Shouldn’t there be 30,000 deaths from covid? Indeed, we were “supposed” to have 800.

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