Coronavirus: Why Germany has such a low COVID-19 death rate

When comparing how countries around the world are coping with COVID-19, one country immediately stands out. 

In Germany, just 0.6% of their confirmed coronavirus cases have so far ended up being fatal - the lowest figure amongst any of the most affected countries. 

The next best case fatality rate is 1.4%, which can be found in the United States, Switzerland, Portugal and South Korea, while in some countries the death rate is substantially higher. In Italy, 10.1% of confirmed cases have ended up proving fatal. 

The answer to why Germany's figure is so much better partly lies in the way the case fatality rate is calculated. The figure is produced by dividing the number of deaths by the total number of confirmed cases. 

This means if a country only tests seriously ill patients they will have a higher case fatality rate, as a higher proportion of these patients will die. 

Whereas, if a country carries out more tests, and also identifies people with mild forms of the disease, their figure will be much lower. 

In the early stages of the disease Germany carried out thousands of tests and implemented rigorous contact tracing. This allowed it to identify substantially more cases of the disease than other countries - as the more tests you do, the more cases you identify, as the chart below shows. 

Germany's low case fatality rate is therefore partly caused by the fact it has tested more people and, as a result, has identified more mild instances of the disease. 

In comparison, in the UK, only people who need medical assistance are being tested and as a result the UK's case fatality rate is much higher, at 4.8%.

GO READ THE WHOLE THING.

Many of the people who have been spreading the falsely high death rates are WELL AWARE OF THE TRUTH OF WHAT IS WRITTEN IN THE ARTICLE ABOVE.

This means they knowingly spread a false impression about the death rate of COVID.

Spreading this kind of negativity robs the more fragile among us of Hope.

Spreading truth is not a bad thing.

But when we only have part of the information, we need to remind people consistently that we are only working with part of the information.

In this case, those who pay attention have all been well aware that we have a "DENOMINATOR PROBLEM."

That is to say, we don't know the total number of cases.

So the published lethality rates are based on EXTREMELY INCOMPLETE INFORMATION.

When this all plays out, I suspect the lethality rate will have been revised downward to about .0015 to, perhaps .002.

That would mean that no more people will die of this than in a really bad year of the flu.

AND THEN THERE'S THIS:

DR FAUCI: CORONAVIRUS MORTALITY RATE CLOSER TO A VERY BAD FLU

Across the Globe: Prayer for God’s Mercy

دا ایټالیا ده او دا خلک ایټالویان دي پرون پۀ ایټالیا کې زر نفره مړه شول د دوی خبره لۀ کنترول وتلې نن دوی ټول راوتلې الله ته سوال زارۍ کوي سجدي کوي چې دا وړکی عذاب دې لۀ مونږ لیري کړه طاقت یې نلرو.
ددایټالیا وزیر ؤویل: مونږ خپل ټول کوښښ تمام کړ اوس مو سترګې د اسمان په لور دي. pic.twitter.com/LPgssD5LzG

— shpoon Ashna (@ShpoonAshna) March 28, 2020

From The Last English Prince:

The above: Prayer by Christians in Peru.  

The Last English Prince spent her childhood in Mexico, and I am touched to hear the prayers of the Peruvians. 

Elihu Proclaims God’s Majesty: 

For he saith to the snow.–All the operations of nature obey the behest of God–the snow, the gentle showers, the drenching downpour. By means of these He sealeth up the hand of every man, obstructing and impeding their works and movements, so that all the men whom He has made may know it or know Him. 

Berean Study Bible 

Bible Hub reference:Verses 6 and 7

Michigan Man with Coronavirus Has Near-Death Experience – Is Saved by Hydroxychloroquine Treatment… Then UNLOADS on Liberal Gov. for Denying Life-Saving Drug to the Sick

The governor’s radical announcement hit a nerve with a Michigan man who credits the combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin with saving his life after he was convinced he was on death’s doorstep after a serious bout with the Chinese coronavirus. Michigan resident, Jim Santilli wrote about his miraculous recovery and shares his feelings about Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s decision to punish doctors who prescribe and pharmacists who give prescriptions for hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine to patients. 

Santilli also explains how Whitmer dropped the ball on testing Michigan citizens with low-cost, rapid response tests that are produced and made available by a Michigan company. Mr. Santilli also points out how Whitmer failed to apply for FEMA funding, yet another critical failure on the part of a governor. Santilli claims the Democrat governor of Michigan should be less concerned scoring political points for her party by “wrongfully pointing the finger at President Trump,” while she’s failing to properly do her job for Michigan residents.

Here is Jim Santilli's Facebook post on his experience:

Thank you to everyone for your support and prayers while I was extremely ill and hospitalized due to COVID-19! It truly means the world to me. I am continuing to recover and be treated at home. I’m praying all of you, and your families, remain healthy and safe during this challenging time. As a COVID-19 survivor who is currently recovering, I believe it is important to share my story publicly so others have hope. 

The sad reality is Michigan’s Governor, Gretchen Whitmer, is failing the people of the state of Michigan. Rather than leading and making good choices that will help our wonderful people during this horrible COVID-19 situation, she continuously chooses to engage in partisan politics. That must end now. 

On March 18th, I had a sudden onset of severe respiratory and cardiac issues. I immediately went to the hospital and they did a COVID-19 test. Despite my test being marked as a priority, I did not receive the test results until the evening of March 22nd. While waiting for the test results in the hospital, my breathing continued to worsen as treatment was received. 

Without having the COVID-19 test results, the wonderful and hard-working doctors basically have their hands tied as certain medications (i.e. steroids, etc.) can potentially make COVID-19 worse. On the morning of March 21st, I was not doing well and it was a major struggle to breathe. Feeling like I was slowly drowning, I honestly believed I would not live to see midnight. The x-ray that morning also showed my condition was worsening, including some collapsing in the lungs. 

Luckily, the infectious disease physicians decided to try a non-approved, experimental combination (Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin). This is the same treatment President Donald Trump recently mentioned at a press conference and continues to be attacked for. 

After my first dose, I had a major improvement. My gasping for air stopped, and I was in tears of happiness due to having hope restored. I finally felt I would beat COVID-19 and it was no longer beating me. 

On March 22nd, I remained about the same. However, March 23rd brought a significant improvement. I continued to recover and was miraculously able to go home on March 24th to continue the treatment. 

There are a few important things I believe the public needs to know. One is the treatment that President Trump recommended worked for me and saved my life. It also appears to be helping others. 

As a result, I believe we can all have hope! 

However, I sadly just learned that Governor Whitmer has once again made a terrible decision. According to the Detroit News, her Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs sent a letter threatening all doctors and pharmacists in Michigan who prescribe or dispense Hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19. The letter threatens administrative action against the licenses of doctors who prescribe it. It also instructs pharmacists to ignore physician orders for this medication. This is unacceptable and I’m confident Governor Whitmer, and her administration, will be responsible for many deaths and much suffering. 

I highly recommend she stop the politics, and not discourage doctors from using treatment they believe may work. It could be a matter of life or death for numerous patients. 

RTWT.

Dana White is Hellbent on Staging UFC 249 Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

UFC president Dana White understands that he infuriates and scares some people by just saying he is trying to stage a major fight night on April 18. 

He understands that some, maybe even the majority, think he should just sit in his Las Vegas mansion and wait this out. He gets that some, maybe even the majority, believe that staging a mixed martial arts card, even one with no fans in attendance and under, as he promises, the strictest possible safety measures, is an absurd and insulting act during a global pandemic.

“Listen,” White told Yahoo Sports this week, “there’s people I care about what they think of me — my employees, my family, my friends. The rest of the people I don’t give a [expletive] what you think of me.”

That’s Dana White. Brash. Profane. Successful. Aggressive. Unapologetic. Detest him if you want. Love him if you want. He isn’t changing. He just isn’t changing. 

To his world view, if he cared what others thought, he never would have built the once-fledgling UFC into a $4 billion global enterprise.

This is why he is about the only sports executive out boldly and publicly promising that he will get back to business, at least for one night, as soon as the middle of April. 

He does not lack confidence. 

“One thing I do know is I'm not wrong,” White said. “I know I'm right. I know it's the right thing to do.”

Here are the basics. White wants UFC 249 to happen on April 18, headlined by the highly anticipated lightweight title fight between champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson. It will be staged with no fans in a mostly empty sound stage or arena … somewhere. 

Perhaps in Florida. Perhaps in the Middle East. Somewhere. White isn’t yet saying.

He says he can run an entire card with less than 100 people, including fighters, team members, production crew, refs, doctors and stage hands. He’d prefer a full 12-fight card, but acknowledges it may be fewer than that. It’s complicated.

He won’t divulge details, but one UFC fighter expected to be on the card, Francis Ngannou, has confirmed that he is already being tested for coronavirus, suggesting that this will be done to everyone associated, both pre and post fight. Here’s hoping that’s true.

White is adamant in his belief he can do this with no risk to anyone. 

Is he right? He better be.

White’s bombast (even if he, and many others, believe it) can distract from his central message. 

“I promise you this,” the 50-year-old said, as an example. “I am going to die someday. I don’t know how. I don’t know from what. But if it's the coronavirus then what am I going to do? Let’s do it. Come on coronavirus.”

That’s a risk he's willing to take. What if his decisions impact others who aren't?

“How long are we going to hide?” he counters. “Are we going to hide for months? Are we going to shut down the whole world for months? It’s crazy.”

That’s White. He tends to say the quiet parts out loud.

GO READ THE WHOLE THING.

Second French Study by Dr. Raoult finds Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin Helped EVERY PATIENT in Study Group of 80 Minus One (VIDEO)

This time Dr. Raoult administered hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin to 80 patients and observed improvement in EVERY CASE except for a very sick 86-year-old with an advanced form of coronavirus infection. This is very promising news once again from Dr. Didier Raoult.

RTWT.

Listen To The Lion

Van Morrison, from St Dominic's Preview

Kid Rock

Po-Dunk

Despite Coronavirus, Sweden Refuses To Shutter Businesses and Limit Gatherings

Perhaps not in Sweden, though. It's hard to predict even the next few hours or days, but it is interesting that Sweden—the one European country that did not want to shut its borders, did not close schools, and has not banned gatherings of fewer than 500 people—so far seems to be containing the spread better than other countries have. 

With beautiful exaggeration, Bloomberg News reported that "Swedes Try Laissez-Faire Model in Controversial Virus Response." Sweden did not do this out of libertarian zeal, but because of a tradition of listening to experts and health authorities, who thought it better to track individual cases within the country than to shut everything down. 

When everybody is awaiting the latest epidemiological data to make decisions, there is less room for political grandstanding and strongman rhetoric. 

There is also a case to be made that the culture of personal responsibility and interpersonal trust makes it easier for the Swedish government to leave the ultimate decisions to the people. 

When the public health agency recommends working from home and avoiding unnecessary gatherings, most Swedes abide by it, even without putting police on the streets and imposing stiff penalties. 

That leaves necessary room for local knowledge and personal needs. Individuals, organizations, and businesses can go ahead anyway, if their particular situation makes it especially important that they remain open or move around freely.

GO READ THE WHOLE THING.

THE NUMBERS JUST DON’T ADD UP: Nearly 500,000 Went to Hospital in 2018-19 Flu Season But Today There Are Not Enough Hospital Beds for Coronavirus Patients?

THE NUMBERS JUST DON’T ADD UP: Nearly 500,000 Went to Hospital in 2018-19 Flu Season But Today There Are Not Enough Hospital Beds for Coronavirus Patients?

In other words, how come there was no "ICU & hospital-bed" crises in 2018-2019, when 16.5 MILLION people with influenza went to see a health care provider and 490,600 were hospitalized due to their illness, but in 2020, some 85,600 COVID19 cases broke the US hospital system??? pic.twitter.com/hiJeiQL8Gl

— Ned Nikolov, Ph.D. (@NikolovScience) March 27, 2020

Voices From The Past

Please take a few minutes to watch the two short videos below:





Below is the most-watched YouTube documentary on the topic of the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic — if you have time to watch (over 4 million views):


Now for my family's own stories.......


My father's younger sister, about age 7, died of "the aftereffects of the flu." Something like the 1990 film Awakenings? Full movie HERE at YouTube, albeit poor quality.  I highly recommend the film! It is available via Amazon Prime Video.

Dad occasionally spoke of what happened when his sister died: "The undertaker embalmed Chrissie at the house — and dumped the blood behind the barn."  The funeral service and burial were private.  The influenza didn't stop until everything was shut down: schools, funerals, churches, etc.  And the government refused to believe that something terrible was happening with Americans' health.  Until, that is, bodies began piling up on the sidewalks and in the streets of Washington, D.C.

My maternal grandmother (1898-1981) had a robust immune system. It fell to her to take care of her brother Walter, who brought influenza to their remote location in the mountains of East Tennessee when he was discharged from the US Army, fell ill himself, and gave the flu to his brother-in-law Fred, my grandmother's husband.  My grandmother sent her two children, one born in 1916 and the other in 1918 to her parents' farm and took care of Walter and Fred.

My grandmother related the story of those days in this way: "I got almost no sleep.  I went back and forth between the river for cold water and the menfolks' foreheads.  They were out of their heads with fever.  My sister brought food, called to me, and set the food down about 25 feet from the house; I fetched the food from there.  I don't remember how long all this went on.  Seemed like forever.  But Walter and Fred got well, and life went back to normal."  I asked Wawa how she stood those weeks of hard work as a nurse.  Her response: "Life isn't about what you want to do.  Life is about what you have to do."

A view of the front lines of this grim war against Coronavirus (dated March 23, 2020): The Growing Chaos Inside New York’s Hospitals.

And one more thing...in the immortal words of Gilda Radner:

Dr. Fauci in New England Journal of Medicine Concedes the Coronavirus Mortality Rate May Be Much Closer to a Very Bad Flu

Dr Fauci authored article in NEJM today supports contention below that COVID fatality rate may be much closer to very bad flu. H/t @mizdonna @Barnes_Law @ITGuy1959 @ScottAdamsSays @theconservador https://t.co/4hQZR8DvZb https://t.co/d4wvZzgctS pic.twitter.com/9x59TsVEKk

— BlackJack (@BlackJackBoGre1) March 26, 2020

On the basis of a case definition requiring a diagnosis of pneumonia, the currently reported case fatality rate is approximately 2%.4 In another article in the Journal, Guan et al.5 report mortality of 1.4% among 1099 patients with laboratory-confirmed Covid-19; these patients had a wide spectrum of disease severity. 

If one assumes that the number of asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic cases is several times as high as the number of reported cases, the case fatality rate may be considerably less than 1%. 

This suggests that the overall clinical consequences of Covid-19 may ultimately be more akin to those of a severe seasonal influenza (which has a case fatality rate of approximately 0.1%) or a pandemic influenza (similar to those in 1957 and 1968) rather than a disease similar to SARS or MERS, which have had case fatality rates of 9 to 10% and 36%, respectively.

70,000 people died in the United States in the 1968 "Hong Kong Flu". (By the way, obviously the Democratic President LBJ was a racist for calling it that, right?)

So, how bad is a flu that is two times worse than the regular flu?

Well, here are the numbers on the CDC website:

So, we're shutting down the entire American economy for that.

Perhaps 30K TO 100K deaths.

SHUTTING DOWN THE FUCKING ECONOMY!

How many people die in car crashes every year? 1.25 million

How many people die of suicide every year? 48,344

How many people die of Alcoholism every year? 88,000

We could go on all day.

So, what is my theory again?

THE CORONAVIRUS PROPHECIES: Battle of the Billionaires

One way the Coronavirus Prophecies*** can be understood is as a war between competing world visions - Globalism vs Nationalism - with Billionaires  facing off in a kind of Mutual Assured Destruction.

The Globalists decided to wage Economic Warfare against the Nationalists by inventing a worldwide Virus hysteria that requires us all to stay in our houses.

This puts a huge crushing weight on the marketplace. The marketplace is probably functioning at about 70% right now. People need food and essentials, but we don't need to go to movies, amusement parks, Casinos, vacations, Massage businesses, etc.

When you look at that list, you realize Trump and the Nationalists actually have the upper hand. Those businesses are the purview of the Ultra Left. Most of the people in those businesses have a Globalist mindset dominated by the worship of Gaia, and airy-fairy New Age bullshit.

The people in the essential industries, banking, packaging, Construction (New medical offices, hospitals, etc), home repair, AC and Heating, are more likely to be salt of the Earth types, and, yes, Nationalists.

So, how long can the Billionaires train their weapons at each other before one blinks?

------- 

*** I've decided to call the current virus hysteria "The Coronavirus Prophecies" because it requires a religious faith; a deep belief in apocalypse, and a lack of Hope.

Another Big Picture Takeaway From The Coronavirus Message

Previously, I have stated that there are three big picture takeaways - or, things we learn - from the Coronavirus panic of 2020.

1) Stay in your home 

2) Get all information from the internet 

3) The Government will take care of you

I realized there is a fourth:

4) The Government is more important than the people - government employees are not losing their paychecks.

Government offices may shut down, but the government workers are continuing to get paid.

Meanwhile, small businesses who are being forced to shut down, or curtail hours, are likely to end up going out of business.

People are being told not to report to work. Many are not going to receive paychecks.

Families will lose their life savings. Families will lose their homes.

Michigan’s Democrat Governor THREATENS All Doctors and Pharmacists who Prescribe or Dispense Hydroxychloroquine for Coronavirus Patients

These people possess a naked hatred for human beings:

If you live in Michigan, and you or a loved one is infected with this potentially lethal disease, you’re out of luck. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs literally threatened all doctors and pharmacists in the state who prescribe or dispense hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19. 

The agency’s March 24 letter warns physicians and pharmacists of professional consequences for the prescribing of hydroxychloroquine (and chloroquine). Beyond the rational recommendation against hoarding as production of this medication needs to be ramped up, the letter deviates into open threats of “administrative action” against the licenses of doctors that prescribe hydroxychloroquine. 

The letter also instructs pharmacists to ignore physician orders for this medication. Due to the debate over a pharmacist’s right to refuse to fill medications that go against their religious beliefs, this could place pharmacists in the unprecedented position of being told that they must fill prescriptions that violate their “conscience (religious belief)” but must not fill prescriptions to treat COVID-19. 

Even worse, the letter indicates health care providers are “required to report” their fellow physicians who are prescribing these medications. This draconian measure carries ominous Gestapo-like overtones of neighbor reporting neighbor to “authorities.”

Belgium, Bahrain report coronavirus treatment touted by Trump is working for patients

Bahrain and Belgium report their hospitals are successfully treating coronavirus patients with the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine touted by President Trump as a possible breakthrough in the pandemic. 

The Kingdom of Bahrain's Supreme Council of Health chairman said his country was among the first to use the drug and that its impact has been "profound," according to the Bahrain News Agency. 

Dr. Shaikh Mohamed, who leads the National Taskforce for Combating COVID-19, was also quoted by the news agency as saying hydroxychloroquine was administered according to the same regimens as those used in China and South Korea. 

The first COVID-19 case in Bahrain was reported on Feb. 21, and hydroxychloroquine was first administered to patients showing virus symptoms on Feb. 26. As of March 25, the virus had caused 4 deaths in Bahrain, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. Hydroxychloroquine is used to prevent and treat malaria and is administered to patients with rheumatoid arthritis or lupus. 

Meanwhile in Europe, another U.S. ally, Brussels, is reporting similar early success with the same drug and is taking steps to ensure its availability for the sickest coronavirus patients.

GO READ THE WHOLE THING.

HUGE Win For Second Amendment: L.A. Sheriff Reverses Decision To Close Gun Stores

HUGE Win For Second Amendment: L.A. Sheriff Reverses Decision To Close Gun Stores

Rising Appalachia

Cuckoo