Coronavirus – A Perspective from Britain Part 10

Written by Andy Rowlands on September 2, 2020. Posted in Current News

This article covers the last two weeks in August and reports on some interesting statistical anomalies and peculiar advice given about the ongoing ‘pandemic’ as unfolding in the United Kingdom.

The graph (above) is the number of new cases recorded for two densely populated locations, the city of Birmingham and town of Solihull for August (these locations are a mere 7 miles apart-see map below).

On the 4^th, the BBC virus webpage showed no new case figures, but no explanation was given. On the 11^th & 12th, the BBC virus webpage and Worldometer showed no new case or death figures, due to ‘technical issues’.

On the 12^th, case number reporting resumed, and was 123 for Birmingham, but some of that was from the 11^th. On the 13^th, no numbers were shown, and on the 14^th, the number was 119, some of which were from the 13^th. I decided to not include the 123 and 119, as it made the other numbers too small to see properly.

No new case numbers were shown on the BBC virus webpage until August 17^th, so all the days with no numbers, or where they are several days lumped together, are shown as zero, to avoid huge spikes which makes the other numbers too small to see properly. Several other days have seen no update, so those days are shown as zero as well.

Since March, there have been 1187 deaths in Birmingham from a population of 1.1 million, and 263 in Solihull from a population of 240,000, up to August 14^th. This is the most recent data available.

This is the chart for new cases in the UK up to August 31^st.

On the 16^th, The Mirror carried an article about rented accommodation evictions starting again, as the five-month government ban ends on the 23^rd. It states in part:

“Vulnerable people face a “new wave of homelessness” after the evictions ban ends in a week’s time, cross-party MPs have warned.

Twenty-one MPs have written to rough sleeping minister Luke Hall to demand more help for the homeless when the change comes in from August 23.

Landlords will have to submit a ‘reactivation notice’ in which they set out information about the tenants’ circumstances, including whether Covid-19 has hit their rent.

“The evictions deadline on 23 August threatens a new wave of homelessness, and we need to treat all rough sleepers with as much compassion as possible at any time, especially in the present circumstances.”

The National Residential Landlords Association, which pushed for evictions to restart, insisted there would be no surge in people losing their homes.” (Emphasis added)

The National Residential Landlords Association pushed for evictions to restart? How charitable of them.

It can be seen here:-www.mirror.co.uk

On the 18^th, the BBC virus webpage had the following:

“There have been more than 319,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus so far in the UK and over 41,000 people have died, government figures show.

However, these figures include only people who have died within 28 days of testing positive for coronavirus and other measures suggest the number of deaths is higher.

ONS figures published on Tuesday show the death certificates of more than 56,000 people who died before 7 August mentioned coronavirus. These people may not have been tested for the virus.” (Emphasis added to both paragraphs)

On the 19^th, the BBC virus webpage reported the lockdown in Aberdeen had been extended for another week.

The same day, The Daily Star reported:

“A new study shows flu and pneumonia are now killing six times as many people as the deadly coronavirus. The viral illnesses killed 1,013 people in the first week of August alone… six times more than the 152 who lost their lives to coronavirus.” (Emphasis added)

It can be seen here: www.dailystar.co.uk

Also on the 19^th, The Mirror reported Health Secretary Matt Hancock saying he wants the entire UK population to be regularly tested for the Covid virus. The article states in part:

“The Health Secretary announced there is ‘huge project in government right now’ to obtain regular tests for everyone as standard – even without symptoms. But the details are vague and there’s no deadline. (Emphasis added)

The Health Secretary claimed a “huge project” is under way in government to flood the country with tests for everyone, even those who have no coronavirus symptoms.

Mr Hancock refused to spell out any firm details of his plan or set a deadline for it – saying only testing would be ramped up “over the remainder of this year”. (Emphasis added)

And it is not clear how his ambitious pledge would be funded or whether it would apply to devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

But Mr Hancock claimed if the “moon shot” works, it could allow some of the remaining restrictions on businesses, and meeting family and friends, to be eased. (Emphasis added)

“Mass testing, population testing, where we make it the norm that people get tested regularly, allowing us therefore to allow some of the freedoms back, is a huge project in government right now.” (Emphasis added)

It comes after researchers found up to 72% of people who tested positive for coronavirus did not have symptoms.”

It can be seen here: www.mirror.co.uk

Also on the 19^th, the Evening Standard reported Hancock as saying there is no reason for people not to return to workplace offices, as there is little evidence the virus is passed there. In the same article, Dr Simon Clarke, associate professor of cellular microbiology at the University of Reading, was quoted as saying:

“In the absence of appropriate data, it seems rather cavalier to dismiss workplaces as a source of potential infection, but label shops as higher risk and requiring masks, even though interactions with people are far more fleeting and less intimate.” (Emphasis added)

On the 20^th, the BBC virus webpage said:

“Of the deaths registered in England and Wales in the week to 7 August, 152 involved coronavirus, or just 1.7% of the total of 8,945.” (Emphasis added)

The same day, the head of a school in Milton Keynes took it upon himself to mandate all pupils over the age of five to wear masks while at his school when they return in September.

This goes against government advice that no-one under 11 needs to wear them. I would hope there will be significant backlash from the parents. Carl Vernon’s video discussing it can be seen here:

www.youtube.com

On the 21^st, the main BBC website had an article that said:

“Birmingham has been added to a watchlist as an “area of enhanced support”, amid growing concerns about a rise in coronavirus cases in the city.”

A bit further down the article it said:

“Dr Ron Daniels, an intensive care consultant in the West Midlands, said that despite the increase “our hospitals are relatively empty of patients with this condition“. (Emphasis added)

“We’re seeing very few patients admitted to hospital let alone requiring intensive care,” he said, adding: “It’s true that testing at the moment is identifying a younger population who don’t tend to become as seriously ill.”

So in other words, it is just more fear mongering. It can be seen here: www.bbc.co.uk

The same day, the BBC virus webpage indicated the R number in the UK had increased to 0.9 to 1.1, but also commented “the figures are estimates and that there is a high degree of uncertainty around them.”

The virus webpage also commented:

“The most recent data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which surveys a sample of households in England for current infections, suggests there was a small increase in the percentage of people testing positive for Covid-19 in July, but this appears to have now levelled off.”

On the 21^st, the BBC reported the re-start of private renting evictions, which had been slated to resume on the 24^th, has been extended until September 20^th, and landlords will have to give six months’ notice of the intention to evict.

The National Residential Landlords Association, which I reported further up this article had pushed for evictions to re-start, described the blanket extension as “unacceptable“.

It can be seen here: www.bbc.co.uk

On the 22^nd, Britain dropped into 12^th place by cases, having been overtaken by Argentina.

The same day, it was revealed scores of MPs and former ministers have urged the PM to tackle a backlog in NHS cancer care that threatens to lead to thousands of early deaths over the next decade. One senior oncologist has claimed that in a worst-case scenario the effects of the lockdowns could result in up to 30,000 cancer deaths in the next ten years.

Also on the 22^nd, Sir Mark Walport, a member of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, said the virus will be present “forever in some form or another“, and that people would need to be vaccinated at regular intervals.

With us forever? Just like every other virus then!

On the 23^rd, the Daily Express quoted Carl Heneghan, Professor of Evidence-based medicine at Oxford University, saying the virus is not as deadly as was thought and the public fear that is stopping the country returning to normal is unfounded. Professor Heneghan called for the government to intervene and “proactively reassure the population“.

It further quotes him saying exaggerated fears of Covid have led to

“people going about their daily lives misunderstanding and overestimating their risk”. (Emphasis added)

The article then reminds us that it was Professor Heneghan’s work that led to a lowering of the official death toll after he revealed Covid deaths were being counted even if someone had subsequently died of other causes, and his latest new data revealed the fatality rate had fallen from 2-3 per cent in the height of the pandemic to 0.3%.

It quotes him saying “if the downward trend continues the pandemic may end up no worse than a bad flu season.”

It can be seen here: www.express.co.uk

On the 25^th, The Independent reported Boris Johnson has decided face masks will be compulsory in schools in Manchester from September 1st. The article says, in part:

“From 1 September, staff and pupils in secondary schools in local lockdown areas like Manchester and Oldham will be required to wear face coverings when moving around the building and in communal areas where social distancing is difficult to maintain. Masks will not be mandated in the classroom.

Elsewhere in the country, masks will not be obligatory but school leaders will have the discretion to require face coverings in communal areas if they believe that is “right in their particular circumstances”.

The last-minute changes came after the Scottish government ordered the use of face coverings in schools north of the border and Wales announced it was reviewing the policy.”

The article can be seen here: www.independent.co.uk

The same day, the US ABC news website carried at article about a report published in the British Medical Journal, with the headline 6 feet may not always be enough distance to protect from COVID-19, new report suggests

The article says, in part:

“In the report, researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Oxford say other factors, such as ventilation, crowd size, exposure time and whether face coverings are worn, need to be considered, as well.

Some evidence suggests that the coronavirus may travel more than 6 feet through activities like coughing and shouting, the researchers wrote. In the highest-risk situations, such as indoors with poor ventilation, large crowds, prolonged contact time and no face coverings, distancing beyond 6 feet should be considered. Locations that fall under this category include bars, stadiums or restaurants.

Evidence suggests that the 6-foot distance should be the minimum indoors, said Linsey Marr, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech.

Marr, who studies how the virus could be spread through aerosol transmission, said that contrary to guidelines, everybody should be wearing masks when indoors even if they are 6 feet from others.” (Emphasis added in both paragraphs)

The article shows this handy illustration included in the BMJ report.

The bottom line of this is to have the least risk of infection, wear face-nappies indoors, at all times outside your own home, associate with as few people as possible, and stay silent. This is quite obviously intended to reduce social interaction.

The article can be seen here:www.nbcnews.com

Just as with ‘climate change’, almost every news report on the virus, almost every article and most government advice, seems deliberately intended to instill fear in the populace.

On the 27^th, the UK dropped a further place by cases, to 13^th place, having been overtaken by Iran.

The same day, The Telegraph revealed the president of the Royal College said NHS surgeons are only working at around 50 per cent capacity, despite record waiting times for crucial operations. If you can get past the paywall, it can be seen here: www.telegraph.co.uk

Also on the 27^th, Sky News reported a food-packing factory in Norfolk has partially closed after 75 of 347 staff had tested positive for the virus, and ALL 347 staff tested told to self-isolate for 14 days.

As the article points out, other food-processing factories have partially or fully closed in the UK, including sites in Northampton, Wisbech, Wrexham, Cleckheaton, Merthyr Tydfil and Llangefni.

An outside observer might be tempted to surmise these food plant closures are deliberate to produce food shortages. Indeed, some have claimed this is exactly what is being done.

It can be seen here: news.sky.com

On the 28^th, The Times reported the results of a new study that shows all the children who died of the virus were already seriously ill. It states in part:

“No child who was not already profoundly ill has died of Covid-19 in Britain, a large study has indicated, with the researchers saying that the results should reassure parents as a new school term begins. (Emphasis added)

The study looked at 260 hospitals in England, Wales and Scotland. Out of the 69,500 patients admitted with proven Covid-19 in the first six months of the year, 651 — or 0.9 per cent — were under 19 years of age.

Six deaths of minors were recorded. Three were newborn babies with other severe health problems. The other three were aged 15 to 18 years old and also had ‘profound health issues’.”

It can be seen here: www.thetimes.co.uk

On the 30^th, the BBC virus webpage said:

“The government has said in the past that the R number is one of the most important factors in making policy decisions, but it now says these estimates are less reliable and less useful because the number of cases is relatively low.” (Emphasis added)

Low case numbers, very low death numbers, yet the restrictions continue, with rumours of them being increased rather than relaxed. This is the chart for the number of UK deaths to August 31^st, using the revised counting method. We can see deaths have dropped close to zero.

The number of deaths from all causes registered in a single week – including coronavirus – had stayed below the five-year average for eight consecutive weeks, and has now returned to ‘normal’ levels.

You also have to wonder why facemasks were not mandated in shops until deaths had dropped quite low, as in the illustration below:

On the NHS website, under ‘Common Cold’ you can now find the words:

If you have a high temperature, a new, continuous cough or a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste, it could be coronavirus (COVID-19).

It can be seen here: www.nhs.uk

The number of people in the UK in critical condition had dropped from 1559 at the end of May, to 279 by June 30^th, to 84 by the end of July, and to 60 by August 31^st.

Across the world, at the time of writing, Worldometer says there have been 25.8 million cases and 857,000 deaths. Of the 6.89 million currently active cases worldwide, 6.83 million are mild, while just 61,000 (1%) are classed as serious / critical.

One of my social media friends made this rather good comment:

You would have thought that a choice between:

A: Facing a virus with a 99.74% survival rate and well-defined vulnerable groups who can be protected.

and:

B: The replacement of normal social relations with a dystopian hell of separation, restriction and surveillance, economic collapse, censorship, propaganda and possible forced medication.

would be a no-brainer. Apparently not.

The more we try and isolate ourselves from infection, the more damage we will do to our immune systems, and people will end up being felled by a cold. More people will die in the next few years from untreated medical conditions and compromised immune systems than will be killed by the virus.

About the author: Andy Rowlands is a British Principia Scientific International researcher, writer and editor who co-edited the new climate science book, ‘The Sky Dragon Slayers: Victory Lap‘

PRINCIPIA SCIENTIFIC INTERNATIONAL, legally registered in the UK as a company incorporated for charitable purposes. Head Office: 27 Old Gloucester Street, London WC1N 3AX. 

Please DONATE TODAY To Help Our Non-Profit Mission To Defend The Scientific Method.

Trackback from your site.