Is the COVID-19 pandemic real?
Pragmatic definitions of “pandemic” vary. They commonly include a rapid spread of an infectious disease across many countries simultaneously that causes widespread severe disease or death above the normal level and that is not a seasonal occurrence. In some parts of the world, this applied to COVID-19 in the first half of 2020, although the mortality overall is relatively mild compared to past severe pandemics such as the 1918-19 Spanish flu and several more recent influenza pandemics such as the Hong Kong flu of 1968 and the Beijing Flu of 1993. The UK government even declared that “[a]s of 19 March 2020, COVID-19 is no longer considered to be a high consequence infectious disease (HCID) in the UK”.
Opinions vary on whether COVID-19 still constitutes a pandemic. In many countries, it now has endemic seasonal characteristics of a winter respiratory virus, while in some countries less affected in early 2020, and
countries that had hard early lockdowns, it is causing more significant mortality.
Do you believe governments have overreacted to the pandemic?
Indeed, governments have chosen a disproportionate response to the pandemic. More specifically, there has been an unprecedented imposition of restrictions on individual liberties with a single-minded focus on stopping the infections at all costs, without regard for the harms of the policies themselves.
That extreme government action has been based on very debatable data and often unsound models.
Do masks work against COVID-19?
We are unaware of any studies using sound methodology that show a benefit for masks in the general population. The only
COVID-19-specific mask study using sound methodology found no significant impact of mask wearing on the spread of the disease. This is consistent with such studies for other respiratory viruses.
Mask wearing is a personal choice and should never be mandated.
Does COVID-19 exist?
COVID-19 is a disease caused by a virus called SARS-CoV-2. SARS-CoV-2 exists. It belongs to the coronavirus family, of which seven are known to cause disease in humans. It is a very close relative of SARS-CoV-1, which caused the disease SARS in 2003.
What is the severity of COVID-19? Is it worse than the flu?
The fatality rate in most people infected with SARS-CoV-2 is very similar to that of the flu. COVID-19 is less severe than the flu for children and young people and more severe than the flu for the elderly with severe underlying illness.
Why has the flu almost disappeared while COVID-19 seems to be increasing?
This is a difficult question. Some argue that the flu didn’t disappear and it’s just not being counted now. Routine diagnostic testing for influenza virus is not commonplace practice. It’s very unlikely that all those who tested negative for COVID-19 will be followed up with a flu test.
In some cases, influenza may also be misdiagnosed as COVID-19.
On the other hand, it has been observed that winter respiratory mortality patterns are usually associated with a single dominant pathogen at any time, so it could be that (this year at least) COVID-19 has simply supplanted influenza and is, in the main, taking the lives that would have previously been lost to influenza.
Can an asymptomatic person transmit the virus to others?
There is no clear evidence in the literature showing that asymptomatic transmission is a major driver of the pandemic.
The poorly supported theory that suggested this, was the main logic behind lockdown policies, which in any event have been shown to have no beneficial effect on death curves.
If you have had COVID-19 does it mean you have natural immunity?
Research has shown that immunity to SARS-CoV-1 exists 17 years later. There is no reason to believe that immune protection from SARS-CoV-2 would not last for years. The persistence of T-cells (white blood cells) has been shown in patients who recovered from COVID-19, which can confer long-term immunity. And of the hundreds of millions of those who have had this infection, it has been extraordinarily rare to be reinfected and get sick; this also implies some lasting immunity.
What is the PCR test designed to do?
The PCR test can detect specific segments of genetic material present in the virus. It can indicate the presence of a virus at the time of testing or previously.
It does not prove that the person is actively infected, or sick or can infect others. If the cycle threshold (Ct) value is low (e.g. below 25), this indicates that there is a lot of viral genetic material, and therefore it is more likely that the virus is active. If the Ct value is high (e.g. above 30), it is more likely that the infection is no longer active.
Positive results can also occur from contamination when taking the sample or handling it in a laboratory. PCR tests can remain positive for weeks and occasionally months after an infected patient is no longer contagious.
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