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Why hasn't coronavirus killed more Russians, experts ask

Henry Meyer
Bloomberg
Wed, 13 May 2020 07:42 UTC
Moscow healthcare workers
© Sergei Bobylev/TASS via Getty Images
Health workers exit a Covid-19 contamination area at the Federal Clinical Center of Higher Medical Technologies near Moscow, on May 12.
As Russia's surging coronavirus infections have turned it into a global epidemic hotspot second only to the U.S., one thing puzzles health experts: Why is it reporting so few deaths?

Russian officials say 2,305 people have died so far from Covid-19 out of 252,245 confirmed cases since the epidemic erupted. Russia's total cases on Tuesday overtook those of Spain, which has reported close to 27,000 deaths, after passing the U.K. and Italy, which have more than 13 times the Russian level of fatalities.

The World Health Organization said it's in talks with Russia about the country's statistics for coronavirus deaths, which at 0.9% is far below the global average and the lowest among nations with the highest numbers of infections.

Melita Vujnovic, the organization's chief representative in Russia, said in a phone interview last week:
"We as the WHO are closely discussing this with the Russian authorities. They are looking at the entire mortality to see if something has been missed."
Vujnovic told Russian state TV on Wednesday she doesn't believe the authorities are deliberately downplaying the mortality rate but a "re-calculation" of the death toll may happen. The Health Ministry didn't respond to requests for comment for this article.

Comment: The assumption: If all countries skew their data, there is no issue. It only takes one country to challenge both the global health argument and its subsequent protocol. Thus, Western media lapdogs have taken up the 'dressing down' of Russia's Covid-19 reporting:
"Experts want to know why coronavirus hasn't killed more Russians," Bloomberg mused on Thursday, shocking more than a few people with its headline's air of disappointment. The article's title was subsequently revised to "Experts question why coronavirus hasn't killed more Russians," which is...so much better.

The outlet hinted that a "recalculation" was in the works that would beef up Russia's death rate significantly, according to Melita Vujnovic, the lead World Health Organization representative in the country. But Vujnovic only said a "recalculation" might occur - and she clarified on Russian TV on Tuesday that "there are no facts indicating deliberate understating" of the death rate.

The concern-trolling outbreak focused on Russia's body count struck other outlets, including the New York Times and Financial Times. The former claimed on Monday that Covid-19 death totals in Russia were 70 percent higher than reported, citing "independent demographer" Aleksei Raksha, whom they praised for "spotting" data "buried in an obscure government statistics website." The irony of using an "independent demographer" (read: non-expert) to manipulate official statistics in order to accuse Moscow of manipulating statistics appeared to be lost on the Times, especially when the same article admitted "the death toll will be updated...by the end of this month" - meaning the numbers they took issue with weren't even final.

While the Russian Embassy to the US has asked for a retraction from the New York Times, and the Russian Embassy to the UK - from the Financial Times, they're probably not holding their breath.
Noting that NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg had accused Russia and China of "spreading a lot of disinformation during the Covid-19 pandemic, trying to change the world order," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova drily observed that a 'world order' in which it's considered acceptable to lament why a virus didn't kill more Russian people could probably use a change.
And this from Russia's FM Lavrov: "I am generally opposed to holding a show trial of journalists, but journalists should be held responsible for what they publish." He added the issues with the accuracy of reported information deserve "special attention" from the regulating authorities and expressed his disdain for those who are using the extreme and devastating situation of a global pandemic to "smear their political opponents."

The Russian embassy in the United States has asked the New York Times for a retraction, while the Russian Embassy to the UK has asked the same from the Financial Times. Roskomnadzor, Russia's media regulator, has launched a formal investigation into the conduct of these publications.


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Snakes in Suits

Orban to hand back emergency Covid-19 'powers'; tells EU critics it's 'time to apologize!'


RT
Fri, 15 May 2020 15:42 UTC
Orban
© the Irish Times
Hungarian PM Victor Orban
Hungarian PM Viktor Orban has said emergency laws granting his government the right to rule by decree during the Covid-19 crisis will be rescinded soon and those who accused him of using it as a power grab should "apologize".

Orban secured open-ended emergency powers from parliament at the end of March, angering the country's opposition and triggering a spat with Brussels. The move predictably ignited a fresh round of condemnation in Western media as the PM was accused of dismantling democracy and taking another step toward "authoritarianism."

Now, having announced that he expects parliament will be able to "return the special powers" to tackle Covid-19 at the end of May, Orban feels the time is ripe for an apology. According to a statement posted by his spokesperson on Twitter, Orban will "give everyone a chance to apologize to Hungary for the unfair charges" when the powers are taken back.

There was "no basis for the criticisms" leveled against him, he added, according to Reuters. But that's not all. Once they apologize, Orban also expects to hear some "admiration for the success" of Hungary's battle against the virus. As of May 15, the government has confirmed 3,417 cases of the infection and 442 deaths.

Comment: If this exercise in medical fallacy were truly the monster it was made out to be, Orban would still be right in his indignation of unfair judgement. But it wasn't. Orban's opposition to global diktat is justified. It's why the Hungarians keep him around.

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Attention

It's for my own good! - How we learned to love big brother

James Corbett
Corbett Report
Sat, 16 May 2020 19:05 UTC
He gazed up at the enormous face. Forty years it had taken him to learn what kind of smile was hidden beneath the dark moustache. O cruel, needless misunderstanding! O stubborn, self-willed exile from the loving breast! Two gin-scented tears trickled down the sides of his nose. But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother.

― George Orwell, 1984
Love Big Brother
© Corbett Report
When I started The Corbett Report in 2007, the idea that governments were watching and listening to everything you do was still wild-eyed conspiracy theory. Oh, sure, the fact that the NSA had been secretly and illegally wiretapping Americans since at least 9/11 was, by that point, mainstream news. But those "revelations" (which themselves were old news to conspiracy realists) were not enough to convince the dyed-in-the-wool coincidence theorists that the government was actively engaged in the electronic surveillance of everyone.

We conspiracy realists could (and did) talk till we were blue in the face about the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act and Stellar Wind and Room 641A. "The NSA is splitting off the internet trunk lines and running them into locked off server rooms, for crying out loud!" we shouted. "What more do you need to know?"

We talked to NSA whistleblowers like William Binney and Russ Tice. We learned about ThinThread and Trailblazer, and how mass collection of everything was ready and waiting to go before 9/11. We learned how the NSA was spying on high-ranking officials within the US government itself, including senior Congressional leaders, high-ranking military generals, the entire Supreme Court, and even then-Senator from Illinois and future President, Barack Obama.

We made note of the mainstream media's own casual admissions of the power of the deep state's spying tools. How our phones are listening to us even when they're "off." How smart appliances will be used to spy on us in our own homes. How the FBI can go back and listen to a recording of any phone conversation you've had at any point in the past, even if you weren't under surveillance.

"Big Brother is already here!" we warned. "1984 is today!"

And we were laughed at.
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Light Sabers

Trump slams the 'radical left': They are 'in total command and control of' social media and vows administration is 'working to remedy this illegal situation'

Matthew Wright and Frances Mulraney
Daily Mail
Sat, 16 May 2020 18:48 UTC
trump

A picture shared by Donald Trump on Twitter when he met with tech chiefs including Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, pictured to the far right. He slammed the social media platforms on Saturday
President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Saturday to slam popular social media platforms for being controlled by 'the radical left.'

Trump launched into his tirade on Saturday morning while sharing a video of a speech given by Michelle Malkin - a right-wing conspiracy theorist who has previously questioned the number of people who have died in the Holocaust.

'The Radical Left is in total command & control of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Google,' Trump said in his tweet. 'The Administration is working to remedy this illegal situation. Stay tuned, and send names & events. Thank you Michelle!'

Trump's tweet came after it emerged that federal and state regulators in the U.S. are preparing to file antitrust lawsuits alleging Google has abused its dominance of online search and advertising to stifle competition and and boost its profits.
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Bullseye

Trump needs to recruit a medical 'Red Team' to challenge lockdown-crazed governors

Stephen C. Meyer
The Federalist
Thu, 14 May 2020 18:05 UTC
fauci
© Joyce N. Boghosian
President Trump and 50 governors now face a critical choice. Since March 16, 33 million Americans have filed for unemployment, and more than 83,000 American deaths have been attributed to the COVID-19 virus.

So what to do? How many more weeks, months, or even years should current sheltering-in-place orders continue? When can or should they be lifted?

The administration's virus taskforce has recommended only a gradual lifting of stay-at-home orders and has established criteria for full re-opening that could take months to satisfy in many states. Yet Trump also insisted that even though "some people [will] be affected badly. . . and there will be more death," "we have to get our country open and we have to get it open soon."

Many in the media condemned this statement as "risking more death to save the economy" and a dangerous repudiation of "the science." Blue-state governors who have refused to reopen have similarly cited "the science" to justify their decisions to extend stay-at-home orders.

"Health outcomes and science — not politics — will guide these decisions," three West Coast governors insisted in a recent joint statement. "Any plan to reopen society MUST be driven by data and experts, not opinion and politics," echoed New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D). But which experts?
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War Whore

Poland would gladly host American nukes if Germany refuses, US envoy claims, fanning 'Cuban missile crisis 2.0'


RT
Sat, 16 May 2020 17:44 UTC
nukes
© US DoD / SSGT Phil Schmitten
As the US ambassador to Germany - and acting spy chief - tried persuading Berlin to keep hosting US nuclear weapons, his colleague in Warsaw suggested Poland would be willing to take them instead, an act sure to provoke Moscow.

"If Germany wants to diminish nuclear capability and weaken NATO, perhaps Poland - which pays its fair share, understands the risks, and is on NATO's eastern flank - could house the capabilities here," Ambassador Georgette Mosbacher tweeted on Friday.

She was commenting on the statement by Rick Grenell, the US ambassador to Germany who is also the acting director of National Intelligence, issued on Thursday, urging the authorities in Berlin not to weaken NATO by seeking the removal of US nuclear weapons from their soil.

"The purpose of NATO's nuclear share is to keep non-nuclear member states involved in the planning of NATO's deterrence policy. Germany's participation in nuclear share ensures that its voice matters," Grenell wrote. "Will Germany bear this responsibility, or will it sit back and simply enjoy the economic benefits of security provided by its other allies?"
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Black Magic

Pompeo gives Israel green light to annex land in West Bank


Middle East Monitor
Thu, 14 May 2020 20:47 UTC
Netanyahu and Pompeo
© Haim Zach/Anadolu Agency
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) meets Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) in Tel Aviv, Israel on 29 April 2018
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has given Israel a green light to annex land in the occupied West Bank, Anadolu Agency reports.

"The Israeli government will decide on the matter, on exactly when and how to do it," Pompeo said in an interview with Israel's Kan Radio late on Wednesday.

"I hope the Palestinians understand that peace is good for them," he added in the interview cited by Israeli daily Jerusalem Post.


Comment: Spoken like a true mafioso! As if 'The Deal of the Century' has any semblance of a true and equitable peace plan.


Pompeo was referring to the so-called Deal of the Century, the US' proposed peace plan which has been rejected by Palestinians, including President Mahmoud Abbas.

Comment: See also:

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Syringe

Trump's 'warp speed' vaccine czar oversaw an infamously botched vaccination. Wonder why a THIRD of Americans want to dodge this one?

Helen Buyniski
RT
Sat, 16 May 2020 17:08 UTC
GlaxoSmithKline pharmaceuticals
© Reuters / Matthew Childs; Reuters / Carl Recine
FILE PHOTOS.
US President Donald Trump's bid to rush a coronavirus jab to market by the end of 2020 has worried some Americans, even before he named it "Operation Warp Speed" and appointed the developer of a failed swine flu vaccine to run it.

Nearly a third of Americans might refuse a vaccine for the novel coronavirus, according to a poll conducted earlier this month by Civic Science. The percentage has likely gone up since then, as the 2,900 respondents to that survey gave their answers before Trump announced on Friday that the 12-to-18-month timeline for vaccine development - already unheard-of in the pharmaceutical industry - would be stepped up with an eye toward rolling out a shot by the end of the year.

It's not just the shockingly abbreviated timetable that has Americans worried about their safety regarding the proposed vaccine - the head of the initiative already has one botched jab under his belt, and he's invested (literally) in several of the vaccine candidates under development.
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Corona

It's all a show: CNN reporter who blasted Trump for not wearing mask removes own mask seconds after WH press briefing


RT
Sat, 16 May 2020 16:55 UTC
reporters mask wh
© REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Reporters in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, Us, May 11, 2020.
CNN correspondent Kaitlan Collins has been accused of Covid-19 theatrics, as she was caught hastily removing her face mask after a White House briefing. Collins has criticized Donald Trump for not wearing masks in public.

Despite the president's 'masks are optional' policy at White House briefings, the CNN journalist, like most of her colleagues, wore one during the press event on Friday.

However, when Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany walked off the podium, Collins wasted no time in taking off the protective item as she brushed past other people in the room - a social distancing faux pas in the age of coronavirus.

Her seemingly contradictory behavior caught the eye of conservative commentators. "She thought cameras were off, so mask goes off," joked Mike Cernovich.


The media use masks to "perpetuate fear," argued one observer. "It's a feature not a bug."

Comment: Total hypocrisy. One rule for them, another rule for everyone else. Mask-wearing is a fad, but worse than just that. It's not just a fashion statement - it's a constant signal to be afraid, and the media are feeding that fear with these ridiculous performances for the camera.

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V

Jeremy Corbyn's brother arrested at London lockdown protest: Government measures are a 'pack of lies'


Sputnik
Sat, 16 May 2020 16:21 UTC
lockdown protest london piers corbyn
© Agence France-Presse/Justin Tallis
Piers Corbyn (C), brother of former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, is arrested by police officers at an anti-coronavirus lockdown demonstration in Hyde Park in London on May 16, 2020, following an easing of lockdown rules in England during the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.
The UK has been on lockdown to slow the spread of coronavirus since 23rd March, with people urged to stay at home as much as possible and many businesses and services shut down temporarily.

The brother of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has been arrested at an anti-lockdown protest in London's Hyde Park.

Photos and videos from the park showed around 40 protesters gathered the morning of 16th May, near world-famous Speaker's Corner at the north-eastern end of the park. Some held banners bearing the slogans "this is not about a virus, this is about control" and "no to the new abnormal".

Comment: Piers is giving voice to the conclusion many are coming to regarding the lockdown. Protecting the public is not the real goal. The death toll bears that out.

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