The Flu (Health)

[Mick Harper]

You are surely overlooking one thing. Human expectations constantly rise. What was acceptable deaths-wise fifty years ago might not be acceptable today.

[Ishmael]

Sure.

[Mick Harper]

This vaxobrouhaha is becoming stranger by the day. One particular source of merriment is a thousand official spokespersons intoning, "Taking the AstraZeneca vaccine is safer than risking Covid." It sure is but the question uppermost in everyone's mind is, "Is it safer to use one of the other half-a-dozen vaccines?"

So is it? The AE aspect is the following. One country (Norway, an inveterate foe of Sweden, home of AstraZeneca) says 'too many bloodclots'. There is no doubt a) that there have been cases b) the number is not markedly out of line but may be marginally more and c) it is fair enough Norway not using Astra-Zeneca temporarily while it does some more number-crunching, Covid is not a big deal in Norway. What is not fair enough is that a dozen other countries, where Covid is a big deal, immediately announce they are doing the same thing. This isn't science, this is lemmings heading for the exit. From what? From exiting lockdown as soon as. A coupla extra bloodclots is worth a coupla months less lockdown in anybody's proper evaluation of overall risks/rewards.

But now comes the punchline. Just as every country in Europe parks millions of Astra-Zeneca jabs in cold storage, the NHS announces it's suspending the Big Rollout for a month on account of being short of, inter alia, Astra-Zeneca jabs. Come on, dummies, they are available half-price anywhere you wanna look.

Then the counter-punchline. Europe announces Britain's going on the naughty step for squirrelling away Astra-Zeneca jabs. They're in cold storage, dummies, anywhere you wanna look.

[Grant]

Just realised the real reason for the hysteria currently gripping the western world - modern technology. I don’t mean social media, but the fact that for the first time in history it’s possible for office workers to work from home.

Previous attempts by the WHO to terrify the world and boost their own importance have come unstuck because we simply couldn’t imagine not going to the office. But for the last few years we have been encouraged to work flexibly. Hysterical pandemics in which most of us work from home are now possible. We have the technological, so now it’s happening.

[Ishmael]

No. This is internationally organized and planned with greater precision than any military operation in history. We don't stand a chance.

[Mick Harper]

Not by WHO. Have you seen them lately? Couldn't organise a pandemic in a virus lab.

[N R Scott]

[Mick Harper]

If I understand your metaphor correctly, WHO is the terribly run branch office, so who or what or where is the Head Office?

[Grant]

There was no head office at Salem in 1692. Hysteria doesn’t need an organiser

[Grant]

In Salem a couple of girls decided to scream “witch.” The circumstances were perfect for the whole town to join in.

The girls are the World Health Organisation which have tried for years to terrify everyone. This time they pushed at an open door and it’s gone global

[Mick Harper]

Some minors reported a crime, some adults were punished for it. It happened a long time ago, a long way away and was such a cause célèbre it never happened again. You've put my mind to rest, Grant, cheers.

[N R Scott]

[Mick Harper]

Well, why didn't you say that in the first place? I've had them in my sights for absolutely yonks.

[Mick Harper]

Remind me who the WEF are. Is it the WWF who had to change their initials because of the other WWF? One finds oneself constantly wrestling with acronyms. 'WWA syndrome' as we call it in AE.

[N R Scott]