Difference between revisions of "Coronavirus"

Revision as of 21:01, February 2, 2020

Electron microscope scan of a coronavirus, so-called due to the crown-like filaments on the surface.

A coronavirus is any of several viruses affecting either animals or humans, and named for the crown-like spikes on the surface of the viral cell. Coronaviruses affect the upper-respiratory tract, causing infections ranging from mild to severe, such as bronchitis and pneumonia. Several strains, such as SARS, MERS, and the late-2019 outbreak in Wuhan, China, have been confirmed to be fatal.

The infection rate for Wuhan coronavirus is estimated to be as high as 83%, with a mortality rate of 15%. Hence out of every 1000 people exposed to the virus, 120 will die. A non-peer reviewed study from China states one person can infect 4 others^[1] (reproduction rate or RO^[2]) and possibly as many as 14.^[3] There is no known treatment or cure.

Sources within China say 90,000 people were infected before the Chinese government alerted the public to the danger of the epidemic. People reporting on social media about the true extent of the disaster from within the Wuhan containment zone risk arrest by Chinese Communist Party.^[4] The Wuhan outbreak and the leftists regime's handling of the crisis has led to questions domestically about the legitimacy of the communist government.^[5]

In the first week after the news leaked out of China, more than ten countries including Singapore, Thailand, Australia, Canada, United States, UK, Germany and others confirmed cases.

Description

Coronaviruses are positive RNA viruses with a diameter of approximately 80-160 nm. The name itself derives from the visual image of individual virus cells as seen by an electron microscope; these cells have a spiky appearance similar to the corona of the sun. This aspect is represented by the glycoprotein that crosses the viral envelope, reaching the protein "coat", called protein S, with hemagglutination and melting properties. The virus structure is more or less typical of coated viruses, therefore it has a helicoidal symmetry nucleocapsid and a pericapsid consisting of a double phospholipid layer of cellular origin; between these two layers there is a protein coat consisting of the M protein (matrix or matrix). In the nucleocapsid is found the genome consisting of an ssRNA + (a single RNA strand with positive polarity) of 27-30 kilo bases which codes for 7 viral proteins and is associated with the protein N.

Coronaviruses attach to the cell membrane of the target cells thanks to their S proteins that interact with the aminopeptidase N of the membrane; some coronaviruses can bind neuraminic N-acetyl acid thanks to the expression of E3 glycoprotein. It is not clear whether cell penetration is performed by fusion of the pericapsid with the plasma membrane or by endocytosis. Inside the cytoplasm of the cell, the coronavirus releases its positive single-stranded RNA which attaches itself to the ribosomes where it is translated. The translation involves the production of an RNA-dependent RNA-polymerase (L protein) which transcribes a single negative-stranded RNA from which it is then possible to obtain new positive-stranded RNAs of the coronavirus as well as the seven proteins that it encodes. Protein N is associated with each new positive RNA strand while pericapside proteins are integrated into the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum. A translocator transfers the new nucleocapsides into the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum, subsequently from this gemstone vesicles which constitute the new virions which can be released by exocytosis.

Coronaviruses are believed to cause a significant percentage of all common colds in adults and children. The most common symptoms are fever and acute adenoiditis with higher incidence during the winter and early spring. In many cases coronaviruses can cause pneumonia, direct viral pneumonia or secondary bacterial pneumonia; they can also lead to the development of bronchitis, direct viral bronchitis or secondary bacterial bronchitis. The human coronavirus discovered in 2003, SARS-CoV, causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), has a unique pathogenesis because it causes upper and lower respiratory tract infections.

As of January 2020, the following seven coronavirus strains are known to infect humans:

• Human Coronavirus 229E (HCoV-229E)
• Human Coronavirus OC43 (HCoV-OC43)
• Human Coronavirus NL63 (HCoV-NL63)
• Human Coronavirus HKU1 (HCoV-HKU1)
• Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV)
• Middle Eastern Coronavirus Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV), also known as Novel Coronavirus 2012 (2012-nCoV) and Human Coronavirus Erasmus Medical Center / 2012 HCoV-EMC / 2012
• Coronavirus 2019-nCoV (2019-nCoV), also known as Wuhan or Novel Coronavirus 2019.

The Wuhan coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is an example of a deadly disease arising in animals deemed to be "unclean" by the Mosaic Law for human consumption, such as bats, snakes, cats and camels.^[6] In addition, developing countries in which basic needs - including hygiene - are poor, income is scare, or are run by corrupt and/or atheistic cultures and governments there is often a history of poverty and famine; their societies in turn would develop a culture reflecting a wider variety of foods eaten (see: Atheism and economics). Where people consume such animals in poorly regulated food markets with poor health systems (see: Atheist hospitals in China and Atheism and medicine and Atheist hospitals) - especially if the food item is improperly prepared and cooked - a coronavirus can take hold in the human population and then spread rapidly to other people.

Origin of Wuhan virus

Projected cases and fatalities January 27, 2020, four days after the outbreak became known; within four more days reported fatalities and infections more than doubled.

The Wuhan coronavirus outbreak has been blamed on China's "wet markets," where raw meat is sold side-by-side with live animals, including illegally sold wild animals. The first reported infected individuals, some of whom showed symptoms as early as December 8, 2019 were discovered to be among stallholders from the Wuhan South China Seafood Market.^[7] This market is said to have sold processed meats and live animals, including chickens, donkeys, sheep, pigs, foxes, badgers, bamboo rats, hedgehogs, and snakes.^[8]

Previous coronavirus outbreaks include SARS-CoV in 2002-2003 and MERS-CoV in 2012. Both of these strains originated in bats. SARS was transferred to humans through a masked palm civet, presumably in a Chinese wet market. MERS was transferred through a camel in Saudi Arabia. The protein codes in the Wuhan virus are most similar to those found in snakes, so it is possible that the virus jumped to humans from a snake. Snakes often hunt bats for food, but disease rarely transmits from a warm-blooded animal to a cold-blooded animal.^[9]

The Washington Post indicated "The trigger point for the current coronavirus remains unclear, but China has linked the outbreak to the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, which despite its name also appeared to be selling live cats and dogs, wild chickens, snakes and marmots."^[10] CNN reported concerning China: "Vendors in small city markets often sell wild animals including rodents, yak, snakes and even porcupines, and experts say that makes them far more dangerous. The meat could contain deadly pathogens like the coronavirus."^[11]

Bio-weapon theory

One theory that has recently been postulated is that the coronavirus may be linked to Chinese bio-weapons research^[12]. The city of Wuhan, where the virus originated, has the Wuhan Institute of Virology, where "...it was reported to have studied coronaviruses in the past, including the strain that causes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS, the H5N1 influenza virus, Japanese encephalitis, and dengue"^[13]. A second facility nearby, Wuhan Institute of Biological Products, is also listed one of eight research facilities under the 1985 Biological Weapons Convention, of which China is a signatory.

The State Department issued a report in 2019 stating "Information indicates that the People’s Republic of China engaged during the reporting period in biological activities with potential dual-use applications, which raises concerns regarding its compliance with the BWC."^[14] For its part, China has stated that it does not engage in bio-weapons engineering,^[15] despite discussion of bio and genetic weapons being discussed at the highest levels of the Chinese military^[16], as well as a "white paper" drafted in 2001 which stressed "...in order to strengthen the effectiveness of the BWC, a necessary verification mechanism should be established".^[17]

Indian researchers have found HIV-derived inserts in the coronavirus genome that compound the infectious potential and greatly bolster the argument this virus was developed as a bioterror weapon. A 2016 Worldwide Threat Assessment by John Brennan and the US Intelligence Community lists China as a major potential “terror actor” and genome editing as a major terror risk.^[18]

Many have expressed skepticism of the bio-weapon theory. Dr Malcolm Davis, a defense analyst in Australia, tweeted "If evidence came to the fore to support such a theory, then yes - but so far, none has. Its more likely the virus jumped from an animal into humans in the Wuhan markets.".^[19] New organizations - many left-leaning - have also stated that conspiracy theories have been created almost as soon as the news of the pandemic reached the public.^[20][21]

Outbreak and casualties

A coronavirus outbreak occurred on December 8, 2019 or earlier in Wuhan, China, apparently arising from a food marketplace where wild animals in cages for human consumption were sold and believed to transmit the corona virus to humans (including cats and snakes which can transmit the virus to humans. See also: Cat slaughtering practices in China). With globalism encouraging trade and travel between countries, this coronavirus spread quickly to the United States after the Beijing central government admitted to the outbreak. Five confirmed infections and many more suspected ones here,^[22] and 56 deaths confirmed worldwide within days.^[23]

As of the Chinese New Year's Day, January 25, 2020, at least 41 million people were quarantined in fifteen Chinese cities.^[24] 82 deaths were reported with nearly 3000 infections.^[25]

Chinese specialists in Hong Kong predicted a doubling of infections every six days. The infection was reported to have a two week incubation period with the infected person being contagious while showing no symptoms Epidemiologists of the warn it has the potential of becoming a global epidemic requiring containment of population movements.^[26] On January 29, 2020 the World Health Organization declared Coronavirus a global emergency.

The pandemic had been forecast by the Hong Kong experts to peak out in April-May 2020. On January 31, 2020, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II declared a public health emergency and President Trump appointed an interagency task force to deal with the problem. The U.S. Center for Disease Control has labeled it a "serious public health threat."

The first week 213 deaths were reported worldwide with over 9,800 confirmed infections. The leftist Chinese regime was suspected of suppressing the real extent of the epidemic.

By the start of the second week 305 were reported dead with over 14,500 infected. Crematorium services were overwhelmed.^[27] The leftist regime was accused of burning bodies in secret to hide the true number of deaths.^[28][29]

CCP reaction

Containment facilities for Coronavirus patients in Wuhan, China.^[30]

The Chinese central government, a single party regime, stifled public warnings about the for three weeks after the first confirmed inflections in early December 2019. The local communist-controlled Wuhan government was instructed not to issue health alerts until after the virus was spread throughout the country and internationally. The Beijing central government in turn blamed local officials for allowing people to exit the city and put the rest of the population in danger.^[31]

In Wuhan under quarantine, a city with 11 million residents, all public transportation was halted. Gas stations were closed. Paramedic emergency services halted. Hospital are packed and emergency phone lines don't work. There is no way to get to a hospital other than walking. Healthy people waiting for testing in hospitals are becoming infected.^[32]

The outbreak occurred during the Chinese New Year when people travel to spend the holidays with family and friends, then return to their homes across China.^[33] 5 million people had exited Wuhan before the city was put on lock down on January 23, 2020. The leftist regime made no provisions for a humanitarian disaster after the lockdown.

Hospitals in Hubei Province, where Wuhan is located, need 100,000 protective suits daily, but total daily production nationwide is only 30,000.^[34] Because of the shortage of protective gear, hospital staffs began making their own masks and clothing out of non-sterile trash bags.^[35]

President Donald Trump offered China any help necessary.^[36] The leftist regime, with its trademark monopoly control of power, banned private charities and volunteers from entering Hubei Province or sending materials to hospitals directly.^[37] As in all top-down communist societies, reports of rampant corruption and a black market to resell donations and supplies emerged.^[38][39]

China has quarantined 17 cities in Hubei Province and postponed school openings.

Under-reporting true scale of infections

On January 24, 2020, one day after the world was first alerted to the outbreak, a doctor circumventing leftist censorship in Wuhan reported 90,000 infected cases.^[40] The Guardian of London quoted Prof. Neil Ferguson sayingm “My best guess now is perhaps 100,000 cases right now. Almost certainly many tens of thousands of people are infected.”^[41] Other sources likewise have implied that the communist government of China may have under-reported the true dimensions of the problem.

Because coronavirus is a "noval" virus, meaning "new" or "unknown", technicians lack the training to identify infections. People are going to multiple hospitals daily, attempting to be tested or treated in China's single payer system. There are a limited number of test kits available, so hospitals have to choose who will be tested. That is one more reason why the true extent of the virus was underreported.

Censorship

CCP authorities cracked down hard on people trying to break through the veil of government secrecy, as they call it "rumormongering", according to the state-run Xinhua news agency. All persons who spread fake news, and thus disturbs social order, will face up to three years in prison detention or disciplinary action under China's social credit system. Offenders who cause serious consequences will be given three to seven year prison terms.^[42]

Despite the threat of prison, many people still went online to blame the government, both high and low ranking officials. Some residents of Wuhan posted videos calling for international help. Viral videos showed dead bodies on the floor in hospitals as patients sat near by. Videos of massively crowded hospitals were posted causing local authorities to build a giant new hospital in a week. However, video footage of the project came from Chinese state media. It was released it to Western media as a propaganda effort to demonstrate how great the authoritarian approach to problem solving is. The structures are not really hospitals at all. A fully equipped hospital cannot be built in a week. The structures are large temporary quarantine facilities.

The leftist social media platform Twitter suspended Zerohedge for its extensive reporting on the Coronavirus outbreak.^[43]

Public reaction

A woman in Wuhan posted a video saying,

Chinese Communist Party, when are you going to step down? You promised us that Chinese people will enjoy ‘moderate prosperity’ in 2020, but what have we attained [from you] so far? We lost our relative(s) [because of you]!

Tell me, what does it mean to achieve ‘moderate prosperity’?” What does ‘moderate prosperity’ mean to us when people have lost their lives? What on earth are you doing? What do we need such a government for? I beg you, please go away! Step Down! We need good leaders who can help us live a good life. We don’t need such a corrupt government.

The soaring home prices and high cost of living have caused hardships for Chinese residents. And now so many people are dying. Everyone will get to see the economic bubble burst.

You should bear the consequences of your actions. Do not implicate us ordinary folk. Now we are bearing the brunt of it, and we are being sacrificed for what you have been doing!

What on earth are you? Are you humans or devils?^[44]

Comparisons with Chernobyl

In 1986 the explosion of a nuclear reactor in the Soviet Union was the first in a series of events which led to fall of Socialism in Russia. The leftist regime's inability to contain information about the disaster from the Russian people and the world, and the exposure of corruption and inefficiencies of the socialist system, coupled with the danger the socialist system and policies presented to global public health, ultimately led to a collapse of the leftwing top-down command and control social, political, economic, and public healthcare system throughout 13 Soviet Republics and its Eastern bloc socialist satellite states.

The Left's anti-Russian xenophobia is largely the legacy of Russia's abandonment of socialism.

Related articles

• China banned live animal sales in Wuhan, after a food market selling wolves and civet cats was linked to a deadly virus, Business Insider, 2020

• Coronavirus outbreak underscores potential health risks in China’s wild animal trade, Washington Post, 2020

• Chinese officials crack down on wildlife markets as coronavirus outbreak nears 3,000 cases, CNN, 2020

See also

• CDC explanation of a coronavirus
• Three Years of Disasters
• Administrative state
• Single payer

References

External links

• Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Global Cases by Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) updated daily
• Video shows dead bodies in halls of China hospital - New York Post
• Drone footage unveils 'ghost town' Wuhan - Euro News