Since becoming familiar with Covid, and constantly being regaled with fear of it, I have been musing as to how similar to the annual flu it might be. I thought a good place to start would be the Ministry of Health’s website. What better place to go than the oracle of truth from which all information is garnered to be dispatched daily from the podium of truth? I wanted to find out how similar were the symptoms, the transmission, the age groups most severely affected and the types of people most likely to succumb to either virus. My research proved my musings to be not too far off the mark.
Symptoms of the Flu
The Ministry of Health website states that influenza can be caused by different strains of the influenza virus. The virus affects your nose, throat and lungs. The flu is normally worse than a cold and spreads quickly from person to person through touch and through the air. Symptoms can include fever, chills, muscle aches, runny nose, cough and stomach upsets. Some people get very sick – in most years thousands are hospitalised and some lose their lives to it. Older people, young children, pregnant women and people with certain medical conditions are at a higher risk of developing serious complications. If you’re unwell stay away from work or school.
COVID
Covid is a coronavirus that can affect your lungs, airways and other organs. The symptoms are a fever, new or worsening cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, sneezing and runny nose and temporary loss of smell or altered sense of taste. Covid is spread on particles from an infected person’s mouth or nose when they breathe, speak, cough, sneeze or sing. People at higher risk from severe illness from Covid are those with underlying health issues and are over 70 years old, those living in an aged care facility or women who are are pregnant. To protect yourself stay at home if you’re sick and get a test, get vaccinated, wear a face covering and practice physical distancing.
Research Conclusion
Apart from a couple of different symptom descriptions, they both look pretty similar to me. In other words, they are just different viruses. Both have variant strains of the original viruses. In terms of symptoms, transmission and demographics affected, I can’t see any major differences. In terms of advice on what you should to protect yourself, it appears to be much the same for both the flu and Covid.
Most of you by now will have worked out the point I am coming to. If they are so similar, why the different responses from the Government and Ministry of Health to Covid and to the annual ’flu? The Ministry’s website itself states that the symptoms of influenza can be the same or similar to Covid. While you’re unwell stay at home or away from school.
Why are we having lockdowns for a few hundred sick people when normally thousands get the flu every year. Today, Sunday, there were 20 new cases and 38 in hospital.
Thousands are hospitalised each year with the flu. Why no lockdown?
So far fewer than 30 people have died from Covid. On average, 500 people die each year in New Zealand from the ’flu. Again I ask, why no lockdown?
We are constantly being told with Covid to BE KIND. Does this Government, supposedly overflowing with kindness, not care about the thousands of people hospitalised with the ’flu? Does it not care that on average 500 people die each year from the ’flu?
Very unfortunately a lady, in this Covid outbreak, in her nineties and with underlying health issues passed away. Without wishing to appear callous or flippant, the media treated the passing almost as if the Queen herself had died.
People this time around are, from what I’m observing, not as fearful of Covid as before. The number out and about appear to be up on the last big lockdown. In fact, the NZTA has said they have figures from a particular point in Auckland showing a vehicle count about 50 per cent higher than last time. This despite the fact we are still getting the fear factor drummed into us daily.
Those participating in the 1 o’clock pantomime tell us how well level 4 is going and without it we’d all be knocking on death’s door. Dear Leader brings along her Play School charts to try to prove the point. This usually takes the form of some mystical, mythical, meaningless mathematical equation which bears no reality to her puerile prattle.
Again today, Sunday, Bloomfield said, “We are heading in the right direction, but we want to make sure there are only 20 cases. We can’t even let one case through the net.” He added that “this next week is critical” in ensuring people were abiding by the rules and getting tested if they had symptoms. Bit late mate. If the number of vehicles out is anything to go by the “follow the rules” horse has well and truly bolted.
In reality, there are probably hundreds wandering around with the virus but no symptoms. Which brings me to the next question – when is this lunacy going to end? How long is the Government prepared to sacrifice the economy for this nonsense? Where is the plan to get the country out of this mess?
Where was the need to put the South Island, which has had no Covid cases in over a year, into level 4 and now level 3? It should never have been above level 2. Why wasn’t Northland and the rest of the North Island, bar Auckland, in level 2? Warkworth, the excuse for putting Northland into level 4, sits within the Auckland boundary. The question that needs to be asked of Dr Bloomfield is this – if, as he says, everything is going so well on the one hand and yet more people are ignoring his edicts on the other, what the hell is anyone doing in level 4? All we’re achieving is stuffing up the economy.
I want to know what the real game is here. Is it just their incompetence or is there something larger and more sinister at play? I have for quite some time been of the opinion that Covid is being used in this country as a convenient mechanism to further a particular political agenda. As time goes on I am becoming more convinced this is the case. We have had the original SARS 2, now the Delta and next up, according to Dr Fauci, is the “Mu” variant which he says does not pose an “immediate threat”.
For how long are we intending to have these lockdowns? Is it every time someone presents with a variant strain? If so how long can the country, Auckland in particular as the economic powerhouse, afford to have a level 4 lockdown?
Most importantly, give us the plan. Virtually every other country in the world has now reached the conclusion that, like the ’flu, we are going to have to learn to live with Covid. They’ve swallowed their pride, dead rats or whatever you want to call it, and thrown the elimination strategy out the window. Why haven’t we?
Dead or alive, I smell a rat. Why was the Government so slow ordering the vaccinations? On purpose? I don’t buy the excuses given and there has been a myriad of them.
The time is well past when the Government needs to come clean on what the game is and front up with what the plan is. I won’t be holding my breath.
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