Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency in California because of the 114 reported cases of the coronavirus in the state of 40 million residents. Was this to play into the hand of the media, which has hyped the flu virus as the next plague, particularly because every year, tens of thousands of people die of that season’s flu?
Common human coronaviruses cause mild to moderate upper respiratory symptoms, including the common cold, while more severe types can cause pneumonia and death, NPR reported.
“Let’s call it Trumpvirus,” a New York Times opinion writer said. Cable news hosts wear their most dire faces while reporting on the coronavirus flu, as though the United States has never seen or dealt with an outbreak.
An Associated Press article was equally dramatic and hysterical: “Crossing more borders, the new coronavirus hit a milestone Friday, infecting more than 100,000 people worldwide as it wove itself deeper into the daily lives of millions, infecting the powerful, the unprotected poor and vast masses in between.”
Conspicuously missing from the AP article is the important distinction that being “infected” for nearly everyone is not life-threatening, and most people don’t even know they had the virus.
This coronavirus, first observed in late December in Wuhan, China, and was reported to the World Health Organization China bureau in Beijing. By January 31, 2020, President Donald Trump had declared a public health emergency and began restricting U.S. access to non-citizens from China.
“Compare Trump’s response time to the H1N1 pandemic in June 2009, when American health officials declared a public health emergency, but it wasn’t until four months later, October, that then-President Obama declared an H1N1 national emergency. By that time, the disease had infected millions of Americans and more than 1,000 people had died in the U.S.,” PJ Media reported.
Imagine if the media gave this much coverage to an actual pandemic health danger in California: hundreds of thousands of homeless drug addicts and the mentally ill living in squalor on city streets throughout California. Hepatitis, typhus, typhoid fever, and threats of Bubonic Plague are real in cities with homeless people living on streets, on rivers and in parks.
Actual Annual Flu Statistics
According to the Center for Disease Control, the 2018-2019 flu season, lasting 21 weeks, was the longest in a decade; 61,200 died, 647,000 people were hospitalized. The CDC says that is on par with a typical flu season.
In 2018, nearly 80,000 Americans died of nasty flu, the kind that more people end up in the hospital with. It caused more deaths, particularly among young children and the elderly.
In recent years, flu-related deaths have ranged from about 12,000 to — in the worst year — 56,000, according to the CDC, prior to 2018.
Did Sierra College close down in 2018 when two students tested positive for the flu? No, but it closed this week for two cases of coronavirus. How about the Elk Grove School District – did it close in 2018 for one case of the flu? Nope. But that is what the school district announced over the weekend, because of one case of coronavirus.
For 2 cases of coronavirus, the Riverside County Public Health Department declared a public health emergency, including Indian Wells where the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament was to play the two-week event, normally attended by 450,000.
Occasionally during flu season, a small office will close down and post a sign: “Out sick with flu.” That’s a small office where everyone caught the flu. But if one person caught the flu the office would not shut down.
“Shocking. Elk Grove Unified School District closing its doors this week because one of its students was being quarantined for the coronavirus is shocking,” Marcos Breton with the Sacramento Bee wrote. “More shocking. Saturday’s announcement, with such widespread implications, including the possibility of triggering public anxiety and panic, was rolled out with little or no coordination between the county’s public health department or key elected officials in Sacramento, even though a letter to parents Saturday said ‘this complex decision involved close collaboration and coordination with our Board of Trustees, labor groups, the Sacramento County Office of Education and the Sacramento County Public Health Department.’”
The fatality rate is one percent or lower, despite the media claiming a much higher rate. “As the nation gears for battle against coronavirus, our biggest enemy is false information,” Betsy McCaughey wrote at Fox News. “Trump officials from the Departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services have been briefing the public daily, as they fine-tune their response to this rapidly evolving global virus. So Senators, just go to cdc.gov to read the 52-page plan and stop whining.”
McCaughey said so far there are 18 deaths this year from coronavirus while there are already 18,000 deaths this year from the seasonal flu. The hype is political and more dangerous than a flu virus.
UPDATE: The CDC reports on March 10 there are now 25 deaths from coronavirus.
View Comments (93)
My own daily survey of California online newspapers and local online news showed that nearly EVERY SINGLE STORY is about this darn coronavirus in some way, no matter how delicate the tie to it. It's becoming somewhat comical. The editors are apparently brainstorming absurd connections and parceling out the results to writers (but I'm sure not in person, heaven forbid, only electronically). The topic is obviously regarded as "clickbait," but I wonder if it is having the opposite effect for most people. The story below was my favorite:
"How to Keep Your Relationship Intact if You're Forced to Work from Home Because of the Coronavirus Outbreak"
https://www.businessinsider.com/does-working-from-home-hurt-a-relationship-what-experts-say-2020-2
Thanks, Katy, for being one of the few in the entire state to cover the hysteria angle, give us the facts, and point to the very real problems in CA that we should be tackling instead; e.g., flu, homelessness/vagrancy, etc.
The CDC updates daily - today it is reported there are 19 deaths: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-in-us.html
This situation is becoming surreal....
I hope that one day we'll be able to look back and see how unnecessary (and damaging) the hysteria was and be able to tamp it down the next time around.
I am embarrassed by the apathy of my fellow citizens. Will someone please stand up and say "stop it."
NBA, MLB, NHL and March Madness suspensions, really? All that is being accomplished by the closures and panic is the slowing down of our economy and real life proof to the rest of the world that Americans are easily duped. What say we pay more attention to the opioid epidemic. It kills over 100 people a day. No, it is not contagious, but much deadlier.
schools are closed and student are under so much stress because they do not know when school will open .
I love your article and thoroughly agree. Look what it is doing to our country. Do you think some of this is political?
Thank you for posting this, I was saying basically this whole argument last night (to deaf ears) then I found your article already written while I went Stats checking my facts. Hype of this level is so out of proportion, the perpetrators should be charged with Domestic Terrorism. It is a psy-op for the police state testing its tolerance/control boundaries for the benumbed populace; and simultaneously an economic blow to china and those who do business with them. (think wallymart) Thank the old gods that we still have bright, thinking, defiant, courageous and true writers, in this land of zombies. You are a noblewoman and a Joan of arc Mrs Grimes! Keep it up. There are so few of you left.
it is VERY much political
agreed 100 percent
Welcome to the new liberal world. Hard to believe politicians would destroy a US economy to further their cause but thats what they are doing. And whats sad, so many American are so fing stupid to believe the hype. Our country is truly screwed if we have a voter base that hoards TP and thinks they are going to die from this.
Trust me, its happening throughout the world.. At least the 'developed' world.
As George Orwell said: While I'm writing this, very civilized men are flying above, dropping bombs on me..
Hector, I am frantically searching for the Resistance to join - but it seems Conservative people suck at gang organization! I totally agree - where is the Million Pissed Off Illegally Detained March? We have to have a huge united front or we will individually be made an example of, thus spreading more fear.
I am not embarrassed by the ignorance and gullibility of my fellow citizens, I'm saddened. I wonder at the eagerness to accept the vaunted hype of a Super Virus (CV-19) when there is complacency about the annual flu which fatality numbers are outstripping this novel virus. Explain to me why this is not leftist opportunism for a political purpose. Brainwashing the gullible public into a dependency on the burgeoning totalitarian government. We are emulating the 1930's German public into a dependency on a Nazi-like government.
Shame on the impressionable public for giving up their autonomy so easily to totalitarianism.
Here's my context on the hysteria- I doubt the total death toll around coronavirus in the U.S. reaches 2,500 in 2020. The subsequent years will have a sharp decline. The economic impact will be felt longer than the hysteria lasts. Businesses WILL close and jobs WILL be lost.
Recognize by contrast that 48,344 Americans died at their own hands (2018). The largest demographic has been middle-aged white males. Suicide has its roots in mental illness and despondency. A permanent solution to temporary problems. I would venture to say that in 2020 America will experience more suicides related to the fear generated by the coronavirus hysteria than the coronavirus. And no accountability for the hysteria.
Well, now we are at 10k dead in the US, still have the same opinion? How many people need to die before we take it seriously?
62,000 died in the USA last winter of the flu.. 24,560 people die worldwide every day of preventable hunger.. there have been 10 million abortions of people in february and March of this year.. Thats just a few stats.. and Oh,,, 9000 people die in the USA every day.
Parceling out confiscated tax money back to the public does NOT replace the facts of closed businesses and unemployment that will only partially be restored . This political sham for a virus that is no greater than the annual flu is intended to shove the people into a dependency on a coming totalitarian government. This is NOT for ME, nor for any autonomous adherent to the Constitution of our REPUBLIC
The duplicitous left and right are a menacing duopoly playing into the hands of a World Government of dependency. Where is the American spirit that formed this greatest nation on earth?
Bet you feel a bit stupid now 140,000 dead and rising ,probably safely double that number in fact .: ........worst flu 60 odd thousand in a year , 140000 since march ....meanwhile you are obsessed with left and right , people are dead cos of right and wrong
Even IF those #s are ACCURATE, (highly unlikely) as they have been caught at every turn padding them, we are still no where near the hysterical numbers THEY WERE HOPING FOR. If u can't see this was planned and they will NOT LET IT END, THEN you are blind.
Wow, July 16th and the current U.S. Covid-19 death count is over 140,000 (see https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/ for the latest count). That's how exponential growth works - and there is no evidence that Covid-19 deaths have peaked in the U.S. yet.
Amen. The math utilized in the "models" is flawed because we have no idea how many people have contracted the virus and are asymptomatic. Just look at the basketball teams that have been tested, most positive cases are not experiencing symptoms and represent a large portion of the population that is not being tested since they are not millionaire sports stars. The true mortality rate after all is said and done will be no greater than the flu. China has fueled this hysteria due to their inaccurate reporting of their data. One could make a good argument this is just one attempt of the Chinese to disrupt the world economy in their grand scheme to overtake the US as "the world power". Unfortunately for Americans, this drama is conveniently creating the type of drama Democrats love in their constant attempts to attack Trump. I will state I proudly voted for Trump and will do so again in November but his reaction to this pandemic has been disappointing with the shutdown of our economy due to some of his "experts" relying on highly inaccurate information. In his defense, the political climate and hysteria is worldwide but as each country has started to get reliable data, the true picture shows this virus is not any more deadly than the flu that wreaks havoc on us each year.
You just can’t fix stupid...( put face palm here)...
Can't fix media brainwashing either. That's why the communist rely so heavily on it keep control.Whats it going to take for some people to figure it out? THEY DONT HAVE TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH. Laws were repealed in 2011,2012, news was re-classified as "entertainment" & 1000s of foreign, America hating propagandists flooded the country and they are reporting your so called news.
Thank you for some sanity on this virus. I stopped believing the main stream media years ago but now I'm starting to lose my belief in human intelligence. People today are just a member of the herd instead of self thinkers who investigate for themselves.
Yeah, but it’s gone from 19 to 75 in 7 days.
I'm so glad that you went to school to be a doctor or scientist that you were so confident to think that this was not a pandemic because you don't know any better. I would like for you to go up against 77,000 dead human beings families and tell them this was a figment of their imagination. Our federal government failed the American people on all sides all other countries are looking at us thinking that we are the biggest bunch of spoiled brats on the face of the Earth ... poor us we can't get our nails and our hair done. it's people like you you that make me super sick this is your own fear you're spreading ..ya know..fake news, we're afraid of people like you that don't give a s*** about the rest of humanity. What exactly did you gain? You are Nothing but a bully and you're not a journalist you're fake you are a fake journalist you're fake news and you are fake so super disrespectful disrespecting our veterans disrespecting our children you disrespected yourself and I hope your family is ashamed of you. What do you say now that the coronavirus is inside the White House?
You are a colossal fool. Your feeble-mindedness and hysterical state prevents you from understanding simple data and numbers and placing that information into proper perspective. Examine the figures more closely and your dumb self may(likely incapable of rational thought processes , at this point)discover that whether it be 100, 000 or 200,000 + , the figure is a 'drop in the bucket' and almost meaningless in terms of proportion. Almost , if not all, of the "tragic victims" of this "scourge" are the already very unwell, elderly and chronically infirm; others with suppressed or compromised immune systems. These folks succumb EVERY DAY, EVERY YEAR, the world over, to respiratory infection brought on by viruses that make up our natural environment milieu ; nothing extraordinary about this particular fairly innocuous, mild strain of corona virus except the off-kilter, over-the-top, insane response to it which has only served to prolong its life and force unnecessary mutations. You are a profoundly ignorant and stupid person and it is your ilk that drive inanity to absurd levels - a condition that, in the long run will destroy, that is, hurt and kill far more persons than "Covid-19" ever could have "dreamed" of claiming . Keep the number/percentage 0.04% or < in mind ...'cause that'll be the "mortality rate" determined when we have a more accurate account of the true number of "infections" providing us the denominator in the calculation. Also , a significant number(to put it mildly)of the dead attributed to this virus, did not actually die FROM the virus but simply died with it. They passed away just as they would have of the myriad diseases from which they already had been suffering. But again your hysterical state will never permit you the power of reasoning. Note: Your diseased brain speaks of "disrespecting our children". What a joke, you and your ilk are. What could be more disrespectful than closing down the schools and preventing/delaying exposure of this virus to the young among whom there exists a death rate of ZERO ? To not allow their still developing immune systems the opportunity to from antibodies so as to be better prepared down the road to meet similar challenges is a crime committed by the complicit like you . Oh, I know ...go scour the globe with its 7.5 billion population for the handful of tragic victims within the 0-17 age demo who happen to have suffered a rare reaction likely due to some un-diagnosed underlying condition or genetic anomaly and trumpet those exceptions to the rule as proof that the virus 'affects us all" and "doesn't discriminate" (recall the great HIV LIE ) Man, dummies like you.
Tim. Legendary post. You at least give hope that there are some sane, intellectual, and not hysteria drive humans still in existence . As you stated the numbers do not warrant the reaction. This is Corona virus NOT Ebola, so I think the many will live and the few will expire. But the way the morons in charge are treating the situation, you would think we are all going to die. Even if the number of deaths was hundreds of times higher it might equate to 4% of the world population, which means that 96% or the population are OK. what is not OK is that the needs of the 4% are being placed over the needs of the 96% who are having their lives destroyed by the over reaction of the political leaders.
Posting the link below because I thought Globe readers might be interested in reading myth-buster Michael Fumento's piece as a complement to Katy Grimes' piece. He is a fact-based "one in a million" type who has been writing about this stuff for many years, and always manages to bring an historical yet fresh perspective to the public square during periods of "disease outbreak" and other hysteria. It should calm some nerves:
"Coronavirus is going to hit its peak and start falling sooner than you think"
https://nypost.com/2020/03/08/coronavirus-going-to-hit-its-peak-and-start-falling-sooner-than-you-think/
While I can't believe a word out of the mainstream American press on this virus, other factors don't add up. In particular, why is half of Italy on lock down? Are the Italians party to the American media consensus to bring down Trump and cause a global recession all at once? Why have other nations overreacted, if that is the case? At first I thought the huge international response was a deliberate overreaction in order to develop international capacity to handle a pandemic, so that when a genuine one comes along they're bee more prepared. That's a good thing. But if that's part of the reason for the massive response, did they bank on creating a worldwide recession? What's really going on internationally?
Then there are medical unknowns. Apparently COVID 19 has more tolerance for surviving outside the body, and is more contagious, than the average flu or the average COVID virus. And it is contagious for a relatively long period prior to symptoms which guarantees more transmission. And we don't know if hot weather kills the virus? Or are all of these concerns just more media BS?
There are unanswered questions. But the media's willingness to play this up for all it's worth in order to get Trump is more crying wolf, more agenda driven "news," more damage to their already shattered credibility, and an absolutely unforgivable flirtation with the economic catastrophe that could ensue if this deflationary cascade isn't stopped, and soon.
Jack be sure to read Michael Fumento's short piece at the link that is attached to my comment above yours. The guy knows what he is talking about; I've been following him for years. The article will directly and indirectly answer your questions.
I wondered the same thing, from the time the news showed hospital workers and ambulance drivers wearing "hazmat" suits. It just seemed over-kill to me. Yes, the numbers of "infections" are climbing, but I wouldn't call it "alarming." Deaths, you can count on your fingers and toes, and how many billions of people live in the world?
Political? Trump's enemies, from early on, say he's "done too little, too late." Good strategy! Tie the names of those you hate to the coronavirus. Global Manipulation? Those who are pushing for one-world-government could test different scenarios - see which ones work best for population control, then hype it to the max. Anyone who questions the seriousness of the disease is a "coronavirus denier."
What's the coronavirus costing the world, financially? Why not take that money and wipe out Malaria and other diseases in poor, undeveloped countries? There's a reason we don't. But you'd have to ask the "powers that be" behind the scenes and they don't talk.
It's kind of sad that we now question what we see on the news and hear from the government and its agencies. But, really, is it our fault?
HINT: It's NOT JUST OUR MEDIA, it wouldn't work if it was. The goal IS One World Govt,a Cashless Society, controlling the masses, BILL GATES POPULATION CONTROL AGENDA....that should keep you busy IF YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW. Get outside mainstream and go independent...Epoch Times is a good one
LOL WOW. You haven't done any research on the Epoch Times, have you? You poor soul! Give that a go and then see what you think.
Wow. 170,000 deaths in the US.
And it's not even close to the actual number of innocent people we've murdered in the middle east. Why did we murder all those people again? Oh yeah...that's right. Because we blamed Bin Laden for 9/11, which meant we needed to go after Saddam, because he had WMD's that he really didn't have and was gonna use them to kill his own people. So of course we had to save them from the evil Saddam by murdering them ourselves.
But hey... at least we had the protection of a 300 page act of legislation already ready to go. 300 pages of brand new spanking, privacy violating, rights destroying laws called the Patriot Act, which had to been made no less than a year minimum ahead of time. Some would call that evidence of premeditation, but those people would be crazy conspiracy theorist. I always wondered how they were gonna explain away all the deaths from the h-bomb they let off in New York. I thought, "I can't wait to see what happens in 20 years, around 2020, when millions succumb to the effects of a bomb that blew body parts 1400 feet (4 football fields) in all directions, and caused cars up to 5 football fields away to spontaneously combust."
Fun fact: America & Israel alone have murdered over 25 million people in just the last 60 years. But watch out for those Islamic terrorists... right? Yeah. Of course. Never forget ...that 9/11 wasn't done by Muslim terrorists, but by American traitors and Israeli Zionists. So you can trust them with this too. NOT!
Thank you, Katy, for your insightful review and analysis of the statistics regarding the virus that emanated out of Wuhan in Red China. Didn't Rahm Emanuel once advise the Democrats, "Never let a good crisis go to waste"? In addition to the numbers (i.e., results) of this virus, I would also like to know more about its causes. Isn't Red China's main biological weapons facility located in or near Wuhan? Why is the American media not so interested in this important subject? Do they want to avoid embarrassing the communists? Wouldn't it help our medical scientists address this virus if they knew more about its causes? Inquiring minds should want to know.
Yeah... I'm not so sure it came from Wuhan. The only people really saying that are us, and we can't be trusted to tell the truth about anything. I say it because I remember reading a piece around July or August of 2019 about an incident involving Chinese scientists in Canada who were working with Covid-19. And apparently something happened that needed to be kept quiet because of a security concern. The Canadian authorities were booting the Chinese scientists out of Canada for some reason.
Here's the piece from July 2019.
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/07/mystery-surrounds-ouster-chinese-researchers-canadian-laboratory
And here's another piece regarding the same matter from August 2019.
https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/questions-surround-canadian-shipment-of-deadly-viruses-to-china-66254
And then in late October of 2019, I remember seeing job listings posted by the CDC for Quarantine Manager positions. https://www.newsbreak.com/texas/el-paso/news/1530739615206/advanced-knowledge-cdc-started-hiring-quarantine-program-managers-last-november-to-cover-quarantine-centers-in-texas-california-new-york-washington-illinois-massachusetts-and-more
Also the World Health Organization was talking about a Global Vaccine Agenda back in 2009 and 2013, I remember reading something about a real world exercise that required the cooperation of all countries, which was supposed to end in September of 2020, if I remember correctly. For anyone to say this sort of thing is too far fetched clearly hasn't been paying attention to the all outlandish and criminal acts that have took place since 9/11. Or the governments total lack of interest in prosecuting, let alone investigating, any of those major, economic crushing crimes. Remember "Too Big To Jail?"
There are some truly evil greedy lo-life egotistical human beings on this Earth with narcissism and delusions of grandeur, and who truly believe they're special enough to have the right to control and manipulate others. And they have 0 empathy, compassion, remorse or guilt about any of it. There's nothing crazy or far fetched about it anything when you realize how insane some people actually are. And unfortunately, many of them are in positions of authority and power. To say government wouldn't do anything like that is to say greedy selfish evil people don't exist. But they do... the Zionists are real.
Why do you suppose "they" are doing this? This hyping a panic situation? I'm so sick of being manipulated and lied to. Thanks for your reporting Katy. Going to follow you and this site now. And review "statistics" in general to find out what the "real pandemics" are compared to this hype job. Drudge today is out of all reason. "They" must have co-opted his site or he's being blackmailed. Merkel says 70% of Germans are going to get it, or words to that effect. When I see a satanic globalist like that hyping the panic, I feel this is just another one of their "tricks" -- order out of chaos kind of occultism. Damn these bastards..
I just got back from my local grocery store and was really disappointed in the behavior I witnessed. Hoarding of bottled water, no paper towels, no toilet paper. Long lines of very frightened-looking people. Here in L.A. County we have only had 1 death out of over 10,000,000 people. And this is how people react? These are the same people who freaked out over Y2K. The same people who in the 1980s wanted to ban children with HIV from going to school. It's a stunning mixture of ignorance and cowardice on full display.
Facts! I stumbled on this piece as I had just been saying the same thing to a friend. How glad I am to know it's not just me who thinks there's something amiss. Although it does inevitably beg the question, why? What is it all for? What other reasons would we all be instructed to stay in our homes? For what reason would flights be suspended if it weren't this? Who stands to gain financially or politically on a global scale, from a worldwide economic recession? I don't know the answers by the way, just asking the questions. Great thought provoking piece Katy! Thanks for being out there ✌️
Well said, Katy. Thanks for being rational. Hysteria, overreaction, and paranoia are abounding in a moment that is showing our species to be as stupid as its been since maybe the Medieval period. Those of us who've lived through AIDS, Y2K, H1N1, avian flu, Mad Cow, and every other overhyped "killer" know better.
I'm not saying don't be cautious. I'm not saying humans aren't vulnerable to viruses. I'm just saying that the inanity of the "cancel everything" reaction is on par with treating maladies with leeches and bloodletting.
Literally breathing the air in California is more dangerous than this Corona virus. Air pollution kills more people than cigarettes or warfare yet we're worried about some nothing? When Tom Hanks and his wife and Rudy Gobert and every other celebrity who has it is still alive two weeks from now, will the chicken littles apologize and say they were wrong? Surely not. But they will be, and it's important to note that.
Exactly Sean. This is the kind of thinking we all need to emulate. Are the stupidest people running the media? Something needs to change. I can't believe that there is no one in all of the newsrooms that is scratching there head and challenging the crap that is being put out over the air. Mind boggling it is.
You fail to realize who controls our media. The same people who run and control the Central Intelligence Agency.... who happen to also be the same people involved with Israeli the hobbyists destroying our country. We may have a big powerful military and lots of fancy weapons, but that doesn't make us strong by any means. The truth is, America is the weakest and easiest to beat. Why? Because we have the weakest, most corruptible sell out politicians on the planet, who will do anything for a buck.
All someone needs is a lot of money to lobby (political language for bribe) enough of our politicians to effectively take control of our legislation. If you can control a country's political leaders, you can control their government. And if you can control their government, you can control their military and media. Israeli Zionists have corrupted our political arena to the core, via AIPAC. That's the only reason they got away with things like the USS Liberty, Tripoli, the Marine Barack's, the USS Cole, WTC bombing #1, WTC bombing #2 (aka 9/11) , etc... Otherwise they would have been toast for all their attacking and murdering Americans simply to accomplish their false flag agenda of framing Muslims.
The Levon Affair, King David Hotel, German Disco, Paris Cafe, JFK, Lockerbie, all Mossad operations. Thanks to whistle blowers like Vanunu, we know all those truths. The Zionists are in control and slowly destroying us from the inside out, all thanks to the ability of lobbying (bribing). Not crazy conspiracy theory, but crazy conspiracy truth.
I love your article and thoroughly agree. Look what it is doing to our country. Do you think some of this is political?