The Covid revolts: Europe’s new wave of unrest

Given the ability of Covid-19 to make fools out of everyone, it is not entirely fair to single out an opinion piece penned by Christina Pagel and Martin McKee, members of the self-appointed ‘Independent Sage’ committee on 7 October. But it sums up an attitude which was common just seven weeks ago. ‘England, not for the first time, is the odd one out in Europe,’ they wrote. England had recklessly abandoned Covid restrictions in July, relying on vaccines alone to keep the country open. In contrast, our European neighbours were sensibly employing a ‘relatively light set of extra measures’, such as vaccine passports, to keep infections much lower than England’s. ‘They are demonstrating that there is a way to be open while keeping cases low… It works. And we should be doing it.’

That does not look like such a clever analysis now. Mainland Europe is once again the epicentre of the pandemic.

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What to do as we walk into the pandemic’s fifth wave

If the worsening situation in Europe is foreshadowing what’s to come, get ready, Canada

Dr. Malgorzata Gasperowicz has a routine when she gets into a taxi: she makes sure the driver is wearing a mask, rolls down the windows, then often talks to the driver about the risks of airborne transmission of COVID-19 and then gives him a KN95 mask, because most drivers don’t know about the airborne risks of the disease, she says. It’s one way she helps spread the word that the dangers inherent in this pandemic aren’t over, especially as the temperatures fall and case counts climb.

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New York ER Closes As Employees Refuse To Comply With Vaccine Mandate

An emergency room in a hospital in New York ceased operation as staff walked out, refusing to go along with the COVID vaccine mandate.

h/t Mauser98

I still do not understand why not even a single media outlet (looking at you, Rebel) has interviewed the nurses who are refusing the vaccine.

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Vaccine ‘dramatically’ increases heart risk, says new study

EUROPE and much of the Western world is in upheaval as people take to the streets over Covid.  Mainstream media reports depict these protests as a response to vaccine mandates and other losses of freedom.  That is far from the whole story, however.

They are also driven by a profound loss of confidence in the quality of the science behind the vaccination drive.  Numerous warnings on the dangers of the jabs (see for example here, here, here, here, here and here) and of deaths and injuries associated with it, have gone unexamined and unreported.  

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Ontario reports 927 new Covid cases … and get ready for Super Mutant!

Ontario reports 927 new Covid cases … and get ready for Super Mutant!

Ont. reports 927 new COVID-19 cases and 6 more deaths; highest case count since early Sept.

Ontario reported over 900 new COVID-19 cases and six more deaths on Friday, the highest single-day case count in nearly three months.

The province logged 927 new infections today, up from 748 yesterday and from 793 a week ago.


Covid: New heavily mutated variant B.1.1.529 in South Africa raises concern

We’re back in familiar territory – growing concern about a new variant of coronavirus.

The latest is the most heavily mutated version discovered so far – and it has such a long list of mutations that it was described by one scientist as “horrific”, while another told me it was the worst variant they’d seen.

It is early days and the confirmed cases are still mostly concentrated in one province in South Africa, but there are hints it may have spread further.

Immediately there are questions around how quickly the new variant spreads, its ability to bypass some of the protection given by vaccines and what should be done about it.

There is a lot of speculation, but there are very few clear answers.


Israel warns of ‘emergency’ after detecting new virus strain

JERUSALEM (AP) — Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Israel is “on the threshold of an emergency situation” on Friday after authorities detected the country’s first case of a new coronavirus variant in a traveler who returned from Malawi.

The Health Ministry said the traveler and two other suspected cases, all of whom had been vaccinated, were placed in isolation.

A new coronavirus variant has been detected in South Africa that scientists say is a concern because of its high number of mutations and rapid spread among young people in Gauteng, the country’s most populous province.

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Lockdown!

Czech govt declares state of emergency due to rise in COVID cases

Due to an increase in coronavirus cases, the Czech government declared a state of emergency for 30 days, local TV channel reported Thursday.

Slovakia Implements 2-Week National Lockdown

The government approved a two-week national lockdown Wednesday, amid a surge of CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus infections.

Portugal returns to COVID restrictions despite high jab rate

From Dec. 1, wearing a face mask will once again be mandatory in enclosed spaces; a digital certificate proving vaccination or recovery from the coronavirus must be shown to enter restaurants, cinemas and hotels; and even inoculated people must have a negative test to visit hospitals, elderly care homes, sports events and bars and discos.

Italy to impose lockdown for unvaccinated and boosters for 18-39 age group

The Italian Council of Ministers voted on Wednesday to reduce the validity of the COVID pass from 12 to nine months and only allow the vaccinated or those who have recovered from the virus to access bars, restaurants, and other leisure facilities.

Covid: UK faces ‘another lockdown Christmas if we don’t act soon’

Prof Peter Openshaw, a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), said the current number of cases and deaths rates were unacceptable, and reiterated the importance of measures such as working from home and mask wearing.

Germany Considering Nationwide Forced Innoculation And Full Lockdown

Olaf Scholz, Germany’s chancellor-designate, said Wednesday that the Covid situation was dire and that the country would further push its forced jab campaign, claiming that “vaccination is the way out of this pandemic.”

Ontario extends lockdown legislation, vaccine segregation into 2022

Currently under the emergency powers, vaccine segregation measures have been implemented, and unvaccinated citizens are barred from participating in the fullness of public life. Unvaccinated Ontarians are not allowed to eat in restaurants, visit loved ones in hospitals in most cases, or utilize gyms.

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Australia deploys ADF troops, federal police officers to help quell civil unrest in Solomon Islands

Australia is deploying dozens of federal police officers and soldiers to help with riot control and to secure critical infrastructure in the Solomon Islands capital of Honiara, where protesters have defied lockdown orders to take to the streets for a second day demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare.

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Canada’s mask guidance has changed. Here’s why you might need an upgrade

Now that the cold weather has hit and people are moving inside, many doctors and scientists are urging Canadians not only to resist getting complacent about wearing masks to protect against COVID-19 — but also to take a closer look at whether that cloth mask is keeping you and others as safe as possible.

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Unionized Workers Won’t Have to Get COVID-19 Vaccine, Automakers Decide

A major union and three large automakers announced an agreement this week that includes not mandating COVID-19 vaccination.

Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis are asking members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) union to share whether they’ve had a shot, but are not requiring them to do so at this time, the four parties announced in a joint statement.

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Harry Rakowski: Canada can weather the rest of the pandemic without more harsh restrictions. Here’s how

Harry Rakowski: Canada can weather the rest of the pandemic without more harsh restrictions. Here’s how

While the coronavirus situation in Canada is stable, the fourth wave of COVID-19 is surging in many parts of Europe. In recent days, Norway, Finland, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia have all reported their highest daily infection rates since the start of the pandemic. Bulgaria and the German state of Bavaria are facing a severe shortage of intensive care beds. Cases in England are finally coming down, but remain disturbingly high compared to other European countries. What lessons can we learn to avoid more restrictions in the future?

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