Re my series on “The COVID Response” 

From JJ: “Mark, you may be partially right. More important, and probably more closely a cause of lower numbers in Africa: the widespread use of ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine. Both were shown to be highly effective in preventing infection and [in preventing the development of] a full-blown case if the person did become sick.

“Read the Robert F. Kennedy Jr. book about Anthony Fauci, which details all the research that doctors and scientists did early in the pandemic, showing that both were indeed effective.”

My Response: Thanks for your note, JJ.

I’m familiar with that theory about Africa’s numbers, and I was excited about it when I heard it. When I wrote about my own theory in the Jan. 31 issue, I hadn’t yet done any research on ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine. However, I thought my theory was strong because it was so simple and provable.

Yesterday, I spent several hours researching hydroxychloroquine, looking for studies that would support the notion that it works as a safeguard against or treatment for COVID-19. I didn’t find a thing! Not a single study. On the contrary, everything I saw said that hydroxychloroquine had no discernible benefit at all.

I haven’t yet studied ivermectin. If I find something that supports it, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, if you can find any study that proves Kennedy’s claims, I’d like to read it.

I believe my theory is more accurate than the hydroxychloroquine or ivermectin theories. More importantly, it is more relevant to my overarching thesis that our (the government’s) response to COVID-19 was both hysterically wrong and immensely damaging.

Remember, we have known, almost since the beginning, that COVID-19 was life-threatening almost exclusively to people that were (a) in their 70s and 80s, (b) medically obese, and/or (c) diabetic. Why didn’t the WHO, the CDC, and the US government work to protect that relatively small portion of the population rather than lock down the lives of those for whom COVID was no less dangerous than the common cold?

From SA: 

“Why are you wasting your time writing about how many COVID-related deaths occurred in China? You can’t believe a single thing China says. If George Santos were a country, he’d be China.”

My Response: The point I was trying to make was that, during the first year of the pandemic, China’s severe crackdown was frequently touted by some leftist politicians and the mainstream media as a model that the US should follow. At that time, not having the data to prove they were lying, all I could do was point out that China’s mortality rate seemed impossibly low. And that even if they did manage to slow the spread of the virus, it would eventually return and spread widely, since the only way to stop a virus on a countrywide scale is by herd immunity. Today, China is admitting to huge case rates, which proves the second point. I don’t think they will ever admit to the true mortality rates. But again, the point was to mock the stupidity of those that believed China’s data in the first place.

From AS: 

“I loved ‘If I didn’t have to go to dinner now, I’d take the time to explain why [China’s official explanation of its recent surge in COVID cases is obviously false].’ It made me laugh. It humanized the writer, you.”

My Response: Thanks, AS. I appreciate that. I always want to convey some amount of humility in my comments, because so many of them are said with some degree of irony or sarcasm, and because I do enjoy making, as I indicate when I sign off on each blog post, definitive statements about things I have marginal knowledge of.

A request from BT for a travel recommendation: 

“I’m a longtime admirer of your writing & worldview. I’m visiting Savannah for the first time in 2-3 weeks. Might you have any recommendations for live music venues, theater, or dining options? I’m especially interested in catching some jazz or blues.”

My Response: Savannah is one of my favorite cities to visit in the US. My interest is mostly in the city’s history and architecture. I don’t usually have time to take in live entertainment when I’m there. However, some of the venues that have been recommended to me for jazz and blues are Casimir’s Lounge, Bay Street Blues, and the Bayou Café. For theater, investigate the Savannah Theatre and the Tybee Post Theater.