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FitTips for One and All - Vol. XIX, No. 5

FitTips for One and All
Volume XIX, Number 5
2021

Presented by Fitness for One and All
Director: Gary F. Zeolla

In This Issue

Subscription Information

Newsletter News

Statistical Refutations of Covid Deniers and Antivaxxers
(Coronavirus Statistics and Other Updates)

Americanuck Radio Interview

Rotator Cuff Injury

New on my Fitness Website

New on my Christian Website

New on Politics Website

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Creationist Diet: Second Edition; A Comprehensive Guide to Bible and Science Based Nutrition - This Second Edition is 2-1/2 times as long and presents a different perspective on diet than the First Edition. The First Edition mostly advocated a vegan diet, while this Second Edition also advocates for a diet that includes animal foods. But, and this is very important, those animal foods are to be what are called “old-fashioned” meats, dairy, and eggs, not the “factory farm” products that most people eat. What is meant by these two terms and the incredible difference between them is explained in this book. In addition, this book covers a wide range of diet related topics to help the reader to understand how to live a healthier lifestyle according to God’s design.

Newsletter News

      The main article in this issue of FitTips is once again rather long, and it got even longer when I has to add a lengthy section at the end to cover a late-breaking development. As a result, I will be posting it in two parts on my fitness and politics websites. But I am including here it in its entirety, so that the reader does not have to wait two months for a Part Two. But to keep this newsletter from being too long, I have only included a link to the References page at the beginning and end of the article to where it is posted on my fitness and politics websites.

      I also realize that reading statistics can be a bit tedious, but it is the only way to drill home the important points I am trying to make. Consequently, I do hope the reader takes the time to pursue all of this newsletter and at least some of the references. I can assure you, if you do, you will learn a lot about the pandemic you did not know before.

Statistical Refutations of Covid Deniers and Antivaxxers

(Coronavirus Statistics and Other Updates)

By Gary F. Zeolla

      Is the Covid pandemic as serious as the authorities make it out to be? Do the Covid vaccines really work? Are booster shots necessary? What about the new Omicron variant?

      This article will answer these questions using statistics about the pandemic. It will also update statistics and other details from my previous writings on the Coronavirus (aka COVID-19 or just Covid). Please see those articles and commentaries for my full discussions on these and many other Covid-related matters. Here, I will only present sufficient details from what I said in previous articles to give context to the updates. On the References page is an extensive list of over 250 references supporting each of the major points made in this article. That page also includes an explanation of my footnoting system, for those unfamiliar with it.

Case Fatality Rate Numbers

      The case fatality rate (CFR) or death rate refers to the odds of someone dying who contracts a particular disease. The seasonal flu, for instance, has a 0.1% case fatality rate. That means, if you catch the flu, you have a one in one-thousand chance of dying.

      Estimates varied at the start of the Covid pandemic as to what the CFR would be for COVID-19. Estimates ranged from 0.2% to 1.0%. That would make it from two to ten times as deadly as the flu. But the most common estimate was it would be 0.5% or five times as deadly as the flu.

      That 0.5% figure is the CFR I most cited in my early writings and that I used in my calculations. It is also still cited by conservative commentators and other talking heads. But they usually phrase it in the positive, saying on average 99.5% of people will survive a Covid infection. They will say it in that manner in order to deny the seriousness of the Covid pandemic and in turn the need for the Covid vaccines, hence the title of this article. However, that 0.5% figure was just an estimate at the start of the pandemic. We are now almost two years into it, and we have actual data by which to calculate the CFR.

      On Newsmax, on October 20, 2021, the Covid survival rate was cited as being 98.4%. That came from John Hopkins, the source for most Covid numbers. Putting that into the negative, it gives Covid a CFR of 2.6%. That is over five times the original estimate and makes Covid 26 times as deadly as the flu. I’m not sure where John Hopkins got that figure from, as when I do the math with numbers attained from them, I get somewhat different numbers.

      Let me start with my home state of Pennsylvania. On November 10, 2021, my local ABC TV affiliate, WTAE, cited the following numbers for our state: 1,608,022 cases. 32,188 deaths  (WTAE. COVID-19). To calculate the CFR, you need to divide the number of deaths by the number of cases (deaths as the numerator/ cases as the denominator for a quick grade school review that will be important later). Doing so gives Covid here in PA a 2.0% CFR.

      Checking another source, the New York Times (NYT), the numbers for the USA as a whole on November 13, 2021 were: 46,949,943 cases and 761,354 deaths. That gives the USA a 1.6% CFR. Worldwide, the numbers from the NYT are: cases: 252,371,354, deaths: 5,086,058, for a CFR of 2.0%.

      The following are the numbers for a few other select countries, with the USA included for comparison:

Country     Cases          Deaths          CFR

Israel:          1,336,587          8,140            0.6%

Sweden       1,182,471        15,082            1.3%

India          34,414,186      462,690            1.3%.

USA          46,949,943      761,354            1.6%

Canada        1,751,444        29,325            1.7%

Italy             4,843,957      132,686            2.7%

Russia          8,843,238      248,203            2.8%

Brazil         21,924,598      610,224            2.9% (New York Times. Coronavirus).

Comments on these CFR Numbers

      It can be seen that the only country with a CFR close to that original 0.5% estimate is Israel. The rest are far higher. Some are below the world figure of 2.0% but some higher, as would be expected. But overall, the 2.0% figure is probably the best overall average.

      That means, it is factually inaccurate and disingenuous for conservative commentators to continue to deny the seriousness of Covid and the need for the vaccine by citing the 0.5% figure. Covid is in fact about four times more deadly than that or about 20 times as deadly as the flu.

      I am only guessing, but maybe the John Hopkins figure of 2.6% is an estimate as to what the CFR would be without treatment and without a vaccine. Meanwhile, these varying country numbers probably reflect the effectiveness of each national response to Covid.

      Israel was fast out of the gate in terms of distributing the Pfizer vaccine to its population. As a result, it was the first to have the majority of its population vaccinated. But also as a result, it was the first to see a waning effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine after six months. Conservative commentators jumped on this fact a couple of months ago as “evidence” the vaccines do not work. But what they ignored was that even though Israel’s cases were climbing rapidly, their deaths were not. Thus, while the vaccine was losing effectiveness against infection, it was not losing effectiveness against serious illness or death. Israel has since began distributing booster shots, and that has brought down their case numbers. But with that spike in cases but not deaths, it raised the denominator but not the numerator, so it brought down their CFR to the lowest on these sample countries.

      Brazil having the highest CFR probably reflects that their hospital system basically collapsed under the weight of their spring 2021 surge of Covid. That led to a great increase in deaths. Add in a very low vaccine rate, and hence their high CFR.

      Russia also has a high CFR, probably because its Sputnik vaccine has proven to be basically worthless. It is so worthless, the USA does not accept vaccination with the Sputnik vaccine as fulfillment of our mandate that all foreign travelers to the USA be fully vaccinated (Yahoo! News/ Axios. New).

      Sweden is interesting. It was vilified for not utilizing lockdowns. But it can be seen its CFR is very low. That is probably because many young healthy people got infected with the original Wuhan variant that did not seriously affect young people. As a result, its case rate is high, but its death rate is low due to few younger people dying from Covid. Now, even though the Delta variant can affect the young with more serious illness than the original virus, much of Sweden’s younger population has natural immunity and are not getting infected and dying. All of that leads to the low CFR in Sweden

      That was the mistake made here in the USA. We locked down the young and healthy along with the elderly and those with comorbidities. That kept the young and healthy from getting infected at a time when it would not have been a big deal but susceptible now when it could be problematic. I discuss in detail what would have been a better approach in my four-part article  My Multi-Group Plan for Overcoming the Coronavirus Crisis. But as it was, those lockdowns actually increased our CFR. I explain how in my article Stay at Home Orders and Business Closures Do NOT Work.

      Also increasing our CFR was the politicization of early safe and effective treatments like Hydroxychlotoquine (HCQ) and later Ivermectin. Also increasing our CFR is our high obesity rate, with its corresponding high diabetes and hypertension rate (iHeart: 90%). You can add in low vitamin D status, especially among people of color, and hence our high death count (Newsmax. Vitamins and see my two-part article Supplements to Reduce the Risk of Covid-19).

      But decreasing our CFR is our excellent healthcare system and dedicated healthcare workers, our high vaccination rate, and now increasing use of newer treatments like monoclonal antibodies. These factors together are why we are the middle of this list.

Comparison with 6-7 Months Ago

      It will be interesting to compare the preceding numbers for my area and the USA as a whole with 7-8 months ago. That would be just before the vaccines were readily available and before the Delta variant appeared.

      I happened to have an old recording from CNN for a book I am working on. It’s running Covid numbers for March 25, 2021 were for the USA 30,042,191 cases and 545,726 deaths. That gave the USA a CFR of 1.8% at that time. I also had copied Covid numbers from my local newspaper’s website (Trib Live, Pittsburgh, PA area) from April 20, 2021. They were: World: 141,662,932 cases and  3,024,099 deaths for a 2.1% CFR, USA: 31,700,126, 567,422. 1.8%. PA: 1,109,291, 25,690, 2.3%.

      If you compare these numbers with the ones cited previously from November, and it can be seen that the CFR has dropped for all areas. There are two possible reasons for this drop.

      The first is that the Delta variant is now the dominant variant across the USA and the world. It is said to be more contagious than the original Wuhan variant. That raises the case count, the denominator. But it has been debated if Delta is more or less deadly than the original virus. If it is less deadly, then that would lower the corresponding death count (the numerator) and thus the CFR. But more likely, these numbers reflect the rollout of the Covid vaccines. I say that as the degree of the droppage corresponds with the vaccine rates for each area.

      The drop for the world as a whole is 0.1 percentage points. For the USA it is 0.2 points. For PA it is 0.3 points. Meanwhile, the percent of the population vaccinated is greater in the USA (59%) than in the world as a whole (53%) and greater in PA (69%) than for the USA as a whole (as of 11/14/21; WTAE. COVID-19).

      With this pattern, It is clear that the prime reason for the droppage overall is the vaccines. They are very good at preventing serious illness and death but not as good at preventing infections. These statistics prove those facts and contradict claims of Covid antivaxxers that the vaccines are not effective. That might be true for infections but not for deaths.

Comparison with Other Viruses

      The preceding statistics show that Covid is far deadly than is claimed by Covid deniers and that the vaccines are far more effective than claimed by Covid antivaxxers. But lest I get accused of fearmongering, I want to make it clear that though Covid is a deadly virus, it is not near as deadly as true killer viruses.

      For comparison, Newsmax, on the same show as it gave the John Hopkins estimate of Covid having a 2.6% CFR gave the following CFR for other viruses: Bubonic Plague: 10%, Polio 23%, Smallpox 30% (Newsmax. Probe).

      Going with my number of a 2.0% CFR for Covid worldwide, the Bubonic Plague (aka, the Black Death or simply The Plague) is five times as deadly as Covid, Polio over ten times, and smallpox 15 times as deadly.

      That 10% for the Black Death made me wonder, as I know it has been said the Black Death wiped out one-third to one-half of the population of Europe during the Middle Ages. But if it only has 10% CFR, how can it have killed 33-50% of the population?

      My best guess is it is because many Europeans got infected more than once, with some not dying from their first infection but dying after their second infection, as the virus mutated. That is why The Plague continued for over a century. We are now seeing the same thing today. The Coronavirus is mutating, and as it does, people can and do get infected more than once. I know, as the friend I mention about in a previous article as being infected and being sick for three months got infected a second time six months after she recovered the first time.

      Her second infection was not as severe, and she was only sick for three weeks. But that was probably because she got the monoclonal antibody treatment this time. Her suffering might have been even less if she had gotten that treatment in a timely manner, but it took eight days rather that the recommend 24-48 hours.

      In any case, with or without treatment, some have a harder time with a reinfection than with their initial infection. That is why I have recommended those who have had Covid receive one doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. Doing so will boast antibody levels ten-fold, while a second dose adds little (Factcheck.org. Instagram). By getting just one dose, those with natural immunity can avoid the more significant side effects of a second dose but still have the immunity boast (Wall Street Journal. Covid-19).

Natural Vs. Vaccine Immunity

      The mentions of natural immunity and reinfection leads to the next question. Which is more effective, natural immunity or vaccine immunity? To word it another way, which is more likely, infection after having had Covid or a breakthrough case after being fully vaccinated? Be sure to note the terminology here. Reinfection refers to a person who had Covid getting infected a second time. Breakthrough refers to someone who is fully vaccinated getting Covid.

      Covid antivaxxers point to an Israeli study that found natural immunity was 6-13 times more effective than vaccine immunity at preventing infection and 27 times more effective at preventing symptomatic Covid (Israel National News. Israeli; Times of Israel. Study). But more recently, the CDC released a study that found vaccine immunity was 5.5 times more effective than natural immunity at preventing infection (CDC. New; Yahoo/ AP. COVID).

      Both sides denigrate the other side’s study. The Israeli study is criticized for not being published in a peer-reviewed journal (Factcheck.org. Instagram). The CDC study is criticized for only looking those who were hospitalized and not all reinfections and breakthrough cases (Just the News. ‘Propaganda’).

      In defense of the CDC practice, it is hospitalizations and deaths than matter much more than just cases. That is why I would much rather hear about the risk of reinfection leading to hospitalization or death than just infection that only causes mild or even no symptoms. The same goes for breakthrough cases.

      Those critical of the CDC study also point to an earlier study by the CDC that found the risk of reinfection as about equal to the risk of a breakthrough case.

      Personally, I think that position would probably be the most accurate. Both reinfections and breakthroughs are equally possible. And many experts would concur (Wall Street Journal. Covid-19). That is why I recommend that one dose for those with natural immunity and booster shots for those who are fully vaccinated. With either, the person will now have a much greater immunity and a greatly reduced risk of hospitalization and death from Covid (Trib Live/ AP. GOP; Newsmax. Israel).

      Along these lines, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy was on Fox Report on September 9, 2021. He referred to a study that found those who were infected but not vaccinated were twice as likely to be reinfected than those who were infected and got the vaccine (CDC. New; Trib Live/ AP. GOP'). He said on the same appearance that the risk of myocarditis (heart inflammation) that has been much touted by Covid antivaxxers is greater with infection than with the vaccine (New York Times. Heart; Reuters. U.S.). And he said there was no evidence the vaccines cause infertility, refuting additional Covid antivaxxer talking points (Newsmax. New Data; Newsmax. No Sign).

      Later, Dr. Murthy was on CNN, on October 2, 2021. He said then that only 31% of pregnant women were vaccinated. But he emphasized that there was little risk to a pregnant woman or her unborn baby from the vaccines, but there were increased risks from Covid. Overall, for pregnant women, he said, “Covid is far riskier than vaccine” (Trib Live. What). Just to address another Covid antivaxxer talking point.

Vaccine Effectiveness After Six Months and Boosters

The FDA has authorized Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 booster shots for all adults ages 18 and up. Do you plan to receive a booster shot following this news?

I've already received a booster: 40%
Yes, definitely: 24%
Possibly: 9%
No, definitely not: 14%
I’m not vaccinated against COVID-19: 9%
Other / Does not apply: 4%
Based on 799 responses

      The preceding is the results of a poll on my local newspaper’s website.  On the issue of booster shots, a recent study showed the vaccine effectiveness after six months for the three vaccines used in the USA as follows: Johnson & Johnson (J&J). 13%. Pfizer. 43%. Moderna. 83% (Newsmax. Effectiveness). The low rate for the J&J vaccine is why some authorities are saying it should have been a two-shot vaccine in the first place.

      This effectiveness is based on cases, not hospitalization or deaths. But it does show why the CDC is now recommending that everyone who got the J&J shot more than two months ago get a booster shot. It has now also approved boosters for everyone who got the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines more than six months ago. It is especially urging those 50 and over to get a booster (Just the News. CDC panel; Wall Street Journal. Pfizer-BioNTech). Boosters have been shown to bring the effectiveness of the vaccines back up to their original 95% effectiveness (Trib Live/ AP. 5 things; Newsmax. Boosters). They also help increase protection for cancer patients (Newsmax. COVID).

      The superiority of the Moderna vaccine is why I encouraged my dad, when he got his booster, to get the Moderna rather than the Pfizer vaccine that he got originally. I will do the same when I get mine. I base that recommendation on a study whose results were shown on Newsmax on the effectiveness of various vaccine combinations. In decreasing effectiveness, the results were:

Original       Booster

Moderna        Moderna

Pfizer              Moderna

Pfizer              Pfizer

J&J                 Moderna

J&J                 Pfizer

J&J                 J&J

Trump vs. Biden

      I don’t want to get too political in this article, since I will be publishing it in my FitTips newsletter and posting it on my fitness website, along with on my politics website. But since I am citing statistics in this article, I want to compare the numbers under Trump vs. Biden.

      President Trump was vilified by the media, by Democrats, and even by Joe Biden for his supposed lack of seriousness about Covid. It was said that the USA had such higher numbers than other countries due to Trump’s incompetence in handling Covid. Biden even said during a debate that if it were not for such, “all the people would be alive” putting the blame for all Covid deaths at that time on Trump. Many people who voted for Biden did so primarily because they thought he would do a better job at dealing with Covid than Trump. But has that proven to be the case?

      There were 352,000 Covid deaths in the USA in 2020. We reached 353,00 Covid deaths in the USA in 2021 on October 6, 2021 (Forbes. U.S. Covid-19; Washington Infomen). But of course, Trump continued to be President for another 20 days after the end of 2020. By January 20, 2021, the USA was at 408,000 deaths from Covid due to the winter surge occurring at that time.

      I cited previously that as of November 13, 2021, there were 761,354 Covid deaths in the USA. Doing the quick subtraction, that means as of that date, there have been 353,354 Covid deaths under Biden. But Biden still has over two months left to go in his first year in office. By January 20, 2022, the total number of deaths will surely reach over 416,000, which will mean, more Americans will have died from Covid under the first year of Biden than under the year Trump dealt with the pandemic. That despite the fact that Biden had three vaccines during the entire time he has been President, while the vaccines just began to roll out under Trump (thanks to Trump’s Operation Warp Speed).

      Covid antivaxxers will claim this pattern shows the vaccines are not effective. But in reality, the majority of those deaths under Biden are of the unvaccinated. And I blame Biden, at least in part, for the vaccine hesitancy that has caused so many Americans to resist getting the vaccine and to suffer and die needlessly. I will detail why I say that in a book I am currently working on about Biden’s failing presidency.

     Note: Some authorities claims there were 385,000 Covid deaths in the USA in 2020. Using that figure, it was not until November 21 that we surpassed that number of deaths in 2021 (Postmillennial. Biden). Either way, it will still most certainly hold true that more Americans will have died of Covid under Biden that under Trump.

Rates for Vaccinated and Unvaccinated

      To document the claim that the unvaccinated account for the majority of the Covid deaths under Biden, the following is from the same section of the NYT as I where got the preceding Covid numbers:

      Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that people who are unvaccinated are at a much greater risk than those who are fully vaccinated to test positive or die from Covid-19. These charts compare age-adjusted average daily case and death rates for vaccinated and unvaccinated people in the 14 states and two cities that provide this data.

      The NYT then presents a graph showing these statistics. I cannot reproduce the graph here. But the conclusions are: “Unvaccinated 6x as high” vs vaccinated in terms of cases per 100,000. “Unvaccinated 12x as high” vs vaccinated in terms of deaths per 100,000 (New York Times. Coronavirus). Those figures also mean the vaccines are twice as effective at preventing death than at preventing cases. That is why highly vaccinated areas might still have high case counts but low death counts, leading to low CFRs.

      Here in Pennsylvania, WTAE reported on November 23, 2021 about statistics released by the PA Department of Health. They reported that from January 1 to November 10, 2021, 78% of Covid cases, 80% of hospitalizations, and 89% of deaths were among the unvaccinated (WTAE. COVID-19).

      However, getting closer to my home, here in Allegheny County (where Pittsburgh is located), if you look at just October through November 25, then breakthrough cases accounted for 38% of new cases (Trib Live. Health). Antivaxxers will point to such a statistic and claim the vaccines are losing their effectiveness. That is true in part, as already discussed. But it is probably more a matter of vaccination rates. As the percentage of the population that is vaccinated increases, the percentage of new cases among the vaccinated will increase. But the risk for the unvaccinated is still far greater.

     The vaccinated rate for Allegheny County is even higher than for PA as a whole, about 75%. That means, three times as many residents are vaccinated than are unvaccinated. Yet, the unvaccinated account for 62% of the cases, about 1.6 times as much as the vaccinated. That means an unvaccinated Allegheny County resident is about 4.8 times more likely to get infected than a vaccinated resident.

     If you looked at hospitalizations and deaths, the risk factor for the unvaccinated would be even greater. AHN, operator of 14 hospitals in western PA, reported on November 30, 2021, “A recent internal review of nearly 500 covid-19 patients found that more than 90% of hospitalizations involved unvaccinated patients” (Trib Live. Allegheny).

     Interestingly, during that same time period of October through November, reinfections accounted for only 1% of new cases. But only 11.3% of the county’s population has been infected. That means, breakthrough cases are 5.3 times more likely than reinfections. Thus, here in Allegheny County anyway, it is clear natural immunity is better than vaccination immunity.

Vaccine Hesitancy, Fetal Tissue, and Experimental Drugs

Do you know someone who is hesitant to get the covid-19 vaccine?

Yes: 100%

No: 0%

Unsure: 0%

Have you received a vaccine against the coronavirus yet?

Yes: 65%

No: 22%

I don’t plan to get vaccinated: 13%

Based on 2,687 responses

      The preceding are the results of two additional polls on my local newspaper’s website. It is clear vaccine hesitancy is quite common here in the Pittsburgh area, as it is across the USA. I address many false claims of vaccine antivaxxers that fuel this hesitancy in my four-part article Why I Decided to Get Vaccinated (Refuting Covid Anti-Vaxxers). Here, I want to add a bit to two points I address in that long article.

      The first is the use of fetal tissue in the development of the vaccines. To reiterate from that article, there is no fetal tissue in the vaccines themselves. However, a 20-year-old fetal tissue line was used in the development of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. I explain what is meant by a fetal tissue line in in that article and that even the very Pro-life Pope does not consider it a reason  to not get either of those vaccines. He in fact is now saying it is “an act of love” to get vaccinated and has received the vaccine himself (Just the News. Pope; Trib Live/ AP. Vatican).

      But to add to that, if you are Pro-life and claim the use of fetal tissue in the development of the vaccines is why you will not get the vaccine, then, to be consistent, you had better stop using Tylenol, Tums, Pepto-Bismol, and even Preparation H. That is because a fetal tissue line was used in the development of all four of these over the counter (OTC) drugs (Trib Live/ AP. As).

      And they are not alone. Many other prescription and OTC drugs were developed using fetal tissue lines. Therefore, if this is really the reason you do not want to get the Covid vaccine, and it is not just an excuse, then you need to do go through your medicine cabinet and do some research and throw out any and all medications that used fetal tissues lines in their development .

      To explain what is meant by development, as best as I understand it, fetal cells are used in the initial development or in the testing phase for a drug or vaccine. The researchers use the cells line to produce cells that do not react to the virus or to test to see how the fetal cells react to the product being tested. That gives researchers a jump start on development or some idea how our cells will react to the product. As such, it makes no sense for there to be fetal cells in the finished product, as they would serve no purpose at that point (NCBI. The ‘Ethical’).

      Another common claim I discuss is the claim the vaccines are “experimental drugs.” That is not true, as I explained in that article. But if you think it is for the vaccines, which have now been in use for about 1-1/2 years and given to literally billions of people, then it is far truer for any drug you might be given if your stubbornness to get the vaccine gets you seriously ill or even lands you in the hospital with Covid.

      Monoclonal antibodies (Regeneron), Merck’s new little red pill (Molnupiravir), and Pfizer’s new blue and white pill (Paxlovid) are all far newer and far less distributed and studied than the three vaccines used in the USA. If you will be willing receive one of those treatments once you are sick and suffering , it would be far more logical to get vaccinated now and prevent that suffering.

      Along those lines, Covid antivaxxers complain that the drug companies are getting rich off of their vaccines. That is true, but it is even more true for any of these treatments, as they are far more expensive than the vaccines.

      The US government is paying the drug companies about $30 for each dose of the vaccines. But a single treatment with monoclonal antibodies costs about $2,000. A course of treatment for Merck’s pill costs about $700 (Trib Live/ AP. U.K.). I have not heard the cost of Pfizer’s new pill, but I would guess it would be about the same as for Merck’s pill. Thus, if you do not want to enrich Big Pharma, chose the vaccine now over having to get one of these treatments later (Trib Live/ AP. Merck envisions).

      Let me add, I think this is why HCQ and Ivermectin were vilified. A course of treatment with the former costs just $20 dollars and for the later just a few bucks (Steadfast Clash. Why; New York Times. How). I think it should be obvious which treatments Big Pharma would want you to get if you get infected.

      Note that there is controversy as to if HCQ and Ivermectin are actually safe and effective for treating Covid. Personally, I think the evidence is stronger for HCQ than for Ivermectin. But HCQ needs to be given early in a Covid infection and with zinc. I have included references on both sides on the References page, so that the reader can study the issue for yourself.

      But here, do not skip vaccination and say you will get one of these inexpensive pills if you get infected, as it is doubtful you will be able to find a doctor willing to prescribe either. And if you do, you will then have a hard time finding a pharmacy willing to fill the prescription. I know, as the friend I mentioned about previously asked for HCQ both times she tested positive and also  Ivermectin the second time, but she was denied both times, resulting in weeks of needless suffering.

      I know that makes me sound conspiratorial, but it is what it is. And given that situation, if you do not get vaccinated now, you almost certainly will get infected sooner or later and have to use one of the newer and more expensive treatments. That leads to the next section.

Covid Is Now Endemic

      From the start of this pandemic, I wrote much about herd immunity. The idea was that once we reached a certain percentage of the population with either natural or vaccine immunity, the pandemic would be over. But it is clear now that we will never be over this pandemic. That is because of the way the Coronavirus is mutating. Covid will be with us forever, just like the seasonal flu and the common cold (Trib live. Experts; New York Daily News. Changing).

      That means, just like with the flu vaccine, it is very possible that yearly booster shots for Covid will be needed. But it also means, don’t put all of your eggs in the basket of natural or vaccine immunity. That is because reinfections or breakthrough cases will always be possible due to ever-emerging new variants.

      I addressed this possibility early on in the pandemic when I first heard of two cases of reinfections. I said then and will say again now, if, or now, since, Covid will be with use forever, that makes my longstanding recommendations to take steps to reduce your risk of serious consequences from a Coronavirus infection by following a healthy lifestyle. That includes losing weight if you are overweight, getting your blood sugar under control if you have diabetes, getting your blood pressure under control if you have hypertension, stress control, adequate sleep and relaxation, exercise, and getting sufficient sunlight (or taking a vitamin D supplement). These steps will not only reduce your risk from Covid but from many other diseases, like heart disease, cancer, and stroke. But, as I emphasize in my two-part article, Supplements to Reduce the Risk of Covid-19, these steps should be in addition to getting vaccinated, not instead of doing so.

      The reason again is that with Covid being endemic, sooner or later you will get infected, and maybe reinfected or experience a breakthrough case, and the best way to reduce the risk of serious consequences from an infection is this holistic approach of using every possible method to reduce your risk of serious consequences from a Covid infection.

Casual Versus Causal Connections

      A few weeks ago, here in the Pittsburgh, PA area, an expected tragedy occurred. A seemingly healthy 12-year-old boy dropped dead during basketball practice. There was no apparent cause for his death. But upon an autopsy, it was revealed it was due to “a natural cause involving a coronary artery” (Trib Live. Chartiers).

      Something similar happened near Philadelphia, when a seemingly healthy high school senior died after a soccer game. It was ruled to be due to a “sudden cardiac arrest” (Pen Live. Pa.). In both cases, the heart or artery condition was unknown prior to their deaths.

      Why I am I telling these stories here? Did they get a Covid vaccine that led to their deaths? There are no reports of the had been vaccinated, and the coroners were clear they died of natural causes. But what if they had been vaccinated a week before? I am sure the Covid antivaxxers would have been abuzz, declaring the vaccine caused their deaths. Even after the autopsy showed a heart or artery condition caused the deaths, I am sure the antivaxxers would claim the vaccine caused those problems.

      I explained in a previous article that people die all the time for all types of reasons, and sometimes, for no apparent reason at all. As such, just because someone gets a vaccine then dies shortly afterwards, it does not mean the vaccine caused the death. Only a skilled coroner can determine the cause of death. But Covid antivaxxers all seem to think they have suddenly received medical degrees and are qualified to declare the cause of death in a particular case.

      This again is why deaths reported on the federal Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) cannot be looked to as reliable indicators of deaths caused by the Covid vaccines. If this 12-year-old boy or high school senior had received the vaccine, their deaths would have been recorded on that system. But again, a detailed autopsy would show their deaths were due to natural cases and in no way related to the vaccine.

      The same goes for health problems allegedly caused by the vaccines. Again, people develop health problems all the time, for all kinds of reasons, and sometimes, for no apparent reason. But if someone develops a health problem shortly after receiving a Covid vaccine, the antivaxxers will jump on it and claim the vaccine caused the problem. But in fact, there might be no causal connection whatsoever. They are just casual connections, not causal connections.

      For instance, when I developed Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS), there was no obvious precipitating factor. The condition just began one morning, and that was that. And I have been dealing wit it ever since. But if I had received a vaccine the week before, antivaxxers would claim the vaccine caused the RLS. But the vaccine would have just had a casual connection to the RLS, not a causal connection.

      A casual connection is when something happens then something else happens. But it is just by chance. They are not connected. I wash my car, then it rains. That is a casual, a chance connection, but in no way did my washing my car cause it to rain. A causal connection is when something happens that causes the next thing to happen. I start eating less, then I lose weight. That is a causal connection (English for Students. What; Vocabeasy Causal).

      The point is; over 450 million doses of the Covid vaccines have been administered in the USA. With that great number of doses, inevitably there will be people who die or develop health problems within say a month after getting a vaccine. However, with a sample of over 450 million, there will inevitably be people who die or developed health problems within a month after administration of a dose. But that does not prove causation.

      What is needed is to compare the rate at which people develop a certain health problem or die from a certain cause who got a vaccine with the rate at which people who did not get the vaccine die for that particular reason or develop that specific health problem. Only if the former is greater than the latter is there a possible causal connection.

      The only problems such a causal connection has been established with Covid vaccines is what I reported in previous articles. But to summarize here, they are the very common side effects of pain at the injection site, of feeling fatigued, chills, and having a fever. But those all clear up with one to two days.

      The only more serious and longer lasting side effects are the very tiny increased risk of blood clots among women of childbearing age, the somewhat more common but temporary risk of distorted menstrual cycles, the very tiny risk of myocarditis (heat inflammation) among young men (15-30 years old), and Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) from only the J&J vaccine. From these events, only six deaths have been recorded in the USA, out of again, over 450 million doses that have been administered (John Hopkins. Is; CDC. Selected). That is a 0.0000013% death rate. To put it in the positive, there is a 99.9999987% chance you will not die from a Covid vaccine.

      That’s it. Any other claims you hear or read of deaths or serious health problems caused by the vaccines are at best casual connection, but they are not causal connections. They have not been proven to occur at a greater rate among those who get vaccinated versus those who do not get vaccinated.

       Therefore, do not get scared off of the vaccines by claims of a multitude or serious side effects or a long list of potential side effects. Thus, for instance, a conservative news website has calculated that VAERS (as of October 3, 2021) lists “569,294 adverse event reports associated with COVID-19 vaccination in the U.S” (Just the News. More). Since this number is from five weeks earlier than the 450 million doses number, I will reduce that to 400 million doses for this date. Even with doing so, and even if that number of adverse events were due to the vaccines, that would only constitute 0.14% of those 400 million administered doses. That would mean, you would have a 99.86% chance you will not have a serious adverse reaction from a vaccine doses.

    However, each of the types of problems listed would need to be tested to see if they are occurring more often than among people who are not vaccinated or if there is an increase in such events since the vaccinations began to be administered. Such research is being done, and it is being seen that no such increase is being found. Such was the case with one study of reports of tinnitus. It was found that it is Covid itself that carries a risk of tinnitus, not the vaccines (ABC10 New. San Diego. In-Depth).

    The same webpage claimed there 8,164 deaths reported on VAERS. Even if that number was accurate, it would constitute a 0.002% death rate. Compare that to the 1.6% CFR for Covid, and you are 800 times more likely to die from a Covid infection than from a Covid vaccine dose. But again, that assumes those 8,164 deaths were in caused by the vaccine and are not just a casual coincidence. And again, only six of those deaths have been confirmed as being caused by a Covid vaccine. In that case, there is an over million times greater risk of dying from Covid than from a Covid vaccine.

On a related issue:

      … long-term or late effects that do not show up for the first time until years after inoculation, as some vaccine skeptics fear, are not possible, according to the immunologists we interviewed, and are also not known from other vaccines. This is because vaccines are rapidly broken down in the body and thus cannot trigger any lasting reactions (DW. Fact).

Are These Number Accurate?

      I know some will object to this article, claiming the numbers I am citing are not accurate. I myself have expressed concern that the death numbers could be inflated due to people dying with Covid as opposed to dying from Covid being counted as Covid deaths. I’ve explained that difference in detail in previous articles, such as in my articles Nursing Home Deaths (Inflated Coronavirus Death Rates and Government Overreach) and 12,000 not 200,000 (Comorbidities Are Killing Far More Americans Than the Coronavirus.

      I’ve also expressed the possibility that the case numbers could be underreported due to people getting infected but not getting tested. I myself could be in that category when I got sick early in the pandemic but never got tested (see Different Perspective in Dealing with the Coronavirus:  Had Either COVID-19 or the Flu and Mostly Recovered in 35 Hours). Those who have a asymptomatic infection would also add to the case numbers but would have been unlikely to have been tested early in the pandemic.

      If in fact the death numbers are inflated and the cases numbers are underreported, then both the numerator and denominator would change, and the CFR would be far lower.

      However, many authorities believe the death count is way underestimated, so the numerator should be even higher and thus the CFR higher. That is because people have died without being tested and thus their deaths were not counted as Covid deaths. That is especially the case in third world countries.

      Take India, for instance. When it had its huge surge in April 2021, people were dying before they could be tested, and they were literally burning bodies on sidewalks, as the crematoriums were overloaded. It is doubtful all of those corpses were counted. As such, the death count cited previously for India almost certainly is too low. Some authorities believe such undercounting of Covid deaths is also occurring here in the States (Trib Live/ AP. How).

      In addition, with most Covid tests, false positives are more likely than false negatives. A Covid test kit was in fact recently recalled because it had too high of a false positive rate (UC San Diego Health. More). But those false positives raise the case rate. But without then, the denominator would be lower, so the CFR would be higher. However, at home test results are not usually reported to the CDC, so any positive results are not added to the case counts (Newsmax. Home). But if they were, that would raise the denominator and lower the CFR.

      Moreover, now that I am vaccinated, there is no way for me to go back and get tested to see if I ever had Covid. That is because, I should now have antibodies, but there is no way of knowing if they are only from the vaccine or also from having had Covid. The same is true for the tens of millions of Americans who might have had Covid but are now vaccinated

      In addition, with regular testing occurring across the country, even infections of those who are asymptomatic are being caught. Such routine testing is now occurring in businesses across the country, and even more so with mandates that require either vaccination or routine Covid tests. As such, missed cases are becoming far less likely and the case count more accurate.

      All of this is to say, it is possible the case and death numbers are off. But it could go either way. Both the numerator and the denomination could either be too high or too low. But most likely, all of these factors even out, and in the end, my reported case fatality rates are probably as accurate as we are going to get.

      Evidence that these numbers are accurate is in my previously mentioned article “12,000 not 200,000.” I document there that there were 2.8 million total deaths in the USA in 2018 and in 2019. I wondered if the number of deaths would be greater in 2020 or not. If not, then the Covid death counts were overstated. If so, then they would be accurate.

      As it turned out, there were 3.2 million deaths in the USA in 2020 (Fox News. US deaths; Chicago Tribune. United States). The 352,000 recorded Covid deaths in 2020 would account for the bulk of those excess 400,000 deaths. Although, some authorities put the number of excess deaths at over 500,000 (Science Daily).

      But whatever the exact number, the rest of these excess deaths are probably due to people not receiving or delaying medical care due to a fear of Covid, an increase in opioid deaths and suicides, and an increase in murders (AIER. Drugs; CDC. Delay). Except for the first, those would be deaths caused by the lockdowns that I warned would happen from the start of the pandemic (AIER. Death). There would also be deaths caused by people seeking medical treatment but not being able to receive it due to hospitals being overwhelmed with Covid patients (New York Times. He).

     Sadly, I turned out to be correct in my warning that the lockdowns would cause deaths for the stated reasons. However, those lockdown-caused deaths and deaths caused by lack of medical treatments only collectively account for 100,000 of the excess deaths (Bloomberg. Missed). Thus, at best, only one one-quarter of the excess deaths in total could be attributed to non-Covid causes.

    Note also, these 100,000 excess non-Covid deaths in 2020 is why I think the 352k Covid deaths number in 2020 is probably more accurate than the 385k number. The latter does not leave room for these lockdown-caused deaths, unless the 500k excess deaths number is correct. But either way, the numbers are close enough to show that neither is off near as much as Covid-deniers claim. Covid has killed many 100,000s of Americans. That leads to the next point of evidence.

      I had predicted back in May of 2020 that after three years of the pandemic, there would be one million Covid deaths in the USA (see Revised Coronavirus Numbers (Healthy Habits are Your Best Defense). Very sadly, we are on track to reach that grim milestone sometime in 2022.

      I had based that prediction on just a 0.5% CFR. But I also based it on only 50% of Americans getting vaccinated and the Covid vaccine only being 50% effective, since those are the percentages for the seasonal flu vaccine. Since, at this writing (11/14/21), more than 50% of Americans have gotten fully vaccinated (59% to be more exact; New York Times. Tracking), and since the vaccines are still more than 50% effective against death, even with waning immunity and the Delta variant (> 70% in fact; Newsmax. Effectiveness), and since we will probably hit that grim milestone before three years is up, then the only way my prediction could still hold true is if the CFR is greater than 0.5%. The calculated 1.6% CFR for the USA would fit the bill.

Summary of Covid Recommendations

      The reason we will hit the grim milestone of 1,000,000 Covid deaths in the USA sometime in 2022 is because the authorities and most Americans have by and large ignored most of the recommendations I have given about Covid. Below is a summary of my recommendations:

1.       Anyone who is overweight to lose weight.

2.       Anyone who is out of shape to start exercising.

3.   Anyone with diabetes to bring it under control via natural methods (diet and exercise) if possible, medication if needed.

4.       Anyone with hypertension to bring it under control via natural methods (diet and exercise) if possible, medication if needed.

5.       Everyone get adequate sunshine or take vitamin D supplements.

6.       Everyone who tests positive for Covid be immediately given Hydroxychlotoquine + zinc.

7.       Quick use of other therapeutics as needed.

8.       Disinfect frequently touched surfaces.

9.    Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly.

10.  Utilize adequate ventilation indoors. Even something as simple as opening a window can make a big difference.

11.   Everyone who is not vaccinated or does not have natural immunity wear a mask when indoors and social distancing is not possible.

12.   Everyone who is not vaccinated or does not have natural immunity wear a mask when outdoors when in a large crowd.

13.   Everyone who is eligible and has not had Covid get vaccinated.

14.   Those who have had Covid get one dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine 3-4 months after recovery.

15. Get a booster shot (preferably Moderna) after six months after second Moderna or Pfizer shot or after two months after J&J shot.

16. Stay home when sick or if you test positive for Covid.

17. Follow other healthy habits, including consuming a healthy diet based on whole natural foods, getting adequate sleep and relaxation, and stress control.

      I discuss, explain, and provide documentation for my masks recommendations in my three-part article Does a Mask Protect the Wearer from the Coronavirus? (Three-Pronged Path to Ending this Crisis). I do the same for the rest of these points in my other Coronavirus writings posted on my politics website at Coronavirus Articles and Commentaries. For help in following the final point, see my books God-given Foods Eating Plan and Creationist Diet: Second Edition.

      However, most authorities have ignored all of this science-based advice and have focused on just masks and vaccines, while creating vaccine hesitancy by requiring masks even for those who are vaccinated and for those with natural immunity. Meanwhile, many Americans have balked at wearing masks when needed and at getting the vaccine, along ignoring most of the rest of these recommendations. That all leaves us unnecessarily and regrettably looking forward to that horrific one million Covid deaths milestone next year.

Late-Breaking Development:
Omicron Variant

      I wrote all of the preceding before November 26, 2001, and I thought I was done with this article. But on that day a very important development occurred that I feel I need to cover, as some might think it negates what was just said about the Covid vaccines. It does not. But it does need to be looked at.

Previous Variants:

      As I have explained in previous articles, since the start of the pandemic, there were two versions of the Coronavirus, the original Wuhan Coronavirus and the slightly mutated European variant. The few reinfections early in the pandemic were people who got infected with one of these then the other. But they were very few. In fact, I only heard of two such cases in the first few months of the pandemic here in the USA and a couple of others elsewhere. The reason is, the European variant was only slightly different than the original, so natural immunity protected against both versions.

      But then the UK variant (renamed Alpha), came along, and it was more different form either of these than they were from each other. Then there was the Beta and Gamma variants, but not much came of them. Then the Delta variant came along, and it was and is even more different and more contagious than all of the previous variants. The latter enabled it to become the dominant variant here in the States and worldwide, with about 99% of infections now of the Delta variant. The original Wuhan virus is now basically extinct.

      With Delta much more different than the original Wuhan or European versions, reinfections become more possible. My friend who was infected twice almost certainly was infected with the European version first then Delta second. The same is probably the case for the rest of those 1% of cases from reinfections I mentioned about occurring here in Allegheny County.

The New Variant:

      But now, as I was finishing this article, there was much talk about the new South African variant, dubbed the Omicron variant. News of this variant sent the stock market tumbling on Black Friday of all days (Fox Business. Dow; Wall). It rebounded a bit on Cyber Monday, but plunged again on Giving Tuesday (Trib Live/ AP. Wall; Wall Street Journal. Stocks).

      The concern is Omicron is said to even more different from the original Wuhan virus than Delta and possibly more contagious. Being more contagious means it could potentially spread and become the dominant variant. And being more different means chances of reinfection for those who were infected with the original Wuhan virus or Europeans variants becomes greater. Even those infected with Delta could be reinfected with Omicron, due to it being considerably different even from Delta. But the thinking is it is not more lethal than previous variants (Trib Live/ AP. Explainer).

      However, at this writing, all of this is theoretical. It will take some time to see if in fact Omicron is different enough and contiguous enough to supplant Delta and to cause more reinfections, and if it is more or less lethal (WHO. Classification; Nature. Heavily). But a point to note, the current Covid tests are still accurate with Omicron, at least as much as they ever were (Fox News. Dr. Siegel). Moreover, a flaw in one type of test actually makes it easier to detect Omicron, as it did the UK variant (Alpha). That makes it easier to track its spread (Wall Street Journal. Some).

      But unknown at this time is if the vaccines will still be effective against Omicron (Fox News. WHO). The vaccines were designed for the original Wuhan virus; but again, that virus is basically extinct. That is why we are seeing so many breakthrough cases with Delta. However, Delta was still close enough to the Wuhan virus that the vaccines remain effective against hospitalizations and deaths, as I have documented throughout this article. But what is not known is if they will remain effective in this regard against Omicron.

      Many, myself included, have compared the Coronavirus booster shots to the seasonal flu vaccines. But there is a difference. The season flu vaccine changes each year, as, like the Coronavirus, the influenza virus mutates. Researchers try to guess what variant of the flu virus will be dominant in the coming year and develop a vaccine geared towards that variant. If they guess correctly, then the flu vaccine is very effective against infection. If not, then not so much.

      However, even when they guess incorrectly, the flu shot still lessens the severity of whatever symptoms the person would have gotten without the vaccine. I know that is true. Before I began getting the flu shot every year, when I got the flu, I would be sick for one to two weeks and have a temperature of up to 102.5 degrees. But now that I get it every year, the few times I have gotten sick in the past twenty years, it only lasts a few days, and my temperature has never gotten above 100 degrees (see again Different Perspective in Dealing with the Coronavirus:  Had Either COVID-19 or the Flu and Mostly Recovered in 35 Hours).

      That is what is happening with the Covid vaccines. Since they were not geared directly to Delta, they are not too good at stopping infections, but they still lessen the severity of a Covid infection. But the difference is, the boosters are the same as the original shots. They were not altered to correspond with Delta. If they had been, they most certainly would have greatly reduced not just the risk of hospitalization and death but also of infection.

      The reason they were not changed to correspond to Delta is doing so would have taken several months, and by then a new variant might have arisen and the vaccines would once again have been out of date. In the meantime, people’s immunities were lessening, and it was thought the boost against hospitalization and death was still worth giving out the original vaccines as boosters, since that could be done quickly.

      And sure enough, here we are with Omicron, so if the boosters had been altered, they would already be out of date. However, as it is, those who have gotten boosters most likely will still have protection against hospitalization and death, though breakthrough infections will probably become more common. However, over time, most likely, new boosters will be developed towards the then dominant variants, so they will be even more effective. The scenario will probably become like with the seasonal flu as researchers try to guess which variant will be dominant over the coming year.

      Pfizer and Moderna have said it would only take them 100 days to develop a variant-specific vaccine, as they were already working on doing so with Delta. But it would then need to be approved by the FDA and CDC, which would take a few more weeks. Then a few more weeks to gear up production and distribution (Fox Business. Omicron; Fox News. Dr. Siegel). Thus, it could be months before they would be available to be administered.

Still Get Vaccinated:

      Does all of this mean there is no point in getting vaccinated or a booster at this time? By no means! First off, Delta is still the dominant variant and will remain so for at least a few more weeks or months, maybe longer. It all depends on how contagious Omicron. But even if Omicron eventually becomes the dominant variant, though the vaccines might not protect against infection, they will still most likely lessen the severity of what symptoms you would have experienced without the vaccine or booster (Fox News. Dr. Siegel; Wall Street Journal. Omicron Risks).

     And the CDC is now recommending everyone 18 years old and older get boosted, not just those over 50 or with comorbidities (CDC. CDC Expands). Note also, the newer therapeutics mentioned previously might not be as effective against Omicron, so they cannot be depended upon in lieu of getting vaccinated (Wall Street Journal. Merck’s; Covid-19).

      Moreover, it takes 5-6 weeks to be considered fully vaccinated with the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines (3-4 weeks between shots then two weeks after the second shot for full immunity). If you wait until Omicron spreads, then you could very well get infected before you are able to be fully vaccinated. But if you get vaccinated now, then, by the time you need a booster, a vaccine directed towards Omicron could be available. It would then just be a matter of getting that one shot, and two weeks later, you would have full immunity.

      If you are already vaccinated, but it has been more than six months since your second shot, then your immunity is already waning, and you are open to serious infection, so getting the booster now will lessen that possibility. If it has been less than that, then wait and see if a more direct booster for Omicron is developed.

      In fact, there is some evidence it is better to wait for eight months after your second shot for a booster rather than six months. I had my dad wait that time period. As for myself, I am at six months now, but I will wait a bit and see what happens with Omicron and a booster specifically for it before getting my booster (Atlantic, The. You). But of course, if you wait that extra two months, you run the risk of getting infected before you get a booster shot. You need to consider your own life situation and what risks you will be exposed to during that time period.

Dan Bongino:

      That is what happened with conservative commentator Dan Bongino. He was vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine back in March. He has said the reason he got vaccinated was due to him having recently recovered from cancer, so he is at high risk from Covid. But he then failed to get a booster shot. And come late November, he was sickened with Covid.

      He says he was very sick for a couple of days, with a temperature of 103.5 degrees. He also alternated between chills and the sweats. He made it clear that being sick with Covid is far worse than having the flu, declaring, it was “one of the worst things I ever experienced.” My friend who had Covid twice said the same thing, as she also had those same symptoms, especially night sweats.

      But unlike my friend, who had to wait eight days to get a monoclonal antibody treatment, Dan got his within a couple of days, and 36 hours later, he was almost fully recovered. It is good that he lives in Florida, which has its act together in terms of its Covid protocol. That is so unlike here in PA, which still seems to be trying to figure things out, even after 20 months of Covid.

      The point is, if Dan had gotten his booster shot before the eight month mark, he could have saved himself even those few days of suffering, which again, would have been longer if he lived here in PA and had to wait for the antibody treatment. Moreover, given his background, the vaccine he did get probably prevented him from ending up in the hospital or morgue.

        However, smaller conservative news outlets are reporting that Dan was infected and got very sick, “regardless of having been vaccinated” (Muricase News) or “despite having been vaccinated” (Washington Examiner; Gazette, The. Dan). They do so in their never-ending attempt to disparage the vaccines. But they are being disingenuous when they fail to mention that he was eight months out from being vaccinated but did not get a booster and that he is immunocompromised due to having had cancer. But those are the most important points of his story. Dan mentioned these points on his radio show on November 29^th, so it is inexcusable for these news outlets to not report them.

J&J and Reasonable Precautions:

      As for those who got the J&J shot, if it has been more than two months, then most certainly you need to get a booster, preferably with Moderna, as your immunity is dropping quickly. After six months, it is almost as if you never got vaccinated. Again, the J&J shot should have been a two-shot vaccine in the first place (Yale Medicine. Did).

      Otherwise, the reasonable precautions listed in the previous section will still work against Omicron. However, there is no reason to panic. But that is what the authorities are causing with new travel restrictions, states of emergency, lockdowns, and other mandates already being instituted (Fox News. New York; Fox News. Omicron). But such draconian measures will work no better with Omicron than they did against previous variants, which is to say, they will do very little. But they will cause economic and physical and emotional health hardships, as I already discussed in this article and elsewhere in my Coronavirus writings.

Greek Notes:

       As the translator of the Analytical-Literal Translation of the Bible, I know Greek, and it bugs me when people who do not know Greek try to comment on something Greek and get it wrong. Thus, before closing, let me add a few technical notes on the Greek lettering system used to name variants.

       Omicron is the 15^th letter in the Greek alphabet. Delta is the fourth letter, so not much came of the intervening variants. But there were only eight intervening variants, not ten, as Nu and Xi were skipped. Nu was skipped because the World Health Organization (WHO) realized the pronunciation of Nu is the same as “new,” so talk of a “Nu variant” would be confused as being of a “new variant.”

      Xi (pronounced “she”) was skipped because Xi is a common sir name in China, including the current president of the country, Xi Jinping. The Chinese Xi is pronounced differently from the Greek letter, though the correct pronunciation of the Chinese Xi is difficult for English speakers ((MSM/ CNN. WHO; ThoughtCo. How).

      Some think this skipping of Xi is WHO bowing once again to pressures by China. But in fact, it is now a stated practice of WHO to not name diseases or variants thereof with proper names, be they places or people (WHO. World). That is how we got the confusing name of Coronavirus, which is just a general term for a class of viruses, rather than the more specific Wuhan Coronavirus, that would have helped to separate this virus from say the common cold virus, which is also a coronavirus.

      On the pronunciation of Omicron, it is the short O in the Greek alphabet. The long O is Omega, the last letter of the alphabet. But I have heard newscasters, especially on CNN, pronounce Omicron with a long O. But at least President Biden and Anthony Fauci got it correct in their press conference on Monday, November 29^th.

 Biden’s Press Conference:

      On Biden’s presser, he was also correct when he said, “This variant is a cause for concern, not a cause for panic” and in not calling for more lockdowns and in calling for people to be vaccinated and to get a booster when eligible. He even declared that the most protected person is someone who is fully vaccinated and boosted.

      However, he negated that statement with his continued mask-wearing. Despite being triple vaccinated, he still feels a need to wear a mask, even when he is only around those who are also fully vaccinated. The silliness was really front and center during this press conference.

    He and Fauci were both wearing masks when they entered the room. When Biden walked up to the microphone, he took off his mask as he began to speak. Fauci was still wearing one while standing a few feet to the right of Biden. But then, when Biden stepped away from the microphone to let Fauci answer a question, he put his mask back on, but Fauci took his off to speak. When Fauci finished after just a minute, he stepped away from the mic and put his mask back on, while Biden took his off as he took the mic. Then when the presser was over (after Biden answered all of four questions), as they left the room, Biden kept his mask off, but Fauci still had his on. Any thinking person just looks at such a scene and cannot but wonder at the silliness.

      But that aside, don’t let Biden’s mask silliness led you to think the vaccines don’t work. They do. And once you are fully vaccinated, you do not need to wear a mask, unless you are going to be close to someone who is not vaccinated and is at high risk from Covid. But even then, it should be on the unvaccinated to protect themselves, not on the vaccinated to protect them from their own stubbornness.

Disclaimer:

     Let me end this lengthy article with the obligatory disclaimer that you talk to your own doctor about what advice in this article you should follow. Only you and your doctor know your own unique health situation, and a discussion between the two of you is the best way to determine the best course of action for you to protect yourself from Covid, including Delta and the new Omicron variant.

References:

    See Statistical Refutations of Covid Deniers and Antivaxxers: References.

Americanuck Radio Interview

November 17, 2021

By Gary F. Zeolla

      I was interviewed by Mike Filip on Americanuck Radio. The station is based in Texas, but Mike is in Alberta, Canada. Hence the name of the station.

      The program is on from 1-3 pm, CST (2-4 pm EST). I was on during the entire second hour. Mike introduced me and made a point of mentioning my personal website Zeolla.org, even spelling out the letters. He said I was an “expert” on Bible related issues. He also mentioned about me being a powerlifter.

      Mike got it started by asking me how it is I came to translate the Bible. I mentioned that I started my Darkness to Light ministry 30 years ago and a bit of its history, as I do in my anniversary articles listed at About DTL and Its Director.

      Then we got into the issues I address in my book Differences Between Bible Versions. I explained, as I do in my book, that the reason for those differences is mainly two-fold: differing translation principles and Greek test types. I explained what is meant by those terms, mentioning examples I use in my book to illustrate these differences.

      That then led to my translation of the Bible, the Analytical-Literal Translation (ALT). I explained the background to the ALT, its purpose and philosophy. I overviewed each of the seven volumes in the ALT. I mentioned the four volumes in the Old Testament. Then I explained Volume Five, which contain the Apocryphal/ Deuterocanonical Books, and what those books are. We of course discussed the New Testament and its background. Lastly, I mentioned Volume Seven, The Apostolic Fathers, and what is meant by that term.

      Then we talked about the issues I address in my three-volume set Why Are These Books in the Bible and Not Others? Mike received several listener emails asking about various books, such as the Book of Enoch, wondering why those books are not in the Bible. I explained, as I do in that set, the criteria used to decide if a book should be included in the Bible or not and why those books did not fit those criteria.

      I also mentioned my book Scripture Workbook: Second Edition, by way of referring to the chapter on fulfilled prophecies and other evidence for the reliability of the Scriptures. I also referred to my Companion Volume to the ALT, its purpose, and the charts it contains with textual variants, explaining what that means.

      Mike then asked me about my political views. I told him the name of my politics website is Biblical and Constitutional Politics. He quoted from the blub on the home page that says, “Political news and commentary from a conservative Christian and politically conservative perspective.”

      We mostly talked about the US government having grown far beyond its constitutionally prescribed limits, hence why we are $30 trillion in debt. I then quickly overviewed my current politics books and mentioned that I am working on book about Joe Biden’s failing presidency.

      I also referred to my two-volume set God’s Sex Plan in several contexts, even here in the politics section. I referred to Biden’s Build Back Better plan and said it should be called the Make Fathers Obsolete plan and explained why that is so. I then referred to my Sex Plan books, where I document the importance of fathers.

      Along the way, Mike also mentioned about my fitness website. I mentioned that I have two books about nutrition and the Bible and one about my sport powerlifting. But that is about all that was said about my fitness writings.

      Right at the end, Mike asked if I was vaccinated. I really did not want to get into a debate about the Coronavirus, as I figured that might be the only area on which Mike and I would disagree. And sure enough, when I told him I was vaccinated, he seemed disappointed and said he was not. But that was all the time we had for that topic, as the show was over.

      Overall, I was very pleased with how the interview went. You can hear it on Americanuck Radio’s website at Americanuck Radio - Guest: Gary Zeolla (Hr 2). My interview begins about halfway into the podcast. You can also find it on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, and many other podcast apps that are listed on the Americanuck website. Do a search on “Americanuck” on the app, and you should find it. But note, initially, the station misspelled my name as Ziola, I told Mike about it, and it was corrected on their website, but that misspelling still occurs on the podcast on iHeart and probably on other podcast apps.

Rotator Cuff Injury

Sling Struggles and Ending Rehab:

Rotator Cuff Injury: Part Four is a new page on my fitness website. It contains my latest update titled, “Sling Struggles and Ending Rehab.” It took me longer than expected to wean myself off my sling. And I had to stop going to physical therapy due to a flare-up of my other health problems. But God-willing, I should be able to continue the rehab on my own.
10/23/21

Third Post-Surgery Surgeon Appointment:

“Third Post-Surgery Appointment” is the latest update to Rotator Cuff Injury: Part Four. All is going according to plan, and God-willing, I should be able to gradually improve over the next 12 weeks.
11/14/21

Problems:

“Problems” is an unexpected update to “Rotator Cuff Injury: Part Four.” I had a significant setback in my recovery. I am not sure how serious it is just yet, but you can forget what I wrote in my previous update about my plans moving forward. Those plans are no defunct. Details are at: Rotator Cuff Injury: Part Four.
11/17/21

New on Fitness for One and All Website

Below are new articles on my fitness website that have been posted since the last issue of this newsletter was published.

New on Darkness to Light Website

Below are new articles on my Christian website that have been posted since the last issue of this newsletter was published.

New on Biblical and Constitutional Politics Website

Below are new articles on my politics website that have been posted since the last issue of this newsletter was published.

October 2021 Commentaries is a new page.
10/1/21

God-given Foods Eating Plan:
For Lifelong Health,
Optimization of Hormones,
Improved Athletic Performance
Paperback and eBook by Gary F. Zeolla

Also by Gary F. Zeolla:

Zeolla.org is the personal website for Gary F. Zeolla.
Author of Christian and of fitness books, Web sites, and newsletters,
and a top ranked and multi-record holding powerlifter.

Darkness to Light website and Darkness to Light newsletter.
“Explaining and defending the Christian faith”
Christian Theology, Apologetics, Cults, Ethics, Bible Versions, and much more.

Biblical and Constitutional Politics
“Political articles and commentary from a conservative Christian and politically conservative perspective”

All material in this newsletter is copyrighted © 2021 by Gary F. Zeolla or as indicated otherwise.

12/2/21