Posted on 06/03/2020 6:34:51 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
A pair of front-line doctors in Italy battling COVID-19, which hit the nation hard, killing thousands, now say the coronavirus either “clinically no longer exists,” or is greatly weakened.
“In reality, the virus clinically no longer exists in Italy,” Alberto Zangrillo, the head of the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, said, according to Reuters.
“The swabs that were performed over the last 10 days showed a viral load in quantitative terms that was absolutely infinitesimal compared to the ones carried out a month or two months ago,” he told RAI television.
Matteo Bassetti, the director of the infectious diseases clinic of the San Martino hospital in Genoa, also said Monday that the virus is no longer as potent. The virus “may now be different: the firepower it had two months ago is not the same firepower it has today,” he said, the Italian news agency ANSA reported.
“Currently the new coronavirus is circulating less, that is, the viral load in circulation among the population has diminished and this is the effect of both the lockdown and the measures still in place such as use of the masks and distancing.”
COVID-19 cases peaked in mid-April and while numbers continue to stay high, most experts attribute that to the surge in testing. “Italy, specifically, now averages fewer than 100 COVID-19 deaths per day after becoming the global epicenter just two months ago,” Reuters reported.
Zangrillo said some experts continue to be alarmist about the prospect of a second wave of infections and added that politicians need to take into account the new reality.
The two claims from the doctors have set off a global debate. Coronaviruses are known to wilt in the heat and humidity, but it’s too early in the summer months to determine if that’s what’s happening with SARS-CoV-2.
Franco Locatelli, the head of Italy’s top health advisory body, took issue with the two doctors.
“I can only express great surprise and absolute bewilderment for the statements made by Professor Zangrillo. Just look at the number of new cases confirmed every day to have evidence of the persistent circulation of the virus in Italy,” he told ANSA.
Sandra Zampa, an undersecretary at the health ministry, also cautioned, “Pending scientific evidence to support the thesis that the virus has disappeared … I would invite those who say they are sure of it not to confuse Italians,” she said in a statement, Reuters reported.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO), warned Monday that the virus has not suddenly become less lethal. “This is still a killer virus,” Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO’s health emergencies program, told a virtual press briefing on Monday.
“We need to be exceptionally careful not to create a sense that, all of a sudden, the virus, by its own volition, has now decided to be less pathogenic. That is not the case at all,” Ryan said. “It may not be the case that the virus is becoming less potent, it may be the case that we are, as a community and as a globe, are successfully reducing the number, intensity and frequency of exposure to that virus, which then on the face of it, then looks weaker.”
A lot of the rioters were wearing masks.
The arsonist who set fire to the Nashville court house was wearing a mask but not a shirt. Identifying tattoos all over his body. LOL
In fact you’d expect the people who intend to do violence to wear masks.
I never bought into adjusting masks as a serious threat. The virus has to get into moist membranes, mouth, nose, eyes. You’re not going to get covid from touching the side of your face or the outside of your mask.
I expect some bump from the protesters, but a lot of them were young. So the bump may be an additional week delayed as the protestors spread it around.
Either way, the pandemic isn’t over until new case counts go way down, or until the virus mutates and is no longer deadly.
Right just like we’ve been stepping over all those stricken homeless for the last 2-3 months.
the man at the center of the riots had covid-19 and it could have been a major factor in his death...although I dont think the autopsy is talking about it.
If I was the legal team representing the cops I would ask for further investigation.
Has Fauci walked out a side exit somewhere?
I’ve noticed the traffic on the highway is back to full load only they’re driving at the speed they did in the shut down time frame when people were doing 20 to 30 over the limit daily
2 new patients today, both classic COVID.
Black men and old people are two of the most susceptible groups for the Wuhan - - lots of black men this last week or so... there will be sickness and death.
I didn’t see many old hippies at the protest until tonight. We should see some deaths there...
We’ll know soon if the virus has gone the way of most Chinese junk - and fallen apart. Or if we’ll see a big jump in sick and dead... We’ll know soon.
No, they won’t. First, because they’re young. Second, because most people who get COVID have such mild symptoms that they don’t even know they have it. COVID isn’t a death sentence for about 99.9% of the people who get it, especially young people, which pretty much all of the rioters are.
They'll go to homes and kill parents, grandparents and friends. None of the masks I saw were N95. N95 masks block the virus.
What I saw were cloth masks which are great in short exposure situations... or limited virus loads. But there was lots of excitement, shouting, and long periods of exposure. It doesn't look good.
Either the virus has fallen apart of we're gonna see lots of death coming from these 'protests'...
Still new cases being reported...I’m gonna say the article is based on childish, crap for brains ‘thoughts’...
Ok, since there are new cases, and you call this article childish crap, is it your contention that with thousands of people marching in protest without social distancing and many with no mask, that we will soon see a huge CoVid-19 wave?
All true what you said. But even if they are asymptomatic, they can infect any elders in contact with them and make those people sick.
And this is different from every other virus that has affected mankind, how?
I've always been anti-lock-down/exercise personal responsibility person.
The protests and Pelousy and others marching with them is just another display of their hypocrisy...there was supposedly a college football player who mingled with the "protesters" and then came up positive...I give it a 50% chance that's where he encountered it.
ZERO cases of covid19 in my town in Texas Hill Country. They closed the schools but EVERYTHING else stayed OPEN. The businesses were WIDE OPEN and only recently added the plexiglass and masks. And the cashiers hate them. Sure has been a STRANGE YEAR! so far.....
Our Santa Ana California son wants to move back home to TEXAS.
We shall know in one week if the covid 19 was mostly just HYPED UP seasonal flu season or not. If the protesters/arsonists/thieves/looters all drop dead from covid we will know it was REAL. If not....
We had ZERO cases of it in our Texas hill county town...
ZERO! all of our stores remained OPEN!
Young people have died of it. A baby in EU died of it. Babies have died of it all across the globe. Sure if you are over 80 it is more likely to kill you, but people of all ages have caught it. It is the seasonal flu, more deadly than usual, hardest hit - elderly.
Thanks for your posts, buffyt. Reasoned...good news.
Main difference I see is...
covid-19 is 10 times more infectious than influenza virus.
On the positive side covid-19 affects mostly older folks with serious existing health issues. 88% who died form covid-19 were over age 60 AND had 2 or more comorbidities.
Which then infers that people in working age 18-60 have very little to fear from covid-19.
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