The day the world turned upside down

I am writing this post because we find ourselves in unprecedented times. While not directly associated with our journey at Dunblane, I need a platform to document my views on current events. Every action has consequences. When my grandchildren look back on these times, I want them to know where I stood on these matters. Decisions we make now are going to seriously impact the lives of these little people. People who implicitly trust us to do the right thing by them.

 in January 2020,the world turned upside down. I am going to try to put to paper the very strange events surrounding what is now referred to as Covid-19.

In late January 2020, the mainstream media exploded with news of an outbreak in China of a strange new virus.We read about how the Chinese Government put complete cities in total lockdown. They banned travel in and out of the city of Wuhan, where the virus originated, supposedly from a bat  colony The World Health Organization reassured us that there was no cause for alarm because this virus did not spread person to person. On the face of it, this was a contradiction. Why if this new virus was not spread person to person, was it necessary to put a whole city in lockdown  We then learnt that the whistle blower doctor who tried to warn the world about this Corona Virus was arrested and went missing. China, it appeared was hiding information.  As a member of the WHO, China has a duty of care to be open and transparent with other world health member countries. Why then did they deny scientists from other countries access to study the progress of this virus. The Chinese Government issued statements on death tolls. People, using social media, told a different story, saying it was much worse than was being told. Then an outbreak occurred in northern Italy. Hospital admissions soared with very ill patients. ICU facilities were overwhelmed. Most people admitted to ICU died in respiratory failure. Terror spread through the world. International travel was suspended. One by one countries imposed "lock down" on their citizens. People were mandated to stay at home. The global economy ground to a halt.

On Dunblane we are pretty immune to the risks. Farmers live in social isolation anway. We get on with our daily chores and very often don't see any other people for weeks on end. So, on a day to day basis, this massive global shutdown has had no impact on our lives. It's normal for us to keep our pantry and deep freeze stocked. When this pandemic first hit, everybody rushed to the stores to "stock up".  Not so us. My point being, that while so many were filled with anxiety that they might either contract the virus or run out of food, we were totally relaxed. For us it was business as usual. We spend our days out in the sunshine, working the land. Not so our children. Some have had to close their businesses, thereby ending their income. Others are  forced to work from home, not sure of how long their jobs would last. All are fearful of the effects Covid19 might have on their children.

In 1985  we emigrated from South Africa and made Australia home. One of the things I found enchanting was the delightful Australian slang. One saying that springs to mind as I try to articulate my thoughts about Covid19 is "you wouldn't read about it". In South Africa, and presumably other English speaking countries, that doesn't really make much sense. To an Aussie it makes all the sense in the world. 

Here we are in May, 2020. We have just survived three years of crippling drought, then the devastating bush fires and now a viral pandemic. The big concern is the need to stop the rapid person to person spread globally. All but essential businesses are closed as are schools. Families are required to remain at home. If for some reason we need  to interact in society, there are strict guidelines known as "social distancing" Thereby avoiding physical contact.  Attention is paid to sanitising all surfaces, washing our hands, wearing face masks and rubber gloves.

Daily we receive TV and radio updates. Computers generate models predicting the outcome. Data is tracked and transcribed onto graphs which accompany the TV broadcasts. This is a new virus that has its origins in the Chinese city of Wuhan. For that reason, there is no "herd immunity" so the spread is rapid and the clinical presentation is very severe. Those who experience the full impact of this Covid19 illness, if left unchecked, are very ill indeed. The natural progression leads to organ failure. Emergency services can be overwhelmed. Many Covid19 sufferers end up in ICU needing assisted respiration. Sadly most die. This Covid19 is a very serious problem.

We teach our children how to identify different things in the world by breaking them into parts. We have all sat with babies pointing to our ears, eyes, nose, toes and celebrating when they correctly identify these body parts. So too, a dog can be identified because it has 4 legs, a wagging tail, sharp teeth and barks. Over time we come to recognise a dog each time we see it. There is no need for the anatomy checklist. We know, a dog is dog because its a dog.

Its early August of the year the world turned upside down. Much more is known about the Corona Virus. We have learnt that it is less  deadly than the seasonal flu. We have learnt from the vast numbers of people tested, that those who have tested positive represent only about 15% of those who actually carry the virus. We have learnt that most people who contract the virus remain symptom free and make a full recovery. We have learnt that children and adults up to the age of 40 are at very low risk of mortality. Most have no symptoms. Others have mild flu like symptoms. Our son Alistair and his wife Jenny, who live in South Africa, have tested positive to this virus. They are both in their early 40's.  They as a family are isolating at home. For the most part they are in good form. What else do we know about Covid-19? We know that there is a group of high risk people, namely the elderly ( especially those congregated in aged care facilities ) and anyone, regardless of age, with a co-morbidity, like diabetes, heart disease and obesity. To these people, Covid-19, if left untreated, is a death sentence. We also know that the drug hydroxychloroquie in conjunction with zinc and an antibiotic erythromycin is a very effective cocktail which cures this Covid-19 illness. We also know that hydroxychloroquie is effective as a prophylactic against this virus.

Authorities, so called expeats, insist we all wear face masks. I can't find one reputable scientific article that supports this. The literature is full of research articles stating the opposite. Hydroxychloroquine,  a drug used primarily for the prevention and treatment of malaria, a drug that has been used for 60 years, a drug that is both safe to use, is widely available and cheap. Why has this drug suddenly become difficult to access. In some places doctors are banned from prescribing it For Covid-19.  Studies conducted by reputable research institutions, have found this drug in combination with zinc and erythromycin has a 95%+ efficacy. Yet suddenly the WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION has stopped any further trials of this therapeutic regimen. The worlds leading medical journal, THE LANCET, recently printed a paper in support of hydroxychloroquine's lack of effectiveness for Covid-19. Medical practitioners rose up enmass to challenge this claim. It turns out it was fabricated lies and was withdrawn immediately. Why is there no outcry from the mainstream media whose only task it is is to convey the truth to the people. Why is it that the only voice practicing front line medical practitioners are given,  is an occasional TV clip or some digital platform? Why does the mainstream media not want us to hear what they have to say? 

What has this got to do with dogs?  I'm not an epidemiologist. I'm not a specialist virologist. I'm just someone who practiced medicine as a GP for the best part of 30 years. To me, there is something seriously wrong going on. I feel it in my bones. New graduates, like small children, when confronted with a diagnostic challenge, need to break it into its many parts before coming to a conclusion. For them a dog is a dog because it has a wagging tail, four legs a fur coat and it barks. To an old timer, a dog is dog because it's a dog. The old timer knows to then check for sharp teeth, fur coat, wagging tail and bark. The outcome is the same. Experience makes the process different.

As a primary care physician, with 30/something years of experience, I ask myself. " How is it that a virus, for which there is an effective treatment and is less deadly than the seasonal flu, can result in a global shutdown of the economy. Can force a whole population to wear masks that dont work and keep them locked up indoors. We now know that children are at low risk of developing a full blwn life threatening Covid-19 illness and have a very low risk of spreading it. Why then are they not in school? Especially when we also know that lockdown increases risk of social, behavioural and emotional problems for these children. Since the "lockdown" there has been a spike is domestic violence. Children forced to stay home in many cases prevent their parents from returning to work, thereby worsening  the family financial position.These stressors have many untoward consequences for the parents, the economy and the local communities.Chidren bear the brunt of this. Why then if children are not at risk from covid-19, do they not return to school. Doctors, nurses, police officers, supermarket sales assistants are considered " essential workers" but not teachers. Why? 

As I ponder these things, my conclusion is that there is something terribly wrong with this picture. I'm  no expert but I am capable of applying simple logic and common sense. Nothing adds up. It seems to me that there is something much bigger than a so called pandemic. Whatever  it is, if allowed to continue it will certainly destroy our economy and strip us of our civil liberties. I am aware that for decades there have been those who wish to undo our democratic system and Co-opt us into a socialist One World Government To do this the population must be compliant. Fear makes people compliant. As long as people believe that Corona Virus is a deadly pandemic and wearing masks and staying home is the only remedy, they will be compliant, while family businesses are destroyed and  the economy is ruined. I'm shocked that so few people take the time to fact check anything. Like sheep they blindly accept everything they are spoon fed. For anybody  willing to do some research for themselves,  and not rely on the media, will soon confirm there is no basis for this fear. We are being lied to!.........WHY?!?

As I see it, it's time to take off the gloves. Most people need to peel the scales from their eyes and wake up to the fact that evil people are trying to change our political system and take from us our God Given rights.