OT: COVID-19 thread #2

[molepharmer]

states that have eased restrictions to some degree while in-state cases on the rise:

CO IN IA KS MN NE TN NC AZ IL NM WI

minnesota and wisconsin eased up a couple of weeks ago and have already seen a spike in new cases

states that have eased while cases in DECLINE, none of which has yet seen a resultant uptick:

AK CO MS MT SD MI HI VT WA

You have CO in both lists. Regardless, the state of MIssouri eased restrictions yesterday. However St Louis County and St Louis city are both still under restrictions. I know people from StL County who are going to an adjacent county to do some shopping and run errands. Point being that while a state/Governor may ease restrictions some of the state counties may not follow.

Anecdotal - I talked to a friend of mine in the Springfield (MO) area who has a daughter who is a nurse. He said she told him that they have had more flu deaths than Covid-19 deaths in her area. Numbers are low (~9 Covid deaths), still it was surprising to hear this.

[stl705]

Asking for a friend, should i feed my children or pay my bills this month?

Fed govt MIA when real world folks need them most. Wheres the talk on a 2nd stimulus so people can feed their families? I don’t really care whether the virus left a chinese lab or not, but I sure wish folks, especially the rich ones in congress and fed govt could start looking at more stimulus/UBI. I’d love to have more positivity that parents can feed their kids but unfortunately our discussion has turned to blame instead of solutions to help real world people.

I understand many on this board are well to do, and of course most of congress is many years from reality, but I have friends and neighbors that are really struggling and are desperate for discussions to get back to helping real world families

[Dresden]

Asking for a friend, should i feed my children or pay my bills this month?

Fed govt MIA when real world folks need them most. Wheres the talk on a 2nd stimulus so people can feed their families? I don’t really care whether the virus left a chinese lab or not, but I sure wish folks, especially the rich ones in congress and fed govt could start looking at more stimulus/UBI. I’d love to have more positivity that parents can feed their kids but unfortunately our discussion has turned to blame instead of solutions to help real world people.

I understand many on this board are well to do, and of course most of congress is many years from reality, but I have friends and neighbors that are really struggling and are desperate for discussions to get back to helping real world families

What about unemployment insurance? There's an extra $600 per week now in that for a lot of people. If you worked for a company that got the PPP program, you should continue to get paid from your job, whether working or not, for 2 months.

[Dresden]

I don't think there is a debate anymore about whether the virus was manmade or modified- just whether or not it escaped from the lab.

Just like there was no debate about it being from the lab. I don't know what constitutes manmade. But certainly they were doing selective breeding for lack of a viral term.

The genetic structure is too similar to viruses found in the wild for it to be man made or altered in a lab.

[otwok]

Asking for a friend, should i feed my children or pay my bills this month?

Fed govt MIA when real world folks need them most. Wheres the talk on a 2nd stimulus so people can feed their families? I don’t really care whether the virus left a chinese lab or not, but I sure wish folks, especially the rich ones in congress and fed govt could start looking at more stimulus/UBI. I’d love to have more positivity that parents can feed their kids but unfortunately our discussion has turned to blame instead of solutions to help real world people.

I understand many on this board are well to do, and of course most of congress is many years from reality, but I have friends and neighbors that are really struggling and are desperate for discussions to get back to helping real world families

I was talking to my wife about this yesterday. I am surprised that this isn't more of a story. Not just here but globally. Many folks live pay check to paycheck, and many across the world live on even less than that and now the economy is shut down, here in the US, unemployment is high, all people got (if they were luck) was $1,200 which here in California probably wouldn't cover one month's rent for a family. But nobody is talking about this, nobody is rioting, crime is down. So what's the deal? Either people are patient and have a lot of faith the government will take care of them, or something is missing. The story should really be those suffering and putting pressure on the government to do something rather than some political points.

Whether this was created in a lab or not or released or whatever, that is a good topic to discuss for the sake of discussing it, it's a political point and honestly a policy question but the real thing is those suffering. If the government doesn't do much, crime will go up. And the people committing the crimes won't be by the "bad guys with no morals" it'll be that good guy who has to feed his family but has lost his job, his $1,200 already went to last months rent or mortgage, and unemployment only pays for like 20% of his salary. So what is he going to do? And can you blame him? Because while people are talking about bats and pangolins, Trump injecting lysol or whatever, and people not able to go to beaches, this guy who is struggling to keep his family afloat has to rob his neighbors to survive.

[stl705]

Asking for a friend, should i feed my children or pay my bills this month?

Fed govt MIA when real world folks need them most. Wheres the talk on a 2nd stimulus so people can feed their families? I don’t really care whether the virus left a chinese lab or not, but I sure wish folks, especially the rich ones in congress and fed govt could start looking at more stimulus/UBI. I’d love to have more positivity that parents can feed their kids but unfortunately our discussion has turned to blame instead of solutions to help real world people.

I understand many on this board are well to do, and of course most of congress is many years from reality, but I have friends and neighbors that are really struggling and are desperate for discussions to get back to helping real world families

I was talking to my wife about this yesterday. I am surprised that this isn't more of a story. Not just here but globally. Many folks live pay check to paycheck, and many across the world live on even less than that and now the economy is shut down, here in the US, unemployment is high, all people got (if they were luck) was $1,200 which here in California probably wouldn't cover one month's rent for a family. But nobody is talking about this, nobody is rioting, crime is down. So what's the deal? Either people are patient and have a lot of faith the government will take care of them, or something is missing. The story should really be those suffering and putting pressure on the government to do something rather than some political points.

Whether this was created in a lab or not or released or whatever, that is a good topic to discuss for the sake of discussing it, it's a political point and honestly a policy question but the real thing is those suffering. If the government doesn't do much, crime will go up. And the people committing the crimes won't be by the "bad guys with no morals" it'll be that good guy who has to feed his family but has lost his job, his $1,200 already went to last months rent or mortgage, and unemployment only pays for like 20% of his salary. So what is he going to do? And can you blame him? Because while people are talking about bats and pangolins, Trump injecting lysol or whatever, and people not able to go to beaches, this guy who is struggling to keep his family afloat has to rob his neighbors to survive.

Amen, glad I’m not the only one thinking this.. Some of the unemployment benefits, stimulus, etc do help our communities and families greatly, I’m not saying they dont. But every single program has RESTRICTIONS.

From talking with people (at a distance), I see a lot of fear on faces with uncertainty. So we get a vaccine big whoop, are all these jobs coming back? What happens then? How about what happens the next 2 months? Is a 1-time 1,200 payment plus an extra $600 in unemployment insurance supposed to pay for rent, bills, food? Pay for their kids medicine which insurance doesnt fully cover in the first place, is something every parent would like to do, but we’ve got too many articles talking about trump, talking about a lab in wuhan, talking about everything except making sure families are stable. Great

[otwok]

Asking for a friend, should i feed my children or pay my bills this month?

Fed govt MIA when real world folks need them most. Wheres the talk on a 2nd stimulus so people can feed their families? I don’t really care whether the virus left a chinese lab or not, but I sure wish folks, especially the rich ones in congress and fed govt could start looking at more stimulus/UBI. I’d love to have more positivity that parents can feed their kids but unfortunately our discussion has turned to blame instead of solutions to help real world people.

I understand many on this board are well to do, and of course most of congress is many years from reality, but I have friends and neighbors that are really struggling and are desperate for discussions to get back to helping real world families

I was talking to my wife about this yesterday. I am surprised that this isn't more of a story. Not just here but globally. Many folks live pay check to paycheck, and many across the world live on even less than that and now the economy is shut down, here in the US, unemployment is high, all people got (if they were luck) was $1,200 which here in California probably wouldn't cover one month's rent for a family. But nobody is talking about this, nobody is rioting, crime is down. So what's the deal? Either people are patient and have a lot of faith the government will take care of them, or something is missing. The story should really be those suffering and putting pressure on the government to do something rather than some political points.

Whether this was created in a lab or not or released or whatever, that is a good topic to discuss for the sake of discussing it, it's a political point and honestly a policy question but the real thing is those suffering. If the government doesn't do much, crime will go up. And the people committing the crimes won't be by the "bad guys with no morals" it'll be that good guy who has to feed his family but has lost his job, his $1,200 already went to last months rent or mortgage, and unemployment only pays for like 20% of his salary. So what is he going to do? And can you blame him? Because while people are talking about bats and pangolins, Trump injecting lysol or whatever, and people not able to go to beaches, this guy who is struggling to keep his family afloat has to rob his neighbors to survive.

Amen, glad I’m not the only one thinking this.. Some of the unemployment benefits, stimulus, etc do help our communities and families greatly, I’m not saying they dont. But every single program has RESTRICTIONS.

From talking with people (at a distance), I see a lot of fear on faces with uncertainty. So we get a vaccine big whoop, are all these jobs coming back? What happens then? How about what happens the next 2 months? Is a 1-time 1,200 payment plus an extra $600 in unemployment insurance supposed to pay for rent, bills, food? Pay for their kids medicine which insurance doesnt fully cover in the first place, is something every parent would like to do, but we’ve got too many articles talking about trump, talking about a lab in wuhan, talking about everything except making sure families are stable. Great

It's a very sad situation. This is what I've said since this has started. If your biggest worry is the Covid-19, or the state of the government (i.e. Democrat vs. Republican, Donald Trump, etc...) then you are among the most fortunate to live on this planet today. There are bigger problems that this cause.

But I am glad you talked about the vaccine. We all know that we need some sort of vaccine, but let's be honest. Who gets the vaccine once it is developed? Those unemployed without health insurance - are they going to get it? Probably not. You have private enterprises creating these vaccines and the only free thing they've given in their lives is a small sample. Right now, unless the media starts putting pressure for those that are worried about rent, families, meals we know who is on the short end of the stick. But the problem is that they don't increase ratings, most probably wouldn't vote, and the tax base is very low.

I could go on forever on this but this is really showing the uselessness of people who can help and the divide in the gap. Do people really think Trump is the problem? The truth is that he is a product of the problem. This has been going on for decades and this situation just is making it worse.

[Dresden]

I was talking to my wife about this yesterday. I am surprised that this isn't more of a story. Not just here but globally. Many folks live pay check to paycheck, and many across the world live on even less than that and now the economy is shut down, here in the US, unemployment is high, all people got (if they were luck) was $1,200 which here in California probably wouldn't cover one month's rent for a family. But nobody is talking about this, nobody is rioting, crime is down. So what's the deal? Either people are patient and have a lot of faith the government will take care of them, or something is missing. The story should really be those suffering and putting pressure on the government to do something rather than some political points.

Whether this was created in a lab or not or released or whatever, that is a good topic to discuss for the sake of discussing it, it's a political point and honestly a policy question but the real thing is those suffering. If the government doesn't do much, crime will go up. And the people committing the crimes won't be by the "bad guys with no morals" it'll be that good guy who has to feed his family but has lost his job, his $1,200 already went to last months rent or mortgage, and unemployment only pays for like 20% of his salary. So what is he going to do? And can you blame him? Because while people are talking about bats and pangolins, Trump injecting lysol or whatever, and people not able to go to beaches, this guy who is struggling to keep his family afloat has to rob his neighbors to survive.

Amen, glad I’m not the only one thinking this.. Some of the unemployment benefits, stimulus, etc do help our communities and families greatly, I’m not saying they dont. But every single program has RESTRICTIONS.

From talking with people (at a distance), I see a lot of fear on faces with uncertainty. So we get a vaccine big whoop, are all these jobs coming back? What happens then? How about what happens the next 2 months? Is a 1-time 1,200 payment plus an extra $600 in unemployment insurance supposed to pay for rent, bills, food? Pay for their kids medicine which insurance doesnt fully cover in the first place, is something every parent would like to do, but we’ve got too many articles talking about trump, talking about a lab in wuhan, talking about everything except making sure families are stable. Great

It's a very sad situation. This is what I've said since this has started. If your biggest worry is the Covid-19, or the state of the government (i.e. Democrat vs. Republican, Donald Trump, etc...) then you are among the most fortunate to live on this planet today. There are bigger problems that this cause.

But I am glad you talked about the vaccine. We all know that we need some sort of vaccine, but let's be honest. Who gets the vaccine once it is developed? Those unemployed without health insurance - are they going to get it? Probably not. You have private enterprises creating these vaccines and the only free thing they've given in their lives is a small sample. Right now, unless the media starts putting pressure for those that are worried about rent, families, meals we know who is on the short end of the stick. But the problem is that they don't increase ratings, most probably wouldn't vote, and the tax base is very low.

I could go on forever on this but this is really showing the uselessness of people who can help and the divide in the gap. Do people really think Trump is the problem? The truth is that he is a product of the problem. This has been going on for decades and this situation just is making it worse.

I agree that Trump is not the problem- he is a product of a problem. And that many of the problems you're mentioning have been going on for a long time- the increasing income gap in this country, the fact that almost all the benefits from the strong economy are going to the top 1 or top 10% of the people, the fact that so many people don't have access to health care.

Ultimately, these are problems only politicians can solve. So it is important to look at what solutions candidates are offering. People like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders talk a lot about health care, about income inequality, about limiting the power of corporations and the wealthy. If you want to get those problems addressed, the best way is support candidates who make those a priority. And make sure to vote! If you want govt. to listen to your needs, you have to vote.

[otwok]

Amen, glad I’m not the only one thinking this.. Some of the unemployment benefits, stimulus, etc do help our communities and families greatly, I’m not saying they dont. But every single program has RESTRICTIONS.

From talking with people (at a distance), I see a lot of fear on faces with uncertainty. So we get a vaccine big whoop, are all these jobs coming back? What happens then? How about what happens the next 2 months? Is a 1-time 1,200 payment plus an extra $600 in unemployment insurance supposed to pay for rent, bills, food? Pay for their kids medicine which insurance doesnt fully cover in the first place, is something every parent would like to do, but we’ve got too many articles talking about trump, talking about a lab in wuhan, talking about everything except making sure families are stable. Great

It's a very sad situation. This is what I've said since this has started. If your biggest worry is the Covid-19, or the state of the government (i.e. Democrat vs. Republican, Donald Trump, etc...) then you are among the most fortunate to live on this planet today. There are bigger problems that this cause.

But I am glad you talked about the vaccine. We all know that we need some sort of vaccine, but let's be honest. Who gets the vaccine once it is developed? Those unemployed without health insurance - are they going to get it? Probably not. You have private enterprises creating these vaccines and the only free thing they've given in their lives is a small sample. Right now, unless the media starts putting pressure for those that are worried about rent, families, meals we know who is on the short end of the stick. But the problem is that they don't increase ratings, most probably wouldn't vote, and the tax base is very low.

I could go on forever on this but this is really showing the uselessness of people who can help and the divide in the gap. Do people really think Trump is the problem? The truth is that he is a product of the problem. This has been going on for decades and this situation just is making it worse.

I agree that Trump is not the problem- he is a product of a problem. And that many of the problems you're mentioning have been going on for a long time- the increasing income gap in this country, the fact that almost all the benefits from the strong economy are going to the top 1 or top 10% of the people, the fact that so many people don't have access to health care.

Ultimately, these are problems only politicians can solve. So it is important to look at what solutions candidates are offering. People like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders talk a lot about health care, about income inequality, about limiting the power of corporations and the wealthy. If you want to get those problems addressed, the best way is support candidates who make those a priority. And make sure to vote! If you want govt. to listen to your needs, you have to vote.

So more of the same. Support the system that's broken. Thinking someone like Bernie (who I really like but hasn't really been able to accomplish much), or Warren or whoever is just continuing the system. Now I don't have the answer because I know the next question is "what do you suggest then" but if the answer to the problem is continuing to support the system that we continue to complain about and hopefully the person we elect can make a change, well then maybe we need to start looking for different answers. People said the same thing about Obama and the system remains the same.

I guess, go out and vote and in a few years we can continue to complain about the system. Sure.

[Dresden]

It's a very sad situation. This is what I've said since this has started. If your biggest worry is the Covid-19, or the state of the government (i.e. Democrat vs. Republican, Donald Trump, etc...) then you are among the most fortunate to live on this planet today. There are bigger problems that this cause.

But I am glad you talked about the vaccine. We all know that we need some sort of vaccine, but let's be honest. Who gets the vaccine once it is developed? Those unemployed without health insurance - are they going to get it? Probably not. You have private enterprises creating these vaccines and the only free thing they've given in their lives is a small sample. Right now, unless the media starts putting pressure for those that are worried about rent, families, meals we know who is on the short end of the stick. But the problem is that they don't increase ratings, most probably wouldn't vote, and the tax base is very low.

I could go on forever on this but this is really showing the uselessness of people who can help and the divide in the gap. Do people really think Trump is the problem? The truth is that he is a product of the problem. This has been going on for decades and this situation just is making it worse.

I agree that Trump is not the problem- he is a product of a problem. And that many of the problems you're mentioning have been going on for a long time- the increasing income gap in this country, the fact that almost all the benefits from the strong economy are going to the top 1 or top 10% of the people, the fact that so many people don't have access to health care.

Ultimately, these are problems only politicians can solve. So it is important to look at what solutions candidates are offering. People like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders talk a lot about health care, about income inequality, about limiting the power of corporations and the wealthy. If you want to get those problems addressed, the best way is support candidates who make those a priority. And make sure to vote! If you want govt. to listen to your needs, you have to vote.

So more of the same. Support the system that's broken. Thinking someone like Bernie (who I really like but hasn't really been able to accomplish much), or Warren or whoever is just continuing the system. Now I don't have the answer because I know the next question is "what do you suggest then" but if the answer to the problem is continuing to support the system that we continue to complain about and hopefully the person we elect can make a change, well then maybe we need to start looking for different answers. People said the same thing about Obama and the system remains the same.

I guess, go out and vote and in a few years we can continue to complain about the system. Sure.

I don't think you can look at Sanders or Warren's agenda and conclude that what they are proposing is "just more of the same".

[otwok]

I agree that Trump is not the problem- he is a product of a problem. And that many of the problems you're mentioning have been going on for a long time- the increasing income gap in this country, the fact that almost all the benefits from the strong economy are going to the top 1 or top 10% of the people, the fact that so many people don't have access to health care.

Ultimately, these are problems only politicians can solve. So it is important to look at what solutions candidates are offering. People like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders talk a lot about health care, about income inequality, about limiting the power of corporations and the wealthy. If you want to get those problems addressed, the best way is support candidates who make those a priority. And make sure to vote! If you want govt. to listen to your needs, you have to vote.

So more of the same. Support the system that's broken. Thinking someone like Bernie (who I really like but hasn't really been able to accomplish much), or Warren or whoever is just continuing the system. Now I don't have the answer because I know the next question is "what do you suggest then" but if the answer to the problem is continuing to support the system that we continue to complain about and hopefully the person we elect can make a change, well then maybe we need to start looking for different answers. People said the same thing about Obama and the system remains the same.

I guess, go out and vote and in a few years we can continue to complain about the system. Sure.

I don't think you can look at Sanders or Warren's agenda and conclude that what they are proposing is "just more of the same".

I am not going to get into US politics because this isn't the place for it nor is it really a meaningful debate but this is what I will say, if Bernie Sanders was serious he wouldn't have used the Democratic platform. For Warren, her actions speak louder than words. If she was serious she would have supported Sanders from the beginning instead of getting into a political battle. And the fact that they are both willing to support Biden says all you have to know. Politicians say beautiful things. But hey, anything to get Trump out of the office and get more of the same.

The guy posting above, talking about whether or not his friend should pay bills or feed his family - tell him to vote, then follow up 4 years later.

[stl705]

Otwok, thank you for standing up for real world families! Certainly not knocking any posters or any discussion points, but I sincerely respect your thoughts and comments in pushing for discussions to be focused on our families, it means a lot to me brother!

Now if we can just get the message on to congress at least for some short term benefit until we figure out how to formally reshape the country, which I think is both evident and much needed. I’m no genuis, i wish I had the answers, but programs like UBI and universal healthcare sure do seem like good ideas to me.

[molepharmer]

I don't think there is a debate anymore about whether the virus was manmade or modified- just whether or not it escaped from the lab.

Just like there was no debate about it being from the lab. I don't know what constitutes manmade. But certainly they were doing selective breeding for lack of a viral term.

The genetic structure is too similar to viruses found in the wild for it to be man made or altered in a lab.

That's not true at all....unless you meant dissimilar.

[Dresden]

So more of the same. Support the system that's broken. Thinking someone like Bernie (who I really like but hasn't really been able to accomplish much), or Warren or whoever is just continuing the system. Now I don't have the answer because I know the next question is "what do you suggest then" but if the answer to the problem is continuing to support the system that we continue to complain about and hopefully the person we elect can make a change, well then maybe we need to start looking for different answers. People said the same thing about Obama and the system remains the same.

I guess, go out and vote and in a few years we can continue to complain about the system. Sure.

I don't think you can look at Sanders or Warren's agenda and conclude that what they are proposing is "just more of the same".

I am not going to get into US politics because this isn't the place for it nor is it really a meaningful debate but this is what I will say, if Bernie Sanders was serious he wouldn't have used the Democratic platform. For Warren, her actions speak louder than words. If she was serious she would have supported Sanders from the beginning instead of getting into a political battle. And the fact that they are both willing to support Biden says all you have to know. Politicians say beautiful things. But hey, anything to get Trump out of the office and get more of the same.

The guy posting above, talking about whether or not his friend should pay bills or feed his family - tell him to vote, then follow up 4 years later.

There is plenty of reason to be upset and concerned over the results of this pandemic, both economic and medical. But if you think there's no difference between parties, just ask yourself which party was in power when this thing hit? And who was in power when the last Great Recession hit? And who was in power when Hurricane Katrina hit? Who was in power when 9-11 happened? Who was in power when we recklessly invaded Iraq? Who was in power during the last two big tax cuts, that mainly helped out the rich? Which party is consistently trying to cut social welfare programs and the public health budget? It's all the GOP. And all of these catastrophes have mainly impacted working class people, and people of color. Whereas Obama helped 13 million more poor people get health insurance.

[Nikola]

I don't think there is a debate anymore about whether the virus was manmade or modified- just whether or not it escaped from the lab.

Just like there was no debate about it being from the lab. I don't know what constitutes manmade. But certainly they were doing selective breeding for lack of a viral term.

The genetic structure is too similar to viruses found in the wild for it to be man made or altered in a lab.

What you are saying does not make sense. As nothing about the "science" that it didn't come from the lab made any sense, which contradicts your statement as well.

It's obviously not exactly identical to anything found in nature. If it is very similar, that in no way tells you no selective breeding was done.

There are some scientists and doctors even taking it a step further and saying it is genetically modified. Which I don't have much of an opinion on other than the fact that when they explain their science I can not immediately debunk it. Unlike the it didn't come from a lab experts who offer no clear evidence and make clearly unscientific assertions.

[Nikola]

The actions of the Federal reserve is the single biggest factor making the rich richer. Those actions are supported by both sides.

I understand this is an extenuating circumstance. But if you are asking for stimulus after stimulus, you are also asking for a ton of corruption. That much money does not get kicked around with out greedy insiders capitalizing.

People need to get back to work. Supply chains are breaking and I am quickly losing hope people only people in the third world will go starving.

[Dresden]

Just like there was no debate about it being from the lab. I don't know what constitutes manmade. But certainly they were doing selective breeding for lack of a viral term.

The genetic structure is too similar to viruses found in the wild for it to be man made or altered in a lab.

What you are saying does not make sense. As nothing about the "science" that it didn't come from the lab made any sense, which contradicts your statement as well.

It's obviously not exactly identical to anything found in nature. If it is very similar, that in no way tells you no selective breeding was done.

There are some scientists and doctors even taking it a step further and saying it is genetically modified. Which I don't have much of an opinion on other than the fact that when they explain their science I can not immediately debunk it. Unlike the it didn't come from a lab experts who offer no clear evidence and make clearly unscientific assertions.

This is from an article posted earlier here by Dice. https://allianceforscience.cornell.edu/blog/2020/04/did-covid-19-escape-from-a-lab/:

"That the virus has natural origins is also apparent from its molecular structure. Scientists writing in Nature Medicine journal on March 17 made clear that “all notable SARS-CoV-2 features” were also observed “in related coronaviruses in nature” and that therefore “we do not believe that any type of laboratory-based scenario is plausible.”

As Josie Golding, epidemics lead at the UK-based Wellcome Trust, pointed out: The findings “are crucially important to bring an evidence-based view to the rumors that have been circulating about the origins of the virus.”

In the Nature Medicine paper, the scientists reach the definitive conclusion that SARS-CoV-2 is “the product of natural evolution,” Golding added, “ending any speculation about deliberate genetic engineering.”

[Dresden]

Here is Dr. Fauci's take on it's origin:

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert and touchstone for scientific guidance during the pandemic, said Monday there was no solid evidence to suggest the coronavirus was manufactured in a Chinese lab.

Fauci, speaking to National Geographic, addressed the conspiracy theory circulated by both President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. But he said scientists analyzing the virus’ genetic code have consistently said there is strong evidence the coronavirus jumped to humans from animals in the wild, although it remains unclear how.

“If you look at the evolution of the virus in bats, and what’s out there now is very, very strongly leaning toward this [virus] could not have been artificially or deliberately manipulated,” Fauci told the outlet. “A number of very qualified evolutionary biologists have said that everything about the stepwise evolution over time strongly indicates that it evolved in nature and then jumped species.”

He went on to say any theories the virus “escaped” from a lab were unfounded because even in that circumstance the pathogen would have first been seen in bats in nature based on the virus’ evolution.

“That means it was in the wild to begin with,” he said. “That’s why I don’t get what they’re talking about [and] why I don’t spend a lot of time going in on this circular argument.”

It's very bizarre that our secy of state is saying we have "enormous proof" of it coming from a lab, when our top expert on the pandemic is saying it's not at all likely.

https://www.yahoo.com/huffpost/fauci-trump-coronavirus-china-lab-092459068.html

[Dresden]

Report on CNN today reports that US intel services have related to our allies that it is "very unlikely the virus originated or escaped from a lab", and that it is "very likely that it came from the wild".

What Pompeo and Trump are saying is nothing more than political theater for their base, who will believe anything they say.

[D1ckeyS1mpkins]

Apathy is the only cure. Google Trends shows a peak between March 15 - 21 and straight down since.