House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday said she will halt negotiations with the Senate and move to pass her own coronavirus package in the House, which could drag things out longer than many expected.
Pelosi’s legislation will be a $1.6 trillion emergency package, according to Politico. However, the House was working throughout the weekend with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who said Sunday that the Senate bill includes $75 billion for hospitals and that two-thirds of all new money in the bill will go to states. McConnell also said, “it’s just about time to take yes for an answer.”
The coronavirus pandemic has led to a rush to purchase firearms and ammunition in the Philadelphia region and across Pennsylvania, leading to long lines at some gun shops.
But the Philadelphia Police Department has shut down its gun-permits unit. Firearm owners without a license-to-carry permit will, in almost all circumstances, not be able to carry the weapons without risking arrest.
Sheriff’s offices in Montgomery, Allegheny, and at least five Pennsylvania other counties have done the same, according to gun-rights groups that have been tracking the shutdowns.
The following list of 2020 campaign issues and the stands taken by the Democrat candidates is from Politico (this list is from before Biden clinched the nomination). The issues have become irrelevant based on the crisis the country is facing. Were these issues truly important or were they just a means to divide the country?
If there is one good thing about the epidemic in this country, it has put what is really important into perspective. Well at least it has put it into proper perspective for sapient people. The ignorance currently shown by a large segment of the population will be the death of thousands of people.
Looking back at the posts on NCRenegade over the past two months shows an overwhelming number of COVID-19 articles. People could not (and many still do not) understand exponential growth patterns in a biological system. We were (and still are) accused of fearmongering. I understand. What else would account for sounding the alarm as it was, when there were so few cases in the country? We were told the threat was minimal and that we did not need masks or to buy food by the CDC. However, now it does not matter what we were told, what we wanted to believe or why the government’s response was delayed.
What does matter is why we were presenting information and warnings when there were few cases in the country and the number was not increasing. The answer is simple science: based on what I (and Chris Martenson) saw in China, the spread across the world was a certainty without a vaccine. The above graph shows the exponential growth in its beginning stages in the United States. This shows that without a Wuhan type shutdown in the country, the growth will continue exponentially. How do I know? Look at the news concerning young people on Spring break in Florida. Do you go out with a mask, goggles and gloves? Do you see people around you taking measures to prevent the spread of the virus?
I want to point out the correlation in the above graph between confirmed and infected. This shows that we are testing people who are symptomatic only. The number of infected is much higher.
I want to be very clear: this is not a post to declare: I told you so. This is a plea to self-quarantine no matter what the cost is financially. This is a plea for people in charge of their families to force them to make the sacrifices to stop this epidemic in the country.
What is the time frame? The “experts” are finally starting to admit that 30 days is a minimum quarantine period. If you want to understand what is coming, look back. Look back at where we were, where we are and do your own projections. I know that a large part of the blame is the failure of our educational system at all levels. But that should not prevent you from making your own conclusions and acting based on facts and science. The number of infected will be in the millions in less than two weeks if the country is not locked down. Our medical care system will be overwhelmed this week.
A vaccine will be fast tracked but it will take months once its efficacy is proven. Hydroxychloroquinone will help people recover but it will not slow down the epidemic. We are in the beginning stages of exponential growth. Projections are 40-80% infection rates if we do nothing. I say “we” because the government can only do so much.
For those who fear government overreach once they assume total control, I understand. What I don’t understand is why the government should be put in this position. We should have the fortitude ourselves to do the right thing. For those who are still worried about the economy and/or their personnel savings, I can only hope that you recognize that sacrifices must be made. My personnel belief is that the economy will collapse worldwide and that fiat currencies will become worthless.
We can always rebuild and I would not want to be in any other country than the United States at this point. Let us show the world “IN GOD WE TRUST” are not just words.
First off I hope everyone is doing well and has been preparing as best than can for what seems to be on the Horizon.
First off my place of business is still open and most people are just wondering how much longer that will last.
I ventured out to Lowe’s yesterday to get some garden soil and plants, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, etc.. They had them. I was surprised. Most people were buying things such as flowers and mulch. Not sure how much of that you can eat. People were also standing close together talking etc. Luckily I had a big cart so I didn’t have people near me.
This morning I went back out to Lowe’s to get a few things. It was nowhere near as busy as yesterday. Hit the vegetable plant section again because my Mom had asked me to get her stuff if I ventured back out. I wasn’t really planning on going but since she asked I’d try and do what I could. All they had were tomatoes. No cucumbers, squash,lettuce, nothing. Just tomatoes. I guess people heard my thoughts and figured they might want to feed themselves. But I escaped with very few people there and got the remainder of things that I wanted to get.
Next I hit tractor supply. Went straight to the chickens. Gone…. every last chicken. The lady there said they may get some by Wednesday but it may be the end of the week. I laughed and said “Guess I waited to long to make that decision.” She gave me a puzzling look and said “What?” I just walked away and said “thank you. “
Saturday when it was more crowded in Lowe’s people were on edge but still somewhat polite. I started noticing more looks of fear and deep thoughts as people were looking for things that they could’t find.
Hopefully I’m done now going to where there are a crowd of people. I used hand sanitizer liker a mad man.
I have spoken to a few neighbors over the past few days. Most just shake their head at me and say things will get back to normal soon. I’ve pretty much given up talking about the subject anymore. I feel I’ve tried my best to warn people to what may be coming. I pray everyday that this passes and life gets back to normal. My gut tells me the world as we know it is over. I’ll take all the laughing at me from whomever if this all blows over with very little damage to our current society. I’ll even be laughing at myself.
I feel sorry for my children. For they will grow up in a much different world if this continues to go south.
Anyway last night we sat around the fire pit and made smore’s with the kids.
Enjoy these days. For I fear tough time’s are ahead.
From our friends over at the Firearm Blog, they have an interesting story involving Governor Murphy and New Jersey. As you may or may not know, Governor Murphy passed legislation early in his term to force all private sales of firearms to have a background check. This includes both handguns and long guns. Governor Murphy’s newest Executive Order, Executive Order 107, directed all non-essential retail businesses to close. As part of this order, the State Police NICS team was included. From the NICS portal website:
On Saturday March 21, 2020, Governor Phil Murphy announced he is putting New Jersey in lockdown to combat the spread of coronavirus. Per Executive Order 107, he is ordering the residents of New Jersey to stay home, directing all non-essential retail businesses closed to the public. At this time, the order includes New Jersey Firearms State Licensed Dealers. The New Jersey State Police NICS Unit is directing the vendor of the NICS Online Application (NICUSA) to turn off the NICS Online Services for submitting NICS transactions by eliminating the “Request Form” button, effective 9:00pm EST, Saturday, March 21, 2020. You will still have the ability to view the message board and the status of previously submitted transactions. This “Request Form” feature will remain off until further order by Governor Murphy.
https://www.njportal.com/NJSP/NicsVerification
As The Firearm Blog noted:
By executive order, the Governor of New Jersey has shutdown the NICS Check system that allows for the sale and transfer of firearms in the state. The NICS check shutdown effectively eliminates all commercial and private transfers of firearms in New Jersey. In addition, judicial processes in the state have been basically frozen, limiting proceedings to critical needs only. Any possible legal challenges to the NICS check system closure in a time of a “non-essential business shutdown” appears to be impossible.
It is quite clear that, at a time when millions of Americans are feeling scared and uncertain about the future and wish to obtain protection for themselves and their families, Governor Murphy has decided to leave them vulnerable. Given his clear anti-gun agenda, there is no doubt that he is exploiting this crisis in order to further degrade the already heavily-infringed Second Amendment rights of New Jerseyians. Considering that a “stand down” order was essentially given to Law Enforcement in Philadelphia and the likelihood that a similar order would be issued in New Jersey, this Governor has failed his citizens and left them in a degraded security position.
Tyranny is afoot, ladies and gentlemen. The government – right on cue – is going to take advantage of this crisis to further their dictatorial tendencies.
Teva to send US millions of malaria pills with potential to help COVID-19
Hydroxychloroquine one of several drugs cited
in recent days as being possibly effective against coronavirus; Israeli
firm says it will provide as many as possible at no cost
Illustrative photo of pharmaceutical pills (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)
Israeli generic drug giant Teva announced Friday that it will
provide ten million doses of its anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine,
which could potentially prove effective in fighting the coronavirus
pandemic, to US hospitals free of charge.
The company said six million doses will be delivered to US hospitals by March 31, and more than ten million in a month.
“We are committed to helping to supply as many tablets as possible as
demand for this treatment accelerates at no cost,” Teva executive vice
president Brendan O’Grady said.
US President Donald Trump touted the potential use of chloroquine on
Thursday after encouraging results in China and France, although many
experts warn of caution.
In France, the Sanofi laboratory said it was ready Tuesday to
offer millions of doses of hydroxychloroquine to potentially treat
300,000 patients.
The hydroxychloroquine molecule, also used for decades in
autoimmune diseases like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, could indeed
have an effect on the elimination of the virus, said Professor Didier
Raoult, director of France’s Institut Hospitalo Universitaire (IHU) for
the study of infectious diseases.
According to the study carried out by Prof. Raoult on 24 patients
with coronavirus, six days after the start of taking
hydroxychloroquine, the virus had disappeared in three-quarters of
people treated.
The Jerusalem office of the Israeli drug company Teva Pharmaceuticals (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the federal agency that
oversees the marketing of drugs in the United States, somewhat tempered
President Trump’s enthusiasm by pointing out that the treatment,
authorized for certain diseases, had not been approved for coronavirus.
But it will set up “an extended clinical trial,” said Stephen Hahn, its leader.
On the strength of these medical advances, Teva also indicated
that it will do everything to accelerate its production of
hydroxychloroquine and also conduct research to see if in its large
catalog of 3,500 drugs, others can be used to fight COVID-19.
Also this week Chinese authorities said a drug produced in Japan
could be effective for treating coronavirus patients. China’s ministry
of science and technology said late Tuesday that some clinical trials
have been completed on favipiravir — the main ingredient in the
influenza drug Avigan.
The trials using the drug as a treatment for COVID-19, the disease
caused by the virus, showed “very good clinical results,” an official
said.
A trial involving 80 cases conducted by a hospital in Shenzhen and a
study of 120 cases led by Wuhan University’s Zhongnan Hospital both
showed the drug shortened the recovery time for patients. Clinical tests
using Avigan as a treatment for the virus have also started in Japan.
Another drug cited as possibly helping patients is remdesivir, an experimental antiviral from Gilead Sciences.
No drug is specifically approved now for treating COVID-19.
Our results suggest that the development of new variations in functional sites in the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike seen in SARS-CoV-2 and viruses from pangolin SARSr-CoVs are likely caused by mutations and natural selection besides recombination.
Read the following article and see if you can spot the issue with local governments not being trained to deal with this pandemic.
David DeGerolamo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Three Cherokee County Residents and an Illinois resident Test Positive for COVID-19, Currently Isolated in Cherokee County
Two Cherokee County residents that tested positive for COVID – 19 are being monitored and following isolation orders in Cherokee County. The patients are household contacts of the case from New York that tested positive in Cherokee County earlier this week. Both the index case (patient from New York) and the residents from Cherokee County have been isolated since testing was initiated on the patient from New York.
A third Cherokee County resident has tested positive for COVID – 19 and is currently isolated in their home since testing was initiated. This patient attended the contra dance on March 10th at the John C. Campbell Folk School which the New York patient had also attended. The patient is at home on isolation. Cherokee County Health Department will continue necessary contact tracing on this patient in identifying close contacts.
A resident of Illinois that tested positive for COVID – 19 is being monitored and following isolation orders in Cherokee County. The patient had traveled from Illinois and was staying in the home with the index case (patient from New York) that tested positive in Cherokee County earlier this week. Since cases are reported under the state of residency, this case will be identified as an Illinois case, not a North Carolina case. Therefore, this case will not show up on the North Carolina maps as a Cherokee County case. Both the index case from New York and the resident from Illinois are isolated since testing was initiated on the patient from New York.
Both of the Cherokee County individuals and the Illinois case have been on isolation since before becoming symptomatic. For this reason, contact tracing on these three cases will not be necessary. We can say with great certainty that these cases were isolated during the symptomatic phase of the illness and therefore had little to no opportunity to spread the virus.
It is now advised that anyone who becomes ill with a respiratory type illness should isolate until the following criteria are met:
• 7 days have passed since the onset of symptoms; AND • At least 72 hours without a fever (without the use of fever-reducing medication) and respiratory symptoms are improving
Because COVID-19 is most commonly spread through respiratory droplets, individuals should take the same measures that health care providers recommend to prevent the spread of the flu and other viruses, including washing your hands, avoiding touching your face, staying home if you are sick and covering coughs and sneezes with your elbow.
Daily new infections in many countries are in the several thousands. Expect those to be in the tens of thousands shortly. And soon after, expect the same with the daily death tallies. That’s why the world in going into lockdown.
To the point where we may not have enough workers to maintain the systems that keep our lights on, transport our food and water, or heat our homes. We are along way away from the light at the end of this tunnel. And we’re just about to enter the time when things will get really dark.
Sickness, job loss and death — all will be higher than most folks are prepared for right now. Chris sees the lockdown constraints we’re all being placed under tightening further very soon.
So while you still have some mobility and some remaining ability to top off your stores, do so *now* To help you, PeakProsperty.com just released this new resource: The Covid-19 Home Lockdown Survival Guide.
We’ve written this to be a comprehensive collection of the resources you need to stay safe, sane and solvent through the covid-19 crisis. And it’s a great tool for getting everyone in your household on the same page — print it out and have them read it: https://www.peakprosperity.com/lockdown
Posted in#coronavirus, Editorial|Comments Off on Coronavirus: Here Comes The BOOM! Stage
Members of the National Guard at a coronavirus drive-through testing site on Staten Island
New York’s beleaguered hotel industry is getting drafted to help out in the disease outbreak that threatens its very survival.
The US Army Corps of Engineers has plans to take over as many as 10,000 hotel rooms, college dormitories and other spaces in New York for medical services as the number of coronavirus hospitalizations rises exponentially, the Wall Street Journal reported.
With hotels practically empty — the 1,878-room Hilton Midtown is completely shut down — the city’s hospitality business has been hammered by the virus-driven halt in tourism, events and conventions. The drop-off for hotels is worse than after 9/11 or during the 2008 financial crisis, operators say.
Hopefully all of the issues on this site for the past two months are now resolved at Epik.com. Now if we can only resolve the issue for comments going to trash or spam for no reason.
A member of Vice President Mike Pence’s office has tested positive for coronavirus, a spokesperson for Pence announced Friday evening.
“This evening we were notified that a member of the Office of the Vice President tested positive for the Coronavirus,” Katie Miller, Pence’s press secretary, said in a statement. “Neither President Trump nor Vice President Pence had close contact with the individual.”
Pence’s office did not identify the individual. But the Pence spokeswoman said steps are being made to trace others the person has come in contact with.
“Further contact tracing is being conducted in accordance with CDC guidelines,” Miller said.
