Making a Case against Cases

Ever since we entered lockdown on 17th August as a consequence of the Delta variant of Covid19 being discovered in New Zealand, we have heard either the Prime Minister (or their delegate), ask the Director General of Health (or their deputy) to update us on the latest case numbers on a daily basis on national tv. In fact, this has been happening throughout all our periods of 'lockdown'.

Covid-19 case demographics are available for anyone to look at on the Ministry of Health NZ website but I'll summarize what the truth of the matter is in this graphic I have put together ; based on current Ministry of Health data (updated at 9:00 am on 29 September 2021.)

And the Data Says ....

What the data shows is that the mortality rate in NZ since the very first case of Covid-19 was confirmed in New Zealand on 28th February 2020 (now more than 19 months ago) is 0.64% (27 deaths out of 4248 cases).

From 22 January 2020 to 30th September 2021 there have been 3 378 464 tests for Covid-19 . Bearing in mind we have only 5 378 positive test returns, this strongly suggests to me that natural immunity has been far more impactful and powerful that we are being led to believe with the government megaphone broadcasting only one message" 'Vaccinate, vaccinate, vaccinate'.

This focus on daily case numbers has been pulling the wool over the eyes of so many . . . .

Finer Details

Our national life expectancy in New Zealand is 82 years.

The interesting thing is that 14 of the 27 deaths were in the 80 + age bracket and represent 52% of all Covid-19 deaths in New Zealand - so account for just over half of all Covid-19 deaths.

Also interesting is that, of the total of 4 248 cases, only 19 required being in ICU. This equates to 0.45% of all cases - less than half of 1% of all confirmed cases of Covid.

Model Schmodel

So, having now seen the actual data, are you going to give a model displayed by our government on national television that predicts 7 000 deaths and 60 000 hospitalizations any credibility whatsoever ? Heck no: I'm not !

Covid Death Rate

The 27 deaths over a period of 581 days equates to a rate of one death per 21(and a half) days - so every 3 weeks on average.

Government Updates based on Deaths, not Cases

So, lets cut to the chase here: cases are irrelevant - unless they result in death - I mean that's what folk fear, right ...? Why fear something that will affect 0.64% of the population? I'd be way more concerned about being killed on-the-road: where our numbers are close to one fatality a day across the year. I've not even brought the number of deaths due to obesity and heart disease into this article - which make road-related deaths look microscopic by comparison.

So let's push for Covid updates from the government only when there is a death - which, as we've already established, would (on average) be about once every 3 weeks.

What will then transpire when the 1pm update switches from daily cases to deaths is that folk will get a true sense of the 'severity' of this disease. They quickly realize how irrelevant the 'and that brings our total number of cases to ...' is and has been.

More importantly, Joe and Jane Public will begin to question the validity of our government's response to this particular disease, and realize that the government has been trying to smite the Covid walnut with a sledgehammer.

That strategy has not succeeded in obliterating its invisible target - but instead has destructively impacted our wellbeing and the livelihoods of so many ...

We need to realize, sooner rather than later, that it is futile employing the above hyper-inflated response and that we need to just get on with living with Covid-19 - like we do with influenza; and, instead of megaphoning the mantra of 'vaccinate' , have government promoting daily exercise, adequate exposure to sunlight and the eating of nutritious foods.

I'm sure that by diverting the mind-boggling amounts of taxpayers money spent on Covid sledge-hammering to subsidizing the costs of fresh fruit and vegetables - so folk can support their natural immune systems - we'd have an overall better outcome.

Deep Dissonance

You may well have had the awakening (or recognition) of a sense of deep dissonance between the measures government have put in place to wage an 'all-out war' on Covid-19, and the facts: that expose Covid-19 for what it is - a sheep in wolves' clothing.

I hope this article has helped to quantify the 'threat' and explain why you've felt that sense of dissonance that I have had for some time ....'What the Heck is All this Fuss about' ..?