Tag Archives: XBB

Did Iceland Ban COVID Vaccines After Sudden Deaths?!

Did Iceland just ban all COVID-19 vaccines after experiencing a spike in sudden deaths?!

Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Iceland Banned COVID Vaccines After Sudden Deaths!

People are sharing an article by The People’s Voice (formerly NewsPunch), suggesting or claiming that Iceland is no longer offering COVID-19 vaccines to its general population after a spike in sudden deaths!

Steve Kirsch : Iceland No Longer Offers Covid Vaccines To General Population After Spike In Sudden Deaths – The People’s Voice

Here is an excerpt from the article (archive). Feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!

Iceland No Longer Offers Covid Vaccines To General Population After Spike In Sudden Deaths – The People’s Voice

The government of Iceland has announced the immediate withdrawal of all Covid-19 vaccines, as the island nation’s public health system grapples with a huge spike in vaccine related sudden deaths and injuries.

The government announced the news in an announcement in the Icelandic daily newspaper Morgunbladid last week.

According to the government announcement, the Covid-19 virus is now “just like any other flu” and following the spate of sudden deaths and injuries, citizens will no longer be able to receive Covid vaccinations.

Per the government announcement: “Next week, the public will be able to get an influenza vaccination at the health center, but not Covid vaccination at the moment.”

The news comes as Iceland, like all heavily vaccinated nations, continues to experience extraordinary rates of excess mortality caused by sudden deaths that remain unexplained by official sources.

Iceland is the first country to acknowledge the problem of sudden deaths and take action.

Whistleblowers in nations around the world, including the UK, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and the United States, have been urgently sounding the alarm about the issue.

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Truth : Iceland Did Not Ban COVID-19 Vaccines!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created by The People’s Voice, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Iceland Has Not Banned COVID-19 Vaccines

Let me just start by pointing out that Iceland did not ban COVID-19 vaccines. Anyone who even takes 5 seconds to check would have discovered this.

For one thing – the website of Iceland’s Directorate of Health did not announce any ban of the COVID-19 vaccines.

Articles claiming that the decision to ban the COVID-19 vaccines was published by the Icelandic newspaper Morgunbladid also did not provide an actual link to the announcement. In fact, Morgunbladid actually posted on 3 October 2023 (English translation) that Iceland just started its COVID-19 vaccination campaign for the winter season!

Fact #2 : Iceland Refuted Claims It Banned COVID-19 Vaccines

On 29 November 2023, the Chief Epidemiologist at the Icelandic Directorate of Health, Guðrún Aspelund, refuted claims that Iceland banned COVID-19 vaccines.

She also dismissed claims that there was a spike in sudden deaths in Iceland, and explained that Iceland was now recommending the COVID-19 vaccines to high-risk groups, instead of vaccinating the entire population.

Iceland has not banned COVID-19 vaccines, and there are no soaring sudden deaths either.

COVID-19 vaccinations are being administered and recommended to certain high-risk groups, but with no immediate plans to vaccinate the entire population.

Aspelund explained that Iceland is recommending the COVID-19 vaccine this fall and winter season for:

people older than 60 years,
people older than 5 with underlying conditions, and
healthcare workers.

She also stated that even though Iceland has scaled back vaccine purchases to minimise waste, there will be enough vaccines if more people want to get vaccinated:

There is no shortage, and if additional groups require vaccination, it is feasible.

Fact #3 : Iceland Started New COVID-19 Vaccinations In October 2023!

On 2 October 2023, the Icelandic Directorate of Health announced that the updated Pfizer COMINARTY XBB 1.5 vaccine for COVID-19 was available for the winter season of 2023-2024. It also recommended that these groups should receive priority for this new COVID-19 vaccine:

All persons 60 years of age or older.
All children and adults with chronic heart, lung, kidney, and liver disease, obesity, diabetes, malignancy, or immunosuppressive disease caused by drugs or disease.
Pregnant women.
Healthcare professionals who care for individuals in the risk groups listed above.

It also pointed out that the new COVID-19 vaccines will be made free of charge for the high-risk groups above, and that their vaccinations will be carried out in healthcare centres, nursing homes, hospitals and certain pharmacies in the capital area.

Fact #4 : The People’s Voice Is Known For Publishing Fake News

The People’s Voice is the new name / brand for NewsPunch, which possibly changed its name because its brand has been so thoroughly discredited after posting numerous shocking but fake stories.

Founded as Your News Wire in 2014, it was rebranded as NewsPunch in November 2018, before becoming The People’s Voice. A 2017 BuzzFeed report identified NewsPunch as the second-largest source of popular fake news on Facebook that year.

Its articles have been regularly debunked as fake news, so you should NEVER share anything from NewsPunch / The People’s Voice. Here are some of its fake stories that I personally fact checked earlier:

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

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He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Fact Check : Singapore Advice On Omicron XBB?!

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Take a look at the viral advice on the new Omicron XBB variant from Singapore, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Omicron XBB Variant Advice From Singapore!

This message, purportedly advice on the new Omicron XBB variant from Singapore, has gone viral again on WhatsApp, and on social media.

It’s rather long, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!

Singapore news!
Everyone is advised to wear a mask because the new COVID-Omicron XBB variant coronavirus is different, deadly and not easily detected properly:-

Symptoms of the novel COVID-Omicron XBB virus are as follows:-

1. Do not cough.
2. No fever.

There will only be many :-

3. Joint pain.
4. Headache.
5. Neck pain.
6. Upper back pain.
7. Pneumonia.
8. Generally have no appetite.

Of course, the COVID-Omicron XBB is 5 times more toxic than the Delta variant and has a higher mortality rate than the Delta.

It takes a shorter time for the condition to reach extreme severity, and sometimes there are no obvious symptoms.

Let’s be more careful!

This strain of the virus is not found in the nasopharyngeal region, and it directly affects the lungs, the “windows,” for a relatively short period of time.

Several patients diagnosed with Covid Omicron XBB were eventually classified as having no fever and no pain, but X-rays showed mild chest pneumonia.

Nasal swab tests are generally negative for COVID-Omicron XBB, and false-negative cases of nasopharyngeal tests are increasing.

This means that the virus can spread in the community and directly infect the lungs, leading to viral pneumonia, which in turn causes acute respiratory stress.

This explains why Covid-Omicron XBB has become highly contagious, highly virulent and lethal.

Please note, avoid crowded places, keep a distance of 1.5m even in open spaces, wear a double-layer mask, wear a suitable mask, wash your hands frequently when everyone is asymptomatic (no coughing or sneezing) .

This Covid Omicron “WAVE” is deadlier than the first wave of Covid-19. So we have to be very careful and take various enhanced coronavirus precautions.

Also maintain vigilant communication with your friends and family.

Don’t keep this information to yourself, share as much as possible with other relatives and friends, especially yours.

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Truth : Omicron XBB Variant Advice From Singapore Is Fake News!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : XBB Is An Omicron Subvariant

First, let me just clarify a common misconception. XBB is technically not a COVID-19 variant. It is a subvariant of the Omicron variant.

As per WHO definition, XBB is a recombinant subvariant of BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75 sublineages. In other words – XBB is a mix of the BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75 subvariants.

Fact #2 : XBB Is Detected Like Any Other COVID-19 Variant

The viral message falsely claims that XBB is not easily detected.

XBB is nothing more than a subvariant of Omicron. It is just as easily detected by the same PCR or RTK tests, as the original Omicron variant.

Fact #3 : XBB Symptoms Similar To Other Omicron Variants

The viral message falsely claims that XBB infections do not present with cough or fever.

XBB is just one of the many Omicron subvariants that include BA.5, BA.2.75, BJ.1, and BA.4.6. While they have changes to their spike protein, they have similar symptoms to the Omicron variant.

They are just different versions of the Omicron variant, and present with common symptoms like cough, fever, sore throat, cold, body aches.

Fact #4 : XBB Is Not 5X More Toxic Than Delta Variant

The term “toxic” is nonsensical when it comes to viruses, and tells us that the writer does not understand basic science, never mind virology.

He/she probably meant “virulent” or “virulence”, which refers to the virus’ ability to cause damage to its host. In any case, that is a false claim.

On 27 October 2022, the WHO Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution (TAG-VE) reported that there is no “substantial differences in disease severity for XBB infections”.

In other words – XBB infections produce similarly mild disease to Omicron. That is not surprising, because XBB is after all an Omicron subvariant.

The Delta variant (B.1.617.2), which caused havoc in mid 2021, causes more severe disease than any other COVID-19 variants, particularly in people who were not vaccinated.

An April 2022 study published in Nature showed that Omicron variant infections had 2X to 5X fewer fatalities than Delta variant infections.

Fact #5 : XBB Does Not Skip The Nasopharynx

This COVID-19 variant skips the nasopharynx and attacks the lungs directly is an old hoax that keeps getting rehashed for the variant of the day.

You may recall when Delta variant was the hot topic, people claimed that this is the variant that skips the nasopharynx and infects the lungs directly.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus is immobile, and travels through droplets and aerosols that we breathe in. It is not a homing missile that goes in search of a particular target.

As the air we breathe passes through the nasopharynx before it reaches the lungs, that is where most of the virus ends up, and that is why we swab the nasopharynx to detect COVID-19.

Fact #6 : Nasal / Nasopharyngeal Swab Test Will Still Pick Up XBB

The false claim that nasal / nasopharyngeal swab tests will turn up negative also keeps getting rehashed for the variant of the day.

People too earlier claimed that the nasal / nasopharyngeal swab tests would turn up negative for the Delta variant. It was nonsense then, it’s nonsense today.

Nasal or better still, nasopharyngeal swab, to detect the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus still works for the XBB subvariant.

Fact #7 : XBB Wave Is Not Deadlier Than First COVID-19 Wave

While the XBB wave is driving up cases in Singapore, the Ministry of Health there confirmed that the number of severe cases from XBB remained low:

This is very likely due to the resilience built up through vaccination and previous waves of infection. We are monitoring the trajectory closely.

More importantly, there is also no evidence of XBB causing more severe illness. So far, the large majority of patients continue to report mild symptoms such as sore throat or slight fever, especially if they have been vaccinated.

On October 11, for example, Singapore recorded over 11,000 new cases, but only 11 of them needed to be treated in the ICU, and only 50 needed oxygen supplementation.

That was much lower than the 171 ICU cases and 308 cases requiring oxygen supplementation at the peak of the Delta wave, and 54 ICU cases and 232 cases requiring oxygen supplementation at the peak of the Omicron wave.

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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Infowars Proven Wrong About Biden Face Mask Mandate!

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Infowars has been proven wrong about its claims that the Biden Administration will introduce a face mask mandate in September 2023!

Claim : Biden Admin Will Order Face Mask Mandate!

People have been sharing an Infowars article which claimed that the Biden Administration will order a new face mask mandate for TSA and airport employees, followed by “full Covid lockdowns“. Here is an excerpt:

Biden Regime to Reinstate COVID-19 Restrictions Beginning with Mask Mandate as “COVID Cases Rise”, Say TSA and Border Patrol Whistleblowers

The Biden regime is preparing to reinstate full COVID-19 lockdowns, beginning with masking mandates for TSA and airport employees reportedly as early as mid-September, Infowars first to report.

A high-level TSA official reached out to Infowars, detailing a Tuesday meeting where TSA managers were informed of new memorandums and policies that would reimplement mask-wearing.

These policies will reinstate the mask mandate for TSA and airport employees starting in mid-September.

The official added that by mid-October, mask-wearing will be mandated for pilots, flight staff, passengers, and all airport patrons.

Following this disclosure from the TSA official, Infowars reached out to a trusted Border Patrol source, also in a managerial position.

This source corroborated the directives, confirming that similar measures were being planned for Border Patrol personnel.

“They were told it was not a matter of “if” but “when” official Covid numbers will go back up and they expect by mid-October a return to forced-masking policies that the Biden administration previously only reluctantly ended after massive pressure,” Infowars reported.

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Infowars Proven Wrong About Biden Face Mask Mandate!

Infowars first claimed on August 18, 2023, that TSA and Border whistleblowers leaked information about a rollout of “full Covid restrictions”, which would include a face mask mandate in September, followed by full Covid lockdowns in December.

Well, it is now October 3, 2023, and there is nary a sight of any face mask mandate for TSA or airport employees in the United States. Infowars has been proven WRONG yet again.

Frankly, that’s hardly surprising. Alex Jones and/or Infowars never actually showed any evidence that the Biden Administration is planning to introduce a face mask mandate for air travel, much less full COVID-19 restrictions which would include lockdowns.

If you watch the video above, you can see that Alex Jones has a ton of paper on his table. Unfortunately, none of them were the leaked memorandum or policy documents from his TSA and Border Patrol whistleblowers.

Rather, they appear to be nothing more than printed copies of news articles! Alex Jones never showed any evidence of the “planned COVID-19 protocols” that were supposed to roll out in the middle of September 2023.

And it’s already October 2023, without a single TSA agent or Border Patrol officer required to wear a face mask in the United States.

I should point out that lockdowns are, frankly, no longer necessary because a combination of vaccines and prior infections have given people significant protection against COVID-19 infections.

Even though cases are spiking due to new variants (which are more adept at evading protection), hospitals and healthcare workers are no longer overloaded with COVID-19 patients. In fact, there has been multiple waves of new COVID-19 variants, but they have not necessitated new lockdowns.

That’s why the WHO itself declared on 5 May 2023 that COVID-19 as a whole is no longer a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Instead, COVID-19 is now considered “an established and ongoing health issue“.

Finally, I should also point out that any order for a face mask mandate on public transportation, including airlines, would be issued by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevent, not the TSA or Border Control.

It was the US CDC that issued the first and only face mask mandate for public transportation in the United States (PDF download) on January 29, 2021. The TSA and Border Control had nothing to do with that, but only issued their own directives to comply with the CDC order.

However, the CDC face mask mandate was made “unenforceable” by court order on April 18, 2022, and expired when the Biden Administration ended the COVID-19 public health emergency on May 11, 2023.

If the CDC ever issues another face mask mandate, it seems inevitable that it would be challenged in court, and made “unenforceable” by another court order. So what really is this panic over a “future” face mask mandate?

I should also point out that, long before the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers all over the world have had no issues wearing face masks to protect themselves and their patients. Seriously, stop being such a wuss.

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Don’t forget to protect yourself, and your family, by vaccinating against COVID-19!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Is Joe Biden Reinstating Face Mask + Lockdowns?!

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Is the Biden Administration preparing to reinstate FULL COVID-19 lockdowns, beginning with face mask mandates in mid-September 2023?! Find out what the facts really are!

Updated @ 2023-08-30 : Added video fact check, and other updates
Originally posted @ 2023-08-25

Claim : Biden Admin Is Reinstating Full COVID Lockdowns!

People are sharing an article by The Gateway Pundit, which claims that the Biden Administration is preparing to reinstate FULL COVID-19 lockdowns, beginning with face mask mandates in mid-September 2023!

The article is pretty long, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!

Biden Regime to Reinstate COVID-19 Restrictions Beginning with Mask Mandate as “COVID Cases Rise”, Say TSA and Border Patrol Whistleblowers

The Biden regime is preparing to reinstate full COVID-19 lockdowns, beginning with masking mandates for TSA and airport employees reportedly as early as mid-September, Infowars first to report.

A high-level TSA official reached out to Infowars, detailing a Tuesday meeting where TSA managers were informed of new memorandums and policies that would reimplement mask-wearing.

These policies will reinstate the mask mandate for TSA and airport employees starting in mid-September.

The official added that by mid-October, mask-wearing will be mandated for pilots, flight staff, passengers, and all airport patrons.

Following this disclosure from the TSA official, Infowars reached out to a trusted Border Patrol source, also in a managerial position.

This source corroborated the directives, confirming that similar measures were being planned for Border Patrol personnel.

The news outlet added, “Both whistleblowers were told this rollout will be in tandem with the new Covid “variant” hysteria that the MSM has been reporting on this week.”

The media is now pushing for another lockdown. Another fear porn from the so-called health experts and media just in time for the next election. The same old playbook.

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No Evidence Biden Administration Is Reinstating COVID Lockdowns!

The Gateway Pundit was basically just summarising what Infowars claimed, and here is what you need to know:

Fact #1 : Infowars Is Notorious Fake News Website

First, let me just point out that Infowars is notorious for posting conspiracy theories and fake news.

2020 study by four universities – Northeastern, Harvard, Northwestern, and Rutgers, found that Infowars was amongst the top 5 most shared websites for COVID-19 fake news.
Infowars is listed as #4 on the Top 10 Worst Anti-Science Websites list.
Infowars video editor Josh Owens admitted to intentionally creating misleading videos – “It’s not about truth, it’s not about accuracy — it’s about what’s going to make people click on this video…In essence, we lied.“

Both Alex Jones and Infowars have been subjected to multiple lawsuits, losing them one after another. In December 2022, he and the Infowars parent company was ordered to pay about $1.5 billion for spreading lies about the 2002 Sandy Hook mass shooting.

Based on its reputation, everything posted by InfoWars should be considered as FAKE NEWS until proven otherwise.

Its articles have been regularly debunked as fake news, so you should NEVER share anything from InfoWars. Here are some of its fake stories that I fact checked earlier:

Fact #2 : Alex Jones + Infowars Provided No Evidence

If you watch the Infowars video where Alex Jones detailed the “exclusive news” that the Biden Administration is planning to bring back FULL COVID-19 restrictions, you may be forgiven for thinking that all those papers on his table are leaked memorandum and policy documents that TSA and Border Patrol whistleblowers provided.

Unfortunately, that does not appear to be the case. While there is A TON of papers on his massive table, they appear to be nothing more than printed copies of news articles. Alex Jones never showed any evidence of the “planned COVID-19 protocols” that will roll out in the middle of September 2023.

It’s easy to make outlandish claims, it’s quite another thing to back them with actual evidence. Needless to say, Infowars offered ZERO evidence to back up its claims.

Fact #3 : Lockdowns Were Necessary Because There Was No Vaccine

In his video, Alex Jones said that his whistleblowers were told to expect “a return to the full COVID protocol of 2020/2021” by December 2023.

The problem with that claim is that many governments implemented lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, because there was no treatment and vaccines were not yet invented or available in sufficient quantities.

Lockdowns were used as a way to limit transmission, and prevent hospitals and healthcare workers from being overloaded with COVID-19 patients.

Now that many people have some protection from a prior infection, or from COVID-19 vaccines, there has been no new need for governments to implement new lockdowns. In fact, there has been multiple waves of new COVID-19 variants, but they have not necessitated new lockdowns.

So the claim that the Biden Administration is going to implement COVID-19 lockdowns in December 2023 over the new Eris EG.5 variant is not supported by the prevailing evidence.

Fact #4 : WHO Declared COVID-19 Is No Longer PHEIC

It is interesting that the whistleblowers mentioned that the World Health Organization (WHO) may declare (an emergency?) over the new EG.5 Eris variant.

For one thing, the WHO itself declared on 5 May 2023 that COVID-19 as a whole is no longer a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Instead, COVID-19 is now considered “an established and ongoing health issue“.

Fact #5 : Eris Variant Is Not More Dangerous

The WHO has been monitoring the new EG.5 “Eris” variant, designating it as a “variant of interest”. However, that does not mean Eris is a more dangerous variant.

According to the WHO, the EG. 5 variant has increased prevalence, growth advantage, and immune escape properties, but…

presents a low public health risk at a global level, and
has no reported changes in disease severity to date

While it is possible that EG.5 / Eris will become the dominant COVID-19 variant moving into the winter months of 2023, it has the same symptoms and severity as past variants.

Fact #6 : New Vaccines Are Coming In September 2023

Even if the Eris / EG.5 becomes dominant, it is unlikely for the United States to require lockdowns in December 2023, because new COVID-19 vaccines coming in September will offer better protection against it.

From late September 2023 onwards, Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax are introducing new COVID-19 vaccines that will target XBB variants. As EG.5 is part of the XBB lineage, the new vaccines are expected to offer better protection against this new variant.

EG.5 is part of the XBB lineage and is more closely related to the XBB variants than it is to previous vaccine strains.

For this reason, the expectation is that the reformulated vaccines that will be available this fall will offer better protection to EG.5 than previous vaccines.

– Justin Lessler, professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health

In short, there really isn’t a need for new lockdowns, because the improved COVID-19 vaccines are already coming in the fall of 2023.

Fact #7 : Biden Administration Does Not Want New Lockdowns

I should now point out that it is against the Biden Administration’s interest to implement new lockdowns, which would cripple the economy. In fact, the Biden Administration mentioned this when it released its National COVID-19 Preparedness Plan (PDF download) in March 2022.

The path forward in the fight against COVID-19 is clear: schools, workers, and workplaces have resources and guidance to prevent shutdowns.

Fact #8 : Face Mask Order Would Be Issued By CDC

However, the CDC face mask mandate was made “unenforceable” by court order on April 18, 2022, and expired when the Biden Administration ended the COVID-19 public health emergency on May 11, 2023.

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Don’t forget to protect yourself, and your family, by vaccinating against COVID-19!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

Recommended Reading

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Is Biden Admin Bringing Back FULL COVID Restrictions?!

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Is the Biden Administration preparing to bring back FULL COVID-19 restrictions beginning in mid-September 2023?! Find out what the facts really are!

Updated @ 2023-08-24 : Added a fact check video, updated parts of the article
Originally posted @ 2023-08-19

Claim : Biden Admin Bringing Back Full COVID Restrictions!

People are sharing an InfoWars article which claims that the Biden Administration is preparing to bring back FULL COVID-19 restrictions, beginning in mid-September 2023!

The article is pretty long, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!

EXCLUSIVE: Biden Admin Preparing to Bring Back FULL Covid Restrictions, Rollout to Begin Mid-September

Whistleblowers from the TSA and Border Patrol have raised the alarm to Infowars that the Biden administration is setting the stage for full Covid lockdowns that will begin with incremental restrictions like masking TSA employees in mid-September.

The first source, a high-level TSA official confirmed and known to Infowars, reached out to Infowars and cited a Tuesday meeting in which TSA managers were told new memorandums & policies were being completed that would reimplement masking, starting with TSA & airport employees as early as mid-September.

The TSA official also said next week they will receive new guidelines on how the policy will escalate: by mid-October, mask-wearing will be required by pilots, flight staff, passengers, and airport patrons.

After hearing from the TSA manager, Infowars reached out to our trusted Border Patrol source who is also a manager. This source confirmed the same directives were being given to Border Patrol.

They were told it was not a matter of “if” but “when” official Covid numbers will go back up and they expect by mid-October a return to forced-masking policies that the Biden administration previously only reluctantly ended after massive pressure.

Both whistleblowers were told this rollout will be in tandem with the new Covid “variant” hysteria that the MSM has been reporting on this week.

Infowars’ analysis is clear: this new rollout’s timing is perfect for the embattled Biden administration to put the country back in a state of civil emergency and even martial law to further divide and confuse the public and move forward with the greatest election meddling in history.

Many times, Alex Jones has warned that the system will bring back biomedical tyranny. And the launch of this new crisis in September will allow a build-up of control that would allow the use of mail-in ballots for the next presidential election.

Remember, mail-in ballots were decisive for Biden’s victory last election.

We now know the Covid lockdowns were an international psychological warfare operation run by the Ministry of Defense and Pentagon.

Countries worldwide implemented fear campaigns for political purposes and to push experimental shots.

But this time around, the masses have awakened to the globalist playbook of conquest, and may not be as receptive to MSM hysteria.

Simply put, the Deep State is getting desperate and is behaving like a cornered animal.

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No Evidence Biden Administration Is Bringing Back COVID Restrictions!

Let’s take a look at what Infowars just claimed, and find out what the facts really are!

Fact #1 : InfoWars Is Notorious Fake News Website

First, let me just point out that InfoWars is notorious for posting conspiracy theories and fake news.

2020 study by four universities – Northeastern, Harvard, Northwestern, and Rutgers, found that InfoWars was amongst the top 5 most shared websites for COVID-19 fake news.
InfoWars is listed as #4 on the Top 10 Worst Anti-Science Websites list.
InfoWars video editor Josh Owens admitted to intentionally creating misleading videos – “It’s not about truth, it’s not about accuracy — it’s about what’s going to make people click on this video…In essence, we lied.“

Both Alex Jones and InfoWars have been subjected to multiple lawsuits, losing them one after another. In December 2022, he and the InfoWars parent company was ordered to pay about $1.5 billion for spreading lies about the 2002 Sandy Hook mass shooting.

Based on its reputation, everything posted by InfoWars should be considered as FAKE NEWS until proven otherwise.

Its articles have been regularly debunked as fake news, so you should NEVER share anything from InfoWars. Here are some of its fake stories that I fact checked earlier:

Fact #2 : Alex Jones + InfoWars Provided No Evidence

If you watch the InfoWars video where Alex Jones detailed the “exclusive news” that the Biden Administration is planning to bring back FULL COVID-19 restrictions, you may be forgiven for thinking that all those papers on his table were leaked memorandum and policy documents that TSA and Border Patrol whistleblowers provided.

It’s easy to make outlandish claims, it’s quite another thing to back them with actual evidence. Needless to say, InfoWars offered ZERO evidence to back up its claims.

Fact #3 : Lockdowns Were Necessary Because There Was No Vaccine

In his video, Alex Jones said that his whistleblowers were told to expect “a return to the full COVID protocol of 2020/2021” by December 2023.

Lockdowns were used as a way to limit transmission, and prevent hospitals and healthcare workers from being overloaded with COVID-19 patients.

So the claim that the Biden Administration is going to implement COVID-19 lockdowns in December 2023 over the new Eris EG.5 variant is not supported by the prevailing evidence.

Fact #4 : WHO Declared COVID-19 Is No Longer PHEIC

It is interesting that the whistleblowers mentioned that the World Health Organization (WHO) may declare (an emergency?) over the new EG.5 Eris variant.

Fact #5 : Eris Variant Is Not More Dangerous

The WHO has been monitoring the new EG.5 “Eris” variant, designating it as a “variant of interest”. However, that does not mean Eris is a more dangerous variant.

According to the WHO, the EG. 5 variant has increased prevalence, growth advantage, and immune escape properties, but…

presents a low public health risk at a global level, and
has no reported changes in disease severity to date

While it is possible that EG.5 / Eris will become the dominant COVID-19 variant moving into the winter months of 2023, it has the same symptoms and severity as past variants.

Fact #6 : New Vaccines Are Coming In September 2023

EG.5 is part of the XBB lineage and is more closely related to the XBB variants than it is to previous vaccine strains.

For this reason, the expectation is that the reformulated vaccines that will be available this fall will offer better protection to EG.5 than previous vaccines.

– Justin Lessler, professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health

In short, there really isn’t a need for new lockdowns, because the improved COVID-19 vaccines are already coming in the fall of 2023.

Fact #7 : Biden Administration Does Not Want New Lockdowns

The path forward in the fight against COVID-19 is clear: schools, workers, and workplaces have resources and guidance to prevent shutdowns.

Fact #8 : Face Mask Order Would Be Issued By CDC

However, the CDC face mask mandate was made “unenforceable” by court order on April 18, 2022, and expired when the Biden Administration ended the COVID-19 public health emergency on May 11, 2023.

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He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Are COVID-19 Vaccines Still One Giant Experiment?!

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Are COVID-19 vaccines still one giant experiment?! Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : COVID-19 Vaccines Are Still One Giant Experiment!

Anti-vaccination activists are excitedly sharing screenshots of an article by Katherine J. Wu from The Atlantic magazine, claiming that it proves that COVID-19 vaccines are still “one giant experiment”!

💥BREAKING: The Atlantic recognizes reality. WOW. Hell must have frozen over. “The Atlantic” published this by a staff writer.

“Covid shots are still one giant experiment”

We’re finally allowed to call the experiment an experiment. We were called so nasty names for two years for sharing this truth. It’s now mainstream.

“COVID Shots Are Still One Giant Experiment”

Injecting billions of people with a new technology never before administered to humans with zero long term safety data is exactly a GIANT EXPERIMENT!!

Truth : COVID-19 Vaccines Are Not Still One Giant Experiment!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and propagated by anti-vaccination activists, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Claims Are Based On Article From The Atlantic

First, let me provide some context on what’s going on.

These claims are based on a recent article (behind a paywall) by Katherine J. Wu, writing for The Atlantic magazine, in which she wrote about efforts to decide on this year’s COVID-19 vaccination strategy.

Unfortunately, the article is long and behind a paywall, so you cannot read it for yourself, unless you subscribe to The Atlantic magazine. But in this fact check article, I will share with you the pertinent parts of the article to show you why the claims are false.

Fact #2 : The Atlantic Changed Its Title Twice!

Anti-vaccination activists are sharing screenshots of the article, but not the actual link to the article itself because its title was changed not once, but twice!

According to archive.today, the original title on 26 May 2023 was uncontroversial – “What Should Go Into This Year’s COVID Vaccine?”

But that innocuous title probably didn’t gain much traction, so about 1.5 hours later, the title was changed to the controversial “COVID Shots Are Still One Giant Experiment“. That was when the article finally went viral.

When the controversy over its title blew up on social media, The Atlantic changed the article’s title six hours later to “Fall’s COVID Shots May Be Different in One Key Way“.

Fact #3 : Article Did Not Mention Experiment Even Once!

I should point out that while the article was written by Katherine J. Wu, the title was likely decided by the editor(s) at The Atlantic. That’s probably why the title was changed to the controversial “COVID Shots Are Still One Giant Experiment” even though the word “experiment” or “experimental” was never mentioned, not even once in her entire article.

One of the consideration editors have when creating a title is whether it is attractive and can gain traction… and whether it can improve the SEO of the article.

It is likely the editor(s) at The Atlantic decided to “amp up” the title to improve its SEO, and/or make it more clickbaity / share-worthy, so it would go viral. If that was the reason for the first title change, then the editor(s) sure did a great job!

Fact #4 : Article Never Said COVID-19 Vaccines Are Experimental

If you read the entirety of Katherine J. Wu’s article, you will realise that it never once said or even suggested that COVID-19 vaccines are still experimental.

Her article was about work being done to create the next COVID-19 vaccine formula that the US FDA is scheduled to decide next month. Would it continue with the current bivalent vaccine strategy targeting the ancestral and Omicron variants, or should it switch to targeting XBB.1 variant alone?

This fall, millions of Americans might be lining up for yet another kind of COVID vaccine: their first-ever dose that lacks the strain that ignited the pandemic more than three and a half years ago. Unlike the current, bivalent vaccine, which guards against two variants at once, the next one could, like the first version of the shot, have only one main ingredient—the spike protein of the XBB.1 lineage of the Omicron variant, the globe’s current dominant clade.

That plan isn’t yet set. The FDA still has to convene a panel of experts, then is expected to make a final call on autumn’s recipe next month. But several experts told me they hope the agency follows the recent recommendation of a World Health Organization advisory group and focuses the next vaccine only on the strains now circulating.

The switch in strategy—from two variants to one, from original SARS-CoV-2 plus Omicron to XBB.1 alone—would be momentous but wise, experts told me, reflecting the world’s updated understanding of the virus’s evolution and the immune system’s quirks

To be clear – COVID-19 vaccines underwent and passed large trials before they received their Emergency Use Authorisations, and many subsequently received full approval after months of monitoring. Those vaccine cease to be experimental once they receive either an EUA or a full approval.

Fact #5 : Scientists Need To Predict Virus Evolution

The SARS-CoV-2 virus evolves rapidly, with every infection presenting an opportunity for it to evolve further into new variants.

While mRNA technology has helped to speed up vaccine development, it still takes time to develop improved vaccines to tackle these new variants. So scientists need to predict the virus’ evolution, to decide on the next vaccine.

Will SARS-CoV-2 evolution continue mainly through the XBB.1 variant, or will a new Alpha or Delta variant gain supremacy? That is the question scientists need to answer in order to develop the next COVID-19 vaccine.

If the next vaccine is based on the XBB.1 variant, it will offer good protection even against subsequent sub variant of XBB.1. But if a new Delta sub-variant suddenly becomes far more common, then the XBB.1 optimised vaccine may not offer quite as much protection.

Fact #6 : Article Says Vaccines Are Essential

What anti-vaccination activists notably do not point out is that the article specifically pointed out that “it’s long been clear that vaccines are essential for preventing severe disease and death“, and that regular boosting is probably necessary to maintain their effectiveness.

By now, it’s long been clear that vaccines are essential for preventing severe disease and death, and that some cadence of boosting is probably necessary to keep the shots’ effectiveness high.

The article does not, ever, claim that COVID-19 vaccines are “still one giant experiment”. Instead, it says that these vaccines are essential, and we will need some regular boosting to maintain its effectiveness against new variants.

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Don’t forget to protect yourself, and your family, by vaccinating against COVID-19!

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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Is Omicron XBB 5X More Virulent Than Delta Variant?!

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Is the Omicron XBB variant 5X more virulent than the Delta variant of the COVID-19 coronavirus?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Omicron XBB Is 5X More Virulent Than Delta Variant!

This message has gone viral on WhatsApp, Twitter and Facebook particularly in India, claiming that the Omicron XBB variant is 5X more virulent than the Delta variant of the COVID-19 coronavirus!

Note : It’s rather long, so please feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!

XBB variant

Let’s pay attention to the following information:

Everyone is advised to wear a mask because the new variant of the COVID-Omicron XBB coronavirus is different, deadly and not easy to detect correctly.

The symptoms of the new virus COVID-Omicron XBB are the following:

1. There is no cough.
2. There is no fever.

There will only be a limited number of these others:

3. Joint pain.
4. Headache.
5. Pain in the neck.
6. Upper back pain.
7. Pneumonia.
8. There is usually no appetite.

COVID-Omicron XBB is 5 times more virulent than the Delta variant and has a higher mortality rate than it.

It takes less time for the condition to reach extreme severity and sometimes there are no obvious symptoms.

Let’s be more careful!

This strain of the virus is not found in the nasopharyngeal region and directly affects the lungs for a relatively short period of time.

Several patients diagnosed with Covid-Omicron XBB were classified as febrile and pain free, but x-rays showed mild chest pneumonia.

Nasal swab tests are often negative for Covid-Omicron XBB, and cases of false negative nasopharyngeal tests are increasing.

This means that the virus can spread in the community and directly infect the lungs, causing viral pneumonia, which in turn causes acute respiratory distress.

This explains why the Covid-Omicron XBB has become something very contagious, highly virulent and lethal.
Caution, avoid crowded places, keep a distance of 1.5 m even in open spaces, wear a double-layer mask, wear a suitable mask, wash hands frequently, even if everyone is asymptomatic (no coughing or sneezing).

This wave of Covid-Omicron XBB is deadlier than the first wave of Covid-19. So we have to be very careful and take several reinforced precautions against the coronavirus.Maintain vigilant communication with your friends and family.

Do not keep this information to yourself, share it with other family members and friends.

Show less

Truth : Omicron XBB Variant Advice From Singapore Is Fake News!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp and social media, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : XBB Is An Omicron Subvariant

First, let me just clarify a common misconception. XBB is technically not a COVID-19 variant. It is a subvariant of the Omicron variant.

As per WHO definition, XBB is a recombinant subvariant of BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75 sublineages of the Omicron variant. In other words – XBB is a mix of the BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75 subvariants of Omicron.

Fact #2 : Omicron XBB Is Detected Like Any Other COVID-19 Variant

The viral message falsely claims that XBB is not easily detected.

XBB is nothing more than a subvariant of Omicron. It is just as easily detected by the same PCR or RTK tests as the original Omicron variant.

Fact #3 : Omicron XBB Symptoms Similar To Other Omicron Variants

The viral message falsely claims that XBB infections do not present with cough or fever.

XBB is just one of the many Omicron subvariants that include BA.5, BA.2.75, BJ.1, and BA.4.6. While they have changes to their spike protein, they have similar symptoms to the Omicron variant.

They are just different versions of the Omicron variant, and present with common symptoms like cough, fever, sore throat, cold, body aches.

Fact #4 : Omicron XBB Is Not 5X More Virulent Than Delta Variant

The viral message falsely claims that XBB is 5X more virulent than the Delta variant.

On 27 October 2022, the WHO Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution (TAG-VE) reported that there is no “substantial differences in disease severity for XBB infections”.

In other words – XBB infections produce similarly mild disease to Omicron. That is not surprising, because XBB is after all an Omicron subvariant.

The Delta variant (B.1.617.2), which caused havoc in mid 2021, causes more severe disease than any other COVID-19 variants, particularly in people who were not vaccinated.

An April 2022 study published in Nature showed that Omicron variant infections had 2X to 5X fewer fatalities than Delta variant infections.

Fact #5 : Omicron XBB Does Not Skip The Nasopharynx