Did a massive tornado and hailstorm destroy power lines and buildings in Nilai today?! Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Tornado + Hailstorm Destroy Power Lines + Buildings In Nilai!
People are sharing a video clip on WhatsApp, claiming that it shows a massive tornado and hailstones destroying power lines and buildings in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, earlier today!
今早大约9-10在汝来发生真够力。 This happened in Nilai around 9-10 this morning.
This morning around 9-10, a real power incident occurred in Nilai. Today Nilai around 10 morning.
This is yet another example of fake news circulating on WhatsApp, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Nilai Was Not Hit By Tornado Or Hailstones Today!
Let me start by pointing out that Nilai in Negeri Sembilan was not hit by any tornado or hailstones today – Sunday, 30 June 2024.
If that happened, it would not only have been reported widely by the mainstream media in Malaysia, it would have been covered extensively on social media.
Yet, there has been no coverage by the mainstream media, or any mention of such a tragedy on social media. That’s because it was all made up!
Fact #2 : It Was A Compilation Of Videos From China!
I analysed the video and found that it was a collection of three unrelated videos – a tornado video, a hailstorm video, and another unrelated hailstorm video.
The only connection between the three videos was that they were all recorded on the same day – 27 April 2024… in China!
None of the three video clips in the viral video was recorded in Nilai, Malaysia.
Fact #3 : Tornado Video Was Recorded In Guangdong
I traced the video of the tornado destroying power lines to a Category EF2 tornado with 178 to 217 km/h winds that hit Zhongluotan Town in the Baiyun District of Guangdong Province in China.
In addition, the video was not recorded in the morning, as the viral messages claim. It was recorded at approximately 3 PM on 27 April 2024 (source).
That tornado killed 5 people, and injured 33 people. It also damaged 141 factory buildings, although no residential houses collapsed in that tragedy.
Fact #4 : First Hailstorm Video Was Recorded In Guangxi
The hailstorm video is unrelated to the tornado video, with some people claiming that it was recorded in Guangxi, China (example), while others claim it was recorded in the village of Mawlynrei, in Meghalaya, India (example).
However, I was able to confirm the source of the video as @yangyubin1998 who posted the video on X (formerly Twitter) on 27 April 2024 (archive):
Hail in Guangdong and Guangxi, China these two days
Needless to say – that video clip was not recorded in Nilai, Malaysia.
Fact #5 : Second Hailstorm Video Was Recorded In Guangzhou
The second hailstorm video was recorded on 27 April 2024, but in a different province in China. It was most definitely not recorded in Nilai, Malaysia.
Specifically, the video clip was recorded at the Zhuchun Market in the Zengcheng District of Guangzhou, China.
According to a witness that day, Mr. Huang, who runs a shop in the market, the hailstones were as big as a fist, with a diameter of more than 10 centimetres.
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Did US President Joe Biden arrogantly snub Chinese President Xi Jinping by pretending to understand Mandarin as he spoke during the China-US Summit?!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Joe Biden Ignored Xi Jinping At US-China Summit!
Pro-CCP activists, as well as the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), are sharing and promoting a CGTN video, together with a message which claims that US President Joe Biden arrogantly ignore Chinese President Xi Jinping as he spoke during the China-US Summit in Woodside, California!
Did you observed that the US delegation wear earphone except Biden and Blinken to listen to the translation. Do they really understand mandarin? Or they are only being arrogant and do not bother to listen to Xi speaking?
This is typical of all angmor sai (Caucasian shit) behaviour and attitude !?
Joe Biden Did Not Ignore Xi Jinping At US-China Summit!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created or promoted by pro-CCP supporters and/or the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Chinese Delegation Did Not Wear Headphones
First, let me just point out that the Chinese delegation, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, did not wear any headphones or earphones during the opening remarks of the China-US summit meeting that was held in Woodside, California on Wednesday, 15 November 2023.
Perhaps the entire Chinese delegation understood English, and did not require translation. Xi Jinping is said to understand English, even though there is no footage of him actually speaking in English.
Former president Donald Trump actually mocked Xi’s command of the English language, recalling that he managed to say the word, “repeat”:
He looked at me, and he goes, “Repeat”. I didn’t know he spoke English actually. <people laughs>
He said, “Repeat”. I said, what did you just say? Repeat?
So he spoke a little more English than I though, cause he never said “Hello”, but he said “Repeat”.
But unlike the thin-skinned CCP supporters and the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), Americans don’t seem to care that the Chinese delegation did not wear headphones. They probably have more important things to argue about (like whether Travis Kelce will cheat on Taylor Swift) than petty nonsense like this.
The CGTN video itself only showed President Xi Jinping giving his opening remarks at the 2023 China-US summit at Woodside, with English subtitles.
Most of the US delegation appears to be wearing black wired headphones, to listen to the English translation of his remarks. President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken were the only ones who did not appear to wear any headphones.
While pro-CCP supporters and the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) are claiming that the two men were arrogantly pretending to listen to Xi Jinping speaking in Mandarin, the truth is – they were both wearing wireless earphones.
What was not shown in the CGTN video was the portion just before Xi Jinping spoke. It showed both Joe Biden and Antony Blinken each putting on a single wired earphone.
The White House video (link) showed the opening remarks of both President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping opening remarks. After Biden finished speaking, he welcomed President Xi Jinping, and handed “the floor” to him:
I look forward to beginning this discussion, and I welcome you, and the floor is yours, Mr. President, and again, welcome back.
Joe Biden can then be seen plugging a small wired earphone into his right ear. As the view switches to show the Chinese delegation, it also shows Antony Blinken putting a similar wired earphone into his right ear.
At the end of the White House video, Antony Blinken was seen removing his earphone, while Joe Biden still had his earphone on.
To be clear – both President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken were listening to the translation of President Xi Jinping’s opening remarks. They certainly did not insult President Xi Jinping or the Chinese delegation by pretending to understand Mandarin.
This is just ultimately just another example of CCP propaganda, created / spread by pro-CCP supporters and the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).Here are other examples:
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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.
Was the 3rd batch of treated Fukushima water just proven to be radioactive with radionuclides including carbon-14, cobalt 60, strontium-90 & others?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Treated Fukushima Water Is Still Radioactive!
Pro-CCP netizens, as well as the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), are sharing this message on WhatsApp and social media platforms:
东京都政府公布的排放前测试结果显示，日本第三批福岛核污染水含有碳14、钴60、锶90等放射性核素。日本电力公司（东京电力公司）。
The 3rd batch of Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water schedule to be released during Japan’s 3rd round of ocean discharge is reported to contains radionuclides including carbon-14, cobalt 60, strontium-90 & others, according to pre-discharge test results released by the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO).
第一轮排放时间为8月24日，第二轮排放时间为10月5日。钴60和锶90将对人类健康和环境产生重大影响。
The 1st round of discharge was on August 24 & 2nd round discharge on October 5. cobalt 60 & strontium-90 will significantly impact human health & the environment.
让我们看看西方主流媒体是否会报道这一事实，或者可能像他们一直在做的那样，以隐藏在某处的小字印刷或根本不报道这一事实。尽管CGTN之前也有不少批评中国问题的报道，但声称CGTN是中共的喉舌是这些西方主流媒体的常见说法。
Let’s see whether the western main stream media will report this fact or maybe report this in small print hidden somewhere or none at all as they had been doing. Claims of CGTN being China Communist Party (CCP) China’s mouthpiece are common narrative by these western main stream media despite many reports from CGTN criticizing China’s problems before.
Truth : Treated Fukushima Water Far Below Radioactive Limits
This is yet another example of MISINFORMATION surrounding the release of treated waste water from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station (NPS), and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Only Chinese Media Are Reporting A Problem
One of the first things I did was to look up any problems related to the third batch of waste water released by the Fukushima NPS. Interestingly, this topic appears to have been addressed by three Chinese state media outlets:
Xinhua : Multiple radionuclides detected in Fukushima nuke wastewater planned for 3rd round of ocean discharge
China Daily : Multiple radionuclides detected in Fukushima nuke wastewater planned for 3rd round of ocean discharge
CGTN : TEPCO: Multiple radionuclides detected in Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water in third round of ocean discharge
They all appear to have the same content, because they appear to have been syndicated from Xinhua.
No other news media from any other country in the world – not just from Western countries – have reported any problem with the TEPCO report.
Fact #2 : TEPCO Report Showed No Issues
TEPCO actually has a dedicated portal that publishes testing data and other updates on the ALPS-treated water at the Fukushima NPS.
The 10 July 2023 analysis of ALPS-treated water from the K4-A tank mentioned in the Xinhua, China Daily and CGTN articles, is actually available for the public to read in English.
Anyone who reads through it will quickly realise that the report clearly states that:
39 radionuclides were confirmed not to be significantly present.
29 radionuclides were confirmed to be 74% less than discharge standard.
the amount of tritium was 130,000 Bq/L, but dropped to less than 1,500 Bq/L after dilution.
Yes, radionuclides other than tritium were found to be present in the ALPS-treated water. However, they were all found to be insignificant, or far below the discharge standard, and this was before the water was diluted.
In other words – the TEPCO report on the 10 July 2023 analysis showed that it was complying with regulations.
The Japan Atomic Energy Agency also conducted an independent analysis of the 10 July 2023 ALPS-treated water sample through its Okuma Analysis and Research Center.
Its separate and independent analysis (PDF download) confirmed that:
nuclides other than tritium which have been purified to below the regulatory limit by ALPS treatment.
the concentrations of 29 nuclides was 26% of regulatory limits
the concentrations of 39 nuclides were “not significantly present”
tritium level was around 130,000 Bq/L in the undiluted water.
That is likely why no other news media has reported on any problems with this report – because it did not reveal any actual problem with the ALPS-treated water…
Yes, the Fukushima water is still radioactive after being filtered and treated, but the amount of radionuclides are far below regulatory limits.
Fact #4 : Fukushima Will Release Less Tritium Than Chinese Nuclear Plants
Perhaps pro-CCP netizens and the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) would do well to understand this English idiom – People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.
What Chinese citizens and perhaps, most people around the world, may not realise is that Chinese nuclear power stations routinely discharge many times more tritium than the Fukushima NPS.
In fact, an official Chinese government report actually revealed that the Qinshan nuclear power plant discharged over 14X more tritium than what the Fukushima NPS will discharge.
If the release of tritium and other radionuclides are such a danger, perhaps we should all be demanding that the regulatory standards be TIGHTENED for ALL nuclear power plants across the world.
There is no doubt that Japan is facing a LOT of criticism over its release of the Fukushima waste water, even though IAEA and many experts have endorsed the plan.
However, this is just another example of FAKE NEWS being created around the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Here are other examples I fact checked earlier:
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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.
Does a viral CGTN video show how the US government blew up the Nord Stream gas pipelines?!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : CGTN Video Shows How US Blew Up Nord Stream Pipelines!
People are sharing a CGTN video that claims to show how the US government blew up the Nord Stream gas pipelines.
Here is a transcript of the video which I will share in two parts below, but feel free to skip to the next section for the facts.
How they blew up Nord Stream
On February 24, 2022, the Ukrainian crisis erupted. Before and after that, the U.S. politicians have repeatedly threatened an attack on the Nord Stream pipeline.
US President Joe Biden : If Russia invades Ukraine, Nord Stream will cease to exist.
US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland : If Russia invades Ukraine, Nord Stream 2 will not move forward.
119 days prior to the Nord Stream explosions, several members of the task force, allegedly led by U.S. President National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, flew to Norway to find a suitable place to plant explosives under the pipeline.
116 days prior to the Nord Stream explosions, a U.S. aircraft carrier has arrived in the Baltic Sea to participate in NATO’s annual naval exercise Baltops-22.
113 days prior to the Nord Stream explosions, the Baltops-22 military exercise has begun. The manoeuvres continued in the Baltic Sea for 13 days.
During the exercise, the U.S. planes regularly circled over the sites of future gas pipeline explosions. The minimum flight altitude was less than 600 meters.
Underwater explosive placement training was performed during the military drills in the water area near the gas pipelines.
103 days prior to the Nord Stream explosions, presumably, a group of Americans in plain clothes arrived at the exercise site by helicopter, and met with the Vice Admiral of the Sixth Fleet of the U.S. Navy, as well as a group of men in plain clothes.
The Americans then went on a deep dive. They placed the C4 explosive on pipes with a protective concrete coating. The operation lasted six hours.
24 days prior to the Nord Stream explosions, U.S. Navy helicopters circled the sites of future pipeline explosions.
On the day of the explosions, a P8 reconnaissance plane allegedly flew over the Baltic Sea and dropped a hydroacoustic buoy that detonated C4 explosives on the gas pipelines.
The explosive destroyed three out of the four gas pipelines. Methane from the pipelines began to spread across the surface of the water. The operator of Nord Streams [sic] estimates that the repair work will cost more than $500 million and take at least a year.
However, due to the U.S. and Western sanctions, the repair of the Nord Streams [sic] is not yet possible. The longer the repairs are delayed, the more difficult they will be.
4 days after the explosions at Nord Streams, Anthony [sic] Blinken said, “This is also a great opportunity to end Europe’s energy dependence on Russia once and for all.
148 days after the explosions at Nord Streams, on February 21, 2023, at Russia’s request, the UN Security Council held a meeting on the North [sic] Streams explosions where a heated debate about the incident and its investigations erupted.
No Evidence CGTN Video Shows How US Blew Up Nord Stream Pipelines!
This is yet another example of Chinese propaganda, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : CGTN Is An Official Chinese State Media Outlet
China Global Television Network (CGTN) is a state-run and -funded news channel owned by Chinese state broadcaster China Central Television, and controlled by the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
While it portrays itself as offering an alternative view of world affairs, it is known as a vital Chinese government propaganda outlet, with its accuracy often questioned.
Even here at Tech ARP, I have personally fact checked CGTN on several occasions.
Fact #2 : CGTN Video Is Based On Seymour Hersh’s Claims
The CGTN video appears to be based entirely on claims by American journalist, Seymour Myron Hersh, and does not offer anything new to add to the story.
Fact #3 : CGTN Video + Seymour Hersh Offered No Actual Evidence
Like Seymour Hersh’s Substack article, the CGTN video is loud and dramatic. Quite unlike the Nord Stream explosions that took place underwater.
However, if you actually analyse both the CGTN video and/or Seymour Hersh’s article, you have to ask – where actually is the evidence?
Seymour Hersh himself based his article on a single anonymous source. Even more concerning, no one else has been able to corroborate his claims more than 5 weeks later.
The viral CGTN video just repeats whatever Seymour Hersh claimed, without offering any evidence. It is important to note that this video was created by what is ostensibly a news organisation that is supposed to verify the facts before publishing.
The US government has naturally disputed Seymour Hersh’s claims, calling his article “utterly false and complete fiction”.
What’s concerning to me, as a common person, though is that some of Hersh’s claims are suspect and easily fact checked. Take for example, his claims that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was a committed anti-communist who had been cooperating with US intelligence since the Vietnam War.
It would be quite a feat for Stoltenberg to work with US intelligence during the Vietnam War since he was born in 1959, and would have been only 4-16 years old at that time! Stoltenberg was also pro-Communist as a young teen, and opposed US involvement in the Vietnam War by participating in protest rallies against the US embassy in Oslo.
Seymour Hersh’s claim that an Alta-class minesweeper was used in BALTOPS 2022 is also in dispute. Joe Galvin, OSINT editor of The Outlaw Ocean Project, showed that no Alta-class minesweepers were in the area at that time!
Hersh’s claim that the explosions were triggered by a sonobuoy dropped by a Norwegian P-8 Poseidon aircraft is also in dispute. Norway has five P-8 Poseidon aircraft, but none of them were seen in the area on the day of the explosion – September 26, 2022.
A US Navy P-8 aircraft was spotted in the area, but that aircraft only arrived 90 minutes after the first blast occurred! So it could not have been the P-8 aircraft that triggered the explosions as Hersh claimed.
Fact #5 : Both Nord Stream 1 + 2 Were Not Operational
It is true that both US Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden were against the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, and President Biden threatened to “end Nord Stream” if Russian invaded Ukraine.
However, Nord Stream 2 never became operational, after Germany suspended its certification on 22 February 2022 – two days before Russia invaded Ukraine.
More importantly, Russia cut or interrupted gas supplies on Nord Stream 1, before shutting it down completely in the months following its invasion of Ukraine:
June 2022 : Russia cut Nord Stream 1 gas supply by 75%.
July 2022 : Russia shut down Nord Stream 1 for 10 days. It reopened at 12.5% of normal capacity.
August 2022 : Russia shut down Nord Stream 1 completely.
Both Nord Stream pipelines had long ceased to supply Europe with gas, long before explosions tore holes in them. There is simply no advantage for the Americans to destroy two pipelines that were no longer supplying Europe with gas.
Fact #6 : Europe Refused To Resume Gas Supply
Only three of the four gas pipelines were destroyed by the explosions, with Pipe B of Nord Stream 2 surviving. Russia offered to resume gas supply to Europe, which was promptly declined.
The refusal shows that Europe itself is eager to wean itself off Russian gas, and not because of earlier US threats to “end Nord Stream”.
The Americans did not have to destroy the Nord Stream pipelines, because Russia’s own actions in disrupting gas supplies and invading Ukraine already did that for them.
Fact #7 : Many Countries Had Plausible Reasons To Destroy Nord Stream
As far as plausible reasons go, many countries had plausible reasons to destroy the Nord Stream pipelines:
US : To prevent allies in Europe from being held hostage by their reliance on cheap Russian gas.
UK : To encourage allies in Europe to support Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion.
Russia : To stop supplying Europe without breaking its gas supply contracts, and/or to divide Europe.
Ukraine : To unite Europe against Russia.
While motive is important, it is not evidence that a country has committed the crime. There has to be actual evidence that the US / UK / Russia / Ukraine did it.
Regardless of what CGTN or Seymour Hersh may claim, there is simply no conclusive evidence YET that any of those countries are responsible for the destruction of the Nord Stream gas pipelines.
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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.
Is the Chinese herbal medicine Lianhua Qingwen more effective than the Pfizer Paxlovid antiviral combination?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Lianhua Qingwen Is More Effective Than Paxlovid!
People are sharing a link to a Bloomberg called “Pfizer’s Covid Pill Doesn’t Work For Healthier Patients, Will Focus On Those With higher Risk”, together with this message :
Pfizer scams the world with US$22 billion in sales of Paxlovid to treat Covid. Now finds that Paxlovid does not work and may cause rebound of disease. Malaysia has ordered 200,000 doses at a cost of RM500 million – RM2,500 per dose compared to a few bucks for China’s effective Lian Hwa pills.
Truth : Paxlovid Is More Effective Than Lianhua Qingwen!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) as part of their campaign to support Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Paxlovid Is Combination Of Two Antiviral Drugs
Pfizer PAXLOVID is an antiviral treatment that consists of two protease inhibitors :
two 150 mg tablets of Nirmatrelvir (the new protease inhibitor developed by Pfizer)
one 100 mg tablet of Ritonavir (an old antiviral approved in 1996)
Protease inhibitors work by binding to proteolytic enzymes used by the SARS-CoV-2 virus to replicate. This prevents the virus from replicating in the infected cells, stopping the infection and preventing transmission.
Drug combinations like this offer a synergistic effect, above and beyond their individual abilities. In this combination, ritonavir helps to slow down the breakdown of nirmatrelvir, allowing it to remain in the body for a longer period at higher concentrations.
Fact #2 : Paxlovid Was Proven To Work Against COVID-19
Unlike Lianhua Qingwen, Paxlovid underwent and passed an actual randomised double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.
In the EPIC-HR clinical trial, Paxlovid was shown to reduce hospitalisation or death from COVID-19 by 88%, compared to placebo.
The EUA allows Paxlovid to be used for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adults and children 12 years and older, who are at high risk of developing severe COVID-19.
I should point out that the EPIC-HR trial involved adults who have a high risk of developing severe COVID-19 :
18 years and older with a risk factor for developing severe COVID-19, or
60 years and older, regardless of chronic medical conditions
All these patients also were not vaccinated against COVID-19, which puts them at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19.
Fact #4 : Paxlovid Not Effective In Normal Risk Patients
After successfully proving that Paxlovid worked for patients who are at high risk of developing severe COVID-19, Pfizer tested it on “standard risk patients”.
Their study showed a 51% relative risk reduction of developing severe COVID-19, which was not statistically significant.
That was why Pfizer halted further enrolment in its Paxlovid trial for “standard risk patients”, which are people who do not have co-morbidities – health conditions that put them at risk of developing severe COVID-19.
This “failure” actually shows the value of running clinical tests, before approving any drug. Unlike Paxlovid though, Lianhua Qingwen did not undergo any clinical trial to prove that it can treat or prevent COVID-19.
Fact #5 : Lianhua Qingwen Not Proven To Work Against COVID-19
Lianhua Qingwen (连花清瘟) has been heavily promoted by the Chinese government and the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), leading to massive sales in the global Chinese diaspora.
It then gained oversized importance when both Hong Kong and Shanghai distributed boxes of these capsules to help stave off the surge of COVID-19 in both cities.
Yet, the mass distribution of Lianhua Qingwen has done nothing to stop the spread of COVID-19 in both cities.
That’s because, unlike Paxlovid, there never was any evidence that Lianhua Qingwen can treat or prevent COVID-19.
Its main “call to fame” was a small Chinese study conducted early during the pandemic, which showed that it had only a modest effect on symptom recovery :
time to recover from fever : 2 days, instead of 3 days
time to recover from fatigue : 3 days, instead of 6 days
time to recover from coughing : 7 days, instead of 10 days
There was NO DIFFERENCE in the viral load, or the risk of developing severe COVID-19.
In other words – Lianhua Qingwen only helped to reduce symptoms, and was no different from taking over-the-counter drugs like paracetamol.
Fact #6 : Lianhua Qingwen Should Not Be Taken To Prevent COVID-19
Official Chinese media outlets like CGTN and China Daily have falsely claimed that that Lianhua Qingwen was “proven effective for the treatment of COVID-19” and that it was “approved to treat [COVID-19] virus”.
However, Lianhua Qingwen cannot prevent COVID-19, and should not be taken on a long-term basis to prevent it, due to potential side effects.
The medicine could cause side effects such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and rash.
Fang Bangjiang, doctor from Long Hua Hospital of the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said that Lianhua Qingwen has complex ingredients and is mainly suitable for COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms of fever and pneumonia but unsuitable for prevention.
Its ingredients will affect the renal system.
Fact #7 : Chinese Official Admits Lianhua Qingwen Cannot Kill Coronavirus
When Chinese Deputy Consul General in Vancouver, Kong Weiwei, was confronted about these claims, he said that people should be “mature enough” to do their own research and understand that Lianhua Qingwen cannot kill the COVID-19 virus :
They’re not babies. We don’t want to be like a nanny telling every one of them that these [Lianhua Qingwen capsules] cannot kill the virus.
Fact #8 : Singapore HSA Warns Against Lianhua Qingwen Claims
The Singapore Health Sciences Authority (HSA) continues to warn the public not to believe the many misleading claims made about Lianhua Qingwen’s ability to treat or prevent COVID-19.
To date, there is no scientific evidence from randomised clinical trials to show that any herbal product, including Lianhua Qingwen products, can be used to prevent or treat COVID-19.
All herbal products formulated for common cold and flu, including CPM, should only be used to manage symptoms such as headache, runny or blocked nose, sore throat and cough.
We strongly advise members of the public not to fall prey to unsubstantiated claims or spread unfounded rumours that herbal products can be used to prevent or treat COVID-19.
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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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.
Was a CNN reporter caught lying on live TV about what a Chinese man really said?
Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the FACTS really are!
Claim : CNN Reporter Caught Faking Chinese Translation On TV!
A video clip showing a CNN reporter lying about what a Chinese man said on live TV is going viral again, together with this message :
All he said was, “I just finished dinner with friends and want to catch up on my texts.”
If you know Mandarin, you can see how CNN can make up their news.
I can’t believe CNN will go this low. 😤🤮
It originally went viral in February 2021, but is going viral again in May 2022 during the COVID-19 lockdown of Shanghai.
In the video, the CNN reporter is seen asking a Chinese man why he’s drinking by himself.
The man replied (in Chinese) that he just had dinner with friends and was now just taking a look at his phone.
However, the CNN reporter told the CNN anchor a completely different story,
“Jesus, you can see by the look on his face. This man told me that his family had been taken away, that his brother’s sick, and he can’t get out.”
“And the only thing that’s left to do is drink. And really, I can’t blame him. Poor guy.”
CNN Reporter Was Not Faking Chinese Translation Because…
… the truth is this video was edited, and is being used as Chinese propaganda.
In this video, we will show you why this video is NOT real, and is just another piece of Chinese propaganda.
The viral video clip is really a 29 second segment of a much longer video that runs 4 minutes and 19 seconds.
The original video was created by a UK student living in China, who calls himself Comerad James.
He stated clearly in his original video that he wanted to show how easy it was to make fake news.
Anyone watching his video can see that it was intentionally satirical, with the title CNN Global Bullcast, and his nickname there – Comerad James.
You can even see that both the CNN anchor and the CNN reporter are the same person – Comerad James himself.
And note that he even put in all sorts of Easter eggs – GME (GameStop) share price rising 9999%, and chyrons about public alcoholism spiralling out of control because Chinese citizens are giving up hope.
Comerad James created this video to satirise the “lack of integrity” of CNN and BBC in covering news on China.
Ironically, his video ended up being edited and used by Chinese propagandists to malign CNN’s integrity. So much for “integrity”.
The truth is major news organisations like CNN have fact-checkers and native speakers. Such a broadcast would have been caught very quickly, and they would have apologised for it.
If they didn’t, news of this would spread like wildfire and CNN would have been justifiably castigated online. Not just by Chinese citizens and Sinophiles, but also by other media outlets and the public in general.
On the other hand, Chinese propaganda outlets masquerading as news agencies like CGTN have never apologised or corrected themselves, even after they were caught lying.
When you see such videos, THINK TWICE before forwarding them. You could be helping to propagate Chinese fake news / propaganda.
Always be wary about fake videos and fake news created and propagated by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).
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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.
Did the US government just steal 7 BILLION DOLLARS from the poor people in Afghanistan?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : US Government Just Stole 7 Billion Dollars From Afghanistan!
Pro-China groups and supporters are actively claiming that the US government stole 7 billion dollars from the poor people in Afghanistan, even while China donates food to them.
Here are a few example posts on social media.
闭上臭嘴。中国给阿富汗捐赠了免费的粮食五次，美国没收了阿富汗70亿美元。 Shut up stupid.China has donated free food to Afghanistan five times, and the United States has confiscated $7 billion from Afghanistan
The US government invaded Afghanistan in the form of washing powder for ten years! After the United States robbed oil gold, it quietly left! Left homeless children and women! The United States still deducted $7billion from Afghanistan‘s reserves! American government robbers!
2001年美国打着反恐名义侵略阿富汗，2021年撤离阿富汗 掠夺阿富汗人民70亿美元血汗钱 In 2001, the US invaded Afghanistan in the name of counter-terrorism, and in 2021, it will withdraw from the country, plundering the Afghan people’s hard-earned money worth us $7 billion 臭不要脸 Shameless
China Denounces US as ‘Bandits’ for Seizing $7Billion as Afghans Starve “Global outrage has continued to grow since the Biden administration stole Afghanistan‘s foreign reserves with nearly 23 million Afghans facing acute hunger.”
Truth : US Government Did Not Steal 7 Billion Dollars From Afghanistan!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and/or propagated by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : US Froze 7 Billion Dollars Worth Of Afghan Central Bank Assets
First, let us get this right – the US government did not steal US$7 billion from Afghanistan.
This false claim is based on an executive order by the Biden Administration to freeze approximately US$7 billion worth of US-based assets owned by Afghanistan’s central bank – Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB).
As part of our ongoing work to address the humanitarian and economic crisis in Afghanistan, President Biden signed an Executive Order (E.O.) to help enable certain U.S.-based assets belonging to Afghanistan’s central bank, Da Afghanistan Bank (“DAB”), to be used to benefit the Afghan people.
The E.O. will block property of DAB held in the United States by U.S. financial institutions and require U.S. financial institutions to transfer this property into a consolidated account held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Fact #2 : US Did Not Take / Use The 7 Billion Dollars
The US Feds are holding onto those assets, so they are not actually being taken or used by the US government.
US$3.5 billion will be allocated for “the benefit of the Afghan people”.
Another US$3.5 billion will be held, as they are subject to “ongoing litigation by US victims of terrorism”.
In essence, the Biden Administration is blocking the Taliban government from using the assets to purchase what they don’t believe would be in “the benefit of the Afghan people”. Chief on their mind would be weapons, and financing of terrorist activities.
One may argue that the Taliban is the Afghan government of the day – as reprehensible as they may be, and therefore have the right to access all of that money.
That may well be true, but it does not mean that the US government stole the money. After all, they did not take or use it for their own purposes.
Fact #3 : US Contributed $130 Billion To Afghanistan
Since their 2001 invasion toppled the Taliban government, the US government has massively funded the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan.
They spent at least $130 billion in funds for security, governance, development and humanitarian needs in Afghanistan.
The Afghan government was also highly dependent on aid, which contributed 40% of its GDP, and 75% of its public expenditure. Most of it came from the US government.
No doubt the US government felt that it at least has the right to dictate what the 7 billion dollars should be used for.
Fact #4 : US Continues To Contribute To Afghanistan
What most people are not aware is the US government has contributed, and continues to contribute, hundreds of millions of dollars to Afghanistansince the Taliban regained power.
On October 28, 2021, the US government announced more than $144 million in additional humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.
Today, the United States announced more than $144 million in humanitarian assistance to the people affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
This funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Department of State brought total U.S. humanitarian aid in Afghanistan and for Afghan refugees in the region to nearly $474 million in 2021 alone.
Then the US government announced more than $308 million in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan on January 11, 2022.
The new contribution from the United States will provide life-saving aid for the most vulnerable, to include women, girls, minority populations, and people with disabilities.
This assistance includes food and nutrition assistance; support for health care facilities and mobile health teams; winterization programs—including the provision of emergency cash grants, shelter kits, heaters, blankets, and warm clothing; and logistics and transportation support to ensure that aid workers and critical relief supplies can make it to the hardest to reach areas.
Fact #5 : Chinese Contribution To Afghanistan Is Paltry
China announced humanitarian aid worth 200 million yuan in September 2021.
While that sounds impressive, it is a paltry $31.4 million – just 4% of what the US has (so far) contributed in 2021 and 2022.
In fact, China is contributing far less than Japan, which has far less economic and geopolitical interest in Afghanistan. Even Sweden has pledged to donate almost twice as much as China.
As this table shows, the truth is quite different from what Chinese propaganda want you to believe.
Country
Aid Pledged
To Afghanistan
United States
$421 million
European Union
$277 million
Germany
$182 million
United Kingdom
$113 million
France
$80 million
Denmark
$74 million
Japan
$60 million
Sweden
$53 million
China
$31.4 million
Netherlands
$30 million
Canada
$27 million
Fact #6 : China Seem More Interested In Publicity
Even though the Chinese pledged the aid in September 2021, they only managed to deliver five shipments of food, medical and humanitarian aid, up until 9 April 2022.
What you will notice though is that each delivery is accompanied by its own distribution ceremony for photo opportunities, and coverage in Chinese media outlets like CGTN, Xinhua, Global Times, etc.
From their constant publicity, you would think that the Chinese alone are supporting the entire Afghanistan on their mighty shoulders.
The truth is – China has always been miserly in its humanitarian aid, and the Chinese know it.
That’s why they often hype up their contribution, even shamelessly hyping up the sale of Chinese COVID-19 vaccines as a contribution to the world.
By casting aspersions on the United States, they deflect criticism for their lack of support of the Afghan people.
Now that you know the truth, please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this article with your family and friends!
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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.
Was CGTN caught faking the Peng Shuai email that allegedly refuted her claims of sexual assault by former Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli?
Take a look at the email, and see if you can spot what they did wrong!
What Peng Shuai Email? A Quick Update!
On 2 November 2021, Chinese tennis star, Peng Shuai accused retired Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of pressuring her into having sex on Weibo (China’s version of Twitter).
On 14 November 2021, Steve Simon – the WTA Chairman and CEO released a public statement calling for her allegations to be “investigated fully, fairly, transparently and without censorship“.
On 18 November 2021, CGTN posted on Twitter what they claimed was an email to Steve Simon, the WTA Chairman and CEO.
In that email, Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai allegedly refuted her earlier claims of sexual assault by former Chinese vice premier Zhang Gaoli.
Hello everyone this is Peng Shuai.
Regarding the recent news released on the official website of the WTA, the content has not been confirmed or verified by myself and it was released without my consent. The news in that release, including the allegation of sexual assault, is not true. I’m not missing, nor am I unsafe. I’ve just been resting at home and everything is fine. Thank you again for caring about me.
If the WTA publishes any more news about me, please verify it with me, and release it with my consent. As a professional tennis player, I thank you all for your companionship and consideration. I hope to promote Chinese tennis with you all if I have the chance in the future. I hope Chinese tennis will become better and better.
Once again, thank you for your consideration.
https://youtu.be/r2CmtPYRklM
Was CGTN Caught Faking The Peng Shuai Email?
At first glance, the email that CGTN posted looked like your typical “written under duress” note, with awkward language. But who can refute it since Peng Shuai has not been seen since making her allegations?
Unfortunately, CGTN screwed up, by accidentally making TWO mistakes :
addressing the email to “everyone“, instead of Steve Simon, and
posting the screenshot with a visible cursor!
Hello Everyone???
This email was supposedly written by Peng Shuai as a private message to Steve Simon, in response to his public statement.
Yet, the writer addressed it to “everyone”, instead of Steve Simon, the WTA Chairman and CEO.
If this was meant to be a public statement, Peng Shuai would have emailed it to media outlets worldwide, not just Steve Simon.
CGTN also framed it as a private email from Peng Shuai to Steve Simon, the contents of which they “learned” after it was sent.
Yet, not only was it addressed to “everyone”, the entire email sounds like it was written for a mass audience and not just Steve Simon, with phrases like :
I thank you all…
I hope to promote Chinese tennis with you all…
A Blinking Cursor???
The presence of the cursor clearly tells us that the email was being written when that screenshot was taken. It won’t appear if you are merely reading the email.
There are several possibilities for a cursor to appear in the screenshot :
Peng Shuai wrote it and sent CGTN a screenshot of the draft, instead of CCing them the email like what anyone else would have done. The presence of the active cursor meant that the email was still being written, and may not be the final version.
Someone punked CGTN by sending them a fabricated email, which they posted without verifying with Peng Shuai herself.
The email was fabricated by someone at CGTN pretending to be Peng Shuai. That is the only way CGTN can possibly take a screenshot of an email with an active cursor.
Now, it is not possible to determine with certainty that CGTN faked the Peng Shuai email. It could be someone else. But it’s not hard to see why no one believes that the email was really written by Peng Shuai.
No matter how you slice and dice it, that pesky cursor makes the Peng Shuai email incredibly suspicious… or as our younger readers may say – very sus…
WTA Chairman and CEO, Steve Simon, said, “I have a hard time believing that Peng Shuai actually wrote the email we received or believes what is attributed to her“.
For those who missed the developing scandal involving the Chinese tennis star, here’s a quick summary…
On 2 November 2021, Peng Shuai accused retired Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault in a 1,600 word post on her official Weibo account.
Written like an open letter to Zhang Gaoli, she claimed that they had an intermittent relationship over 10 years.
“Why did you have to come back to me, took me to your home to force me to have sex with you? Yes, I did not have any evidence, and it was simply impossible to have evidence”
“I couldn’t describe how disgusted I was, and how many times I asked myself am I still a human? I feel like a walking corpse. Every day I was acting, which person is the real me?”
“I know that for someone of your eminence, Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli, you said you were not afraid. But even if it’s just me, like an egg hitting the stone, a moth flying into flames, courting self-destruction, I would tell the truth about us.”
Her post was quickly deleted from Weibo – in less than 10 minutes, but Chinese netizens took screenshots of it. They were shared widely, but were soon censored.
Peng Shuai has not been seen since she posted her accusations on Weibo.
As a result, tennis fans and netizens in general are incensed, with calls to #BoycottBeijingOlympics and #BoycottBeijing2022 increasing on social media.
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
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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.
Did China really contribute 60% of the vaccine supply to COVAX – the worldwide initiative for equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines?
Take a look at this shocking claim by CGTN Europe, and find out what the FACTS really are!
CGTN Europe : China Contributed 60% Of COVAX Vaccine Supply!
Patrick Rhys Atack from CGTN Europe took umbrage at UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s claim that “the effort to vaccinate the world would only be completed very largely thanks to the efforts of [G7] countries“.
He wrote an article in response called, Who is vaccinating the world?, claiming that China contributed 60% of the COVAX vaccine supply so far.
In his article, he shared this pie chart, showing UNICEF data for the “total doses delivered to [COVAX] by donor country”.
As you can see, he clearly showed that China delivered just over 60% of the COVAX vaccine supply so far. Or did he? Let’s take a closer look…
Truth : China Did NOT Contribute 60% Of COVAX Vaccine Supply
The short and simple truth is – China did NOT contribute 60% of COVAX vaccine supply, and is unlikely to do so even in the future.
Here are the facts…
Fact #1 : Chinese Vaccines Not In UNICEF Data On COVAX
The pie chart was created by CGTN Europe based on UNICEF data, but the truth is – the UNICEF vaccine dashboard actually showed a different story altogether…
The UNICEF data showed that no Chinese vaccines are (currently) part of the vaccine purchases that COVAX made.
315 million doses of vaccines were also donated to COVAX, but UNICEF does not show the breakdown. But even if all 315 million of those vaccine doses are from China, it would only account for 9.5% of the total COVAX vaccine supply of 3.325 million secured doses.
Fact #2 : COVAX Facility Currently Has No Chinese Vaccine
In the latest COVAX Supply Forecast, released on 28 June 2021, there were eight vaccines in the COVAX portfolio, and none of them are from Chinese manufacturers.
It would be quite impossible for China to contribute 60% of COVAX vaccine supply if there are no Chinese vaccines in the COVAX vaccine portfolio…
Fact #3 : China Only Committed 10 Million Doses To COVAX
On 3 February 2021, China announced that they would contribute 10 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the COVAX Facility.
Those 10 million vaccine doses finally rolled off the Sinopharm production line on 31 May 2021, as China Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin announced on 1 June 2021.
The 10 million doses would only account for 0.3% of the 3,315 million doses secured by the COVAX Facility – a far cry from the 60% claimed by CGTN Europe.
Fact #4 : China Has Not Contributed Financially To COVAX
The COVAX Facility does not just rely on donated COVID-19 vaccines. It relies primarily on financial aid, which allows it to directly purchase vaccines from their manufacturers to distribute.
Currently, COVAX is funded in large part by Western countries and Japan. You can verify this through the latest COVAX donor list.
Even the tiny country of Bhutan contributed to the COVAX Facility, as have many foundations. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in particular, contributed US$206 million to COVAX.
However, China has not contributed a single dollar to the COVAX Facility. So it would be impossible that the 60% vaccine supply claim was partly due to monetary contribution.
COVAX Donors
Contribution
(US Dollars)
United States
3,500 million
Germany
1,097 million
Japan
1,000 million
United Kingdom
733 million
European Commission
489 million
Italy
470 million
Canada
384 million
Sweden
296 million
France
244 million
Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation
206 million
Why Would CGTN Lie About COVAX Contribution By China?
CGTN is part of Chinese state media, and is directly controlled by the Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
With China’s aggressive foreign stance in recent years, it is not uncommon to see such fake stories being created by Chinese state media.
Some believe it is part of a concerted attempt to burnish China’s image overseas – a form of vaccine diplomacy.
Others believe the many fake stories are being created to drown out the negative coverage of China’s controversial Belt and Road Initiative, and their aggressive moves in the South China Sea.
Whatever the reasons may be, it is our duty as global citizens to stop the proliferation of such fake stories.
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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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.
People are spreading the fake story that Western media covered up the 2009 H1N1 swine flu pandemic, while hypocritically criticising China over the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak.
We will debunk this nonsensical claim about the H1N1 American Pandemic Virus, and show you what really happened.
2009 H1N1 Pandemic : The Great American Cover-Up?
China is under great pressure fighting the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, which has resulted in unfair racist attacks on Chinese and Asian-looking people in many countries, especially in the West.
Unfortunately, that situation has also encouraged Sinophiles and the Chinese propaganda arm to create false narratives to divert some of the blame.
This example about the H1N1 American Pandemic Virus was created by Gong Simi Singapore, which roughly translates as What Say You Singapore, based on Chinese propaganda.
H1N1 was started in the USA. Little efforts were made by the USA to stop the spread of the virus.
It killed 284,500 worldwide and affected 214 countries.
There was no mention by the western media that H1N1 is an American Pandemic Virus.
It did not help that even famous Chinese journalist Liu Xin from CGTN got into the act, claiming that Western media did not call America the Sick Man of North America for the H1N1 pandemic that she claimed began in the US.
Now, let us show you why this is yet another fake story…
H1N1 Pandemic : The Great American Cover-Up Debunked!
We created this video to explain in just over 3 minutes why this is a Chinese propaganda effort to hit back at perceived Western bias in their fight against the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak.
While they may have their (arguably justifiable) reasons for doing so, it is still a lie, and must be debunked.
CDC Did NOT Admit It Originated In The US
They keep pointing out that the CDC admitted that the 2009 swine flu pandemic originated in the US. That’s actually not accurate.
The CDC is a US agency, and was reporting on the 2009 flu pandemic from the US perspective. Their Q&A only mentioned that it was first detected in the US in April 2009.
In the first WHO report on the disease, it was pointed out that while the US reported seven confirmed cases on 24 April 2009, the Mexican government admitted that they already picked up cases from 18 March 2009 onwards.
In other words, the 2009 flu epidemic started in Mexico for more than a month, before spreading to the US and the rest of the world, creating a pandemic.
The 2009 Flu Pandemic Started In Mexico!
The claim that the 2009 swine flu pandemic started in the US is false.
That swine flu pandemic actually originated in Veracruz, Mexico. That is over 500 kilometres from the nearest US border town of Brownsville, Texas.
The Strain Is Called Pandemic Disease Mexico
After the 2009 pandemic strain was confirmed to have originated in Mexico, it was known as the A(H1N1)pdm09, which is short for Influenza A (H1N1 subtype) Pandemic Disease Mexico 2009.
It Was A National Emergency In The US
The claim that the US did nothing to stop the spread of the virus is also false.
President Barack Obama actually declared the 2009 flu pandemic a US National Emergency on 24 October 2009.
Two different vaccines were developed and introduced by November 2009. President Obama himself received the trivalent jab on 20 December 2009.
It Triggered The First Ever WHO PHEIC
The 2009 flu pandemic so alarmed the WHO that they declared their first ever PHEIC – Public Health Emergency of International Concern – in April 2009.
So any claim that there was no effort by any party to stop the spread of the virus is nonsensical.
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