Tag Archives: Chile

Did 13 countries sign WEF ethical global famine treaty?!

Did 13 countries sign the WEF treaty to engineer an “ethical global famine”?! Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

 

Claim : 13 countries signed WEF ethical global famine treaty!

People are sharing an article (archive) by The People’s Voice (formerly NewsPunch), which claims that 13 countries signed a WEF treaty to engineer an “ethical global famine” as part of the World Economic Forum’s Agenda 2030 goals!

Here is an excerpt of the long and (intentionally?) confusing article. Feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!

13 Countries Sign WEF Treaty To Engineer an ‘Ethical Global Famine’

13 western countries, including the United States, have all signed a WEF treaty to engineer what they are calling an “ethical global famine” as part of the World Economic Forum’s Agenda 2030 goals.

Recommended : Did Putin Just Void 1867 Sale Of Alaska To The US?!

 

Truth : 13 countries did not sign WEF ethical global famine treaty!

This is yet another example of fake news created / promoted by The People’s Voice, and here are the reasons why…

There was no WEF ethical global famine treaty

First, let me just point out that no country in the world signed any WEF treaty or agreement to engineer an “ethical global famine”. The WEF treaty that the The People’s Voice article referred to was just a statement.

It was just an announcement that 13 countries have committed to “reduce methane emissions in agriculture“. Those countries did not sign any legal agreement or treaty. Neither did they commit to any goals in methane emission, or any particular timeline to achieve those goals.

Last month, the Global Methane Hub collaborated with the Ministries of Agriculture of Chile and Spain to convene the first-ever global ministerial on agricultural practices to reduce methane emissions. The ministerial brought together high-ranking government members to share global perspectives on methane reduction and low-emission food systems.

The gathering led to a statement in which the nations committed to support efforts to improve the quality and quantity of, and access to, finance for climate change adaptation and mitigation measures in the agriculture and food sectors and to collaborate on efforts aimed at lowering methane emissions in agriculture and food systems.

Anyone who reads the announcement can clearly see that none of those countries signed any treaty or legal agreement to reduce methane emissions in agriculture.

If the The People’s Voice article cannot even get this right… you have to wonder – is there anything credible in its article???

Recommended : Did CIA invent mRNA vaccine bioweapon with Gates, WEF?!

The event occurred in 2023

While the The People’s Voice article appears to suggest that this happened recently, I should point out that this even occurred more than a year ago – on 17 May 2023 to be precise.

It must either be a really slow day at The People’s Voice, or it took them more than a year to read / realise this…

World Economic Forum was not involved

The The People’s Voice article claimed that the (non-existent) agreement was a treaty by the World Economic Forum (WEF), but that’s simply not true.

Not only does that agreement not exist, the conference which led to the statement of commitment (to reduce methane emissions in agriculture) was hosted by the Global Methane Hub. in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture of Chile and Spain.

The Global Methane Hub is an independent philanthropic organisation dedicated to reducing methane emissions globally, that was established in 2022 in Santiago, Chile. It is led by Marcelo Mena, the former environment minister of Chile, and the director of Climate Action Center at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaís.

To be clear – the WEF was not involved in the 2023 Global Methane Hub conference on “Addressing the challenge of reducing methane in Agriculture“.

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The People’s Voice Is Known For Fake News

The People’s Voice is the current name 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 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.

 

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Did 13 Nations Sign WEF Agreement To Destroy Food Supply?!

Did 13 nations just sign a WEF agreement to engineer global famine by destroying food supply?! Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

 

Claim : 13 Nations Signs WEF Agreement To Destroy Food Supply!

An article (archive) by Global Research claims that 13 nations just signed a WEF agreement to engineer global famine by destroying food supply!

Here is an excerpt from the really long and (intentionally?) confusing article:

13 Nations Sign Agreement to Engineer Global Famine by Destroying Food Supply

The United States has joined 12 other nations in signing a World Economic Forum (WEF) agreement that seeks to engineer global famine by destroying the agriculture industry.

Recommended : Did WEF Order Slaughter Of Millions Of US Chickens?!

 

Truth : 13 Nations Did Not Sign WEF Agreement To Destroy Food Supply!

This is yet another example of fake news created / promoted by Global Research, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : There Was No Agreement To Destroy Food Supply

First, let me just point out that no country in the world signed any agreement to destroy food supply. The agreement that the Global Research article referred to was just a statement.

It was actually just an announcement that 13 countries have committed to “reduce methane emissions in agriculture“. Those countries did not sign any legal agreement or treaty. Neither did they commit to any goals in methane emission, or any particular timeline to achieve those goals.

Last month, the Global Methane Hub collaborated with the Ministries of Agriculture of Chile and Spain to convene the first-ever global ministerial on agricultural practices to reduce methane emissions. The ministerial brought together high-ranking government members to share global perspectives on methane reduction and low-emission food systems.

The gathering led to a statement in which the nations committed to support efforts to improve the quality and quantity of, and access to, finance for climate change adaptation and mitigation measures in the agriculture and food sectors and to collaborate on efforts aimed at lowering methane emissions in agriculture and food systems.

Anyone who reads the announcement can clearly see that none of those countries signed any treaty or legal agreement to reduce methane emissions in agriculture.

If the Global Research article cannot even get this right… you have to wonder – is there anything credible in its article???

Recommended : Did CIA invent mRNA vaccine bioweapon with Gates, WEF?!

Fact #2 : It Happened Over A Year Ago

While the Global Research article appears to suggest that this happened recently, I should point out that this even occurred more than a year ago – on 17 May 2023 to be precise.

It must either be a really slow day at Global Research, or it took them more than a year to read / realise this…

Fact #3 : WEF + UN Were Not Involved

The Global Research article claimed that the (non-existent) agreement was drawn up by the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the United Nations (UN). That’s not true.

Not only does that agreement not exist, the conference which led to the statement of commitment (to reduce methane emissions in agriculture) was hosted by the Global Methane Hub. in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture of Chile and Spain.

The Global Methane Hub is an independent philanthropic organisation dedicated to reducing methane emissions globally, that was established in 2022 in Santiago, Chile. It is led by Marcelo Mena, the former environment minister of Chile, and the director of Climate Action Center at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaís.

To be clear – neither the WEF nor the UN were involved in the 2023 Global Methane Hub conference on “Addressing the challenge of reducing methane in Agriculture“.

Recommended : Is Klaus Schwab Facing Death Penalty By ICC?!

Fact #4 : GlobalResearch.ca Is Propaganda / Conspiracy Website

Founded in 2001 by Michel Chossudovsky, GlobalResearch.ca (short for the Centre for Research on Globalization) is known for promoting conspiracy theories and falsehoods.

A US State Department report not only labeled it as the most accessed proxy website allied with pro-Kremlin disinformation, a NATO report stated that it plays a “key accelerant role in helping popularize articles with little basis in fact“.

Its articles have been regularly debunked as fake news or propaganda, so you should never share anything from GlobalResearch.ca.

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.

 

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Baltimore Bridge Collapse Conspiracies Debunked!

Take a look at the conspiracy theories surrounding the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, after it was hit by a ship, and find out what the facts really are!

Updated @ 2024-03-28 : Added new conspiracies, and updated information
Originally posted @ 2024-03-27

 

Baltimore Bridge Collapse Conspiracies… So Far!

Right after news broke that the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed after being hit by a massive container ship, some people immediately began suggesting there was more to the tragedy than meets the eyes…

Lara Logan : Welcome to the world of cyber terrorism.
Acc to intel sources: The Baltimore bridge collapse was a 9/11 style attack but they won’t admit it and we cannot see it because it was a CYBER ATTACK.

Lauren Witzke : You know things are getting bad when you can’t tell the difference between DEI incompetency and terrorism.

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Baltimore Bridge Collapse Conspiracies Debunked!

This is yet another example of fake news created or promoted by conspiracy theorists and conspiracists, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Baltimore Bridge Collapsed After Being Hit By Ship

Let me start by simply pointing out that the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed on March 26, 2024, after being hit by a massive cargo container ship.

This Baltimore bridge did not collapse after an explosion. Neither was its collapse caused by a planned demolition in a false flag operation.

The viral video showing the bridge collapsing after an explosion is actually a video showing the partial collapse of the Crimean Bridge after being hit by a truck bomb on 8 October 2022. It has nothing to do with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.

Fact #2 : Baltimore Bridge Opened In 1977

Constructed over a period of five years at an estimated cost of US$110 million, the Francis Scott Key Bridge opened in 1977. It is a 4-lane steel bridge that spanned 2.6 km across the Patapsco River, where its namesake wrote the Star-Spangled Banner in 1814 after witnessing the British defeat at the Battle of Baltimore, and the British bombing of Fort McHenry.

After the bridge collapsed, other ships could no longer leave the Port of Baltimore. Over 40 ships remain trapped inside the Baltimore port, while another 30 ships that planned to make port are no longer able to do so.

The key point is this – this bridge was built 47 years ago under Republican president Gerald Ford, and opened under Democratic president Jimmy Carter. There was no DEI at that time, and its design and construction had nothing to do with the present Biden Administration, including current Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

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Fact #3 : The Container Ship Lost Power

The Dali is a massive Singapore-flagged container ship that is 289 meters long, and holds up to 10,000 twenty-foot equivalent (TEU) cargo containers. At the time it hit the bridge, it was carrying 4,679 TEU containers of cargo.

It was just leaving the Port of Baltimore just after midnight when it lost power. Not only were the crew blinded in the dark, none of its electronics worked and there was no propulsion, so they were unable to control the ship.

As the crew tried unsuccessfully to restart its engine, a local pilot onboard the vessel ordered the ship to be steered to port (left), and the anchor to be dropped. While the crew managed to restore electrical power using an emergency generator, they were not able to restart its engines.

With the ship floating adrift, the two local pilots onboard issued a mayday call at 1:30 AM to warn authorities that a collision was imminent, which allowed them to stop traffic from going over the bridge. A Maryland Transportation Authority official was recorded saying at that time:

There’s a ship approaching that has lost their steering. Until you’ve got that under control, we’ve got to stop all traffic.

According to NTSB investigator in charge, Marcel Muise, the recovered voyage data recorder (VDR) helped them establish the timeline of events:

12:39 AM : Dali departs Seagirt Marine Terminal

1:07 AM : Dali enters Fort McHenry Channel

1:24 AM : Numerous alarms were recorded on audio at the ship’s bridge, and data recording stopped (due to power loss) before resuming shortly from a redundant power source.

1:26 AM : The pilots onboard Dali made a high frequency radio call for tugboats to assist the Dali.

1:27 AM : The pilot dropped the port anchor and made another radio call reporting that the Dali lost all power, and was approaching the bridge.

1:29 AM : The Dali collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge’s support pylon, causing it to collapse.

The video below, which is being shared on WhatsApp, does not accurately reflect the truth – the ship never regained the use of its engines, but it clearly shows when the ship lost power, and when it restored electrical power.

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Fact #4 : No Evidence It Was A Planned Attack

There is no evidence that this accident was a planned attack, a cyberattack or a false flag operation.

For one thing – the Dali is owned by Singapore-based Grace Ocean, and managed by Singapore-based Synergy Marine Group, and it was chartered by Danish shipping giant Maersk to carry cargo. It is highly unlikely that those Singaporean and Danish companies would be involved in a planned attack.

On top of that, there were two local pilots onboard the Dali. If it was a planned attack, they would be complicit in a plot that would have involved dozens of people and intricate planning… for the “terrifying” purpose of collapsing a single bridge. Hardly makes for a great movie plot, don’t you think?

The Baltimore Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said in a press statement, that “There is no specific and credible information to suggest any ties to terrorism at this time.

United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron also dismissed those claims in a public statement, saying “There is no evidence at this time to suggest that today’s collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore has any ties to terrorism.

Fact #5 : Dali Was Inspected Twice Last Year

Dali was involved in a July 2016 accident, in which it hit a quay as it tried to exit the North Sea container terminal at the port of Antwerp in Belgium. That incident, which damaged several meters of its hull, was blamed on the ship’s master, and the local pilot onboard.

The Dali was inspected twice last year. According to Equasis, an inspection that was carried out in June 2023 in San Antonio, Chile, found that the Dali had “propulsion and auxiliary machinery” deficiencies. The Maritime Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said a faulty monitor gauge for fuel pressure was rectified before the vessel departed the port.

In September 2023, the Dali underwent another inspection, this time by the US Coast Guard in New York, but that inspection did not find any deficiencies at that time. However, that does not mean that the Dali did not suffer engine failure before colliding into the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

Until investigations into the Dali are complete, anyone who claims that the collision was intentional is likely lying to you.

Recommended : Did Russia Arrest Rustam Azhiev For Moscow Attack?!

Fact #6 : Loss Of Power May Be Caused By Dirty Fuel

The loss of power experienced by the Dali is common in the maritime industry (source) – as many as 600 cases each year according to FuelTrust, although most occur in open water. They are often associated with poorly mixed fuel, or changing from high-sulphur to low-sulphur fuels when entering coastal emission control areas (ECAs).

In fact, shipping experts think “dirty fuel” may be the reason for Dali to lose power before smashing into the Francis Scott Key Bridge (source).

That power loss could have been caused by dirty fuel clogging filters that lead to the ship’s main generator.

While inside a port, as the Dali was before the collision, ships typically run on a relatively light diesel fuel. That also could have been contaminated. Common contaminants include water, dirt and algae. He definitely could have had dirty fuel

– Gerald Scoggins, a veteran chief engineer in the oil and gas industry and the CEO of the Houston company Deepwater Producers

Ian Ralby, the CEO of I.R. Consilium, a maritime and resource security consultancy, also said heavy marine fuel loaded onto ships in port is mixed with what is called cutter stock, and is prone to being loaded with contaminants and is not closely regulated. Such dirty fuel could have “gummed up all of the fuel lines on the ship.”

Fact #7 : Baltimore Bridge Was In Fair Condition

According to a press aide for Pete Buttigieg (source), the Francis Scott Key Bridge was last inspected in May 2023, and “found to be in satisfactory condition with an overall rating of fair”. Such inspections are supposed to occur every 24 months

Previously, Federal Highway Administration records show the bridge was last inspected in May 2021. Back then, inspectors rated its condition as “fair” with a rating of 6 (satisfactory) out of a maximum of 9, on three parameters.

To be clear – these inspections were being carried out on the bridge every 2 years, regardless of who happens to be the Transportation Secretary at that time.

Recommended : Did Cyberattack Cause Dali To Hit Baltimore Bridge?!

Fact #8 : Baltimore Bridge Location + Design Was Problematic

In light of the accident, experts are highlighting the problems with the location of the bridge’s piers and its design.

The Francis Scott Key Bridge is a steel truss suspension bridge with three centre spans held up by piers. Engineering experts that 11 News spoke to questioned why those piers were built so close to the shipping channel. They also pointed out that the bridge piers were not built to handle such ship collisions.

The way that it collapsed, I think that was surprising to some people, in particular, because one of the piers was hit, but all three of the spans collapsed. That’s a function of the continuity of the bridge.

So, there is a lot of load-sharing that goes on among those three spans, and so, if two of them are damaged or destroyed, as was the case here, by their support, direct support being removed, then the third span is going to be severely impacted and collapsed as well.

– Rachel Sangree, an associate teaching professor in the Department of Civil and Systems Engineering at the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering

In other words – the Francis Scott Key Bridge did not collapse due to controlled demolition. Its three spans collapsed after the pier was hit due to its suspension design.

Fact #9 : Baltimore Bridge Lacked Pier Protection

Roberto Leon, a Virginia Tech engineering professor, also highlighted the fact that the piers lacked protection:

The only way the post can resist it is by bending. But it cannot absorb anywhere near the energy that this humongous ship is bringing. So it’s going to break.

If a bridge pier without adequate protection is hit by a ship of this size, there is very little that the bridge could do.

After the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, Maryland discussed installing pier guards, but decided against it as it was too expensive.

I think they would have been effective in all this. They would have reduced the impact, or at least prevented the ship impacting directly the piers because the way it went, it looked almost effortlessly the same. The vessel hit the pier and it just went and there was no hesitation. The bridge couldn’t handle it at all. So, I think the fenders, the bumpers would help.

– Abieyuwa Aghayere, a civil engineering professor at Drexel University

Just to be clear – this decision was made more than 20 years ago, and had nothing to do with the current Biden Administration, or current Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

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)
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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Did COVID-19 Vaccines Cause 17 Million Deaths?!

Did researchers discover that COVID-19 vaccines were “causally linked” to 17 million deaths?!

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

Updated @ 2024-01-09 : Refreshed for the revival of this claim on social media
Originally posted @ 2023-10-03

 

Claim : COVID-19 Vaccines Caused 17 Million Deaths!

People are sharing an article by The Epoch Times which claims or suggests that COVID-19 vaccines did not save lives, but instead, resulted in 17 million deaths in 17 countries!

Here is an excerpt of The Epoch Times article. Feel free to skip to the next section for the facts:

Researchers Find COVID Vaccines Causally Linked to Increased Mortality, Estimate 17 Million Deaths

Recommended : Did FDA + CDC Hide Data On Failing COVID Vaccines?!

 

Truth : COVID-19 Vaccines Did Not Cause 17 Million Deaths!

In this article, I will go through some of their points, and show you what the facts really are!

Fact #1 : It Was A Self-Published Report

First, let’s start by pointing out that the paper in question (PDF download) is not a published scientific report, but a self-published report by Correlation Research in the Public Interest.

As far as we can tell, it has not been submitted to any scientific or medical journal for publication. Even if a scientific report has not been peer-reviewed, it would be available as a pre-print.

Fact #2 : It Has Not Been Peer-Reviewed

There is also no indication that this report has undergone even the basic peer review process. In fact, The Epoch Times confirmed this at the end of their very long article.

It’s important to note the scientific report has not yet been peer-reviewed. Articles that are ultimately accepted by peer review are often revised prior to publication, indicating potential for improvement.

In other words – subject matter experts have yet to inspect their data and findings, never mind verify and authenticate them. Perhaps this should have been mentioned right from the start?

Fact #3 : World Mortality Dataset Covers 103-124 Countries

The World Mortality Dataset (WMD) is a public database maintained by two researchers – Ariel Kaplinsky and Dmitry Kobak, that has been tracking the mortality rates of 103 countries since January 2021. They later expanded their data to cover 124 countries.

It is peculiar that Correlation Research in the Public Interest would focus only on 17 countries, out of 103-124 countries in the World Mortality Dataset. Why not look at ALL countries covered by the WMD data?

Recommended : Did Japan Order Investigation Of COVID-19 Vaccine Deaths?!

Fact #4 : There Was No Causal Link To Vaccines

The World Mortality Dataset is a big and critical tool for tracking all cause mortality for many countries around the world. However, it is ultimately just a database of all-cause mortality.

There is no way it can be used to demonstrate the causality of any particular cause of death. After all, it only tracks all-cause mortality! It doesn’t differentiate between death from a car accident or a fall, from death from COVID-19, or death from a vaccine injury.

Hence, if you go through the long Correlation Research report (180 pages!!), you don’t see an actual causal link between those spikes in deaths, and COVID-19 vaccines (or any other potential cause of death).

Fact #5 : Eurostat Data Shows Vaccination Reduced Excess Mortality

Perhaps the reason why the European countries were left out of this Correlation Research report is because the Eurostat data showed a strong correlation between high COVID-19 vaccination rates and low excess mortality.

In this chart provided by @dobssi, you can see that the 2021 excess mortality is much lower in countries with high vaccination rates, than countries with low vaccination rates.

Interestingly, two of those highly-vaccinated countries are Australia and New Zealand, both of which had low excess mortality rates in 2021.

The Eurostats data appear to show that Australia has only a small spike in excess death, while New Zealand actually had LOWER excess deaths after vaccinating its population. Imagine that…

Recommended : Why Adverse Events of Special Interest Are NOT Side Effects!

Fact #6 : Those Countries Have Seasons

The report claim to look at 17 equatorial and Southern Hemisphere countries because they have “no summer and winter seasons”, so there won’t be “seasonal variations” in their mortality patterns.

But the truth is – countries in equatorial and southern hemispheres have at least two seasons, instead of four seasons typically seen in the Northern Hemisphere.

Take Thailand, for example – a tropical country that evokes images of sandy beaches and warm weather. Well, Thailand actually has three seasons:

  • a wet season that runs from May to October,
  • a cool season that runs from November to February, and
  • a hot season that runs from March May

Its capital, Bangkok, itself experiences wide variations in temperature throughout the year – from as low as 21°C in the winter, to as high as 37°C in the summer.

And how exactly does proximity to the equator affect the SARS-CoV-2 virus or the COVID-19 vaccine??

Fact #7 : Those Countries Have Different Vaccination Rates

It is hard to understand why those 17 countries were chosen out of 103-124 countries in the World Mortality Dataset. Especially when they have different vaccination rates.

Yes, the report states that these countries comprise 9.1% of the global population and 10.3% of all COVID-19 vaccine injections. That gives us the impression that they are all highly-vaccinated countries.

That’s really not the case. These countries have very different vaccination rates, ranging from 44% to 97%!

Country 1 Dose ≥ 2 Doses
Argentina 14% 77%
Australia 2% 95%
Bolivia 60%
Brazil 6% 82%
Chile 2% 90%
Colombia 12% 72%
Ecuador 85%
Malaysia 2% 84%
New Zealand 1% 95%
Paraguay 56%
Peru 6% 83%
Philippines 79%
Singapore 1% 92%
South Africa 46%
Suriname 3% 44%
Thailand 5% 78%
Uruguay 5% 83%

If they did not select those countries for their high vaccination rate, then why choose those countries and not the dozens of other countries located near the equator?

Why not pick large countries like Indonesia or India? Why not pick small countries like Brunei or Maldives? Why pick South Africa when there are many other African countries much closer to the equator?

Did they cherry-pick those countries because their data fitted the narrative, or was it something else?

Recommended : New Study Proves Pfizer mRNA Vaccine Causes Turbo Cancer?!

Fact #8 : World Mortality Dataset Study Identified COVID-19 As Cause

The two researchers who maintained the World Mortality Dataset (WMD) actually published a peer-reviewed study in the eLife journal, on 30 June 2021.

Unlike this Correlation Research report, this was an actual peer-reviewed study, published in a journal and the NIH National Library of Medicine. It was also written by the two people who knows the WMD database best – the very people maintaining and updating it!

Both Ariel Kaplinsky and Dmitry Kobak used their WMD data to look at the impact of COVID-19 on the all-cause mortality from 103 countries, and here was what they found:

We found that in several worst-affected countries (Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Mexico) the excess mortality was above 50% of the expected annual mortality (Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Mexico) or above 400 excess deaths per 100,000 population (Peru, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Serbia). At the same time, in several other countries (e.g. Australia and New Zealand) mortality during the pandemic was below the usual level, presumably due to social distancing measures decreasing the non-COVID infectious mortality

Summing up the excess mortality estimates across all countries in our dataset gives 4.0 million excess deaths. In contrast, summing up the official COVID-19 death counts gives 2.9 million deaths, corresponding to the global undercount ratio of 1.4.

In other words – many people were likely being killed by COVID-19 infections, which appear to be undercounted by some 40%.

To be clear – their data do not show COVID-19 vaccines causing those deaths, never mind 17 million deaths!

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.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | HealthTech ARP

 

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Parent Company Of Shopee Slashes Costs + Salaries!

Sea Limited – the parent company of Shopee – appears to be in dire straits, pulling out of markets, slashing costs and salaries!

 

Parent Company Of Shopee Slashes Costs + Salaries!

Singapore-based Sea Limited – Shopee’s parent company – appears to be in dire straits, pulling out of markets, slashing costs and salaries!

In March 2022, Shopee shut down its France operations less than 6 months after kicking off its “European conquest” in October 2021.

Then in early September 2022, Shopee exited Argentina, and shut down its local operations in Chile, Colombia and Mexico. Sea Limited’s Garena gaming unit also laid off hundreds of employees in Shanghai.

Today (September 15, 2022), Bloomberg reported that Sea Limited’s top management staff will forgo their salaries, and the company will tighten its expenses.

In a 1,000-word internal memo to Sea Limited staff, CEO Forrest Li said that the leadership team will not take any cash compensation “until the company reaches self-sufficiency”, as well as these additional measures :

  • business travel is restricted to economy class flights,
  • travel meal expenses are limited to US$30 a day,
  • hotel stays for business trips are limited to US$150 a night
  • reimbursements for meals and entertainment bills will be removed

 

Sea Limited + Shopee Have Been Struggling In 2022

Li noted that Sea Limited has been struggling against rising interest rates, accelerating inflation, and a volatile market – conditions that he foresees will likely persist into the medium term.

He stressed that the company’s primary objective for the next 12-18 months will be to achieve positive cashflow as soon as possible.

With investors fleeing for ‘safe haven’ investments, we do not anticipate being able to raise funds in the market.

The only way for us to free ourselves from relying on external capital is to become self-sufficient, generating enough cash for all our own needs and projects.

Li’s comments mirrors the “tough times” concerns recently expressed by HUAWEI CEO Ren Zhengfe.

Read more : HUAWEI CEO Ren Zhengfei Warns Of Tough Times!

Sea Limited saw its market value soar to more than US$200 billion in October 2021, but its share prices tumbled 85%, reducing its market value to just US$27 billion.

Last month, Sea announced that its net loss in the second quarter of 2022 widened to US$931.20 million from US$433.7 million last year. Its total adjusted loss before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation for that quarter also jumped to US$506.3 minion from US$24.1 million.

This was despite a 29% increase in total revenue to US$2.9 billion, from US$2.3 billion in the second quarter of last year.

 

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WHO Convenes Emergency Meeting On Monkeypox Outbreak!

The WHO has convened an emergency meeting on the monkeypox outbreak that has spread to 56 countries!

Here is what you need to know…

 

WHO Convenes Emergency Meeting On Monkeypox Outbreak!

On 23 June 2022, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus convened an emergency committee meeting under Article 48 of the International Health Regulations to discuss the current monkeypox outbreak.

Chaired by Dr. Jean-Marie Okwo-Bele and Dr. Nicola Low, this emergency WHO meeting on monkeypox is only open to members and advisors of the Emergency Committee.

The findings of this emergency meeting would be conveyed to the Director-General of WHO, on whether the outbreak should be classified as a public health emergency of international concern, and also on potential recommendations on how to address it.

This meeting comes as an NGO called World Health Network (unrelated to WHO) issued a press release describing the current monkeypox outbreak as a “pandemic”, urging “immediate and effective action” from country and global health authorities.

This led to a bit of confusion, as their names and acronyms were similar (WHO vs WHN). To be clear, WHO has not declared a monkeypox pandemic.

Read more : What You Must Know About Monkeypox!

 

Over 4,000 Monkeypox Cases Confirmed In 56 Countries!

Discovered in 1958, the first human infection was only reported in 1970, and there were only like 400 cases from 1970 to 1986.

Monkeypox became more common over time, with 2000 cases per year reported between 2011 and 2014, and several outbreaks in the US (2003 and 2021), UK (2018 and 2021), and Singapore (2019)..

However, nothing has come close to the 2022 monkeypox outbreak which has now affected at least 56 countries outside of endemic African countries, with over 4,000 cases!

Country Confirmed
Cases
Suspected
Cases
Total
Spain 918 100 1,018
United Kingdom 793 793
Germany 676 676
France 330 330
Portugal 328 328
Canada 223 45 268
United States 173 173
Netherlands 167 167
Italy 85 85
Belgium 77 1 78
Switzerland 52 52
Ireland 28 28
Ghana 18 18
Brazil 11 6 17
Israel 16 16
Australia 13 13
Denmark 13 13
Sweden 13 13
UAE 13 13
Austria 12 12
Poland 12 12
Mexico 9 9
Slovenia 9 9
Hungary 7 7
Czech Republic 6 6
Uganda 6 6
Romania 5 5
Argentina 4 4
Finland 4 4
Malta 4 4
Norway 4 4
Somalia 4 4
Chile 3 3
Colombia 3 3
Greece 3 3
Iceland 3 3
Bulgaria 2 2
Latvia 2 2
Morocco 1 1 2
Bahamas 1 1
Cayman Islands 1 1
Fiji 1 1
Georgia 1 1
Gibraltar 1 1
Haiti 1 1
Libya 1 1
Lebanon 1 1
Luxembourg 1 1
Serbia 1 1
Singapore 1 1
South Africa 1 1
South Korea 1 1
Uruguay 1 1
Venezuela 1 1
Zambia 1 1
TOTAL 4,049 170 4,219

 

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Why Steve Kirsch Is Wrong That Taylor Hawkins Died From Vaccine

Tech millionaire Steve Kirsch challenged me to a debate, claiming to have “the inside story” on how Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins died from vaccine-induced myocarditis.

So let’s take a look at his “inside” information, and see what the facts really are!

 

Steve Kirsch : Taylor Hawkins Most Likely Died From Vaccine!

Tech millionaire Steve Kirsch has been actively creating misinformation about COVID-19 and the vaccines.

In his latest effort, he claimed to have “the inside story” on how Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins died from vaccine-induced myocarditis.

He even called me out, and challenged me to a debate, for fact checking that false claim earlier. Hilarious!

I would love to debate Dr. Wong on this, but he doesn’t seem anxious to engage with me or Peter McCullough. I’ve posted the link to this story on his “fact check” but it has to be approved by him to appear.

So I’m going to publicly expose the truth about what Steve Kirsch shared, because facts aren’t subject to a debate. They remain true, irrespective of our opinions.

 

Why Steve Kirsch Is Wrong About Taylor Hawkins Dying From Vaccine

In case you guys don’t know him, Steve Kirsch is a tech millionaire who made his money as one of two people who independently invented the optical mouse.

So he’s definitely a smart guy… when it comes to tech. But let’s see if Steve Kirsch is correct in any of his claims…

I will go through the list of “facts” that Steve Kirsch posted, and tell you what the facts really are.

Claim : He was found dead in his hotel room… after complaining about chest pains.
Fact : Hawkins called the hotel front desk for help, complaining of chest pain. He was treated by a health professional (doctor) hired by EMI, who failed to revive him.

Claim : Press reported he died of cardiac arrest. The vaccine causes death by cardiac arrest.
Fact : There is ZERO evidence that any COVID-19 vaccine causes death by cardiac arrest.

Claim : Marijuana and heroin and the other drugs aren’t consistent with the symptoms observed before he died.
Fact : No one actually observed his symptoms that we are aware of. Hawkins only reported chest pain, so what other symptoms is Kirsch alluding to?
Fact : A cardiac arrest is pretty much consistent with opioid overdose, and less commonly, marijuana use. Even if we discount marijuana, Hawkins had heroin and other opioids in his urine.

Claim : Taylor Hawkins was all about the music and his fans. He was just a great guy.
Fact : Unless his passion for music was a trigger for the vaccine to kill him, it is completely irrelevant and is just Kirsch name dropping his “inside source”.

Members of the Technical Investigation Corps (CTI) remove the lifeless body of the drummer of the rock band Foo Fighters, Taylor Hawkins, at the Casa Medina hotel, in Bogota, Colomia

Claim : He was married for 17 years and had three kids. He had everything to live for.
Fact : People with everything to live for can still partake in drugs. A strong desire to live does not prevent a drug overdose either. Does Kirsch really believe that being married for XX years and having X number of kids precludes death from opioid overdose? Seriously?

Claim : There was no mention of the amount of each substance (in the toxicology report).
Fact : This is true, probably because the forensic team would have to first corroborate the urine test results, with the blood test results. It does not change the fact that the 10 types of substances in his urine included marijuana, antidepressants, benzodiazepines and opioids.

Claim : People have mentioned that drug reports from Columbian sources can be unreliable.
Fact : Not only is that incredibly condescending, it is an opinion that is not backed by facts. Where is the evidence that a simple urine test that any laboratory in the world can perform is unreliable because it was conducted in Colombia?

Claim : Columbian authorities claim … Columbian sources…
Fact :
The demonym of Colombia is Colombian, not Columbian. Hawkins died in the country of Colombia, not Columbia, South Carolina or the District of Columbia.

Claim : COVID vaccine can cause a heart to double in size and then kill you.
Fact : Vaccine-induced myocarditis can cause the heart to enlarge (but not necessarily so), and in rare cases, it can be fatal. However, you are many times more likely to get myocarditis from a COVID-19 infection, than from any COVID-19 vaccine. If you are worried about myocarditis, you will want to get vaccinated.
Read more : Vaccine Myocarditis Risk Less Than 1 In Million!

Claim : It seems unlikely that he just decided on a spontaneous heroin / benzo / cocaine bender right before a show.
Fact : Unlikely? The fact is the preliminary toxicology test showed that he had 10 different substances in his urine, and a police officer reportedly told prosecutors that he saw a “cocaine-like powder” in Hawkins’ room. Does Kirsch have any “inside” facts to share? Or was he just pontificating?

Claim : He still smoked weed. This was well known [Insider].
Opinion : I’ll take his insider’s word for that, and point out it refutes Kirsch’s point that Hawkins learned his lesson in 2001 (when he almost died from an overdose). If he can still smoke weed, he certainly can still partake in cocaine and heroin.

Claim : Hawkins made it very clear he was against masks, lockdowns and the COVID vaccines.
Opinion : While plausible, there is no public record of Hawkins saying that he was against masks, lockdowns and the COVID vaccines.

Claim : Hawkins was under pressure from both Dave Grohl and the band manager to take the vaccine.
Opinion : While plausible, there is no public record of Hawkins being forced to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Claim : Hawkins’ heart was likely already somewhat damaged from an earlier vaccine dose when … his doctor said he had a “big heart”.
Fact : That is a baseless opinion by Kirsch, unless he is willing to share with us evidence that Hawkins’ “big heart” was related to any vaccine he took.

Claim : So the timing on this suggests that Hawkins had his first and/or second dose before the medical exam.
Fact : This is complete bullshit. Kirsch is doing a logic pretzel – claiming (without evidence) that Hawkins’ cardiomegaly in June 2021 was definitely due to the vaccine, and then using that as “evidence” that Hawkins must have been vaccinated before that.
Opinion : If Kirsch really spoke to insiders who knew Hawkins on a personal basis, they would have told him when Hawkins got his vaccine doses. Kirsch doesn’t even know what vaccine Hawkins took. It may not even have been an mRNA vaccine, for all we know.

Claim : So this is all consistent with a damaged heart on an earlier vaccine shot.
Fact : Kirsch conspiciously “forgot” to point out that Hawkins’ doctor told him that he was “in amazing shape“. If Hawkins had vaccine-induced myocarditis, he would have had noticeable symptoms like chest pain, shortness of breath and heart palpitations. His doctor certainly would not have told him that he was in great health.

Claim : Hawkins got a booster on Feb. 26, 2022 [Insider], just a month before he died.
Fact : There is no way to confirm this insider claim, but I should point out that none of the countries that the Foo Fighters were going to play at required a booster dose. They only required travellers to be fully-vaccinated, so it would not have been necessary for Hawkins to get a booster dose before flying to Australia – the first overseas stop.
Opinion : Assuming that his insider source was correct, it actually PROVES that Hawkins did not suffer from vaccine-induced myocarditis – an acute condition that occurs within a few days of receiving an mRNA vaccine. It wouldn’t crop up a month later, and Hawkins would not have been able to undertake strenuous activities like playing with the Foo Fighters in Australia, Chile and Argentina.

Claim : Large study in JAMA said most heart problems surfaced 3 weeks after the vaccine
Fact : Kirsch interestingly did not reference the JAMA study, so we will never know which study he was referring to. In any case, vaccine-induced myocarditis surfaces WITHIN DAYS of receiving an mRNA vaccine.

Claim : Those involved in physically demanding activities are … more likely to get myocarditis due to catecholamine release interaction with the vaccine.
Fact : There is currently no evidence that individuals who participate in physically demanding activities are more likely to get myocarditis. The paper Kirsch quoted to back up that claim is a literature review (not an actual clinical study) by his friend, that has not been peer-reviewed.
Fact : The paper Kirsch quoted mentioned that “vaccine-induced myocarditis … and increase in sudden deaths” are “overrepresented in young males“. That kind of proves Kirsch wrong – Hawkins was 50 years old when he died. The risk of vaccine-induced myocarditis for his age group is practically non-existent.

Age Group Vaccine Myocarditis
Male Rate
(per million doses)
Classic Myocarditis
Male Baseline
(per million doses)
12-17 32.4 2.0
18-24 30.7 1.8
25-29 12.2 1.9
30-39 6.9 1.9
40-49 3.5 1.9
50-64 1.9 1.9

Claim : Their stage manager Andy Pollard died suddenly as well.
Fact : That’s true, but Kirsch does not tell us why that is pertinent information. Bob Saget also died suddenly. Is that equally relevant to Hawkins’ death? Or is he suggesting some kind of Foo Fighters curse?

Claim : [Vaccine-induced myocarditis] fits all the facts like a glove
Opinion : Those must be really weird gloves for aliens with 8 fingers, because Kirsch offered ZERO EVIDENCE that vaccine-induced myocarditis was the cause of Hawkins’ death.

Claim : Hawkins was boosted 30 days before he died, giving his heart plenty of time to double in size
Fact : Hawkins already said he had a “big” heart a year ago… MONTHS before he received that [alleged] booster dose in February 2022.

Claim : Hawkins was observed shortly before his death and appeared not under the influence of drugs.
Fact : Kirsch hilariously used this photo of Hawkins with band members Pat Smear and Samantha Sidley taken TWO DAYS prior to his death as proof. How does the photo prove that Hawkins did not partake in any drugs two days LATER? Let me help him with this analogy – if I post a picture of myself eating a salad today, it does not mean I won’t be eating a steak tomorrow.

Taylor Hawkins (back) on a plane with band member Pat Smear (left) and Samantha Sidley (right) on Wednesday, March 23, 2022

Steve, thank you for helping to invent the optical mouse, but please stop creating and sharing misinformation.

Why not join me in fighting fake news instead? Let your legacy be the unerring pursuit of the truth.

 

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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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Did Taylor Hawkins Die From Vaccine Myocarditis?!

Did Foo Fighters drummer, Taylor Hawkins, die from COVID-19 vaccine-induced myocarditis?!

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

 

Claim : Taylor Hawkins Died From Vaccine-Induced Myocarditis!

Just three days after Foo Fighters drummer, Taylor Hawkins, was found dead in his hotel room in Colombia, The COVID Blog claimed that he died from vaccine-induced myocarditis.

They wrote a long rambling post about him, so let me share the relevant part with you. It’s long, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts.

Witnesses said Mr. Hawkins called the front desk complaining of chest pains right before he passed away. An ambulance arrived, but could not revive him. That means his heart stopped beating.

 

Truth : Taylor Hawkins Did NOT Die From Vaccine-Induced Myocarditis!

It’s becoming a tradition for anti-vaccination activists to immediately blame all celebrity deaths on the COVID-19 vaccine.

And The COVID Blog (TCB) has peddling COVID-19 fake news and misinformation for a long, long time. So it’s no surprise that they would jump on the bandwagon.

Here are the reasons why TCB is not only wrong, they are intentionally abusing Taylor Hawkins’ death  to push their anti-vaccine beliefs.

Fact #1 : No Evidence Hawkins Had Vaccine-Induced Myocarditis

First, let me start by simply pointing out that The COVID Blog has ZERO EVIDENCE that Hawkins had vaccine-induced myocarditis.

They did not perform the autopsy on Hawkins, or run any laboratory test on his blood or urine samples. They did not even base their opinions on publicly-released information.

They concocted that claim out of thin air, without even an ounce of evidence.

Fact #2 : Colombian Authorities Released Urine Toxicology Report

After Hawkins died, the Colombian authorities took his body for an autopsy, and a urine test found 10 different kinds of drugs in his system.

The Colombia Attorney General’s Office issued this statement on the initial autopsy findings :

Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office can confirm the following after the initial autopsy on the body of Taylor Hawkins.

That in the toxicology test on Taylor Hawkins’ urine 10 types of substances were preliminarily found, including marijuana, tricyclic antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and opioids.

The National Institute of Forensic Medicine is continuing its medical studies to be able to completely clarify the facts that led to Taylor Hawkins death.

Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office will continue with the investigation and reveal the results obtained as part of this investigation as appropriate.

Members of the Technical Investigation Corps (CTI) remove the lifeless body of the drummer of the rock band Foo Fighters, Taylor Hawkins, at the Casa Medina hotel, in Bogota, Colomia

Fact #3 : Urine Toxicology Does Not Take Weeks To Complete

TCB claimed that the Hawkins toxicology report cannot possibly be genuine because it typically takes 4-6 weeks to complete, and shared a link to WebMD as evidence.

That’s misleading, because the WebMD article was talking about how long it takes for a complete forensic toxicology report. The 4-6 week time is required because :

  • the investigation may reveal additional drugs being taken, thus requiring new tests, and/or
  • the initial results may require additional testing to confirm, and/or
  • there may be a backlog of cases at one or more laboratories.

It’s also misleading because the Colombian authorities only released the urine toxicology report, not the complete forensic toxicology report.

They basically tested his urine sample for common drugs – a test that is quick to perform. In fact, most laboratories can complete the tests within a few hours.

Fact #4 : Vaccine-Induced Myocarditis Is Rare

TCB misleads you into thinking that vaccine-induced myocarditis is common, by saying that it is “the second-most common adverse reaction” … “covered on this blog“.

In other words, vaccine-induced myocarditis is not the second-most common side effect of the vaccines, it is merely the second-most common adverse reaction they like to write about!

The truth is studies like SAFECOVAC have shown that vaccine-induced myocarditis is extremely rare – less than 1 in a million doses!

In fact, you are hundreds of times more likely to get myocarditis from COVID-19 than from three doses of any COVID-19 vaccine!

Read more : Vaccine Myocarditis Risk Less Than 1 In Million!

Fact #5 : Vaccine-Induced Myocarditis Occurs Mostly In Young Males

Vaccine-induced myocarditis occurs mainly in young adults and adolescent males 12 to 39 years in age.

Hawkins was 50 years old when he died, and in his age group – the risk is practically non-existent.

To help you understand that, I created this table to show you the risk of vaccine-induced myocarditis for different age groups.

Note : Baseline refers to the typical number of myocarditis cases expected in the unvaccinated population.

Age Group Male Rate
(per million doses)
Baseline
(per million doses)
12-17 32.4 2.0
18-24 30.7 1.8
25-29 12.2 1.9
30-39 6.9 1.9
40-49 3.5 1.9
50-64 1.9 1.9

Fact #6 : Vaccine-Induced Myocarditis Mild + Resolves Quickly

Vaccine-induced myocarditis is not only rare, most cases resolve quickly, compared to non-vaccine myocarditis.

As Dr. Matthew Elias, M.D., a cardiologist at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) explained :

In classic myocarditis, there are a wide range of presentations, from very mild symptoms to extremely serious, or even fatal, cases.

Overall, this does not seem to be happening in post-vaccine myocarditis. In the patients seen at CHOP and at other hospitals, symptoms are generally mild and self-resolving, and heart function is less affected, if affected at all.

Fact #7 : Vaccine-Induced Myocarditis Occurs Acutely

Vaccine-induced myocarditis is an acute condition that occurs within a few days of receiving an mRNA-based vaccine from Pfizer or Moderna.

Individuals who develop vaccine-induced myocarditis will experience symptoms like :

  • chest pain
  • shortness of breath
  • heart palpitations

If Hawkins was suffering from vaccine-induced myocarditis, he would not have been able to fly around to play with the Foo Fighters at various concerts around the world :

  • Feb 26-27 : Innings Festival 2022, Tempe, Arizona, United States
  • Mar 4 : Foo Fights / Amyl and the Sniffers / The Meanies, Geelong, Australia
  • Mar 18 : Lollapalooza Chile, Santiago, Chile
  • Mar 20 : Lollapalooza Argentina, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Taylor Hawkins (back) on a plane with band member Pat Smear (left) and Samantha Sidley (right) on Wednesday, March 23, 2022

Fact #8 : Cardiomegaly Takes Time To Develop

The initial autopsy report stated that his heart weighed “at least 600 grams” – twice the average for a man his age.

This finding of cardiomegaly (enlarged heart) suggests that he had a longstanding heart condition like heart failure, or cardiomyopathy.

TCB claimed that was evidence of vaccine-induced myocarditis, because the Myocarditis Foundation says that myocarditis enlarges the heart.

It is true that myocarditis can enlarge the heart by weakening the heart muscle, but that process takes time – weeks, if not months, to develop.

Fact #9 : Hawkins Discovered Enlarged Heart In 2021

Interestingly, Hawkins himself may have discovered that he had an enlarged heart (cardiomegaly) in 2021.

On 15 June 2021, he did a Rolling Stone interview with Brian Hiatt, where he revealed that his doctor recently told him that he had a “big” heart.

I just found out from my doctor, got all my blood tests and my heart everything checked and he goes, “Dude, you’re in amazing shape. Your heart’s big, because you exercise a lot. It’s like a runner’s heart.”

Fact #10 : His Cardiomegaly May Be Due To Sleep Apnea

In the same Rolling Stone interview, Hawkins also revealed an interesting detail that many people missed – he was likely suffering from sleep apnea.

The only thing is, he said, “I think you have sleep apnea.” And my wife’s always saying you snore and you fucking make weird noises while you’re sleeping and stuff.

Untreated sleep apnea increases cardiovascular stress, which elevates blood pressure and forces the heart to work harder. This can result in an enlarged heart (cardiomegaly) over time.

Fact #11 : Hawkins Almost Died From Drug Overdose In 2001

Hawkins had a long history of drug use, and almost died from a heroin overdose in 2001. He recounted the incident in 2018 :

I was partying a lot. I wasn’t a junkie per se, but I was partying. There was a year where the partying just got a little too heavy.

Thank God on some level this guy gave me the wrong line with the wrong thing one night and I woke up going, ‘What the f**k happened?’ That was a real changing point for me.

Tragically, it appears that Hawkins overdosed again, but was not able to recover this time, due to his existing heart condition.

For certain, his COVID-19 vaccination played no role in his death.

Don’t risk your life, or your family’s lives, on the bad science and misinformation promoted by The COVID Blog.

Please help me fight fake news, and SHARE this fact check 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.

 

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Fake News : New Malaysia Travel Ban On 23 Countries!

Please note that the new travel ban by Malaysia on 23 countries with high COVID-19 cases is FAKE NEWS!

Here is what you need to know!

 

Claim : Malaysia Travel Ban On 23 Countries!

On 7 January 2022, people started sharing a screenshot of a travel advisory by the Embassy of Malaysia in Berlin, Germany.

Please skip to the next section for the facts…

Embassy of Malaysia, Berlin

TRAVEL ADVISORY
ENTRY RESTRICTIONS ON FOREIGN TRAVELERS TO MALAYSIA

Effective from 08 January 2022, the Government of Malaysia is imposing travel restrictions into Malaysia on foreign travellers who are travelling from countries that have recorded over 150,000 COVID-19 cases as listed below:

 

Truth : There Is No Such Travel Ban!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS being created and circulated on WhatsApp and social media, and here are the facts…

Fact #1 : This Travel Advisory Was Forged

This travel advisory was forged from the original September 2020 travel advisory.

Back then, the government of Malaysia announced the temporary travel ban on those 23 countries, that would start on 7 September 2021.

The original travel advisory was edited, with the new date added to make it look like it’s new. But it was a very poor photo-editing job.

If you look carefully, the 08 January 2022, date is not only in bold , but of a different type of font and a much larger size.

Note : Here is the screenshot that went viral. I added a FAKE overlay to prevent further abuse.

Fact #2 : Embassy of Malaysia In Berlin Confirms It Is Fake

The Embassy of Berlin in Malaysia confirmed that the viral travel advisory is FAKE.

ANNOUNCEMENT

The Embassy of Malaysia, Berlin would like to warn the public that there has been a fake news being circulated regarding travel advisory by the Embassy of Malaysia, Berlin on entry restriction on foreign travelers [sic] to Malaysia.

We condemn the actions of those who maliciously spread fake news which can have an adverse effect and concern to the public. The public is advice [sic] to validate the source before circulating any news.

Thank you.

Embassy of Malaysia, Berlin
7 January 2022

Fact #3 : Malaysia Currently Has No Travel Ban

There is currently no travel ban in Malaysia.

In fact, Malaysia just ended a temporary travel ban of 8 countries, on 27 December 2021, due to the risk of Omicron variant.

There is currently only a list of 18 countries that are considered high-risk due to the Omicron variant.

  1. Australia
  2. The United States of America
  3. The United Kingdom
  4. Norway
  5. France
  6. Denmark
  7. Canada
  8. Nigeria
  9. India
  10. Saudi Arabia
  11. South Africa
  12. Botswana
  13. Eswatini
  14. Lesotho
  15. Mozambique
  16. Namibia
  17. Zimbabwe
  18. Malawi

Travellers from those 18 high-risk countries can still travel to Malaysia, but they must comply with the following additional restrictions :

  • Negative COVID-19 PCR test within 2 days before departure
  • COVID-19 PCR test on arrival in Malaysia
  • Wear a digital tracker on arrival in Malaysia
  • Mandatory quarantine of 7 days or 10 days, depending on vaccination status, either at home or at a quarantine centre, subject to approval.
  • Additional PCR test on Day 5 (for 7-day quarantine) or Day 8 (for 10-day quarantine).
  • Risk assessment on the last day of quarantine, which may be extended if you are symptomatic.
  • You will only be free from the quarantine on Day 8 or Day 11, if there is no quarantine extension and the Day 5 or Day 8 PCR test is negative.
  • Travellers from the United Kingdom have the additional requirement of conducting daily RTK-Ag tests during their quarantine, which must be reported in MySejahtera.

Now that you know the truth, please SHARE this fact check with your family and friends, so they won’t get fooled by it!

 

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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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Israel In Trouble For NOT Using Vaccines From China?!

Is Israel in trouble with the Delta variant of COVID-19 because they did not use vaccines from China?

Take a look at the viral warning, and find out what the FACTS really are!

 

Claim : Israel In Trouble For NOT Using Vaccines From China!

This warning has gone viral on WhatsApp, claiming that Israel is in trouble with the Delta variant because they opted to use the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines, instead of superior vaccines from China.

The viral warning is quite long, so just skip to the next section for the FACTS!

Israel DOES NOT use China vaccines at all,
but Israel uses only Moderna+Pfizzer vaccines, and that is why Israel has record number of daily cases now, and the number of daily cases in Israel is now higher than before vaccination started, and the vast majority of Israel people have already been vaccinated .

The reason for the failure to stop virus spread in Israel and also in Singapore,
is because Moderna+Pfizzer vaccines, are NOT EFFECTIVE against the delta variant, and the effectiveness will keep dropping every month.

Both Israel and Singapore made the same mistake, of naively and trusting in full, the USA fake news media claim, that wildly overstate the effectiveness of vaccines like Moderna+Pfizzer vaccines, and the same USA fake news media FALSELY CLAIM that China vaccines are not effective, but in the real world, China vaccines turn out to be the most effective, especially against the Delta variant .

 

Truth : Vaccines From China Will NOT Help Israel With Delta Variant!

The truth is – vaccines from China will not help Israel with the Delta variant of COVID-19.

Chinese COVID-19 vaccines are decent, but they are NOT very effective against the Delta variant.

This is just another piece of Chinese propaganda, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Israel Showed That Lockdowns Work

In their first wave, Israel declared a national state of emergency on 19 March 2020, and underwent a strict lockdown with travel restrictions.

In their second wave, they announced another set of lockdown measures from July to September 2020, which rapidly cut down the numbers by end of October 2020.

In their third wave, Israel initiated their third nationwide lockdown on 27 December 2020, which they started lifting in March 2021.

Fact #2 : Israel Reopened Too Quickly + Too Early

By June 2021, masking was no longer required even indoors, and there are currently very few restrictions in Israel.

In spite of their high vaccination rate – 61.1% of their population are fully vaccinated – Israel has not achieved herd immunity.

Unfortunately, they got complacent and opened up too early. Coupled with the more transmissible Delta variant, this led to their fourth wave.

Read more : Delta Variant Of COVID-19 Can Infect In Seconds!

Fact #3 : Delta Variant Causes More Breakthrough Infections

We have known since June 2021 that the Delta variant of COVID-19 is partially-resistant to vaccines.

This allows it to cause more breakthrough infections, especially for those who are partially-vaccinated.

This is more of a problem for the AstraZeneca vaccine, and much less for the Pfizer vaccine used in Israel and Singapore.

Read more : Why Delta Variant Causes MORE Breakthrough Infections!

COVID-19
Variant
Pfizer AstraZeneca
1 Dose 2 Doses 1 Dose 2 Doses
Alpha (UK) 50% 93% 50% 66%
Delta (India) 33% 88% 33% 60%

Fact #4 : Vaccines Protect Against Hospitalisation + Death!

While the Delta variant can cause more breakthrough infections, COVID-19 vaccines offer excellent protection against hospitalisation and death.

What this means is fully-vaccinated people can get infected by COVID-19, but they will usually experience a mild or even asymptomatic disease.

COVID-19
Variant
Pfizer AstraZeneca
1 Dose 2 Doses 1 Dose 2 Doses
Alpha (UK) 83% 95% 76% 86%
Delta (India) 94% 96% 71% 92%

Fact #5 : Sinovac CoronaVac Is LESS Effective

A large Brazilian preprint study was just released, comparing the efficacy of the Sinovac vaccine against the AstraZeneca vaccine.

This study which involved 60.5 million people confirmed that the Sinovac CoronaVac vaccine was less effective than the AstraZeneca Vaxzevria vaccine.

Even so, I must point out that the Sinovac vaccine offers significant protection against hospitalisation and death that unvaccinated people are at risk of.

Read more : AstraZeneca vs. Sinovac : Efficacy Against Gamma Variant

Protection Against AstraZeneca Sinovac
Infection 70.0% 54.2%
Hospitalisation 86.8% 72.6%
ICU Admission 88.1% 74.2%
Death 90.2% 74.0%

Fact #6 : Sinopharm BIBP Is LESS Effective

A recent study in Bahrain involving 1.24 million participants showed that the Sinopharm BIBP vaccine was less effective than the Pfizer Comirnaty vaccine, especially against the Delta variant.

The study showed that the Pfizer mRNA vaccine was 2.5X better at preventing infection, 10X better at preventing hospitalisation, 28.5X better at avoiding ICU admission and 7.5X better at preventing death.

But I must point out that the Sinopharm vaccine itself does a great job at preventing hospitalisation, ICU admission and death, compared to unvaccinated people.

It is just not as effective as the Pfizer vaccine, especially against the Delta variant.

Cases Per 100K
Per Week
Pfizer Sinopharm Unvaccinated
Infection 136.3 350.5 643.0
Hospitalisation 2.8 28.4 51.1
ICU Admission 0.08 2.29 6.39
Death 0.22 1.64 4.42

Fact #7 : China’s Success Due To Lockdown, Not Vaccines

China successfully kept COVID-19 cases flat since March 2020 through extremely strict lockdowns and preventive measures. This allowed them to avoid multiple waves that have afflicted many countries around the world.

We know that their success had nothing to do with the superiority of Chinese vaccines, because China itself has been busy exporting vaccines instead of using them.

Despite being the first to approve a COVID-19 vaccine (from Sinopharm), China only vaccinated 24 million people (1.6%) by the end of January 2021.

They have since ramped up vaccination, after India’s Delta variant crisis rattled them. But their continued success in preventing another COVID-19 wave has, currently, little to do with their vaccines.

Fact #8 : China To Offer mRNA Booster Dose For Sinovac + Sinopharm Vaccines

In July 2021, Caixin Global reported that China is planning to offer the Pfizer Comirnaty mRNA vaccine as a booster dose for citizens vaccinated with the Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines.

This decision came after Chinese CDC deputy director Dr. Feng Zijian said that two Chinese COVID-19 vaccines are “less effective” against the Delta variant, compared to other strains.

This is a tacit acknowledgement by the Chinese government that the Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines are not working well against the Delta variant.

Read more : China To Offer mRNA Booster Dose For Sinovac + Sinopharm!

 

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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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