Daily review 08/03/2022

Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, March 8th, 2022 - 77 comments
Categories: Daily review - Tags:

Daily review is also your post.

This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Don’t forget to be kind to each other …

77 comments on “Daily review 08/03/2022 ”

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  1. ghostwhowalksnz 1
    8 March 2022 at 5:55 pm

    A bit of History about Supermarket merger

    "The Commerce Commission last night [Dec 2001]rejected a proposed merger between the country's second and third largest supermarket groups.

    Progressive's parent company, Perth-based Foodland Associated, has said it is likely to challenge an earlier rejection of its bid through the Privy Council.

    Progressive sought permission to buy Woolworths in May, lodging its application a day before competition laws were tightened.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/supermarket-merger-rejected/PZW5NRYY7SYQHEYRXEUEPJ4HE4/

    But before that

    ‘"The saga dates back to July last year [2001] when the Commerce Commission cleared Progressive's application for permission to buy Woolworths, claiming the merged company would not would not acquire or strengthen dominance in any market.

    However rival supermarket operator Foodstuffs took legal action, claiming the deal should be judged under the more strict criteria of "substantially lessening competition" in a market.

    A Court of Appeal decision forced Progressive to apply under the stricter criteria but that application was turned down by the Commerce Commission (as mentioned in the first paragraph)

    The Privy Council overturned the Court of Appeal Decision, leaving them with the original approval ( lodged 1 day before stricter rules came into force)

  2. joe90 2
    8 March 2022 at 6:42 pm

    Amoral pricks would sacrifice their own for a dollar.

    /

    But at some point we’re going to have to ask and answer the question: Were the years of life saved from COVID worth shutting down the country, putting a generation out of the classroom and into enormous debt? Had we known all this at the start, would we have made different decisions?

    Probably not this time. Practically every country, culture, and political system acted the same way, just to different extents. Even Sweden had more stringent restrictions than New Zealand for large parts of the past two years. But we can’t afford to make the same mistake next time.

    https://www.act.org.nz/the_free_press_7_march_2022

    • Poission 2.1
      8 March 2022 at 6:47 pm

      Another message from the shadow minister of mandatory euthanasia and eugenics how unsurprising.

    • McFlock 2.2
      8 March 2022 at 6:53 pm

      I wonder if they have a $$ per life ratio, or whether they just think the economy would do better without people?

      • Craig H 2.2.1
        8 March 2022 at 9:59 pm

        Statistical value of a life is an interesting concept – presumably they would attempt to use that. I would hope any work would also look at human behaviour in a pandemic, which is to lower risk by staying home a lot.

        • McFlock 2.2.1.1
          8 March 2022 at 10:16 pm

          One would hope.

          I was actually being flippant (what, me? noooooo), but it's an interesting question. Even without huge personal behaviour changes being included in the equation, $4million times 10,000 lives saved (light estimate for no lockdowns and minimal immigration changes over covid year 1 e.g. Sweden/uk/usa) is $40 billion. Not sure the govt response has cost that yet.

  3. Herodotus 3
    8 March 2022 at 7:28 pm

    like ECE, teaching, aged care health workers are generally “givers”. I have this fear that they will feel obligated to return to work when they are still unwell. As someone still recovering form COVID, recovery can more complicated than a cold/flu and as I read there is increasing reporting on long COVID. I hope that we don’t sacrifice these workers to get over this hump and then leave them to suffer later on, and even later on their workload will still be extremely high. When will they be able to R&R ?? I see burnout for many
    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-omicron-outbreak-critical-healthcare-staff-can-now-work-while-covid-positive-as-a-last-resort/2XMY6CQ2EA6NZM7D2DMCE3TWWU/

    • Belladonna 3.1
      8 March 2022 at 7:50 pm

      Based on the nurses I know, I feel that there will be enormous pressure on nurses (in particular) to work while symptomatic, 'you're not really sick enough to take leave'. Pressure coming ultimately from hospital management – who have firmly resisted all attempts to improve the staffing situation – but also their desire to support their colleagues – knowing there is no replacement, so not turning up increases the load on everyone else.

      This is not a '9 years of neglect' issue. This has been going on for more than 20 years – and hasn't changed in the last 4 (or even in the last 1.5 – with a majority labour government).

      Yes, Covid. But actually the Health Minister has put all his energy into the DHB reforms; which, while they *may* increase efficiency – do nothing to improve the staffing situation on the front line.

    • Sabine 3.2
      8 March 2022 at 7:53 pm

      Ask yourself how many others, not nurses or hospital workers, are currently working with covid as they can not afford to not work.

    • pat 3.3
      8 March 2022 at 7:58 pm

      Aged care health workers have been both in short supply and poorly compensated long before covid….they have been 'sacrificed' for years.

      But its all good, National will cut their taxes (but not as much as they'll cut their own)

    • Patricia Bremner 3.4
      8 March 2022 at 8:13 pm

      Herodotus you are correct. They are expecting medical people to "soldier on" which is bad form, as this virus needs lots of rest to recover. The brain effects are a shock.

  4. weston 4
    8 March 2022 at 8:35 pm

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PC7DzTRS7A

    This is why i sometimes watch Tucker Carlson !!!

    • roblogic 4.1
      9 March 2022 at 12:18 am

      Got a summary of why we should watch a 30 minute video of Tucker?

      Apart from the usual hypocrisy, fear, jingoism, and blaming Biden for everything…

      • weston 4.1.1
        9 March 2022 at 10:54 am

        I found it quite unique rob very pertinent to right now in its realism .An unusual take for an msm outlet . Love or loath Fox News its what a lot of americans are watching so its useful from an observers perspective to know what those viewers are thinking check out the comments when i watched that segment last night there was about 13k of them that had been generated in just a few hours .Judge for yourself .

  5. Poission 5
    8 March 2022 at 8:42 pm

    Big shot (Tsingshan Holding Group) caught by short and curlies on big short.Also defaulting was Chinese construction bank on margin calls.

    https://twitter.com/JavierBlas/status/1501092364340846596?cxt=HHwWiICz-avj-dQpAAAA

    Huuuge implications for lithium battery production in China.

  6. Poission 6
    8 March 2022 at 8:49 pm

    Further developments on the Statutory bailout of sensitive new age energy group Bulb energy,will cost the British government billions of pounds and subsequently the British consumer.(total fails to date 23 companies).

    https://www.bbc.com/news/business-60653751

  7. Patricia Bremner 7
    8 March 2022 at 9:00 pm

    Just been reading that one Nicola Willis was a senior advisor to John Key. Say no more!!enlightened

  8. Joe90 8
    8 March 2022 at 9:04 pm

    Conservative academic, author and former spook John Schindler on Poots' religious war.

    "Regrettably, Putin has no reason to back down now, since the West has already dropped its economic “atomic bomb” on Russia, leaving Moscow to explain to its own people why the Ukraine war must go on, in the face of economic ruin, anti-Russian sentiments in many countries, and the deaths of Russian soldiers in a war of choice. As this newsletter has already explained, Putin’s aggression against his neighbor isn’t grounded merely in coldly rational geostrategy: it has a significant religious component too."

    https://topsecretumbra.substack.com/p/putins-religious-war-against-ukraine

  9. Ad 9
    8 March 2022 at 9:05 pm

    Is anyone going to have a go at writing on Zelinsky holding a moral mirror up to the EU, US, and NATO?

    At what point do the 'red lines' of NATO become too expensive, too hot to even contemplate making the jump over them?

    When oil's at US$140 a litre? $160? $180? $200? When a litre of 91 hits $4? Or inflation hits 10% p.a.?

    When we start to get a COVID-scale death count?

    When the US, EU, UK et al determine that they will cut off all Russian oil?

    Or cut off all Russian Gas?

    How much more important now are the founding principles and mechanisms of the Common Market, and of the Eeuopean Union, and of the Euro?

    When will the UN ideal of sovereign integrity really reign over the views of China and India sitting elegantly on the sideline?

    On a sliding scale of idealism, what is left if Ukraine falls?

    All these questions are going to cut sharper as the sieges take hold.

  10. swordfish 10
    8 March 2022 at 10:59 pm

    .

    John Campbell outlines the results of two new studies:

    (1) Ivermectin vs Remdesivir

    and

    (2) Ivermectin vs Non-Users (Control Group)

    [NOTE: This could be a little upsetting for the chattering classes, convinced as they are that Ivermectin is the Devil's Brew & therefore any heretic mentioning the Drug That Dare Not Speak Its Name must inevitably be closely associated with anti-vaxxers, Donald Trump, the alt-right, moon landing conspiracies, Vladimir Putin, howling at the moon, the eating of new-born babies … and so on & so forth]

    Spoiler: Ivermectin was the clear winner on the day … associated with significant reduction in hospitalisation & mortality:

    Ivermectin, more evidence – YouTube

    • roblogic 10.1
      9 March 2022 at 12:20 am

      Still pushing that shit after a million deaths in the USA and six million worldwide?

      Why not take the medically tested and approved vaccines instead of some off label antibacterial drug… FFS.

      • RedLogix 10.1.1
        9 March 2022 at 1:14 am

        Well at least the vaccines worked to make you fully immune to facts.

      • swordfish 10.1.2
        9 March 2022 at 3:11 pm

        .

        Still pushing that shit after a million deaths in the USA and six million worldwide?

        Are you suggesting they were all taking Ivermectin ? … Bizarre.

        Why not take the medically tested and approved vaccines

        I'm triple-vaxxed, me old son … although, like many living outside insular echo-chambers, I’m able to think independently & am still a little concerned about the mRNA vaccines’ unknown long-term consequences.

        instead of some off label antibacterial drug… FFS.

        Prefer to carefully weigh the emerging evidence on potentially-useful anti-virals (it’s not either vaccination or anti-virals) rather than allow myself to be blinded by preconceived assumptions. It’s a drug that has been used for decades, with a remarkably good safety record over billions of human doses

        Still, at least you didn't descend to calling it "a horse de-wormer" … so I’m delighted to see you're making a certain amount of progress.

        • roblogic 10.1.2.1
          9 March 2022 at 8:56 pm

          It’s not an anti-viral, it’s anti-bacterial.

          Ivermectin is the new hydroxychloroquine, take 6: Incompetence and fraud everywhere! | Science-Based Medicine (sciencebasedmedicine.org)

          However there are promising new protease inhibitor drugs going through proper medical trials at present. Better than the latest miracle cure touted by alternative (quack) therapists.

          Pfizer’s new COVID-19 protease inhibitor drug is not just “repackaged ivermectin” | Science-Based Medicine (sciencebasedmedicine.org)

          • RedLogix 10.1.2.1.1
            10 March 2022 at 7:44 am

            Nah – the point you miss completely is that Ivermectin, unlike any any of these 'promising' new drugs, already has an extremely well understood long-term safety profile. Arguably one of the safest drugs ever.

            The only promise these new drugs can offer at this moment is a steady profit stream to their pushers.

            • roblogic 10.1.2.1.1.1
              10 March 2022 at 8:44 am

              It's a sign of the extreme disconnect in society when people trust horse treatments rather than listen to basic medical advice. That is the problem. Ivm might not be bad when properly taken but it has been greatly abused and touted irresponsibly.

              MY FATHER, THE FOOL
              I’d run out of sympathy for COVID skeptics. Then I remembered my father’s stiff neck.

              • adam …
                10 March 2022 at 8:29 pm

                Ivermectin is a drug that has been used for years in the third world and won a Nobel prize because it's safe and patent free.

                https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivermectin

                Have you ever tried thinking for yourself roblogic, or you going to keep repeating dumb ass corporation media talking points?

                • Incognito …
                  10 March 2022 at 9:34 pm

                  … and won a Nobel prize because it's safe and patent free.

                  Talking of “dumb ass” comments crying

                  • adam …
                    10 March 2022 at 11:11 pm

                    Want to back that comment up?

                    Like when did it not win a Nobel prize?

                    Or when did it not save human lives since in invention in 1975?

                    Too soon, to point out it’s a human drug. “dumb ass” is what dumb ass says I suppose ah incognito, but you wouldn’t go there – not with your track record?

                    • Incognito …
                      10 March 2022 at 11:38 pm

                      No point backing up when you’ve gone over the cliff’s edge and don’t even realise that you’re in freefall. Sweet dreams.

                  • adam …
                    11 March 2022 at 9:32 am

                    No apology then, going to keep running with your abuse.

                    Let people tell lies about a drug that has improved the quality of millions of lives.

                    Feel free to die on that hill. The simple truth is Ivemectin has been the best best drug in the global south to deal with parasites. You and yours keeping up the lie it ant nothing but a horse drug, is a bullshit argument and you know it.

                    But feel free to keep spreading that lie incognito. It's a hell of a hill to die on, lying when the truth is so much better.

                    • Incognito …
                      11 March 2022 at 10:14 am

                      It’s what you asserted about the Novel Prize. BTW, this was awarded in 2015 and this had and still has nothing to do with Covid-19.

                      https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2015/press-release/

                      Ivermectin was a blockbuster veterinary drug long before it found application in and for humans. There’s no argument about this. Nor is there an argument about ivermectin being cheap and safe. Placebos are also cheap and safe, so that’s an irrelevant argument anyway.

                      Point to [the] “lies” I have told on this forum about ivermectin. Be clear & specific and provide a link(s) to my comment(s) containing the lie(s). For example, when & where did I label ivermectin as “nothing but a horse drug” or just “a horse drug”? You make accusations, you back it up. If you cannot, you retract and apologise. After you’ve calmed down …

                    • adam …
                      13 March 2022 at 5:06 am

                      You went for cheap abuse. Come on, If you read my link, you would have seen I was not defending the drug for use with Sars-Covid19. But you still went there, and now are using that as your defence in the latest remarks to me. I never said it was useful for Sars-Covid19. Show me where I said that – if we playing that game.

                      I tried nothing more than defend a important drug widely used in the global south to save millions of lives, from what I saw was a cheap shot. And all I got from you was "Talking of “dumb ass” comments crying" but even better from you " No point backing up when you’ve gone over the cliff’s edge and don’t even realise that you’re in freefall"

                      Misrepresenting what I said – that's on you.

                      As I said why spread a lie about a drug when the truth is much more powerful. Ivemectin is a very effective drug, that is not recommend in the treatment of Sars-Covid19. The lie is to call it a horse drug. Or the lie of letting that statement stand, when it is simply untrue.

                      No, you did not say what I called out as a lie, you just went for abuse, and got the response from me you knew you'd get. So I apologise for losing my rag.

                    • Incognito []
                      13 March 2022 at 8:17 pm

                      So, you don’t hesitate to use the term “dumb ass” on others, but you cannot handle it when I call out your assertion about the Nobel Prize for ivermectin using the exact same label!? Here it is (https://thestandard.org.nz/daily-review-08-03-2022/#comment-1873393), so that you can re-read your own “dumb ass” comment again and refresh your memory. I hope the light will come on this time, but I can’t be sure.

                      Secondly, the Nobel Prize is irrelevant in the context of Covid-19. The price and being off-patent are also irrelevant, for Covid-19 and for a Nobel Prize.

                      Thirdly, if the so-called ‘lie’ that you accused me of is calling it “a horse drug” then indeed, you cannot point to when & where I said that because I did not and have not. You appear to apologise for that but then you also accuse me of “misrepresenting” you. I won’t ask for clarification because all you’re capable of is ranting and talking mostly nonsense.

                      Stop digging a hole of accusations about lies and misrepresentations.

                    • adam …
                      14 March 2022 at 12:20 pm

                      Already always listening from you again Incognito.

                      When you say horse drug, all you are doing is ending the conversation , unless wankers like me point it out. You have banned many for doing exactly that, me even at some point.

                      Why the double standard because of Sars-Covid19? How is it helpful to let that role?

                      Not sure why you keep going about Sars-Covid19, my point was about a useful drug, so please stop do me the curtsy of not putting words in my mouth, and please look at you second comment.

                      “No point backing up when you’ve gone over the cliff’s edge and don’t even realise that you’re in freefall.”

                      Sure I can handle the abuse, but the second comment from you was just bullshit, and an apology would be nice.

                      [It’s a real pity that you edited your comment after 8 minutes and changed it completely into yet another tirade of false accusations and pitiful victimhood because you’re now being moderated.

                      I started to engage with you in this sad thread here (https://thestandard.org.nz/daily-review-08-03-2022/#comment-1873422) about your dumb ass comment about your dumb ass reason why ivermectin won the Nobel Prize and said nothing about horses. (NB a drug cannot actually win the Nobel Prize, but we can get the meaning) This is the point that you’re not grasping and yet you’re bleating on about wanting an apology from me!?

                      You did it again, so I ask you again when & where I called ivermectin a “horse drug” to try ending the conversation. Unless you can point to a comment of mine in which I did exactly that you’d better stop and stay quiet or face the consequence. You’ve been warned – Incognito]

                    • Incognito []
                      14 March 2022 at 4:19 pm

                      Mod note for you.

                    • adam …
                      14 March 2022 at 5:38 pm

                      read note

                • roblogic …
                  11 March 2022 at 12:26 am

                  That is an excellent wiki page, I suggest you read the whole thing

                  • adam …
                    11 March 2022 at 9:38 am

                    So if you think it's a good piece are you going to withdraw you comment "horse treatment"?

                    It's a very good drug which has helped a lot of people.

                    By the way for incognito, because he on his whole mr assumption man shitfuckery. I'm defending the drug as a extremely useful drug for the treatment of parasites. And all the good it has done in the global south, if he had actually bothered with the link he would notice I picked that link because I'm not saying it helps with Sars-Covid19 – but what is it about assumptions and such like…

                    • roblogic …
                      11 March 2022 at 9:47 am

                      The original comment (#10 above) is about a Dr. John Campbell video where he unambiguously claims that

                      "Follow the evidence, wherever it leads

                      Treatment with Ivermectin Is Associated with Decreased Mortality in COVID-19 Patients: Analysis"

                      Start your own thread if you want to change the subject.

                    • adam …
                      11 March 2022 at 9:56 am

                      So you going to stick with the lie it's nothing but a horse drug.

                      What a hill to die on. Who gives a dam about the lies we tell that hurt the global south.

                    • Drowsy M. Kram …
                      11 March 2022 at 10:15 am

                      Adam, imho no-one in this thread has been questioning the utility of ivermectin as a broad-spectrum anti-parasitic agent. And some of the anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties it displays in vitro suggest that it might be clinically useful against more than just parasites.

                      Ivermectin: enigmatic multifaceted ‘wonder’ drug continues to surprise and exceed expectations [15 February 2017]
                      Essentially, a unique, multifaceted ‘wonder’ drug of the past and present may yet become an even more exceptional drug of the future.

                      The relevant question for this thread, however, is whether it is effective against COVID-19, either as a prophylactic or to treat symptoms. And on that specific question the expert scientific jury is still out, pending the results of high-quality trials. In the absence of a verdict, I wouldn't use ivermectin to prevent or treat COVID-19 infection, but in some countries this pandemic has had a devastating effect on human health, and there are far too many desperate people in the world at the best of times.

                    • adam …
                      13 March 2022 at 5:14 am

                      Come on Drowsy M. Kram that was not my point. My point was the lazy comment condemning a very useful drug, is not helpful.

                      All I've seen that comment being used as, is as short hand to shut down debate.

                      It worked, both other commentators walked away.

                    • Drowsy M. Kram …
                      13 March 2022 at 2:54 pm

                      Fair enough adam – I agree that ivermectin is a relatively safe compound for humans and other animals, and that it has an excellent track record as an anti-parasitic drug. My point is that (imho) it's not prudent or helpful to recommend the use of ivermectin to prevent or treat COVID-19 infections, and people who are encouraging same (possibly out of a genuine desire to help) are leveraging pandemic-related despair.

                      Many people are in dire straits – no need for some (not you) to add to their misery by talking up an unproven treatment, particularly when a proven vaccine is available.

                      I’ve no time for anyone advocating the use of ivermectin to prevent/treat COVID-19 infections – my position will change if (evidence-based) consensus expert medical opinion changes.

              • felix …
                10 March 2022 at 8:33 pm

                "might not be bad when properly" Well you just called it horse treatment so clearly you have no fucking idea how it is taken properly.

                • roblogic …
                  11 March 2022 at 12:16 am

                  Neither do the antivaxxer hordes raiding veterinary clinics, it got so bad that one place had a sign saying “proof of horse ownership is required before purchase”.

                  There is a whole political and social movement associated with this stuff, that is not so benign

    • roblogic 10.2
      10 March 2022 at 6:25 pm

      The esteemed Dr Campbell has finally fallen down the rabbit hole that he has been digging for a while. Gone full anti-vaxx. Silly old git

      https://twitter.com/factaotearoa/status/1501788285257285635?s=21.

      • felix 10.2.1
        10 March 2022 at 7:35 pm

        So going anti-vaxx means carefully reading and reporting the data as it becomes available.

        Righto.

        • roblogic 10.2.1.1
          10 March 2022 at 8:01 pm

          You forgot to mention his habit of spreading falsehoods and conspiracy theories.

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Campbell_(YouTuber)

          • felix 10.2.1.1.1
            10 March 2022 at 8:16 pm

            I could say the same about you. And you forgot to mention anything the video was about. Probably because you haven't seen it.

            • roblogic 10.2.1.1.1.1
              11 March 2022 at 12:06 am

              I prefer going directly to the literature and reading its claims and critiques, rather than stitting thru a tediously slow video. If it’s that important why don’t you summarise the main points and add references to the mainstream journals that he cites.

  11. Julian Richards 11
    10 March 2022 at 9:22 am

    It's a sign of the extreme disconnect in society when people trust horse treatments rather than listen to basic medical advice

    To use your own words above… You're still pushing that shit! #Stromectol

    • roblogic 11.1
      10 March 2022 at 9:32 am

      It's about as useful as Trump advocating bleach and hydroxychloroquine… i.e. it dilutes the most important message… get vaccinated! Or join the Herman Cain Awards.

      Alternative therapies have their place but the level of bullshit pushed by idiots on the internet feeds vaccine hesitancy and is a primary reason for massive, avoidable deaths.

      Have you no shame?

      • RedLogix 11.1.1
        10 March 2022 at 10:20 am

        When it turns out that IVM might well have been able to reduce the COVID death toll by more than a factor of 10, and similarly with Vitamin D, then the question of where the shame should be located becomes an interesting one.

        The only certainty here is of course that you will not read the above references with an open mind.

        • roblogic 11.1.1.1
          10 March 2022 at 5:42 pm

          I read your link but also read this, because you know, confirmation bias and all that. Quote:

          Merck, one company that produces Ivermectin, said in February 2021 that it had examined the findings of “all available and emerging studies of ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19”, and the analysis has concluded that there was:

          “No scientific basis for a potential therapeutic effect against COVID-19 from pre-clinical studies;
          “No meaningful evidence for clinical activity or clinical efficacy in patients with COVID-19 disease, and;
          “A concerning lack of safety data in the majority of studies.”

          • felix 11.1.1.1.1
            10 March 2022 at 7:40 pm

            Feb 2021. Here's the latest peer reviewed studies.

            (2) Ivermectin, more evidence – YouTube

            • roblogic 11.1.1.1.1.1
              10 March 2022 at 8:06 pm

              Where they only observe correlation, and don’t explore causation or confounding factors. Double blind controlled studies please.

              • felix …
                10 March 2022 at 8:14 pm

                Sorry, are you totally disregarding the findings on that basis? Just checking whether you're actually that dumb or just being petty.

                • roblogic …
                  11 March 2022 at 12:01 am

                  Just echoing the disclaimers attached to one of the newer IVM studies mentioned. It is still not a miracle cure and pushing it as such just adds to antivaxxer sentiment.

                  • Julian Richards …
                    11 March 2022 at 12:09 am

                    Your perceived reality is starting to rumble, shake and crack. It's okay.

                    • roblogic …
                      11 March 2022 at 12:20 am

                      Is it? That would be cool. Could do with an update on this cranky old OS 😛

                    • Drowsy M. Kram …
                      11 March 2022 at 12:46 am

                      Be careful what you wish for JR – the crumbling of perceived reality can cut both ways. All it takes is an open mind.

                      Correction of scientific literature: Too little, too late!
                      [3 March 2022]
                      The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has highlighted the limitations of the current scientific publication system, in which serious post-publication concerns are often addressed too slowly to be effective. In this Perspective, we offer suggestions to improve academia’s willingness and ability to correct errors in an appropriate time frame.
                      …
                      During the COVID-19 pandemic, many basic quality control and transparency principles have been violated on a regular basis. This is perhaps most apparent in the Surgisphere debacle, in which global policy on COVID-19 treatment was changed overnight on the basis of a database that later turned out not to exist. Although the Surgisphere retraction happened quickly, it was far slower than the change in medical practice, which was immediate, and represents a best-case scenario in which a high-profile paper was immediately interrogated and investigated. The stories of hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin, both widely promoted based on poor quality or even fraudulent studies, are further concerning accounts of how the scientific publishing process has failed to exercise basic quality control.

                • McFlock …
                  11 March 2022 at 12:42 am

                  Nobody is "totally disregarding" anything.

                  But there's a world of difference between double blind trials that actively search for adverse events, and studies that search only for positive effects and don't even take into account other treatments that the participants are taking.

        • Drowsy M. Kram 11.1.1.2
          11 March 2022 at 1:11 am

          When it turns out that IVM might well have been able to reduce the COVID death toll by more than a factor of 10, and similarly with Vitamin D, then the question of where the shame should be located becomes an interesting one.

          The key word, appropriately highlighted in your comment, is "might".

          Seems to me that clinicians climbing on the ivermectin bandwagon have rather jumped the gun, but I have an open mind on “where the shame should be located” – time (and good science) will tell.

          High-dose ivermectin for early treatment of COVID-19 (COVER study): a randomised, double-blind, multicentre, phase II, dose-finding, proof-of-concept clinical trial [February 2022]
          High-dose ivermectin was safe but did not show efficacy to reduce viral load.
          …
          In conclusion, we did not demonstrate a significant reduction in viral load between ivermectin and placebo, although a trend for the highest dose is apparent. Whether this drug might have clinical efficacy at lower doses remains debated. We believe that our findings further support the WHO recommendation suggesting that it is currently advisable to refrain from administrating ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19 outside of clinical trials. Considering the reduced tolerability, large, high-dose clinical trials should not be recommended.

  12. pat 12
    11 March 2022 at 12:26 am

    Difficult choices ahead.

    "Today, nations around the world are called again to take sides – between Russia and the west, and very soon between the west and China. But as the map of sanctions attests, the cross-pressure between these great powers may once again spark a movement for non-alignment, demanding a more universal application of international law against demands for unilateral exception.

    There will no doubt be consequences for this neutral position. Non-aligned nations in the first cold war were frequently victim to aggression, invasion and economic embargo. The same risks to neutrality are visible today. Lithuania recently canceled a shipment of Covid vaccines to Bangladesh for its refusal to condemn Russia at the United Nations. The US, for its part, has already passed the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (Caatsa), giving license to punish countries with sanctions for trading with the other side."

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/10/russia-ukraine-west-global-south-sanctions-war

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