Guest Post by Alex Berenson
Which Western country – and what strategy – worked best? (Spoiler alert: S—-n. And h–d i——y.)
Bloomberg recently published a fascinating chart showing how different countries handled the first two years of Covid.
Like most great data visualizations, it is simple and easy to understand once it’s explained. It focuses on OUTCOME, not process.
In other words, it doesn’t concern itself with how many vaccinations given or how many tests conducted or other numbers that matter mostly to the health bureaucrats who pay themselves to carry them out.
Instead it plots two variables: the number of Covid deaths, and Covid’s economic impact – as measured by how much economic growth fell short of forecasts in 2020 and 2021.
The chart is set up so that top left is better and bottom right is worse. Countries in the top left had few Covid deaths and relatively strong growth; those in the top right had lots of deaths and strong growth; those in the bottom left had few deaths but deep recessions; and those in the bottom right had lots of deaths AND deep economic pain.
Okay, here’s the chart:
—
The relative success of Asian and Pacific Rim countries jumps out first. For reasons that remain unclear, Asian countries reported far fewer Covid deaths than any others. Why? The answer doesn’t appear to be obviously demographic – whether they were young or old, rich or poor, they had fewer deaths.
Could the reason be cross-immunity? Some hidden genetic strength? (Asian-Americans have also had far lower death rates than other Americans, though higher rates than Asian nations.) Thinness? Some other factor?
The truth is we don’t know yet.
Also keep in mind that the lack of deaths didn’t necessarily translate into economic success, though – Japan and Indonesia, two of Asia’s most populous countries, both had severe recessions.
So geography – simple geography – appears at this point to be BY FAR the most important factor in how hard Covid hits a country.
Now try the chart again, this time without the Asian outliers.
Remember, top left is best, bottom right is worst.
Two points jump out. No major Western or South American country was even CLOSE to Asia. Look at those empty squares on the top left. And the United States is on the top right – lots of deaths, but minor economic impact. (Are you surprised?)
Meanwhile, big European countries like Britain and France – which took a national hard lockdown route – had nearly as many deaths as the United States but far worse economic pain. That’s particularly true of Spain, where lockdowns were brutal in 2020. (In general, Spanish-speaking countries had extremely poor outcomes despite extremely harsh lockdowns.)
But the country outside Asia that performed best? The one closest to the top left?
Sweden.
Yep, Sweden.
Lockdown-free Sweden, which trusted its people and refused to shut down and pursued a herd immunity strategy (without quite using that phrase) and became the subject of endless articles like this:
Two years ago, Anders Tegnell, Sweden’s state epidemiologist, said the world would need years to judge whether lockdowns worked.
And now, two years and one brilliant chart later, we have the answer.
They were worse than useless.
It is my sincere desire to provide readers of this site with the best unbiased information available, and a forum where it can be discussed openly, as our Founders intended. But it is not easy nor inexpensive to do so, especially when those who wish to prevent us from making the truth known, attack us without mercy on all fronts on a daily basis. So each time you visit the site, I would ask that you consider the value that you receive and have received from The Burning Platform and the community of which you are a vital part. I can't do it all alone, and I need your help and support to keep it alive. Please consider contributing an amount commensurate to the value that you receive from this site and community, or even by becoming a sustaining supporter through periodic contributions. [Burning Platform LLC - PO Box 1520 Kulpsville, PA 19443] or Paypal
-----------------------------------------------------
To donate via Stripe, click here.
-----------------------------------------------------
Use promo code ILMF2, and save up to 66% on all MyPillow purchases. (The Burning Platform benefits when you use this promo code.)
Asian countries reported far fewer Covid deaths than any others. Why? The answer doesn’t appear to be obviously demographic
Someone doesn’t understand the meaning of the word demographic.
And “outliers” = numbers you don’t like and don’t want to address. Berenson is losing credibility.
Right. So, data scientist here…
This is a losing analysis from the start and foolish to try to make a point using ‘their’ stats.
Any statistic constructed ‘per million population’ is going to show China as the best/worst in comparison to other countries. Not to mention this relies on the numerator (COVID deaths) to be reported truthfully (a lot to say on that one since we haven’t been able to prove causality for a single case).
And the GDP observed vs forecasted stat is bogus because either (1) the forecast is totally made up in order provide a self-fulfilling prophecy or (2) the data model it’s based on relies on unfounded assumptions (like the upward economic trend continuing into perpetuity). Plus, I bet that asterisk would tell you that the prediction interval for that stat is something like +/- 2%. Meaning all those countries at the top had no significant change to GDP.
Thank you for taking the time to post what should be reasonably obvious to anyone who cares to think.
So without a boat load of techno babble and but ifs : If the US would have stuck to conventional treatments and standard protocols like stay home if your sick drink fluids and maybe take ivermectin and other cross use SAFE & EFFECTIVE drugs everything would have been fine !
BUT NOOO these parasitic piles of shit elected appointed and hired in government at all levels Federal State & Local could not resist the opportunity to enrich themselves and asshole buddies while playing NAZI Brown Shirt tactics and totally destroying the US .
I truly believe this entire shit show from Covid to vaccine garbage was and still is nothing more than a deliberate attempt to destroy this nation and its people !
Brace yourselves these treasonous treacherous leftist parasites are not done by a long shot !
ITS NUREMBERG TIME
FORGET ME NOT
The number of “covid deaths” is the most erroneous statistic ever, vastly manipulated by politicians and hospital administrators for their own benefit, so it is nowhere near reality
The economic impact was almost entirely due to lockdowns and restrictions, again engendered by politicians
Keep telling a lie long enough and loud enough and it becomes “truth”
“There are lies, there are damn lies and then there are statistics.”
– Mark Twain
THe efficacy of the greatest psyop, phraud and experiment – economic, medical, social – in human history was for the Evil Fuckers to measure the results of the imposed conditions on the global lab rat population while getting the experimental genomic sero-conversive therapy with nanoparticle components into as many bodies as possible.
It has been a wild success for the Cabal. The next version will be a whopper if WWIII doesn’t interrupt the agenda.
Keep in mind there is absolutely no way to prove anything using data from any government. ANY.
While I think Sweden was maybe the most transparent, they took such a global brow beating from everyone else who knows what really happened there?
And China. For fuck’s sake. They do not tell the truth about anything that goes on over there, have absolute control over information, and are willing to kill as many of their own citizens in service to The Party to further their own agenda. So why even look at any data from them?
Here in the good ol’ US of A how can anyone gather reliable data, vet said data, and then formulate the TRUTH? You can’t.
They TELL us 66% of all eligible people are vaxxed. Proof? None
They TELL us the vaxxed/unvaxxed fall along party lines. Proof? None. I would like to point out that black people have been one of the largest demographic to not get vaxxed, and yet that demographic has largely skewed Democrat, so just that one thing blows the whole premise to shit in my book. Of course they TELL us that it’s because they are poor/uneducated/can’t access vaccines. There is zero proof of that too.
Covid-1984 “cases” were encouraged via nice, fat payouts to each “case” and then “death” to the hospitals who had to stop all money-making procedures. So, we all know if you incentive something you’ll get more of it. Period. All those people were worth far more dead than alive. Think about that for a moment the next time Tony “The Science” starts flapping his pie hole.
Any whistleblower that came forward early on regarding Covid protocols was pretty much smeared as a total whack job conspiracy theorist maniac. Call someone crazy and then anything that comes after is just noise.
Folks, the bottom line is this:
We are fodder. Fodder for taxes. Fodder for labor. Fodder for information. We are nothing more than herds of human cattle to be prodded, watered, fed, and then led to whatever slaughter is made for us. TPTB consider themselves to be superior to us in intellect, power, prowess, money, foresight. They have deigned themselves gods here on earth, and will act thusly. So far humanity is allowing it.
The Law of Unintended Consequences will have its day. What that will look like is anyone’s guess, and yes it is a guess. But the center of this unmitigated evil cannot hold, as these people devour themselves and the jig will most certainly be up.
You cannot trust any data from the govt. None at all. I don’t have or know of a reliable non-govt source for data.
One stat that may be reasonably trustworthy is excess deaths. Insurers use such things for actuarial purposes. Excess deaths in the last 2 years in the US is around 1 million. I suspect that stat may, and I emphasise may, be generally accurate on a macro level.
So, the next question that needs to be asked is what caused the excess deaths? Good luck figuring that out. Was it the virus? Was it the vax? Was it the huge increases we have been seeing in overdose deaths? Was it related to mental health issues owing to measures taken to clamp down on the virus? Was it inability to access medical treatment during the lockdowns (that killed a lot of people. Lots and lots).
And just why would the virus US deaths be so much higher per capita than Sweden, which did almost nothing to stop the “spread”? If that is true, then I would guess it is because of all the 500 pound porch potatoes in the US. Not saying it is true. Just guessing what the cause might be if it were true.
Also, interestingly no India on there. They of course don’t track anything. But some guesses are the virus killed millions there. People living in squalor tend to be susceptible to this stuff – see Brazil as exhibit A. But, again, why, if the data is true, would the US have death rates similar to India or Brazil – two third world shitholes?