By Paul Bennett

Hamsters to be culled in Hong Kong due to covid outbreak in pet store

Hong Kong authorities have acted swiftly and coldly to a covid outbreak in a pet store by planning to cull over 2,000 hamsters after the cute rodents tested positive for covid.

Health authorities in the city visited the unlucky pet store and after preliminary positive tests results from eleven hamsters and the pet owner, an order was given to euthanize hamsters due to the possible risk of animal-human transmission.

In a heart-warming twist, many Hong King residents have volunteered to adopt unwanted hamsters after the mass cull warning from authority figures in the city. Thousands of people have also signed a petition against the cruel order to save the small and fluffy pets. The Hong Kong government called the public outcry as “irrational”.

Hong Kong continues to have an unrelenting communist style zero-covid strategy, and it is clear that no one is safe or free from this insane approach including pets. In response to rising ‘cases’ Hong Kong has imposed very strict draconian restrictions on its city residents. Severe measures include tough social distancing rules including limits on public and private gatherings. Fines for breaking the rules will be doubled from HK$5,000 TO HK$10,000.

Leader and Chief Executive of Hong Kong Carrie Lam appears to be using a carrot and stick approach regarding increased vaccination uptake and reducing current strict lockdown measures. “But when vaccination rates increase, when Omicron disappears and other things happen, then of course we will continue to revisit our strategy,” Ms Lam said.

It is not the first time that animals have been culled in excess as a result of a covid outbreak. In 2020 an entire mink population (17 million) were culled in Denmark after a mutated strain of the virus was passed from minks to humans in farms.

Danish paper apologizes for failing its citizens over covid

One of Denmark’s oldest and largest newspapers has admirably and rightfully apologized to its readers for not asking tougher questions regarding the covid narrative over the past two years. The Ekstra Bladet newspaper has admitted not analysing the questionable data that the health and government officials pushed out on a regular basis.

Journalist with the paper Brian Weichardt wrote: “For ALMOST two years, we the press and the population-have been almost hypnotically preoccupied with the authorities’ daily coronatal. THE CONSTANT mental alertness has worn out tremendously on all of us. That is why we-the press-must also take stock of our own efforts. And we have failed.”

Regarding the dodgy data, Weichardt added, “WE HAVE NOT been vigilant enough at the garden gate when the authorities were required to answer what it actually meant that people are hospitalized with corona and not because of corona. Because it makes a difference. A big difference. Exactly, the official hospitalization numbers have been shown to be 27% higher than the actual figure for how many there are in the hospital, simply because they have corona. We only know that now. OF COURSE, it is first and foremost the authorities who are responsible for informing the population correctly, accurately, and honestly. The figures for how many are sick and died of corona should, for obvious reasons, have been published long ago…”

Denmark has recently become the first European Union country to end all domestic covid restrictions including mask wearing and health passes.

The apology may be two years too late but at least one mainstream media outlet has a conscience in admitting their faults. We may see more media outlets give grovelling apologies in the near future as the wheels continue to fall off the covid narrative at a speedy rate.

Sweden declines jabbing five-to eleven-year-olds

Sweden is taking a cautious approach by deciding not to jab children aged five to eleven with the experimental covid vaccines. Throughout the past two years, the common-sensical Scandinavian country has opted against harsh lockdowns and imposed only minimal restrictions on its people.

Swedish Health Agency official Britta Bjorkholm told a news conference: “With the knowledge we have today, with a low risk for serious disease for kids, we don’t see any clear benefit with vaccinating them.”

Neighbours to the west Norway have a vaccination program for five- to eleven-year-olds but the Norwegian health officials have not officially recommended or encouraged parents to take their kids to be jabbed.

Health Minister Ingvild Kjerkol said in a statement: “Children rarely become seriously ill, and knowledge is still limited about rare side-effects or side effects that may arise at a distant time. There is little individual benefit for most children, and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health has not recommended that all children aged 5-11 be vaccinated. However, it is agreed that all parents and guardians may be offered a vaccine for their children; this will be most relevant to only a few groups of children.”

In recent weeks, Sweden has lifted almost all of its remaining restrictions in place. Swedish Minister of Health and Social Affairs Lena Hallengren said, “As we know this pandemic, I would say it’s over. “The Minister added that covid was no longer a danger to society.

A sensible costs benefit analysis approach from Sweden and other Nordic countries is greatly welcomed in a world where many nations are still gung-ho on lockdowns and eagerly jabbing their most precious and innocent citizens.

Covid to be treated similar to the flu in Spain

Spain is currently re-evaluating its response to covid in the wake of the weaker variant ‘omicron’. Plans are now afoot to treat covid like the flu and other respiratory diseases using an endemic approach.

According to the Spanish daily newspaper El Pais: “As the highly transmissible omicron variant of the coronavirus continues to spread in Spain, authorities are finalizing a pilot plan for a new Covid-19 surveillance system that will mirror the one that has been used for years to monitor the flu.”

Detailed surveillance of cases will be no longer needed but instead a network of doctors across the country will report on the spread of covid based on data being extrapolated and collected from samples across the population.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said: “We are going to have to learn to live with it [the coronavirus] as we do with many other viruses. “ Health Minister Carolina Darias reiterated the same viewpoint by stating, “We have to go from an emergency-style vigilance to one of better quality and which is compatible with other respiratory phenomena.”

In a radio interview with Spain’s Cadena SER Prime Minster Sanchez stated: “The situation is not what we faced a year ago. I think we have to evaluate the evolution of COVID to an endemic illness, from the pandemic we have faced up until now.” The Prime Minister is seeking to lead the debate internationally and has called on the European Union to discuss the possibility of treating covid as an endemic illness.

There was a time when comparing covid to the common flu was labelled a ‘conspiracy’ and discredited by the majority in government and health circles. How times have changed!

Face masks make you more attractive according to Welsh study

Researchers with too much time on their hands at Cardiff University in Wales have published findings from a study that suggests that blue medical mask wearers look more facially attractive than wearing any other type of face coverings.

The small study published in the journal Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, comprised of 43 female participants looking at how different types of face coverings changed the attractiveness of 40 males faces. Sexiness was measured and rated looking at images of males without a face mask: wearing a blue medical mask; a cloth face mask and bizarrely holding a plain book covering the area a face mask should be.

Dr Michael Lewis and co-author of the study and reader from the School of Psychology at Cardiff University stated: “Research carried out before the pandemic found medical face masks reduce attractiveness-so we wanted to test whether this had changed since face coverings became ubiquitous and understand whether the type of mask had any effect.”

Dr Lewis added, “Our study suggests faces are considered most attractive when covered by medical face masks. This may be because we’re used to healthcare workers wearing blue masks and now, we associate these with people in caring and medical professions. At a time when we feel vulnerable, we may find the wearing of medical masks reassuring and so feel positive towards the wearer.”

If an emasculated male wearing a nappy like cloth around their face is desirable for some, one really needs to look at their choice in a partner. I imagine the suppliers and makers of blue medical masks will be very happy with this wacky study from Cardiff University.