Forgive my French, but are they taking the p…?

Health authorities and regulatory bodies have not forgotten about Covid, even if you have. There have been dozens of new variants washing around the world (probably hundreds) – but they had bad PR.

How many Covid offspring can you name in the last year? Are you scared of these John Smiths of the viral world?

Remember when we mocked the World Health Authority for skipping variant ‘Xi’ in the accepted naming code so as not to offend China? Of course, no one would dare suggest that the WHO decided to tread lightly because China has an unusually large amount of influence over the global health authority, despite also being the origin of Covid.

I guess, ‘Xi is a variant of concern’ in the news headline wouldn’t go down well for international relations with a President so sensitive his dictatorship banned Winnie-the-Pooh.

Said the WHO:

‘…best practices for naming disease suggest avoiding causing offence to any cultural, social, national, regional, professional, or ethnic groups.’

Which is bureaucracy-speak for, ‘Science comes second to the feelings of political leaders.’ Many suspect the bizarre mantra of trust the science could be better described as, do not question the science of cover-up.

As a side note, when doing the ‘fact-check’ on the claim about the missing Xi variant, the AP … didn’t make a ruling. It only provided ‘facts’ which confirmed the claim. They should have printed TRUE with the same aggressive letters that they print FALSE. I find that disparity interesting.

For the first time – in a long time – Covid variants have made their way into the headlines with a clever name: FLiRT.

The FLiRT variant KP.2 begins its takeover for Covid cases in the US, now accounting for 1 in 4 caseshttps://t.co/jjl2AnOYb5 pic.twitter.com/oFi2DvxLfM

— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) April 26, 2024

Dr Kendre said to the Financial Express:

‘It has been named FLiRT, based on the technical names for their mutations, one of which includes the letters “F” and “L”, and another of which includes the letters “R” and “T”. The FLiRT variant group comprises KP.2, KP.3, JN.1.7, JN.1.1, and KP.1.1.’

What feels like a sexy PR drive for Covid hysteria is explained by scientists, who claim the name is created from letters that represent immune escape mutations.

Apparently this allows the virus to ‘evade’ existing antibodies and infect the host.

Which doesn’t sound like a bit of innocent ‘flirting’.

Maybe they should have called it ROOFi3S?

‘The virus continues to be in charge. It’s going to tell us what it’s going to do,’ said an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University.

The PaTRiARCHY variant?

‘All our crystal balls are … cloudy,’ he went on.

SPi-007?

Reading through dozens of articles, experts eventually admit that there is nothing about FLiRT to distinguish it from the other variants. Well, nothing other than its clever name which has been used as an excuse to print, ‘Please come and get vaccinated!’ messages.

Some of the more panicky publications managed to dress the threat up in the headline: New Covid-19 variant alert! KP.2 can evade your immunity – here’s how you can protect yourself.

Every variant of Covid did a pretty good job of evading our immunity.

‘Chances are [FLiRT will be] like a nasty flu, and for many people they’ll have no symptoms at all.’

Of far more concern is the enormous chunk of money the Treasurer has set aside in the last Federal Budget to buy more Covid vaccines, even though Australia recently threw out nearly half those purchased by the Morrison government – a government that was warned at the time they were over-supplying and wasting taxpayer money. There have been no repercussions for Morrison or his former ministry for funnelling so much money into Big Pharma only for it to end up in landfill. Why is it that if you fail to pay a dollar in tax, the government comes after you, but when they waste those tax dollars, nothing happens? Where is the accountability?

How much is Labor spending on Covid vaccines?

Around half a billion over four years and then a promise of $107.4 million per year, every year, after that.

From the Budget:

COVID-19 continues to be a contributor to the burden of disease. The Government is ensuring continued access to oral antiviral medicines on the PBS for those at risk of serious disease, and is providing $490.0 million over four years from 2024–25 (and $107.4 million per year ongoing) to continue the National COVID-19 Vaccine Program.

You are giving up your hard-earned money in the middle of a financial crisis so that the government can give vaccine companies half a billion dollars for vaccines most people will not use unless forced by government order.

Either the government is prepared to throw our money on the bonfire to save face with vaccine companies, or they intend to force us into boosters.

If we’re going to use that money on health, why not make sure the elderly have enough money to pay their energy bills so they can heat their homes in winter? That would save more lives, if that is the government’s goal.