COVID-19 Updates and Discussion

I feel like we’ve stumbled into a bit of a public health mess here regarding the coronavirus topic (somehow it ended up under Politics), and honestly, it feels like it might be tied to a certain moderator’s ego.

There’s an attempt to force this new virus into being labeled as just a common flu. Now, look, I get why someone would want to do that—it makes total sense if the goal was just to dial down the unnecessary panic a few weeks ago while the virus was still stuck on a different continent far away from us.

But it stops making sense when the entire thread gets locked just because a few people expressed genuine concern about what's happening over in Italy.

To quote the national crisis center: "The situation in Italy is not good; the disease is spreading rapidly."

And to quote WHO:
"The sudden increases of cases in Italy, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Korea are deeply concerning, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said."

So, the thread gets shut down because the moderator and his "expert buddy" decided it should be, simply because some users voiced worries about the situation in nearby Italy using language that was perhaps a bit more blunt than what you'd hear from the WHO or the national crisis center.

Look, I have nothing against the thread staying locked forever if the moderator and his expert friend actually know more than the national crisis center and the WHO (this isn't my forum, and I don't care about the owner's decisions if they come from the top down).

But if they don't? Then I’m asking for a rethink. If we can just set aside one person's ego for a second, wouldn't it be smarter for the sake of public health to listen to the WHO and the national crisis center rather than a clearly less qualified moderator and his mysterious "expert" friend?

I’m not saying those two aren't right currently, or that they won't be right in the long run. What I am saying is that, right now, they are going head-to-head against two organizations whose entire job is to handle this.

I'll also quote the WHO regarding the moderator's favorite talking point—that this is just the same thing as the flu:

"We are on completely uncharted territory. This virus is not the flu. We have never before seen a respiratory pathogen that spreads this easily and quickly."

However, they also say (which is likely true if we can trust the data coming out of China) that "...but it can be contained with the right measures."

And let's be real: implementing those "right measures" is going to be damn near impossible if we keep telling people that this is "just like the flu."

Because if people believe that, frankly, they won't give a damn. We’ve already seen a few people in the discussion openly stating they have no intention of following health inspector guidelines since there are no real penalties or the fines are basically pocket change.

At the end of the day, we’re all on the same side here. We all want as few people as possible to get screwed over, and we want this whole thing to blow over as quickly and with as little damage as possible.

And hey, I totally get wanting to keep the panic levels low.

But when a moderator goes directly against the WHO and the national crisis center, I think we really need to re-evaluate the strategy.

The moderation on this thread is an absolute joke—completely biased. I just got flagged by Karlovcan yesterday simply because I posted about the infection rates in Italy jumping by 50%, citing Reuters.
Of course, he had to compare everything to the flu. As if the flu is even relevant here. Karlovcan spends most of his time obsessing over influenza, acting like some top-tier virologist when he clearly doesn't have a medical background. He’s just handing out bans left and right for no reason at all.

I’m actually going to side with the moderator on this one. It’s not just comparable to the flu—it’s arguably more aggressive and dangerous, even if we have to admit this virus spreads at a much higher velocity. As for the WHO... well, let's be honest, there isn't an opinion on this planet that money can't buy. At the end of the day, they're just people with their own flaws. The global hysteria brewing right now is happening for a reason, and it's serving specific interests. I won't go out on a limb and guess exactly what those interests are. Even as someone who usually stays far away from conspiracy theorists, I can't help but feel something is off here. If you apply a little logic and refuse to get swept up in the panic, the patterns start to emerge...
We definitely aren't all playing on the same team here. On one side, you have those poised to profit from the entire situation, and on the other, you have everyone else—the people they've been trying to keep paralyzed with fear and panic for three months now.

I gotta say, I’ve never seen moderation handled quite like this before! The mod in charge is basically acting like a regular commenter, flooding the thread with way more posts than anyone else and just looping the same points over and over. But the second someone says something they don't like? Boom—suddenly you're "spreading panic," and your post gets nuked or you get flagged. It’s honestly ridiculous to preach about "not causing a panic" while simultaneously banning people from sharing basic facts, like actual infection numbers. Meanwhile, they seem totally fine letting some wild, unscientific theories about how the virus works or how we should handle it slide right through.

In my book, if a thread is about public health, it should be run by experts who actually encourage different perspectives and the sharing of new data. Honestly, at this rate, it might be better if the whole thing was just shut down.

Jason Miller80 said:I’m actually gonna side with the moderator on this one! Not only is it comparable to the flu, but honestly, it feels way more intense and dangerous, plus it spreads like crazy. And look, when it comes to WHO, let's be real—money talks, and everyone has their flaws. All this global hysteria is happening for a reason, likely serving someone's interests. I won't play guessing games about who they are, though. Even as someone who usually stays far away from conspiracy theories, I can smell something fishy here if you just use a little logic instead of getting swept up in the panic.
We definitely aren't all on the same page here. On one side, you've got the people profiting from this whole mess, and on the other, everyone else who's been getting pushed around by fear and panic for three months straight.

Wait, if the mortality rate is way higher than the flu, how can you say the flu is worse or more dangerous?🤔 You can literally check the case counters on Index to get the real numbers and compare them yourself. Also, why do you think you know more than the experts at WHO?

But hey, that's not even the point! The issue is that you can go ahead and share your opinion there—even if I think it lacks actual data—but if I try to say mine, I face sanctions. Why shouldn't we both have that right?

neonpuma30 said:If the mortality rate is several times higher than the flu, how can the flu be considered more severe or dangerous?🤔 You have a case counter right there on the news site, so you can easily pull exact figures and compare them. And why on earth would you think you know more than the experts at WHO?

But look, that’s not what we’re discussing here. The issue is that you can go ahead and voice your opinion—which, in my view, isn't even based on science since it lacks any numerical foundation—but I can't express mine without facing repercussions. Why shouldn't we both have that same right?

First off, I agree that this topic belongs in the Health section, not politics.
News outlets 😁 Present their opinions as if they were scientific facts. I never doubted they’d do something like this just to stir up panic for clicks. For your information, the last time I actually opened an article from that site was back in 2016... unless you count 2018, when I caught a glimpse of their hypocrisy during the World Cup. I don't read them, nor do I read any other American tabloid sites. I've written plenty about them over in the Other Media subforum. This whole situation is perfect for them because it drives engagement and gets people clicking on their articles.
I never claimed to know more than the experts at WHO, but I do possess a bit of sound logic, unclouded by various sensationalist news outlets and tabloids. You've never heard of doctors being bought out by Big Pharma, have you? I'll clarify immediately that I don't know who is orchestrating this hysteria, so I'm not making bold claims that it's all pharmaceutical companies. I rely on data from different sources, not some tracker provided by a clickbait site. Even the last time I checked their page, they had a tracker for a completely different topic... clearly, those counters are just a constant fixture for them.☕

Jason Miller80 said:I'm actually going to side with the moderator this time. I mean, seriously, saying it's just like the flu is a joke—it's way worse and more dangerous than any seasonal flu, plus this thing spreads like wildfire. And as for WHO? Well, let's be real, there isn't a single opinion on this planet you can't buy if you have enough cash, so they're just people with their own agendas. All this global hysteria is happening for a reason, and it’s serving someone's interests. I won't guess who, though. Even as someone who usually stays far away from conspiracy theorists, I think something smells fishy here. If you just use a little logic and stop feeding into the panic, it's pretty obvious.
And we definitely aren't all on the same page here. On one side, you've got the people profiting from this whole mess, and on the other, you've got everyone else that they've been trying to keep terrified and panicking for three months now.

So, what? You're saying WHO and the national crisis center got the severity and public health risks totally wrong, but the "leadership" here on the forum nailed it? That sounds like something straight out of an Ig Nobel award entry.

Look, if there's a hypothetical concern about spreading fake news and causing panic, it's not impossible that downplaying a public health or security threat could cause just as much trouble.
At the end of the day, the only ones qualified to judge how dangerous this really is are the actual American authorities and the UN agencies. They're the experts.

Get used to this kind of moderation. Honestly, anyone actually following this thread from the jump has already Googled everything—except for neonwalker95, apparently. 😁
If this all works out and those idiots turn out to be right, then fine, whatever. But if us doom-and-gloomers are actually on the money, they won't even exist to brag about it. 🍿
I'd rather just be an optimist; their sense of smug satisfaction is way too intense for me anyway. ☕

This will be my last post. Look, I’m not questioning anyone’s credentials here, but let's be real: everyone has a price. Eventually, the truth might actually surface regarding who really orchestrated this whole mess... and all the things happening behind the scenes while everyone is distracted by the virus. It’ll be interesting to see how things unfold once the hysteria dies down. ☕ I'm going into isolation from this forum for a while.😁

Paul Bailey98 said:Get used to this kind of moderation—it's standard. Anyone following this thread from the jump has already Googled everything, except maybe the wide-eyed idealists. 😁
If this all plays out well and the skeptics are right, we're all fine. But if us "doomsday preppers" end up being right... well, they won't be around to gloat. 🍿
Honestly, it's better to stay optimistic—their sense of satisfaction is just more potent. ☕

The topic is politics. Period. We're talking about the social and political fallout of the virus—real numbers in different countries and how it hits them. I don't get this style of moderation at all, especially this claim that we're "spreading panic." It’s not like this site is a major national news network—some anonymous user's post isn't going to trigger a nationwide riot, and the forum isn't going to be held liable.

And they keep obsessing over that one specific index. Every major news outlet on the planet is reporting the same thing. Every portal across the US and the EU has multiple stories about the virus, yet here on this forum, it's treated like taboo. It would be better to just lock the thread than to deal with this censorship—it feels less like a discussion and more like state-controlled media you'd see in Iran or similar places.

Author signature. Honestly, the way they’re aggressively shutting down productive discussions is driving me crazy; seeing people who actually contribute something meaningful get penalized or banned based on these completely nonsensical assessments just doesn't make sense to me.

To add to that, I’ve started skipping over the moderator's posts because he keeps dragging the conversation back to those same tired flu analogies, which honestly feels like a form of trolling. I have to give him credit for his effort, but he clearly lacks any sense of objectivity. It’s such a shame because this thread hasn't even veered into paranoid speculation or conspiracy theories yet! Everyone should simply be allowed to present an argued opinion and engage in a constructive debate.

Jason Miller80 said:This time, I’m actually backing the moderator on this one. It isn't just comparable to the flu; it’s arguably worse and far more dangerous, especially considering how fast this virus spreads. As for the WHO, let's be real—there isn't an opinion on this planet that money can't buy, and those people are just as flawed as anyone else. This global hysteria is being manufactured for a reason, serving specific interests, though I won't bother speculating on what those are. Even as someone who usually stands far apart from conspiracy theorists, if you apply even a shred of logic and refuse to succumb to the panic, you can see something smells fishy here.
And make no mistake, we aren't all on the same side. On one side, you have those profiting from this entire situation, and on the other, everyone else, whom they've been trying to keep paralyzed with fear and panic for three months now.

So, by siding with the moderation, you're basically aligning yourself with conspiracy theories and spreading panic. Meanwhile, plenty of people just sharing harmless, verified facts are getting slapped with bans. Your post is living proof of how biased this moderation really is. Shouldn't everyone have the right to express their views? That's what the constitution guarantees, after all. This whole thing has become completely insane.

I honestly have to step in here—the moderator of the moderator pdf politics really needs a firm talking-to for suggesting that the current Corona virus is anything like the seasonal flu.
In terms of almost every major metric, comparing Corona to the flu is just absolute bullshit (I can't even say the actual word here without getting myself banned).

That said, I think we should show some respect to any virus, especially one this new.

It’s been proven that Corona can be lethal, mostly hitting older folks, people with chronic conditions, or those who are malnourished and exhausted—kind of like how medical staff in certain parts of China were pushed to the brink, barely eating or sleeping for days on end.
Plus, its ability to spread is off the charts.

It’s also absolutely devastating for little warm-blooded, furry creatures—think of them as the tiny assets tucked away in things like 401(k)s, or stocks in major corporations, not just here in the States but globally. Honestly, that's what worries me most, especially after seeing how big companies can get fleeced during a crisis. You’ll soon be able to track all the data, see who took a hit and who actually turned a profit.

If you want a really clear, eye-opening breakdown of what's actually happening with Corona, go dig through the corners of the internet—check out the Nu2 segment with Aleksandar Stanković from March 1st, 2020, featuring guest Prof. Dr. Igor Rudan.
He calls for caution, but without the senseless panic or acting like an idiot.
He basically deconstructs all the myths and fears.
He makes it incredibly easy to understand, even for someone totally out of the loop (it's a truly impressive presentation, much like the scale of the Rose Bowl 😁).

For the time being, the whole Corona conversation feels more like a political issue than a health one, and if you ask me, it's heavily tied to economics too.

Everyone seems obsessed with tracking the number of infections, recoveries, and hospitalizations, but let's be real: everyone is actually looking for the death toll.

To keep things interesting, maybe keep an eye on stock market fluctuations—who's buying, who's dumping, who's going bust, and who's making a killing while macroeconomists are busy predicting the next big recession.

I'll admit, I'm a little—well, maybe not *that* much—worried about the flu or those nasty viruses that push a fever past 100.4°F.

As for Corona? Not one bit, as long as I've got food on the table, enough to drink, at least six hours of sleep, and a steady supply of Lupocet, Aspirin, Advil, nasal spray, maybe a splash of good bourbon, and some honey or propolis...

But honestly, the thing I fear most is the virus of human stupidity ( human stupidity )🙄

Bottom line—this is the Message/Complaint/Comment board.
You complained.
You commented.
Message received; we'll give that naughty moderator a reprimand, just like I mentioned earlier. 🙂
The moderators of the moderator pdf politics will open a dedicated thread about Corona once they decide the timing is right.

You won't be venting about Corona and stuff here.

crook ☕