Viral Racketeers

 

Cartoon - ©Mankoff

 

Why is it that the only common sense written about the pandemic in this country seems to come from one general circulation newspaper (Private Eye notwithstanding, Joe!): The Guardian? Surely the time for partisan politics is over, at least for the duration of the current crisis. We need to start addressing this thing rationally through reasoned, scientific analysis and not through the arse-end of a balance sheet (cf spreadsheets, this blog, passim).

Two posts in today's Grauniad (sic, in case you don't know the reference) are obvious stand-outs for anger at the current political response to our present, sorry situation.

The first piece is by Julian Tang, who points out that all the evidence thus far proves this virus to be airborne and that there have been no proven infections via surface contact as yet, although as he says this is not proof that this is not a vector. However, the government's response thus far has centred primarily around this mode of infection, only raising the issue of airborne transmission in terms of coughs and sneezes spread diseases.

Singing was early-ish on the list of suspected possible airborne vectors, but just about any un-masked behaviour would seem to be in question. However, virtually no-one thus far has mentioned vaping. It would be good if someone could at least advise on its potential as an aerosol medium with possibly the best chance of carrying a significant viral load from deep within an infected person's lungs to the outside world in a dense cloud of slowly dispersing vapour. Given the fact that the severity of infection seems to be proportional to initial viral load, based on the fact that people exposed on a daily basis to high numbers of infected people seem to be worst affected, viz the medical professions, care workers, public transport employees, etc., you would think that some thought would be given to assessing the risks of secondary inhalation of vapers' vapours and some appropriate research/action taken.

Secondly is George Monbiot's piece on the total shitshow that is the Test, Track, Trace, etc. fiasco. Serco are contracted at great public expense to perform this 'service' and then proceed to further sub-contract the work out to companies paying minimum wage to unqualified and desperate-for-work young people who then are expected/coerced to make clinical decisions over the phone to members of the public who have been in contact with infected people. You really wouldn't want to make this up.

Someone really needs to take this government to task and to stop getting sidetracked with other issues - this is simply too urgent and too important an issue. Politics has to be backgrounded for the duration: we are on a war footing and under such conditions, the outsourcing and exploitation of national resources for personal gain should be considered racketeering, with the perpetrators facing stiff jail sentences; including those members of the government responsible for this sick black-marketeering masquerading as business.

During either of the two World Wars, the penalty for such activities was hanging; not something of which I would advocate the return; but it gives an idea of how serious this issue really is. The 'business' activities of our elite classes are in serious danger of putting our entire population and our country at risk. They need to be brought to heel. Very soon.