1 hour ago, connda said:

$$$ Cha-Ching ฿฿฿

And that goes for the stockholders, too.

;-)

6 hours ago, sandyf said:

A lot less global movement back then.

Well Yes & No.

 

The 1918-20 pandemic spread around the globe due the massive movements of men returning from WW1.

 

Rather unusual for the era since most folks hardly travelled 50 miles from their home in normal times

45 minutes ago, huangnon said:

With the opioid crisis though, they (specifically Perdue Pharma with Oxycontin) became legalized heroin dealers, citing (their own) bogus conditions like "breakthrough pain" to massively ramp up dose size. They created a dependency.

Yes there was bad behavior.  The system is suppose to rely on the pharmaceutical company being responsible, the government approving only safe drugs and monitoring their usage, and doctors who were are suppose to act solely in the best interests of the patients.  Blaming only the pharmaceutical companies is ignoring the roles the others played. 

1. Some pharmaceutical companies seeing the profits encourage the excess use of their drugs.  That really is no different than a tobacco company who seeks to increase smoke, an distiller who wants to sell more alcohol, or McDonalds who wants to sell more fattening Big Mac's and Fries.   What should have and eventually did happen is that the bad pharma companies were cited and hopefully those who deliberately engaged in harmful practices will spend some time in jail. 

2. The government approved these drugs and safe and effective.  And, for a certain group of patients they were beneficial.  However the government had computer real time records of how much of these drugs were being dispensed and in particular the amount of these drugs being prescribed by specific doctors   They did nothing. They knew the drugs were being over prescribed and they knew certain doctors and clinics were prescribing far more than would be reasonable and they sat on their hands. 

3. The doctors are suppose to be the gate keepers.  They are not suppose to prescribe medicines they know are harmful, hook patients on drugs making them dependent, or prescribe unnecessary medicines or treatments.  Guess what.  Not all of the doctors have halo's.  Again, the pharma companies made the drugs but without the doctors being complicit they could not have been sold. 

So who is at fault?  Really all three but I would lay the blame more solidly on the government.  You know their is a profit and greed motive and yet the only party in a position to stop the practice was the government and they turned a blind eye to it.  Really not any different than the financial crisis in 2008,  The government not only took a blind eye to the "non conforming loans"  they encourage it. 

Finally, while I would condemn the actions of selected pharmaceutical companies for the damage and deaths to U.S., citizens, the same government allows almost unrestricted the flow of illegals into the USA which sets up the distribution network from central and South America for the heroin, meth, cocaine and fentanyl.   So if you think the government can solve the problem.  Never put in charge of fixing a problem those primarily responsible for allowing the problem to occur in the first place. 

3 hours ago, aussienam said:

I read one opinion from a virologist/epidemiologist in relation to Omicron in that with regards to admittedly only early data, Omicron, although allegedly a lot more infectious, may have less severe symptoms. 

He said this could be a good thing if a highly virulent strain like this dominated, as it could rapidly spread and help cause COVID to naturally die off (words to that effect). 

 

So, from my layman understanding, a very infectious COVID strain with very mild symptoms that was allowed to spread could be the way to wipe this thing out.  

That is, if it doesn't mutate.

8 hours ago, DefaultName said:

I find it amazing that they can look at a virus and make a vaccine like making a key for a lock.  

That's the analogy that is used for teaching students in school about it. 

Appears to some that it would be much more practical to venture into the development of long term antiviral therapeutics, less the unpredictability of vaccines. 

1 minute ago, zzaa09 said:

Appears to some that it would be much more practical to venture into the development of long term antiviral therapeutics, less the unpredictability of vaccines. 

The drug companies and every medical authority have stressed that antiviral therapeutics are not a substitute for vaccines.

14 hours ago, Bkktodd said:

1918 everyone stuck together and wore masks so the virus died out with less hosts.  2021  hosts live and thrive on stupidity 

This ☝???? 

On 11/30/2021 at 2:55 PM, GinBoy2 said:

Back in the day, the 1918 Spanish flu killed millions, but in a world before vaccines had burnt itself out within two years.

Yes, well now you know why.

On 12/1/2021 at 6:13 PM, freedomnow said:

Yes, well now you know why.

Suxs for those millions that died…bet they wish there was a cure

6 hours ago, Bkktodd said:

Suxs for those millions that died…bet they wish there was a cure

No shortage of humans.

On 11/30/2021 at 9:34 PM, talahtnut said:

Omicron from the Greek alphabet,  derived from the Phoenician letter 'ayin',

'The all seeing eye'

Omicron virus announced 666 days after the the original covid announcement.

666 the number of the Beast.

Spooky or what.

What.