When comparing the impact of Covid in different countries, Japan is a clear outlier. In 2020, the country had zero days of mandatory business closures and zero days of mandatory stay-at-home orders. Despite seeing less change in mobility than major European countries, Japan has not had any excess mortality since the pandemic began.
As you may recall, the country hosted the Summer Olympics between 23rd July and 8th August. But even that did not lead to a large number of deaths. It has been suggested that Japanese people, and perhaps East Asians in general, have some degree of prior immunity to the virus.
In January of this year, Japan introduced restrictions on businesses for the first time. Specifically, 11 prefectures (including the capital, Tokyo) prohibited bars and restaurants from selling alcohol after 7pm, and forced them to close at 8pm.
In a recent preprint, Reo Takaku and colleagues investigated the impact of these measures on the spread of Covid. They began by checking whether the measures had their intended effect – of reducing the number of people frequenting bars and restaurants. This cannot be taken for granted: the night curfew in Greece had virtually no impact on mobility.
The researchers analysed survey data collected in the autumn of 2020 (when there were no restrictions in place) and the winter of 2021 (when there were restrictions in place). As the chart below indicates, the measures do appear to have had their intended effects.
The x-axis represents how far respondents lived from the border of a prefecture that introduced restrictions. The blue and green lines (corresponding to the right-hand y-axis) show the fraction of people who went to a bar or restaurant at least once in the relevant month.
The blue line corresponds to the autumn of 2020, and the green line corresponds to the winter of 2021. Notice that the green line is substantially flatter than the blue line, but only on the right-hand side of the chart. This suggests that restrictions did reduce the number of people frequenting bars and restaurants.
Next, the researchers examined whether the measures actually reduced the spread of Covid. To do this, they compared self-reported symptoms among individuals living either side of the border of a prefecture that introduced restrictions. They also controlled for a number of characteristics, such as age, marital status and household income.
As the chart below indicates, they found no evidence that the measures reduced the spread of Covid. Individuals living under restrictions were no less likely to report Covid symptoms than their counterparts on the other side of the border. This was true even for young people, and those who regularly used pubs and restaurants.
One plausible explanation for Takaku and colleagues’ findings is that people simply socialised elsewhere. Another possibility is that restrictions do not have additive effects on transmission; perhaps they only make a difference once practically all public locations are closed (including ‘essential’ ones like grocery stores and pharmacies).
“Given the large detrimental effects on employment,” the authors write, “alternative measures for full-service restaurants and bars should be considered”. And the best alternative measure, I would argue, is returning to business as usual.
To join in with the discussion please make a donation to The Daily Sceptic.
Profanity and abuse will be removed and may lead to a permanent ban.
Not to detract from the problems caused by the vaccine, but I have noticed a near relentless pushing of the menopause and treatment for the menopause over the past couple of years. I certainly have friends convinced that they need hrt / more hrt / different hrt to treat menopausal symptoms.
Yes. Particularly odd when the liberal use of HRT a couple of decades ago became severely discouraged because of the discovery of the greatly increased cancer risk.
That study was rubbish, but it was pushed by the Daily Mail into becomng a scare story. It has now been debunked. If you are not a woman then you have no understanding of the absolute requirement to replace the loss of oestrogen during and after the menopause.
My late sister had breast cancer by/on her 50th birthday.
Both a nurse & a doctor informed her that this was due to her high oestrogen use over a long period.
She had a multitude of tiny ‘lumps’ that were not discernible by touch.
What I find odd is the sudden rash of articles in the MSM last autumn on managing the menopause in the workplace. This appeared to be triggered by the decision by the NHS in late summer to be much more mindful of the menopause in staff management (flexible working, sick leave, etc etc).
I don’t mind that they are being thoughtful of the health of their staff — it just seems rather weird that there was this large push to ‘normalise the menopause’ just before the release of a document showing a significant rise in menopausal women in 2021.
Yep, I’ve noticed this too, see comment below. It is being pushed big time, as if they’ve only just discovered this new thing called the menopause. Very strange.
Only strange if it’s compared with the almost total lack of consideration for the problem by GPs previously
Same experience by Mrs Bee during her fortunately sofar rare encounters with members of the medical profession.
Even chiros push it.
We’re also dealing with strong birth years entering that phase.
If you were suffering from the problems associated with the lack of oestrogen in your body you’d be pushing for a solution too.
So now the data comes in! All this should have been tested BEFORE usage on the general public, that’s a moral crime for a kick off!
So at worst, this poison was to cut our numbers down a bit or, at best, a mass test to see what effects it has!
I can only imagine these effects will get worst as time goes on
Difficulties caused by short-cut assessment of a novel product? What a surprise. It’s good to see that some work is being done, at least by yourself, to examine the potential links between one thing and another. Far too many would prefer to ignore it, at least for the time being.
To be a little sceptical, the first graphic seems a little “loaded” by the two trend bars. Remove those and, to my eyes, there seems to be a steady upward trend from 2018. Let’s make sure we don’t follow the example of the climate alarmists of selecting time-periods to fit desired trend-lines.
It is a fair point. From a statistical point of view there is a significant change, but I appreciate that this isn’t a simple clear chart with a single inflection point. The other charts are more convincing from that point of view.
It is a general problem with working with observational data in this way — but without proper trials it is all we’ve got.
I’ve put a more ‘explanatory’ post up on my substack. It is rather boring but does go through some of the issues with working with imperfect data. https://bartram.substack.com/p/enough-about-mortality-what-about-cf4
It is certainly the case that there’s some changes that are masked by longer term trends and which are that little bit more difficult to identify — my post on diabetes yesterday is a case in point — the change in gradient of the ‘people with diabetes’ graph that occurs around the start of 2021 is subtle but it is a statistically significant change.
I too thought a single angled line you fit well. But… Focus on the 1st Jan 21 area. Note the step change: Before this there are no data points over 90k. After this there are no data points under 90k. This seeming step can be double checked another simple way. Cover up the data after this point. The first half of the data then readily suggests a flat trend line. Now cover the data before this point. The second half of the data now suggests another but higher flat trend line.
So I think that based on even this limited info, a step change is likely to have occurred.
Given that both the jabs and the virus (with more jabs causing more, and more severe Covid infections) both cause inflammation of any body system in an unregulated manner, fatigue is a likely symptom regardless of the specific system involved.
In my area, musculoskeletal medicine, I have seen multiple cases of joint, tendon, muscle and nerve inflammation with fatigue being a frequent accompaniment.
Climacteric, or perimenopausal symptoms generally involve vague (fatigue, emotional liability, foggy thinking) and specific (flushes, formication with an “m”, menstrual irregularities) symptoms.
The onset of menopausal symptoms may therefore be either due to true menopause, or other sites of chronic inflammation, with the jabs the underlying factor.
Yes, it is certainly possible that this is what is actually occurring. Are women being given HRT just because they’re ‘about the right age’?
That has been my experience with many women of that age, often with vague symptoms.
I am pretty sure if I went to the GP and said I feel tired and often anxious they would suggest HRT. I remember after my first child having to be quite forceful in saying that although I didn’t want to get pregnant again immediately, I also did not want any of the types of hormonal contraception they were ‘suggesting’ for me. In my anecdotal experience HRT is being massively over prescribed, and sold as a cure all, for women of a certain age
I find it’s also sometimes due to laziness on the part of the GP.
Easier to prescribe a drug than search for a deeper cause.
Not always, but does happen.
Especially if consultations are undertaken by telephone — I think there’s a real risk that at least some women have been prescribed HRT for a problem ‘more complex’ than simply the menopause.
I’m sure you are right, but then why is it being pushed so hard right now? If HRT is being offered to women of a certain age as standard (which I can well believe), whether they’ve indicated a need for it or not, why is there so much attention being paid to it in the media, making it seem as if both doctors and women have no idea that it is an option?
Note that there doesn’t appear to have been a change in policy / medical guidance around menopause in recent years.
I thought there had? Or at least, the WHI study of the early 00s that stopped a lot of women from trying HRT has now been discredited (as I understand it) so doctors are more comfortable with any CV risk.
Surely a case of “follow the money” – an enormous potential market out there and books by Mariella Frostrop and Davina McCall (no I don’t really care to read of their experiences either).
Completely agree.
i always felt it was possible to get through the menopause by giving time to adjust & stabilise, supported where necessary by good nutrition & natural supplements, appropriate herbal teas etc.
I found that this was indeed the case for myself and within 2-3 years I had very happily adjusted, & have remained well.
I am 50. I am unvaccinated. I have been on HRT since 2020 (January), and it was almost instantaneous in relieving sore/stiff joints and foggy headedness.
Weirdly, I noted that COVID felt a lot like menopausal symptoms. Tired and foggy headed and slightly aching joints. I am going to bet that spike protein toxicity may be tricking many women of menopausal age into thinking they have menopausal symptoms, when actually it’s the flipping jabs again.
That said, Davina McCall has been banging this drum since before I started on HRT, and the push towards women being given special consideration for the menopause predated the pandemic. I noted it because I am of that age.
Good to know and very helpful that you’ve shared your experience. I’m a few years younger but it won’t be too long before it will be on my radar too. I also remember all the scary data around HRT years ago, but I’ve never looked into it since then so I could do with updating my knowledge really.
Excellent work.
This ties in with something I’ve noticed in the past few months.
I’ve mentioned before, I watch a number of the UK soaps, have done for years. Although they have always tended to pick up on current topics, in the past years they seem to have become propaganda arms for the government – a recent storyline on refugees was so OTT and false, I was almost rooting for the cartoon-villain ‘right-wing extremists’ rather than our kind-hearted, empathetic heros who only want to make the world a better place.
In any event, I have also noticed a rather extraordinary amount of attention being paid to the menopause, HRT and menstrual problems. Not a normal, let’s get a storyline on this going, no, really pushing it like the menopause and HRT were completely new concepts that no one had ever heard of before. I’ve also noticed a lot or articles appearing on HRT / menopause in the Daily Mail, giving me the same sensation – making it appear as if this is something completely new and that it requires serious attention.
I wondered why the big push and thought it might just be a pharma ploy to flog more product, but after reading your article it’s made me wonder if it’s not the government subtly trying to rectify the wrongs caused by the poison, just like we have been seeing ads and storylines about strokes, heart attacks and shingles. Interesting and requires more follow up. Anecdotally I have heard some stories about significant menstrual irregularities that the vaxxed women involved didn’t think about until they had heard about it from someone else. I have read (not heard anecdotally) that women who had already gone through menopause were menstruating again after being vaxxed.
A recent girlfriend – a quaint word I still use – was having HRT and multiple-jabbed. She began bleeding and said it was like she was menstruating again. A coincidence perhaps? I don’t think so.
I have a slightly different take on HRT.
The narrative on HRT has dramatically shifted over the past few years.
The relationship between HRT and breast cancer was stated as the reason women should not take HRT.
This narrative has now shifted and the beneficial effects of oestrogens on cardiac disease, bone density and relieving of symptoms is now recognised.
As a clinical response it does make sense to get oestrogen back to physiological levels, unless harms of doing this can be proven.
I think it is still contraindicated if you have a family history of breast cancer though (mother/aunt/sister)?
Cardiac disease and bone density can both be addressed non pharmaceutically.
I do realise some people experience debilitating symptoms and for these people HRT should be available but it is less than 50% I believe
I wonder if there’s any link between this and the recent rise in divorce rates?
While I’m subject to experience bias (currently being divorced myself, her demand), I can’t help but notice her behavioural changes over the last two years, which just happens to coincide with the many jabs she had relatively early due to her working in a bio lab. Particularly over the last year, after the fourth jab.
Speaking objectively, she looks physically exhausted, more haggard. She’s 37, but I’d say she’s aged more in the last 2 years than in the prior 15.
In addition, there’s the behaviour changes. Far more tetchy and irrational. The only time I’ve seen her like this before was 15 years back when she changed from the injection to the implant, and she had a massive hormone swing. Went from no serious period to being “on” for three weeks outta four. Now she’s acting like that again, but without the medication change.
I can’t say I’d be suprised to learn that an increase in women becoming like this led to in increase in divorce rates.
Indeed. Completely anecdotal, but have discussed exactly this with a number of chums recently: we’ve all noticed jabbees in our lives who have become more tetchy, irritable, intolerant and forgetful – and apparently ageing rapidly too.
Men and women, of course.
But perhaps it is just the impact of extreme cognitive dissonance as the reality of the psychological manipulation over the last 3 years starts to seep into their brains.
That and being cooped up with spouse and family during lockdowns…
Aren’t we supposed to be saying ‘people with themopause symptoms’ these days? [sarc]
As well as menopause, now that so many
womenpeople [more sarc] are having heavier monthly cycles have you also noticed that sanitary product adverts are getting more graphic too, with the previously coy blue fluids being replaced by splashy reds? And as for that ‘period drama’ advert – sheesh.Covid injectable products – the gift that keep on giving.
To be fair to the marketing folk, they were mandated to use blue water in the adverts because the advertising standards folk said that it would be too yucky to use red.
Given that this is a normal bodily function for about half of the population this could be considered as being a bit too ‘protective’ (I imagine they thought that women were too delicate to handle red water in the adverts).
Of course, the best way to handle being cross with TV marketing is to stop watching TV — this also has other benefits.
Ha ha – yes of course, to the blue and the TV! It’s just that there are a couple of sci fi shows l like to watch (sad, I know) and while you can turn the sound off during the ads, the pix are still there….
The rise corresponds to a huge rise in awareness spearheaded by such documentaires as Davina Macall’s and also work by menopause expert Dr Lousie Newson https://www.balance-menopause.com/ Better evidence is available showing more accurately the risk/benefits involved. Below 61 HRT is protective against cancer as well as providing multiple other benefits at other ages eg – bone and heart health, demetntia protection, mood etc. Previous concerns about cancer seem very overblown. It makes sense that women showing symptoms of hormone deficiency have that hormone replaced if that is what they need to improve their quality of life. Often they have been offered antidepressants when depression is not the cause. Jobs, health, family relations have suffered. I am on my soap box unapologetically! It is great to see this rise in awareness leading to women being able to access this help and more benefitting. Of course some will be mis prescribed it but the evidence coming in is this is overwhemingly giving women who are struggling their lives back (yes, I was one) and awareness in the medical community still has a long way to go.
The app seems like a very useful tool for those going through the menopause.
But there was no particular rise in awareness in the menopause during 2021 — the only news was about Covid back then.. There was a push for awareness of the menopause that came late in 2022.
No, it has been happening for a few years, though it has really taken off recently.
One other factor is that it is seen a bit of money spinner for a lot of investment – “femtech” (apps ‘n’ stuff), the switch to OTC (first non Rx HRT was made available in UK last year), supplements targeted at menopausal women etc. I get lots of interest in this space at the moment, and that is going to increase the noise further, as the companies operating in the space will throw money into growing awareness more & funding campaigns, in order to expand their customer base.
Dr Louise Newson for example working away with media appearances and online work could have had a significant impact. Would have to ask to know.I do suspect this is more mixed than the vax alone – , that awareness followed by help from hrt has been taken whether vaxxed or not but that also does not exclude that there could also be problems from the vax that are part of the reason for the rise.
Could be. We really owe it to the women of the UK to undertake proper research to investigate. It would be great if we could find reassurance that it was all due to Davina, but even a slight risk of post-vaccine triggering of the menopause would be extraordinarily important for women.
But where is the research? It is certainly true that in the past women suffered from being sidelined in medicine, particularly wrt menstruation and the menopause — are we to return to the days where women are fobbed off with a convenient answer?
Exactly as I said in my post. I have been following the HRT evidence for years and the evidence for its use and the narrative has gradually shifted.
Another possibility: prescription of female hormones to men to aid transition to women. See here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/gender-dysphoria/treatment/. These “men” would quite possibly be classified as “women” on the database.
Further to the Pfizer sting and the Israeli findings:
In the transcript below a Director of Pfizer acknowledges menstrual irregularities in women who have submitted to the company’s mRNA Covid therapy. He claims to understand the significance of these disturbances but does not understand the biological mechanism that could cause them. As such, he accepts the need for an investigation.
He appears confident Pfizer will not be held legally liable for any injuries caused by known side effects to their mRNA Covid therapy. His concerns rest with the potential damage to Pfizer’s reputation if unforeseen side effects emerge following the brutal pressure to do the right thing to stop the spread.
Speaking of Pfizer’s reputation he says, “…..if something were to happen downstream, and it was really bad, the scale of that scandal would be enormous.”
His interlocutor speculates, “I hope nobody is growing three legs or something like that?”
To which he replies, “Or the next generation’s super fucked up! Could you imagine the scandal? Oh my God! I would take Pfizer off my resume.”
The conversation is part of an expose by the investigative journalists at Project Veritas, published on Wednesday 2nd February 2023. The context is a honey-trap and sting in which Dr Jordon Trishton Walker, Pfizer Director of Worldwide Research and Development, is being recorded while socialising on a date.
A partial, edited, transcript follows:
Jordon Trishton Walker: “There is something irregular about menstrual cycles. We will have to investigate that down the line. [As a urologist] I understand that it’s weird. I don’t know what’s going on there.”
“I hope we don’t find out that mRNA lingers in the body because it has to be impacting something hormonal to impact menstrual cycles. We need to find out how it is impacting these hormones because the signalling starts in the brain right? The [covid19] vaccine doesn’t cross the blood brain barrier.”
“…….there was a lot of social pressure, government pressure, job pressure to get the vaccine. “I had to get the vaccine otherwise I would have gotten fired”, right? And if something were to happen downstream, and it was really bad, the scale of that scandal would be enormous.”
Pfizer aren’t the only organisation to observe menstrual irregularities after administering the mRNA Covid therapy. The Israeli Ministry of Health commissioned a study illustrating a causal link between the Pfizer therapy and menstrual problems which was buried but subsequently exposed by Israeli journalist Yaffa Shir Raz.
Professor Retsev Levi, a professor in health systems from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, commenting on the leaked video, says, “Once the vaccine campaign started, many women reported menses irregularities. The finding of this research team was very clear, the side effects are definitely caused by the vaccine.”
“The research shows the side effects are long term and serious and the lead researcher is basically saying you have to think very carefully about how you communicate this to the public because you may open yourselves to legal lawsuits and liability issues because what you promoted isn’t, in fact, the reality or what we see in the reports.”
Dr Walker also worries about the consequences if it can be shown that the mRNA lingers in the body. The evidence that mRNA lingers and accumulates in all the major organs, including the ovaries, is well established. Extensive bio-distribution of mRNA in the form of lipid nano particles is not an unexpected consequence of mRNA injections, it is a design feature.
Dr Walker assumes the menstrual problems must be related to a disruption to the hormonal system regulating fertility, he does not consider the possibility that the ovaries might be under direct attack from the lipid nano particles that carry the mRNA.
Since mRNA collects in the ovaries, can it be absorbed by those cells and proceed to manufacture and express the spike protein thereby fulfilling the function it was designed to perform? If the answer is yes could this damage the reproductive system?
Dr Walker doesn’t believe mRNA can cross the blood brain barrier but the European Medicines Agency, commenting on the Moderna mRNA therapy, said, “Low levels of mRNA could be detected in all examined tissues except the kidneys. This included heart, lung, testis and also brain tissues, indicating that the mRNA/LNP platform crossed the blood/brain barrier.”
The European Union put aside 35 billion euros to pay for its mRNA Covid campaign. The European Commission President, Ursula Von Der Leyden, took a personal interest in the contract negotiations, raising eyebrows over private communications with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla.
Will politicians take such a direct and personal interest in this issue and put their hands in our pockets to pay for the necessary research into mRNA side effects?
“Imagine the Scandal!” would be a good title for a book about this Covid mess.
Brilliant!!
It desperately needs writing, I’d buy it…….
Never judge a book by its cover-up though (groan)
I imagine “Sir” Chris and “Sir” Patrick returning their baubles as waves of grief and guilt overwhelm them. They cleanse their rotten consciences with an excoriating expose of the Covid cover-ups, bringing the whole house of cards down and setting it on fire.
“Imagine the Scandal! The road to redemption.”
I need to get out more.
Two other factors are at play here, which may have an impact on the correlation/causation relationship. The NHS has had a massive focus on Menopause and HRT for the past 18 months or so. Eventually it has been realised that the condition has been handled appallingly over the year, especially by GPs; the gatekeepers to our “Envy of the World” health service. This has created a considerable increase in scripts for both systemic and local HRT. At the same time there have been supply problems so ladies have been presribed greater quantities than normal. If you’re a man then you have absolutely no idea of the physical and consequent psychological problems caused by lack of oestrogen for women (other genders are not available!).