Five years on, what did COVID teach you?

Asia countries that have had warning systems for decades were more prepared for what had to be done,

Really, the wuhan early warning system in China wasn't too effective was it? The authorities there were hiding the fact that they had a new contagious flu like virus and consequently some infected people were able to leave China and travel to Europe especially bergamo in Italy. China never allowed an international team to investigate the origins of the covid virus. It was only international scientists that happened to be working in the bio lab in China that leaked the dna code of the virus to the outside world. The Chinese authorities and scientists were all trying to keep it secret

Sure there was gombeens insisting Ireland had the most severe and longest lasting lockdowns in the world.

And genuinely claiming that Evil Tony was never ever going to allow pubs to open and only allow evil restaurants open.

Go to youtube, google Wuhan lockdown and set the comments to just the weeks after and you'll nothing but conspiracies about it being a communist hoax to lock people up.

Pandemic protocols are a norm in Asia, but not really anywhere else except in sub sahara where ebola is a constant worry.

am happy to admit there were aspects I enjoyed about the pandemic, catching up with my book pile without distraction was a personal favorite, but nothing about my coping required contravening a collective effort.

Edit to add my partner had to return to healthcare duties during lockdown and she is rightly hostile to people boasting about flouting protective measures.

Your posts are like a reheat of the whole liveline Joe Duffy show through out the covid period.

"Now Wash Your Hands "

"Joe, I was disgusted absolutely disgusted to see a load of builders in my local Centra in high viz jackets all laughing and joking and not social distancing. I was so disgusted I immediately walked out and warned other residents not to enter the shop. All the building sites need to be closed immediately, Joe, immediately "

At least you posted a source for your critical thinking this time

Great book, Alan Moore was on fire during that period and David Lloyd's art really worked in tandem.

But you know what? It's an anti establishment comic book from the 80s aimed at teens / young adults. Nothing wrong with that, but when you 'fully grow up', you should see it for what it is, entertainment.

Some studies suggest it traveled to China from Italy in 2019.

This study shows an unexpected very early circulation of SARS-CoV-2 among asymptomatic individuals in Italy several months before the first patient was identified, and clarifies the onset and spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Wuhan hosted the World Military Games in October 2019, but lung tissue samples from normal screening showed an earlier version of the same virus already swirling in Italy before it showed up in China.

Even though it was called the Spanish Flu it is believed that virus originated in the WWI battlefields, but due to wartime press restrictions public reportage didn't emerge until it reached Spain.

The bias against China was strong in western media, but the science suggests it originated in Europe.

Imagine people, and a lot of people at that, think they are smearing you by calling you a 'critical thinker'.

What a time to be alive.

You don't be thinking too much now, you hear. All the cool people, they do as they are told.

Some people thought they knew better than the virus.

Critical thinking is fine in the right time and space, but some people couldn't grasp that a mask needs to cover the nose as well as the mouth to be anyway effective.

If smoking in pubs were banned today there would be "critical thinkers" kicking back against it.

The bias against China was strong in western media, but the science suggests it originated in Europe.

Rubbish absolute rubbish, you are still trying to propagate that lie now 5 years later. You would put Putin's propagandists and Z patriots in the halpenny place.

Are you serious COVID 19 started in Italy !!

If you opened the link of the peer reviewed study you'd see that it was detected in samples in Italy prior to it being identified in China. It may originated elsewhere, but just because it was detected in tissue samples in Italy doesn't mean that's where it started, just as the Spanish Flu not originating in Spain.

But by all means smear the peer reviewed studies with bias.

So because some people were thicker than pìgshit about how to properly use a mask that shows that all masks were a waste of time?

Christ I missed the anti-madness crew the hoops they'd jump through. Lads proud that they paid for and dumped pub food so they could "win" and get a pint. Oblivious that they were wasting their own money to "win". Then blaming Holohan for food waste/expense that THEY were doing to "beat" the system. Real critical thinkers all right.

And in that cohort there are medical professionals :(