Part Two: The Pandemic

Benjamin Vazsonyi is in his junior year in our high school program and has been given freedom to conduct his education on his terms. He began a 3 part (so far) series of what he has been able to do as a self directed learner. Part one is about his journey towards being a full fledged pilot. Here is part 2.

In January 2020, I started following the Coronavirus and information related to its effects on health and the economy. I talked about the epidemic with other people, and most of them told me that it was nothing more than the flu. I argued with them, because from information that I was looking into, the virus appeared more serious than the flu.

Politics

In March 2020, everyone started to care about Coronavirus. It was no longer simply an epidemic in East Asia. It had become a Pandemic. I knew the United States had a very reactive and self-centered culture, but what I observed, the United States took that to another level. We knew what the virus could do. We knew how infectious it was and how deadly it was, and yet we acted as though the United States was completely immune. We didn’t even care when the virus spread to Southern Europe and caused serious damage there. People who took action against the virus early on were labeled as “Racist” and “Xenophobic”. That was how out of touch the United States was with the rest of the world. Out of touch, and unwilling to prepare.

Once people in the United States started to take the virus seriously, all reactions became fear-based. All responses to the virus and its effects were based on fear. Apart from developing the vaccines, there was very little focus on solutions. Partisan leaders in the United States started using the virus to further their political agendas. Different political ideologies supported different strategies in terms of what to do about the virus. The two main political parties in the United States started a moral competition in which they used their own “Science” in order to support their outrageous actions. Their “Science” consisted of Anthony Fauci (or another public health authority figure) standing in front of a camera and repeating exactly what they wanted to hear and what they wanted others to hear. The political parties then twisted what he or other health authority figures said into whatever they wanted their followers to believe.

The lockdowns (mainly enacted by Democrats) caused serious economic issues, as well as another public health problem. The data manipulation (which was most prevalent in Republican-run states) prevented people from making the best choices for themselves and their families.

Lab Origins

Already in January 2020, there was speculation that SARS-CoV-2 had emerged from a lab in Wuhan, China. That speculation was immediately crushed by the mainstream media. Around late April 2020, I came across and explored in the scientific literature the lab origin theory again; I found there was strong evidence to support the lab origin theory. Once again, most mainstream news outlets dismissed that theory. Virologists who had worked alongside Anthony Fauci dismissed the lab origin theory as well.

Recently, Anthony Fauci’s emails were released to the public. His emails revealed that he had corresponded with virologists about the origins of the virus, and that the virologists speculated that the virus might have been released from the lab. They pointed to certain markers in the genome which looked engineered to them. Anthony Fauci reacted to this by organizing a cover-up in which these virologists released papers claiming that the virus had natural origins. The evidence which they provided was very weak and looked partially fabricated.

Coronavirus Treatments

I searched the scientific literature for a deeper understanding of the science behind potential treatments, as this was not easily found in mainstream media.  Specifically I dove deeply into the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine and the mechanism by which it worked. I even wrote a blog post about this.

Media’s coverage

The mainstream media has been a large part of this coronavirus situation. I believe that a large part of the coronavirus response was based on news reports rather than sound scientific evidence. Face masks are an example of that. In March and early April of 2020, people were told not to wear masks. Around mid April, there was a news report about the east Asian countries and how they controlled the virus. The mainstream news outlets reported that the Chinese said that masks were the reason why the virus stopped spreading. After that report, masks became almost universally mandated. It might have been a coincidence, but to me it looks like mask mandates were based only on anecdotal evidence.

The coronavirus situation is very complicated and rapidly changing. I am very grateful to continue to have the chance to study this virus and situation the way that I am able to.