Covid Politicized

Consider some numbers and reports here: 1. Philippines: Births are declining and decline is accelerating . Average 139,500 births/month in 2019,  127,400/month in 2020, 101,400/month in January-September 2021. Nearly 150,000 fewer births in 2020 compared with 2019, and there will be around 300,000 fewer births in 2021 than 2020. Fewer marriages too, average 40,000 marriages/month in 2019, 20,065 in 2020. 2. Big rise deaths in 2021 when mass vaccination started . Average 51,694 deaths/month in 2019, 51,156/month in 2020, 55,244/month in Jan-Feb 2021, 61,484/month March-Sept 2021.  Excess mortality of 19,500/month March-July 2021 over same period in 2020, 37,000 in August, 49,000 in September. See my column last January 10, 2022, https://www.bworldonline.com/philippines-monthly-birth-and-death-data-show-that-indefinite-lockdown-and-mass-vaccination-are-wrong/ 3. PH net population loss: "I then calculated, with reference to 2019 monthly data, the preliminary monthly population losse

Some good news here: (1) Czech Rep., Jan. 20: New Czech government dismisses mandate vaccination plan By KAREL JANICEK Associated Press  20 January 2022, 00:24 https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/czech-government-dismisses-mandate-vaccination-plan-82352700 (2) France, Jan. 21: France to ease Covid-19 restrictions starting Feb 2 https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/france-to-ease-covid-19-restrictions-starting-feb-2 (3) UK, Jan. 19: England Ends All COVID Passports, Mask Mandates, Work Restrictions By Lily Zhou   January 19, 2022 https://www.theepochtimes.com/england-ends-all-covid-passports-mask-mandates-work-restrictions_4222549.html (4) Israel, Jan. 18: Finance minister calls for cancellation of COVID vaccine ‘Green Pass’ 18 January 2022, 4:23 pm  https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/finance-minister-calls-for-cancellation-of-covid-vaccine-green-pass/ Related stories: 1. World Health Organization: ‘No Evidence At All’ That Healthy Children, Adolescents Need Boosters

* My column in  BusinessWorld  last January 10. ----------- The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) released the updated monthly vital statistics last week, on Jan. 6, and many numbers are interesting or shocking. One, births are declining and this decline is accelerating.  From an average of 139,500 births a month in 2019, it went down to 127,400/month in 2020 and 101,400/month in January-September 2021. So, there were nearly 150,000 fewer births in 2020 compared with 2019, and there will be around 300,000 fewer births in 2021 than 2020. Two, there were fewer marriages in 2020 due to the strict lockdown.  On average there were 40,000 marriages/month in 2019, then there was a drastic decline to only 20,065 in 2020, with the biggest decline in April-May 2020 with only 866 and 4,135 marriages, respectively. Economic and health/psychological stress must have also contributed to fewer babies for young married couples. Three, there was a big rise in the number of deaths in 2021 when mass

CDC Ph lauds SP Sotto, PAO chief for defending rights of unvaccinated individuals January 20, 2021 The Concerned Doctors and Citizens of the Philippines recently praised Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III and Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) Chief Persida Acosta for speaking up for the rights of unvaccinated individuals. CDC Ph president Dr. Homer Lim said that the country urgently needs people like Sotto and Acosta, who are willing to openly defend the unvaccinated, a group that has been the target of discriminatory policies from goverment. “The reason there’s an equal protection clause in the Constitution is to ensure that the majority cannot bully the minority,” Lim said. “But that’s exactly what’s happening now. First it was no vax, no work; now it’s no vax, no ride; in the end it will be no vax, no rights.” Sotto attends CDC Ph weekly huddle Sotto recently attended a weekly huddle organized by CDC Ph to hear out the sentiments of concerned citizens, who requested the solon to

* My article in  BusinessWorld , January 3, 2022. ------------- This column is a list of the significant economic events of last year. 1. In the top 50 largest economies in the world by GDP size, the five worst performing and deepest GDP contractions in 2020 were: Spain with -10.8%, followed by Argentina -9.9%, the UK -9.8%, the Philippines -9.6%, and Italy -8.9%. Final 2020 data with projections for 2021-2025 were released by the IMF World Economic Outlook (WEO) in October 2021. 2. Of the top 50, only seven countries managed to grow and escape contraction in 2020, four of which are in South and East Asia: Bangladesh with 3.5%, Taiwan 3.1%, Vietnam 2.9%, and China 2.3%. The Philippines was the 34th largest economy in the world in 2020 but may have been the 32nd if it shrank only by around -8% or lower and not -9.6%. 3. There was GDP growth in the first to third quarters of 2021. Almost all countries managed to grow but largely due to “base effect” — their 2020 GDP levels were low so an

CDCPh calls MMDA lockdown of unvaxxed Filipinos unconstitutional, oppressive 07 January 2022 The Concerned Doctors and Citizens of the Philippines (CDC Ph) expressed its vehement opposition against the recent Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Resolution No. 22-01 imposing enhanced restrictions on unvaccinated individuals. CDC Ph, which advocates for evidence-based medicine and human rights, called the resolution, the first issued by MMDA this year, unconstitutional and particularly oppressive to the most vulnerable sectors of Philippine society. Freedom to make informed decisions “This resolution flat out ignores the constitutionally-protected right of every Filipino to make independent, informed decisions that massively impacts their health and the well-being of their loved ones,” said Dr. Homer Lim, President of CDC Ph. Lim said that there are no medical studies on adverse long-term side effects of the vaccines currently being administered throughout the country and as