Fear and the Covid Crisis: The Speech that Might Have Changed the World

"Some time ago I initiated an Official Information Act request, which yielded, to my astonishment, the following draft...

Recently one of the world's foremost epidemiologists, Dr. John Ioannidis of Stanford University in California, analysed COVID data in the United States and discovered that the case-fatality rate — that is, its danger — is comparable to that of seasonal influenza. In other words, COVID is no worse than a flu, which every year takes a toll, and which itself is part of our natural cycle of life.

In fact, according to our Public Health Advisory Group and our Director General of Health, it is unclear that COVID meets the criteria of a true pandemic.

Masks have never been effective in preventing transmission of a respiratory virus and need not be worn. In fact, they may pose the hazard of bacterial infection and shortness of breath.

We can find no scientific basis for social distancing to prevent viral spread.

Lockdowns run contrary to well-established pandemic guidelines. They amount to nothing less than imprisonment, and their impact on our economy and on the mental and physical health of our population would be disastrous. Imagine not being able to congregate at a house of worship, or visit an elderly relation in a nursing home, or attend a wedding, or get the medical screenings or the surgeries you waited so long for!