Big bucks are up for grabs with the emergence of potential preventions and vaccinations for the newest coronavirus. And we see more and more hollow claims from firms and labs looking for money. Reader beware.
NB: We don’t need to be negative about any claim. Just don’t be too gullible. Think about who stands to profit (money, status, fame, power) from claims and if there is any proof or support for claims made.
You may find information in hyperlinks about positions shared here when their factuality or actuality is fairly unknown.
● Honest doctors will admit that much is still unknown about the newest coronavirus. That isn’t incompetence. Honestly, not all can be known about a new virus. That doesn’t mean that we should believe people who claim that we know nothing.
● Bacteria are autonomous micro-organisms that can multiply in the for them good environments, like our bodies at 37 degrees Celsius. We give ourselves a fever to inconvenience them until we have generated enough immunity to kill them (takes about a week). We can prevent them from growing by getting this immunity without waiting for a sick week. We may either put anti-bodies in our blood, quickly after we got infected already or just before that (passive vaccination), or we are given stuff that looks like the microbe so that our body makes immunity for the eventuality that we could meet the real thing later (active immunization). Medication, on the other hand, aims to hamper their biochemistry without messing up our own. But viruses are incomplete, compared to bacteria. They use our biochemistry to produce more viruses. So, it’s harder to find medicine that kills off viruses but not us. So, the best way to fight off viruses is a good vaccine, active immunization. Also with COVID-19, that is our big quest.
● Virus mutations in people of already circulating viruses are suspected to be more contagious but less lethal per number of infected people. (But, when a new variation emerges, like from minks farms in the Netherlands or Denmark, it may be as dangerous as the first one from Wuhan. See below.) So, a lower death tolls doesn’t mean doctors got better at curing. And the ‘milder’ version may kill more people because it’s so much easier to catch.
● Low or high, climbing or declining anti-bodies, T-cells, and B-cells in the blood do not prove (a lack of) (changing) immunity. Immunity can’t be detected in the blood. Yet, it is not unthinkable for this immunity not to work against a major mutation of the virus (as we see with the common flu, with over 100 easily achieved mutations).
● A proper vaccine must have been tested on a large and diverse group of people to see if it’s both safe and effective enough. We shouldn’t trust ‘vaccines’ produced without proper and independent checks. People who push a certain cure or prevention must make a clear difference between expectations and hopes, still to be confirmed. Those who don’t, may just try to get rich. Any ‘vaccines’ from/tested in questionable countries (dictatorships, capitalist regimes) should be seen as dangerous until independently scientifically proven safe and effective.
● What is now called ‘cured’ means, not contagious anymore. But people can still be unwell for months from COVID-19. Some rare, nasty results could mean life-long invalidity or kill in the longer run.
● Six Western countries now report mink farms infections with the COVID-19 virus. Worse is that the virus has mutated in these minks with proven infections to humans. One or several such mutations, now not from bats but from minks, may have the potential to start a new pandemic. Acquired immunity from COVID-19 and vaccines now being tested might not protect against such new variants. (Denmark decided to kill off all its 16M minks within 2 weeks. Or won’t it? The Netherlands will take 5 months to kill its 1.5M.) This doom scenario is far from imaginary or certain. But here, old mottos work: Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. And: prevention is better than cure. Wear your mask and keep your social distance.
Now more than ever, long-term optimism to go for the long haul may be the way to go. Just to hang in there, no matter what, may save your life.
Postscript November 11: It turns out that the hasty killing of all minks in Denmark was overly hasty. After killing two-thirds of all Danish minks, 13 million to be precise, it turns out that the mutated virus got eradicated.
About the Author
MM is a prolific and creative writer and thinker, previously a daily blog contributor to the TOI. He often makes his readers laugh, mad, or assume he's nuts—close to perfect blogging. He's proud that his analytical short comments are removed both from left-wing and right-wing news sites. None of his content is generated by the new bore on the block, AI. *
As a frontier thinker, he sees things many don't yet. He's half a prophet. Half. Let's not exaggerate. Or not at all because he doesn't claim G^d talks to him. He gives him good ideas—that's all. MM doesn't believe that people observe and think in a vacuum. He, therefore, wanted a broad bio that readers interested can track a bit what (lack of) backgrounds, experiences, and educations contribute to his visions. *
This year, he will prioritize getting his unpublished books published rather than just blog posts. Of the 15 (!) books he has in mind, the next two are about homosexuality in Judaism and new rabbinics. Next year, he hopes to focus on activism against human extinction. To find less-recent posts on a subject XXX among his over 2600 archived ones, go to the right-top corner of a Times of Israel page, click on the search icon and search "zuiden, XXX". One can find a second, wilder blog that also may contain updates to Times of Israel posts, to which one may subscribe, here: https://mmvanzuiden.wordpress.com/ or by clicking on the globe icon next to his picture on top. *
He's getting ready to publicize books on: "Free Will, "Judaism and Homosexuality, "His parents in the Holocaust, "Judaism, "A New Torah Translation and "A New Hebrew Grammar, "Co-Counseling, "Vegan Facts, "Immortality, and more. *
Like most of his readers, he believes in being friendly, respectful, and loyal. However, if you think those are his absolute top priorities, you might end up disappointed. His first loyalty is to the truth. He agrees that in a post-truth world, that's irrelevant, but then this is for the record. He will try to stay within the limits of democratic and Jewish law, but he won't lie to support opinions or people when don't deserve that. (Yet, we all make honest mistakes, which is just fine and does not justify losing support.) He admits that he sometimes exaggerates to make a point, which could have him come across as nasty, while in actuality, he's quite a lovely person to interact with. He holds - how Dutch - that a strong opinion doesn't imply intolerance of other views. *
Sometimes he's misunderstood because his wide and diverse field of vision seldomly fits any specialist's box. But that's exactly what some love about him. He has written a lot about Psychology (including Sexuality and Abuse), Medicine (including physical immortality), Science (including basic statistics), Politics (Israel, the US, and the Netherlands, Activism - more than leftwing or rightwing, he hopes to highlight reality), Oppression and Liberation (intersectionally, for young people, the elderly, non-Whites, women, workers, Jews, LGBTQIA+, foreigners and anyone else who's dehumanized or exploited), Integrity, Philosophy, Jews (Judaism, Zionism, Holocaust and Jewish Liberation), the Climate Crisis, Ecology and Veganism, Affairs from the news, or the Torah Portion of the Week, or new insights that suddenly befell him. *
Chronologically, his most influential teachers are his parents, Nico (natan) van Zuiden and Betty (beisye) Nieweg, Wim Kan, Mozart, Harvey Jackins, Marshal Rosenberg, Reb Shlomo Carlebach, and, lehavdil bein chayim lechayim, Rabbi Dr. Natan Lopes Cardozo, Rav Zev Leff, and Rav Meir Lubin. This short list doesn't mean to disrespect others who taught him a lot or a little. One of his rabbis calls him Mr. Innovation [Ish haChidushim]. Yet, his originalities seem to root deeply in traditional Judaism, though they may grow in unexpected directions. In fact, he claims he's modernizing nothing. Rather, mainly basing himself on the basic Hebrew Torah text, he tries to rediscover classical Jewish thought almost lost in thousands of years of stifling Gentile domination and Jewish assimilation. (He pleads for a close reading of the Torah instead of going by rough assumptions of what it would probably mean and before fleeing to Commentaries.) This, in all aspects of life, but prominently in the areas of Free Will, Activism, Homosexuality for men, and Redemption. *
He hopes that his words will inspire and inform, and disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed. He aims to bring a fresh perspective rather than harp on the obvious and familiar. When he can, he loves to write encyclopedic overviews. He doesn't expect his readers to agree. Rather, original minds should be disputed. In short, his main political positions are among others: anti-Trumpism, for Zionism, Intersectionality, non-violence, anti those who abuse democratic liberties, anti the fake ME peace process, for original-Orthodoxy, pro-Science, pro-Free Will, anti-blaming-the-victim, and for down-to-earth, classical optimism, and happiness. Read his blog on how he attempts to bridge any tensions between those ideas or fields. *
He is a fetal survivor of the pharmaceutical industry (https://diethylstilbestrol.co.uk/studies/des-and-psychological-health/), born in 1953 to his parents who were Dutch-Jewish Holocaust survivors who met in the largest concentration camp in the Netherlands, Westerbork. He grew up a humble listener. It took him decades to become a speaker too, and decades more to admit to being a genius. But his humility was his to keep. And so was his honesty. Bullies and con artists almost instantaneously envy and hate him. He hopes to bring new things and not just preach to the choir. *
He holds a BA in medicine (University of Amsterdam) – is half a doctor. He practices Re-evaluation Co-counseling since 1977, is not an official teacher anymore, and became a friendly, powerful therapist. He became a social activist, became religious, made Aliyah, and raised three wonderful kids. Previously, for decades, he was known to the Jerusalem Post readers as a frequent letter writer. For a couple of years, he was active in hasbara to the Dutch-speaking public. He wrote an unpublished tome about Jewish Free Will. He's a strict vegan since 2008. He's an Orthodox Jew but not a rabbi. *
His writing has been made possible by an allowance for second-generation Holocaust survivors from the Netherlands. It has been his dream since he was 38 to try to make a difference by teaching through writing. He had three times 9-out-of-10 for Dutch at his high school finals but is spending his days communicating in English and Hebrew - how ironic. G-d must have a fine sense of humor. In case you wonder - yes, he is a bit dyslectic. If you're a native English speaker and wonder why you should read from people whose English is only their second language, consider the advantage of having an original peek outside of your cultural bubble. His posts are spell, grammar, and style polished by AI, but all written by himself. *
To send any personal reaction to him, scroll to the top of the blog post and click Contact Me. *
His newest books you may find here: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AMoshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&s=relevancerank&text=Moshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1
