Beware the Delta Variant
Get Real Information
The Delta variant of COVID-19 is here, it is real and it is potentially very dangerous.
And many people are concerned. There were about 30,600,000 searches for “Delta variant” on Yahoo.com this year so far, coming on the heels of 2020 when “Coronavirus” was the most searched word on Goggle.
But the amount of legitimate information in the Internet ether is questionable and many question if it is another “hoax” and nothing to worry about. Type in “Delta variant conspiracy” and you could spend the rest of your days reading through about 2,510,000 Yahoo search results. We don’t live in an age of information, we live in a tsunami of words where perversely, the more information we have, the more facts we have to question and the more we are confused.
There are legitimate stories and those that were plucked from some parallel but opposite universe and figuring out which is which is like separating the wheat from the chaff and there is a whole lot of chaff. Chaff, you may not know, is the dry, scaly protective casing of the seeds of cereal grains, and it is indigestible to humans.
Of course, not everybody is drowning in a sea of concern over COVID-19. Semrush.com reports that the top most Googled questions globally for last 12 months were “what to watch” with 9.8 million searches; “what dinosaur has 500 teeth” with 7.6 million searches; and “where is my stimulus” with 6.9 million queries. Google had 62.19 billion visits in 2019, making it the most visited website on the planet.
The insidious nature of fake news was demonstrated in this very blog, which Facebook rejected because it was blocked because of “certain content and actions.” Facebook did allow me to explain that I had to include questionable information to demonstrate the nature of fake news.
“If you think we’ve made a mistake, please let us know,” reads the Facebook comment, however, noting that any response would be futile because “while we aren’t able to review individual reports, the feedback you provide will help us improve the ways we keep Facebook safe.”
I go to the Washington Post and the N.Y. Times for reliable information. I also Google subjects and read only those that come from what I believe are reputable sources. For example:
The Washington Post story of July 7, noted that “the highly transmissible coronavirus variant called delta is present in all 50 states and is expected to become dominant in most parts of the United States in coming weeks.”
It quoted Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who said that an estimated 25 percent of new infections in the country have been linked to the variant and it accounts for nearly one in two sequenced cases in some communities.
The Post story also responded to commonly asked questions about the variant and how to protect yourself. Questions include: What is the delta variant? Why is the delta variant a concern? How effective are the vaccines against the variant? How will the delta variant affect the U. S.? Do symptoms from delta infections differ from infections from other strains of the coronavirus? Will booster shots be needed? What is the delta variant?
Another legitimate news source is scientificamerican.com, which recently reported that the “Delta variant triggers dangerous new phase in the pandemic.” A CBS News Video reported that “The Delta variant is a looming threat in parts of the Midwest like Missouri” and Virginia Langmaid of CNN offered suggestions on “What parents need to know about children and the Delta variant.”
I understand how people can be deceived, confused, addled and downright punch drunk with so much information, not knowing if they are being conned by phonies who claim to be educated, offering their opinions on nefarious and well-crafted websites that look perfectly legitimate to the unsophisticated or the people who are predisposed to believe that traditional news sources are fake and part of some worldwide conspiracy.
There are people like QAnon believer Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., who tweeted “The easiest way to make the Delta variant go away is to turn off CNN. And vote Republican.”
Fellow nut job, and fellow QAnoner, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., tweeted in her “message from America to the swamp” that “no one cares” about the delta variant “or any other variant.”
“All voters are over Covid,” said the sage legislator.
The conservative Townhall.com website had a column by senior editor Matt Vespa, with the headline “The Absurd Delta Variant Hysterical BS.”
“Enough. Enough,” wrote Vespa, whose credentials to comment on complex scientific and health issues is unclear. “Yes, there are variants when it comes to viruses. We all know this. There are variants of the flu. This is not news, and yet, the media cannot stop fearmongering over the new Delta strain.
“This isn’t the Andromeda Strain. And yet again, the vaccines ARE effective against it, and there’s no evidence that it makes you sicker. Is it more transmissible? Yes, but again, we have three vaccines. We’ve reached herd immunity in many parts of the country. It’s a strain that’s not likely to cause more death, either, so I couldn’t give less of a sh** about this strain.”
Pharmaceuticalfraud.com, which claims to be a “fact-based public education website,” has stories with headlines like “Children are 50 times more likely to die from coronavirus vaccine than from the virus itself” and “Pfizer LIED about covid vaccine being ‘95% effective’.”
And this from Ethan Huff, whose blog alerts us that “Former White House Doctor Warns U.S. Will ‘Pay A Price’ For Electing Cognitively Declining Biden.” Huff’s latest column, published in a variety of right wing trash receptacles, includes “Top 6 ways to know the ‘Delta Variant’ is just part of the planned SCAMDEMIC sweeping across America.”
There are so many fake news sites that intentionally publish hoaxes and disinformation, otherwise known as dirty, rotten lies. Try this for a rabbit hole, Wikipedia cited 84 fake news sites that are either operating or were previously operating. Here are just a few to stay away from:
“Zero Hedge,” a far-right libertarian financial blog, spread false information about COVID-19, such as the unproven claim that the virus came from a lab in Wuhan, or the refuted claim that the RT-PCR test gives false results. The site also spread conspiracy theories about the Clintons somehow being involved with the 2016 murder of Seth Rich, an employee of the Democratic National Committee.
“70 News,” a site that published a false news story, stating that Donald Trump had won the popular vote in the 2016 United States presidential election. The story rose to the top in searches for “final election results” on Google News.
“American News” published a false story claiming actor Denzel Washington endorsed Trump for president. The headline led to thousands of people sharing it on Facebook. It also was published in Breitbartt and USANews.
“Breaking-CNN.com,” no connection with the real CNN, published numerous death hoaxes, including one for former First Lady Barbara Bush one day after her announcement that she would halt all further medical treatment in 2018.
“The Gateway Pundit,” a far-right fake news website repeatedly publishes false stories, including a story involving an unsubstantiated claim that Special Counsel Robert Mueller sexually assaulted someone.
To all who crave information in these ridiculously complicated and often blatantly dishonest times, I say caveat emptor because the information you find could really mean the difference between life and death.