“Follow the Numbers – Just give us the facts on COVID-19” – Interview with Dr. Stephen Bryen – Beyond the Matrix [audio]

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The COVID-19 Pandemic has infected over 3.7 million cases global, produced 258,012 dead. The US now has over 1.2 million cases and 72,256 deaths attributable to the novel coronavirus with its spikes of deadly proteins. Israel has 16,289 infected and 238 deaths. The US Departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services has made US projections that by June 2020, an estimated 200,000 cases may double the level of fatalities from 1,750 daily currently to over 3,000. Dr. Anthony Fauci of the US National Institute of Infectious Diseases warns that there could be a ‘second wave’ coming this fall. Joint US and UK researcher allege in preliminary research that the novel coronavirus could mutate making it more contagious. Antibody and antigen testing appears to be flawed producing less than accurate results. The Swiss pharmaceuticals firm of Roche appears to have developed an accurate antibody test but cannot claim any predictive outcome of immunity or possible re-infection. Then we have the international outcries against China and especially the questionable practices of the Wuhan Institute of Virology that may have accidentally released the novel Coronavirus from bat studies that might have been directed at a vaccine for HIV. That is reflected in the so-called ‘Five Eyes’ Intelligence report leaked to the press in Australia. The ‘Five Eyes are the intelligence agencies of the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The US Department of Homeland Security issued a report saying that China engaged in a “cover up” to horde medical supplies for its own use. Yet during the chaos of the COVID-19 Pandemic there is rising empirical evidence that suggests that the novel coronavirus may be weakening. That may be further corroborated by the phased release of restricted confinement in Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, Israel, South Korea, and China. Notwithstanding, the harder problem to solve is the matter of especially closed populations that are at risk of spreading the coronavirus in nursing homes, meat packing plants, Indian reservations and mass transit systems To present this opposing view Rod Reuven Dovid Bryant and Jerry Gordon reached out to Dr. Stephen Bryen, former Pentagon Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Technology and Security, well regarded military technology and Asia Times columnist. Bryen suggests that the Five Eyes ‘leaked’ intelligence report has been repudiated for being political and in violation of operational restrictions on highly classified information. While it was disturbing to the Chinese, US CDC and NIH, the Five Eyes report essentially said what others had that the Wuhan Institute of Virology had sloppy conditions, but didn’t say that the coronavirus came from the lab or was man made. He suggests that it would be difficult to investigate the charges as China has blocked any inquiries from outside, allegedly sanitized the facility, pulled scientific papers off the internet, and sequestered anyone in China raising concerns. Bryen suggests that all foreign research agencies who cooperated with the Wuhan lab also claim that the novel coronavirus was ‘naturally occurring’. For evidence to the contrary Bryen points out the observations of controversial French Nobel Laureate and discoverer of the HIV, Luc Montagnier, who suggests that the coronavirus may contain fragments of HIV to build a vaccine against it. Thus, it became zoonotic- facilitated transmission from animals to humans. However, that may mean that any man-made virus is unstable. Bryen cites discovery of a mutated but weakened COVID-19 case in Arizona. This he believes is reflected in the drop off infected cases and declining curves in Germany, Italy, Israel, New Zealand, and China. Bryant raised the question of grants by the US NIH and the Pentagon to the Wuhan Laboratory via the Eco-Health Alliance for the latter’s PREDICT program to investigate viruses in bats, rodents, and other animals. The Trump Administration ended those grants in April 2020. In response, Bryen says those grants and research efforts into dangerous pathogens was motivated by possible discovery of potential vaccines. The danger of such projects Bryen says is reflected in the US shutting such investigations in 2014 to 2017, the same period during which the Wuhan lab was designated a Bio-Safety Level -4 facility. Even the US Army Biological warfare laboratory BSL-4 facility at Fort Detrick, Maryland was shut down for two months in 2019 to address leaks into its sewerage system of contaminants. Bryen also points out that Chinese scientists and students appear to have been involved in illegal smuggling of biological samples that triggered FBI and RCMP investigations into theft of intellectual property for vaccine development. He cites cases in Boston, Detroit and Winnipeg of the string underlying commercial interests of China. In support of his thesis that the infection rate of COVID-19 may be going down in Europe Bryen cited research by the Robert Koch Institute in Germany that demonstrated that the reproduction rate has weakened. Bryant pointed out that the German reproduction rate may have been as high as 6. Bryen said the Koch Institute found that it had dropped to .73. Bryen cited a research report by a German professor at the Leibniz University, Professor Stefan Homburg, who suggested that the value of lockdown was negligible in curtailing the virus infection and hospitalization rates. Bryant and Bryen said that maybe reflected in the overbuilding of emergency temporary hospitals in the UK and perhaps in the US. Gordon cited the intractable problem of rampant infections and deaths among close closed populations- many with acute underlying health conditions – such as nursing homes in US, UK, Italy, and Israel. Then there are hot spots on US Indian reservations in the southwest that have triggered lockdowns of adjacent communities such as has occurred in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. President Trump was scheduled to visit one reservation in Arizona early this week. These reservations do not have running water, sanitary facilities and residents have inadequate health care to address the novel coronavirus according to the US Indian Health Service and CDC. Then there are the 151-meat packing and slaughterhouses in the heartland of the US. Gordon cited the more than 5,000 cases and dozens of deaths reported in more than 17 states where these plants are located. The low wage workers are drawn from immigrant and refugee communities that live in multi-generational housing and have underlying public health problems. Bryen noted the problems of mass transit systems in the US and UK – subways, trains, buses, and airplanes. Bryen noted the New York City Transit Authority shutting down the system to remove homeless to shelters to disinfect the trains. Bryen suggests that this public health threat to counter any virus may require travelers to wear mandatory masks, sanitary wipes to practice more effective hygiene. Gordon noted the Trump Administration “Operation Warp Drive” push for a vaccine with upwards of 14 possible candidates including Remdesvir and FDA approval of live randomized human tests of vaccines that start shortly. Bryen cited the Oxford University human trials in the UK and two similar trials in Israel: one by the MIGAL – Research Institute of the Galilee and another by the IDF Biological Research institute that achieved a ‘breakthrough – the first antibody to neutralize COVID-19.. Gordon drew attention to the comments of former US FDA chairman, Scott Gottlieb that antibody testing is inaccurate. However, that antigen testing in conjunction with the Remdesivir drug of Gilead Sciences may offer effective therapies for sever Coronavirus cases. Bryen cited the positive results from a Chicago test, but not from the China one. He suggests that may be a ploy to obtain a patent.