Carlton Supporters Club

And, for a considered assessment:

I underwent NBC warfare training when I was a young bloke and I can’t really see how COVID could be effective for military purposes.  Yes, it would over-extend ICUs, but it would do so indiscriminately and only as long as as there wasn’t a vaccine.

There are so many more effective ways to gain a military advantage that it’s hard to see why anyone would bother trying to manipulate a virus.

^^
So no chance someone identified the virus and then tried to weaponise it and stuffed up?

I underwent NBC warfare training when I was a young bloke and I can’t really see how COVID could be effective for military purposes.  Yes, it would over-extend ICUs, but it would do so indiscriminately and only as long as as there wasn’t a vaccine.

There are so many more effective ways to gain a military advantage that it’s hard to see why anyone would bother trying to manipulate a virus.

Of course it's possible, but you have to play the percentages to be taken seriously, it's far more likely or perhaps even inevitable given it's happened before that you'd end up with a disease like this naturally than engineered and released by an accident.

China's primary guilt in this issue is wilful negligence, we shouldn't let them avoid that responsibility by focussing on a spy fantasy. Xi wants western media to spend all it's time on conspiracy theories while they continue to build artificial islands in the sea and claim foreign soils as their own.

Generally the cloak and dagger stuff is way over-stated, Occam's razor should be applied.
Yes, a weapon is next to useless if when you pull the trigger it's a 50/50 outcome on it exploding in your face!

Their Covid vaccine is also questionable, think they have been giving it away to minor or poorer nations...

^^

So no chance someone identified the virus and then tried to weaponise it and stuffed up?

Doubt that is true, both those nations use access to stuff like that as leverage to win commercial contracts, there will be a hook that probably adds a new wing to Putin's Palace and a bonus to Xi's retirement fund!

I've always surprised by the west's obsession with Putin and Xi, in particular the western media's hell bent focus on bringing them to account. Putin and Xi are not the problem, they are the elite of the elite, the real problem is that the illiterate downtrodden majority in those countries treat blokes like that as demigods. Raise the literacy and expose the fraud to the downtrodden and they will rise up and rattle the cages of those trouble makers, leaving them too busy dealing with their backyard to bother anybody.

Not correct, Brazil have already indicated the Chinese vaccine isnt effective as the Chinese claims, Russians are not illiterate, in fact their literacy rate is about 99% and are close to No 1 in the world with the highest level of tertiary education. Forget about Olga working in the fields in the day and knocking out tank parts in the evening for a few rubels and bowl of beetroot soup.
China have a literacy rate of around 96%...
Brazil are claiming the Chinese vaccine they received is only 50% effective, its old technology and the Chinese are knocking it out in big numbers because its easy to make and store.
Its been described in an analogy as a Model T Ford vaccine vs the Moderna and Pfizer offerings which were described as Tesla's in comparison.....

So, China developed a biological weapon for which they have a vaccine that is only 50% effective.  Western nations have vaccines that are at least 90% effective ... That went well! 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-55212787

Dated 14th January.

Not correct, Brazil have already indicated the Chinese vaccine isnt effective as the Chinese claims, Russians are not illiterate, in fact their literacy rate is about 99% and are close to No 1 in the world with the highest level of tertiary education. Forget about Olga working in the fields all day and knocking out tank parts in the evening for a few rubels and bowl of beetroot soup.
China have a literacy rate of around 96%...
Brazil are claiming the Chinese vaccine they received is only 50% effective, its old technology and the Chinese are knocking it out in big numbers because its easy to make and store. Its been described in an analogy as a Model T Ford vaccine vs the Moderna and Pfizer offerings which were described as Tesla's in comparison.....
Both China and Russia are top 5 for military spending, thats how they rule, by force, good luck rattling cages in either country as those missing Doctors in Wuhan can tell you....

My reference to the illiterate downtrodden was more metaphorical than objective, a commentary on worldliness, populations of apparatchiks who do not know they are because they have zero frame of reference. Sorry if I offended anyone.

No Probs LP, I was just pointing out its a bit of a common misconception about countries like Russia and China that they are stuck being in the dark ages. The politics is old school but the lifestyles for many are not too different to ours.