The newspaper read by some of the most stupid newspaper readers in Britain, the Daily Express, has declared a “New coronavirus symptoms alert“, as “people with diarrhoea and headaches test positive”. The strap line then says that “as part of the trial, people with non-typical symptoms tested positive for the virus”. That’s hardly surprising given that an ingrowing toenail, say, or a case of the runs, has little effect on whether or not you’re going to be infected with the 2019 SARS strain, except perhaps if it stops you leaving the house. But never mind that. Independence of variables is far too “intellectual” a point for Daily Express readers. What most of them will get from the article is the idea that any of a range of symptoms that they hadn’t previousl associated with “Covid” might mean you’ve got the virus, including headaches and diarrhoea. They’d better be careful if nursy at the surgery pricks them too hard with a needle because she might skewer their sole remaining brain cell.
What about irritability? Is that a symptom too? I mean anything can be nowadays, right? We just don’t know! Hey, maybe I’ve got the virus!
Half the Daily Express readership probably think you can get the virus if a black man looks at you.
It’s so easy to be “intellectual” about propaganda and miss how it works.