COVID-19 Coronavirus Information and Discussion

[Zeuhlmate]

Denmark.
New plan proposed by a professor & epidemiologist Lone Simonsen.
Test people in order to find all those who have had corona or have antibodies.
The idea is to create a cohorte of untouchables.
These people are the ones we can set in to keep the important job functions in society going, whithout risking their lives or passing on the infection.
This might be crucial when the 2. wave of corona will return aprox. fall/winter.

This was done in 1976 with survivors of Ebola who took care of the infected.

[spellbound]

does it kill the virus or just mitigate the symptoms?

Hydroxychloroquine is used to treat malaria, a blood borne infectious disease spread by mosquitos and caused by a parasitic eukaryote. It cannot cure a viral infection like COVID-19. It might or might not help with symptomatic relief. People have died from taking this drug improperly, based on the advice of a malignant narcissist rather than a medical professional. Don't take it at all unless it has been prescribed to you by a doctor.

Azithromycin is an antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections. It is useless against a virus. Taking it will only increase antibiotic resistance, so that when you really do need an antibiotic, its effectiveness will be greatly diminished.

Zinc sulfate is a mineral used to treat zinc deficiency. If you haven't been diagnosed with zinc deficiency, a rarity in the developed world, don't take it.

I am not a medical doctor, nor a malignant narcissist. I am a physical scientist, so I know enough to take any advice with a grain of salt. Your doctor should know if you need (or, in the US, if he can profit from prescribing) any of the above treatments. Be careful and stay healthy. Most of us only live once.

[Garyhead]

Positive vibes and thoughts for Klonk and family

We're debating going out for a grocery run, which means going to another small rural town about 13 miles away. My wife keeps adding to the list (this whole thing makes her anxious and her level of anxiety is high even on good days).

You know, I experienced a bit of anxiety at my last grocery run too. Costco is masking their empty shelves with pallets of empty cardboard boxes...They are just piled together....not neatly stacked to resemble actual products....The real tell is that the second & third tier shelves are mostly empty. In the decades of Costco operations the stores were Always bursting with stock.
I just joined the App Nextdoor and it has become the "Hoarders Network". All manor of notifications proclaiming "3 bottles of Hand Sanitizer just put on the shelf at Walgreens!"

What to do? I was planning to head out today too....but, I'm gonna bite the bullet....I'll wait till All the fresh veggies are gone from the fridge.....I'm ditching that damn App.....Today is Lottery buying ticket day.....Changing your routine can be like an itch you cannot scratch.....it's uncomfortable for a few hours, or maybe a few days....but it is not life threatening....like standing next to an infected person at the store.

I'm also getting urges for Comfort Food.....this stuff is seldom healthy....I've got plenty of stores of good nutritional food so the urge to grab that crap while at the store is a problem for me.

My Ma is on lockdown at the retirement community. She still is transported to Dialysis 3 days / week. On a positive note....the dining room is closed and they are delivering meals to her room. I think she is just about out of all that crap food she buys so now has to eat a balanced meal....this should improve her blood sugar levels and keep her from passing out after "hoovering" a package of Sugar Cookies! I do not know if my brothers idiot-girlfriend is still bringing her cookies / candy tho.....

As another sig. states.....Carry On

[Poisoned Youth]

Seems like more of an opportunist to inflame issues and build followers to me.

For sure. I removed it.

[Poisoned Youth]

Allow me to clarify. The issue is that the bill that McConnell insists on includes a $500 billion corporate slush fund to be administered by Steve Mnuchin and the Treasury Department without meaningful congressional oversight. In fact the bill actually states that the corporate recipients of these funds will be secret for six months. The Democrats demand oversight and guarantees that these funds be used to retain their employees on payroll rather than for stock buybacks, executive bonuses and the like. Trumps response is that he will provide the oversight.

I'm just reporting the facts. I leave it to the reader to form their own opinions since stating mine honestly would be a violation of the rules and almost certainly get me banned.

I think it's such a fluid situation that it's hard to verify the facts vs. talking points.

Regardless of the contents of the bill...I will say, however, that McConnell specifically stated at the beginning of this last week that Senate Republicans and the Administration would hammer out an agreement first, then open it up to Senate Democrats.

What appears happened after (but I don't want to get my timeline mixed up) is that McConnell wanted to put it to a vote BEFORE the Democrats could debate what should be changed. And when the Democrats refused, the shit hit the fan. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

[ronmac]

For sure. I removed it.

Thank you.

I think it's such a fluid situation that it's hard to verify the facts vs. talking points.

Regardless of the contents of the bill...I will say, however, that McConnell specifically stated at the beginning of this last week that Senate Republicans and the Administration would hammer out an agreement first, then open it up to Senate Democrats.

What appears happened after (but I don't want to get my timeline mixed up) is that McConnell wanted to put it to a vote BEFORE the Democrats could debate what should be changed. And when the Democrats refused, the shit hit the fan. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

You are not wrong.

[Buddhabreath]

What appears happened after (but I don't want to get my timeline mixed up) is that McConnell wanted to put it to a vote BEFORE the Democrats could debate what should be changed. And when the Democrats refused, the shit hit the fan. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

That's my understanding, he was trying to fast track this without amendments which went down in flames and now we have the usual finger pointing and rancor. Sigh.

[UnderAGlassMoon]

I thought discussing politics was a big no-no around these parts?

[Rick L.]

Dino Cough.jpg

[lazland]

Denmark.
New plan proposed by a professor & epidemiologist Lone Simonsen.
Test people in order to find all those who have had corona or have antibodies.
The idea is to create a cohorte of untouchables.
These people are the ones we can set in to keep the important job functions in society going, whithout risking their lives or passing on the infection.
This might be crucial when the 2. wave of corona will return aprox. fall/winter.

This was done in 1976 with survivors of Ebola who took care of the infected.

It sounds as if Lone needs to be stuffed for posterity as a rare example of common sense in this entire saga.

One of the problems we have with all of this is that the data on which the governments are relying to make decisions is woefully inadequate. At the moment, they are hiding behind scientists(wasn’t my fault, I took advice from the experts!). The figures on the numbers infected is clearly an absolute nonsense. The true figures are clearly going to be far higher, with many either suffering no or limited symptoms. It follows, therefore, that the mortality rate is, in truth, quite a bit lower. Some estimate it to be, in truth, less than 0.5%.

But we don’t know, because the infrastructure doesn’t allow us to test. Further, the idea you raise of identifying those who have natural immunity, and can, therefore, be redeployed to carry out tasks is, like the best ideas, eminently sensible. Don’t hold your breath, though. In the UK we are years behind this situation.

The vast majority of decisions being taken are being done on the hoof. They are also being taken in response to a huge amount of hysteria and noise on both traditional and new media. Such decisions never bring about a happy, or sensible, outcome.

[Jerjo]

Keep Calm and Listen to Dushanbe! I'll leave it to those of you more graphically designed to come up with the appropriate image.

[Trane]

The ideal scenario, IMHO, would be widespread testing in conjunction with isolation. Testing identifies asymptomatic people who may need treatment. Isolation keeps it from being spread while your test is being done. Either way, you need to isolate. And the data from testing helps predicting trends and outcomes.

These are not mutually exclusive concepts.

I agree... and hope Belgium will ctually do both confinement (already in place) and total individual testing, moving street by street (since almost everyone is supposedly home). Trouble is that those throat sample q-tips test are really not enough in stock and need a reactive, which is perishable.

However these tests are also expensive, and have relatively short use-by dates, which makes stocking them en masse until the next pandemlic crisis useless.

[Zeuhlmate]

Two types of COVID-19 in one individual

https://www.ruv.is/frett/two-types-o...one-individual

[Buddhabreath]

White House agrees to allow oversight of huge coronavirus loan program as $2 trillion Senate deal nears.

[Buddhabreath]

Hydroxychloroquine is used to treat malaria, a blood borne infectious disease spread by mosquitos and caused by a parasitic eukaryote. It cannot cure a viral infection like COVID-19. It might or might not help with symptomatic relief. People have died from taking this drug improperly, based on the advice of a malignant narcissist rather than a medical professional. Don't take it at all unless it has been prescribed to you by a doctor.
....

Dr Gaetan Burgio, MD, PhD. Group leader, Australian National University ANU, Australia. Geneticist working on infections & CRISPR, commenting on the tiny sample base comprising the French study "...most of the controls had viral load qualitatively detected or the PCR was not done !!!! . Only 4 out of 16 controls had a proper measure of the viral load !!!! This is insane !"

https://twitter.com/GaetanBurgio/sta...16107584712704

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

Keep Calm and Listen to Dushanbe! I'll leave it to those of you more graphically designed to come up with the appropriate image.

playing the Sikorsky Suite (in my head) as I type this

[Munster]

One man is dead and his wife is seriously ill after taking chloroquine. She said in a White House briefing the president said it might help with the virus. They has the powder form and the one you want is in a pill. People are so afraid of this virus they will believe anything people say. Do not believe anything anyone says unless it is from a doctor. This drug wasn't even FDA approved for the virus.

When I was growing up in Africa we were prescribed chloroquine quite a bit as an anti-malarial. It wasn’t pleasant to use and often we took the risk that we wouldn’t be bitten by a mosquito rather than take it. Side-effects included dizziness, nausea and ringing in the ears. I know of one person who became permanently deaf as a result of complications. Formulas may have been improved since then, but I hope it doesn’t come down to a choice between me having to take chloroquine or possibly contracting Covid-19.

[Poisoned Youth]

I thought discussing politics was a big no-no around these parts?

It is. There is a fine line in this unusual thread that gets crossed over quite a bit that is largely not avoidable. As such, this thread is being moderated heavily.

At least speaking for my comment, I'm trying to convey a timeline of events without judgment, name calling, and emotion. As I've said earlier in the thread, feel free to send us a moderator alert for any post that you (or others) feel that crosses the line (including mine, Duncan's, or Sean's) and we will evaluate and take action.

[Zeuhlmate]

Its not my perception that chloroquine should be taken as prophylaxis, but as medicine if you get covid-19+complications.
And doing it whitout a doctor on the sideline seems reckless.

[jglfan]

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/23/healt...rus/index.html

Damn, these doctors should lose their licenses, or even be jailed for the duration of the pandemic!

[UnderAGlassMoon]

It is. There is a fine line in this unusual thread that gets crossed over quite a bit that is largely not avoidable. As such, this thread is being moderated heavily.

At least speaking for my comment, I'm trying to convey a timeline of events without judgment, name calling, and emotion. As I've said earlier in the thread, feel free to send us a moderator alert for any post that you (or others) feel that crosses the line (including mine, Duncan's, or Sean's) and we will evaluate and take action.

Fair enough.

[Interstellar]

Dr Gaetan Burgio, MD, PhD. Group leader, Australian National University ANU, Australia. Geneticist working on infections & CRISPR, commenting on the tiny sample base comprising the French study "...most of the controls had viral load qualitatively detected or the PCR was not done !!!! . Only 4 out of 16 controls had a proper measure of the viral load !!!! This is insane !"

https://twitter.com/GaetanBurgio/sta...16107584712704

In France there is a debate about this study on hydroxychloroquine. Many scientists think it is not convincing or serious enough, and the authorities are very cautious about it, saying we have to wait for the results of the wider "Discovery" study that includes other substances. Prescribing hydroxychloroquine is allowed for very serious cases of Covid-19 and has to be closely monitored by hospital doctors.
The doctor who conducted the study is making some noise in the media, saying the authorities are too slow on this, and some people are seduced by this, because they probably want to believe in a miracle cure, but I tend to support the authorities' more rational and cautious approach.

[Lou]

I wish people would not post things like this without citing the source explicitly. "Heard an interview" is not a citation, and can't be checked and verified.

It is just horrible that patients with lupus and RA, who rely on hydroxychloroquine, are already finding it hard to source because it's being hoarded for C19 use, despite there being no clinical evidence that it works.

Wow! I never said I was Quincy. I am not telling people to go out and hoard anything. The topic is corona virus. I heard a radio interview with a Dr (sorry I didn't catch his name) who
has been successful helping people with Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromyacin. Thought it was relevant to the discussion. Didn't say it was a cure. Thought something that showed some
promise was worth sharing. That's all. Since I made the egregious error of not footnoting the original post, here is a link to some work being done in France with the same protocol....

https://dailycaller.com/2020/03/18/h...19-cure-study/

[dropforge]

Don't worry about it, Lou. I understood your post clearly. People are wound up, understandably...

[Lou]

Don't worry about it, Lou. I understood your post clearly. People are wound up, understandably...

Thank you