OT: Coronavirus

this made me giggle,  I know there is at least one more person on here that will appreciate it:

NEW: @US_FDA has rescinded the Emergency Use Authorization for #hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for #COVID19, saying it's "unlikely to be effective" and "known and potential benefits no longer outweigh the known and potential risks"

Read the memo here: https://t.co/QZbEPSQ5PV pic.twitter.com/HKiLYIc8KR

— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) June 15, 2020

Several #Cowboys players & several #Texans players have tested positive for COVID-19 recently, sources tell me & @TomPelissero. None of the players are believed to have been in their team facilities. The teams followed proper health protocols.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 15, 2020

Several Major League Baseball players and coaches have tested positive for COVID-19, which MLB says could also delay start of season https://t.co/DTxq002NZ3

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) June 16, 2020

First drug proves able to improve survival from COVID-19

Researchers in England say they have the first evidence that a drug can improve COVID-19 survival: A cheap, widely available steroid called dexamethasone reduced deaths by up to one third in severely ill hospitalized patients.
Results were announced Tuesday and researchers said they would publish them soon. The study is a large, strict test that randomly assigned 2,104 patients to get the drug and compared them with 4,321 patients getting only usual care.
The drug was given either orally or through an IV. After 28 days, it had reduced deaths by 35% in patients who needed treatment with breathing machines and by 20% in those only needing supplemental oxygen. It did not appear to help less ill patients.
"This is an extremely welcome result," one study leader, Peter Horby of the University of Oxford, said in a statement. "The survival benefit is clear and large in those patients who are sick enough to require oxygen treatment, so dexamethasone should now become standard of care in these patients. Dexamethasone is inexpensive, on the shelf, and can be used immediately to save lives worldwide."
Even though the drug only helps in severe cases, "countless lives will be saved globally," said Nick Cammack of Wellcome, a British charity that supports science research.
"Dexamethasone must now be rolled out and accessed by thousands of critically ill patients around the world," said Cammack, who had no role in the study. "It is highly affordable, easy to make, can be scaled up quickly and only needs a small dosage."
Steroid drugs reduce inflammation, which sometimes develops in COVID-19 patients as the immune system overreacts to fight the infection. This overreaction can prove fatal, so doctors have been testing steroids and other anti-inflammatory drugs in such patients. The World Health Organization advises against using steroids earlier in the course of illness because they can slow the time until patients clear the virus.
Researchers estimated that the drug would prevent one death for every eight patients treated while on breathing machines and one for every 25 patients on extra oxygen alone.
This is the same study that earlier this month showed the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine was not working against the coronavirus. The study enrolled more than 11,000 patients in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland who were given either standard of care or that plus one of several treatments: dexamethasone; the HIV combo drug lopinavir-ritonavir, the antibiotic azithromycin; the anti-inflammatory drug tocilizumab; or plasma from people who have recovered from COVID-19 that contains antibodies to fight the virus.
Research is continuing on the other treatments. The research is funded by government health agencies in the United Kingdom and private donors including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

@"StickyBun" said: "It’s less deadly than we first feared"

This was incredibly irresponsible by the medical community and the media for severely overhyping how deadly this was. The projections that were being thrown around were apocalyptic and so overblown. 

There is some truth here...

That said, new models are predicting deaths could be 200k in the US by October. That is quite a difference from what POTUS was saying in April which is 130'ish.

I almost feel wrong touting these statistics without extreme reverence. That's a lot of lives. 

More than American combat deaths in wars since WW2, in just 6 month.  How deadly were you thinking it was going to be?   Just thinning the herd a bit, so no big deal.

@"BigAl99" said: More than American combat deaths in wars since WW2, in just 6 month.  How deadly were you thinking it was going to be?   Just thinning the herd a bit, so no big deal.

Lets treat other know disease with the same tracking.  "Died with Covid" is not tracked like "died with the common flu".   This is the first time in history we quantined the healthy and sent the sick home.  While I am not disputing that Covid is deadly to the health compromised, is it anymore or less deadly then other diseases that do not get reported?  When was the last time you heard a 95 year died with the flu, or a 60 year old stage 4 cancer patient dieing from the flu?  

Again I know that Covid is showing a much higher likely hood of contagion,  but right now the numbers mean nothing except for the point in time they were taken from.  Number that mean anything are recovered vs. dead.  And if they can get the antibody test refined enough that it does not false positive for the flu vaccine the total exposed number would be extremely valuable.

Um yeah

@"purplefaithful" said: First drug proves able to improve survival from COVID-19

By MARILYNN MARCHIONE Associated PressJune 16, 2020 — 8:05am

Researchers in England say they have the first evidence that a drug can improve COVID-19 survival: A cheap, widely available steroid called dexamethasone reduced deaths by up to one third in severely ill hospitalized patients. Results were announced Tuesday and researchers said they would publish them soon. The study is a large, strict test that randomly assigned 2,104 patients to get the drug and compared them with 4,321 patients getting only usual care. The drug was given either orally or through an IV. After 28 days, it had reduced deaths by 35% in patients who needed treatment with breathing machines and by 20% in those only needing supplemental oxygen. It did not appear to help less ill patients. "This is an extremely welcome result," one study leader, Peter Horby of the University of Oxford, said in a statement. "The survival benefit is clear and large in those patients who are sick enough to require oxygen treatment, so dexamethasone should now become standard of care in these patients. Dexamethasone is inexpensive, on the shelf, and can be used immediately to save lives worldwide." Even though the drug only helps in severe cases, "countless lives will be saved globally," said Nick Cammack of Wellcome, a British charity that supports science research. "Dexamethasone must now be rolled out and accessed by thousands of critically ill patients around the world," said Cammack, who had no role in the study. "It is highly affordable, easy to make, can be scaled up quickly and only needs a small dosage." Steroid drugs reduce inflammation, which sometimes develops in COVID-19 patients as the immune system overreacts to fight the infection. This overreaction can prove fatal, so doctors have been testing steroids and other anti-inflammatory drugs in such patients. The World Health Organization advises against using steroids earlier in the course of illness because they can slow the time until patients clear the virus. Researchers estimated that the drug would prevent one death for every eight patients treated while on breathing machines and one for every 25 patients on extra oxygen alone. This is the same study that earlier this month showed the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine was not working against the coronavirus. The study enrolled more than 11,000 patients in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland who were given either standard of care or that plus one of several treatments: dexamethasone; the HIV combo drug lopinavir-ritonavir, the antibiotic azithromycin; the anti-inflammatory drug tocilizumab; or plasma from people who have recovered from COVID-19 that contains antibodies to fight the virus. Research is continuing on the other treatments. The research is funded by government health agencies in the United Kingdom and private donors including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

There was a doctor that (early on) recognized that patients with near  end-stage infections miraculously benefitted from anti-inflammatory (steroid) treatment.  Anecdotal...not peer-reviewed studied...but there wasn't time for that, at the time. 

Dr Yadegar @ Cedars-Sinai in LA.  

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/coronavirus/covid-19-coronavirus-patients-treatment-ventilators-cytokine-storm/2341382/
 

He was the first (I believe, in early April) that Id'd  the problem with advanced Chinese Virus patients who weren't being helped by 'intubation'/ventilators, but saved by stopping the "cytokine storm".  The cytokine storm, is the body's natural reaction to infection/inflammation, which can be powerful (and destructive).  Sometimes so powerful, it can be worse than the antigen/inflammator.  

This needs to be studied/peer reviewed, etc...but nice to have another (potential) clinical remedy in the clinical toolbox.  

@"Ralphie" said:

LMAO. Hilarious. 

@"savannahskol" said:

@"purplefaithful" said: First drug proves able to improve survival from COVID-19

By MARILYNN MARCHIONE Associated PressJune 16, 2020 — 8:05am

Researchers in England say they have the first evidence that a drug can improve COVID-19 survival: A cheap, widely available steroid called dexamethasone reduced deaths by up to one third in severely ill hospitalized patients. Results were announced Tuesday and researchers said they would publish them soon. The study is a large, strict test that randomly assigned 2,104 patients to get the drug and compared them with 4,321 patients getting only usual care. The drug was given either orally or through an IV. After 28 days, it had reduced deaths by 35% in patients who needed treatment with breathing machines and by 20% in those only needing supplemental oxygen. It did not appear to help less ill patients. "This is an extremely welcome result," one study leader, Peter Horby of the University of Oxford, said in a statement. "The survival benefit is clear and large in those patients who are sick enough to require oxygen treatment, so dexamethasone should now become standard of care in these patients. Dexamethasone is inexpensive, on the shelf, and can be used immediately to save lives worldwide." Even though the drug only helps in severe cases, "countless lives will be saved globally," said Nick Cammack of Wellcome, a British charity that supports science research. "Dexamethasone must now be rolled out and accessed by thousands of critically ill patients around the world," said Cammack, who had no role in the study. "It is highly affordable, easy to make, can be scaled up quickly and only needs a small dosage." Steroid drugs reduce inflammation, which sometimes develops in COVID-19 patients as the immune system overreacts to fight the infection. This overreaction can prove fatal, so doctors have been testing steroids and other anti-inflammatory drugs in such patients. The World Health Organization advises against using steroids earlier in the course of illness because they can slow the time until patients clear the virus. Researchers estimated that the drug would prevent one death for every eight patients treated while on breathing machines and one for every 25 patients on extra oxygen alone. This is the same study that earlier this month showed the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine was not working against the coronavirus. The study enrolled more than 11,000 patients in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland who were given either standard of care or that plus one of several treatments: dexamethasone; the HIV combo drug lopinavir-ritonavir, the antibiotic azithromycin; the anti-inflammatory drug tocilizumab; or plasma from people who have recovered from COVID-19 that contains antibodies to fight the virus. Research is continuing on the other treatments. The research is funded by government health agencies in the United Kingdom and private donors including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

There was a doctor that (early on) recognized that patients with near  end-stage infections miraculously benefitted from anti-inflammatory (steroid) treatment.  Anecdotal...not peer-reviewed studied...but there wasn't time for that, at the time. 

Dr Yadegar @ Cedars-Sinai in LA.  

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/coronavirus/covid-19-coronavirus-patients-treatment-ventilators-cytokine-storm/2341382/
 

He was the first (I believe, in early April) that Id'd  the problem with advanced Chinese Virus patients who weren't being helped by 'intubation'/ventilators, but saved by stopping the "cytokine storm".  The cytokine storm, is the body's natural reaction to infection/inflammation, which can be powerful (and destructive).  Sometimes so powerful, it can be worse than the antigen/inflammator.  

This needs to be studied/peer reviewed, etc...but nice to have another (potential) clinical remedy in the clinical toolbox.  

@"Ralphie" said:

I think you and I visit some of the same sites for material. =)

@"JimmyinSD" said:

@"Ralphie" said:

I think you and I visit some of the same sites for material. =)

@"Ralphie" said:

@"JimmyinSD" said:

@"Ralphie" said:

I think you and I visit some of the same sites for material. =)

Then you probably saw this.... ;)

And Chris Hansen is back from the journalistically dead with this hour-long report on how New Yorkers have been fighting COVID and frequently the bureaucracy.  Lots of ads (hey, it's a Youtube channel) but interesting stuff:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJg022Uav3Y

@"Ralphie" said:

@"JimmyinSD" said:

@"Ralphie" said:

I think you and I visit some of the same sites for material. =)

Then you probably saw this.... ;)

Breaking: The Phillies have announced that five players and three staff members working at the club’s Clearwater facility have tested positive for COVID-19.

The team is closing all facilities in Clearwater indefinitely. pic.twitter.com/QuzVuRWWvs

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 19, 2020

@"Vikergirl" said: https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1274021895491538945?s=19

Speaking of Clearwater, anyone seen BarrNone? He lives in that area I think. Haven't seen him post in weeks. 3-time cancer survivor, recent heart attack, girlfriend on the front lines. Hope they're OK.