Coronavirus Q&A

From the Boston Medical Center;



https://www.inverse.com/science/covid-19-mask-advice?utm_term=share&fbclid=IwAR1Qc13XVH_bKnRDxa1HjAnqx0VxlF1-Km4Tm3zKxu5kM2KB3oKceolZMr4

And also there is this...a noted LA doctor told KABC-TV he has had success in prescribing the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine in combination with zinc.

Dr. Anthony Cardillo said he has seen very promising results when prescribing hydroxychloroquine in combination with zinc for the most severely-ill COVID-19 patients.

"Every patient I've prescribed it to has been very, very ill and within 8 to 12 hours, they were basically symptom-free," Cardillo told Eyewitness News. "So clinically I am seeing a resolution."

Cardillo is the CEO of Mend Urgent Care. He said he has found it only works if combined with zinc. The drug, he said, opens a channel for the zinc to enter the cell and block virus replication.

He added that the drug should not be prescribed for those who are presenting only mild symptoms, as there are concerns about shortages for patients with other conditions who need to take the drug on a regular basis.

"We have to be cautious and mindful that we don't prescribe it for patients who have COVID who are well," Cardillo said. "It should be reserved for people who are really sick, in the hospital or at home very sick, who need that medication. Otherwise we're going to blow through our supply for patients that take it regularly for other disease processes."

Here is a portion of the interview from ABC7 LA's YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVs_EWVCVPc

And I have this story that may have some link with Melissa Benoist, who is with child. From KGW-TV in Portland, OR is the story of a pregnant woman who was diagnosed with Covid-19. The woman, Angela Primachenko, from Vancouver, WA (not BC Canada) gave birth to a baby girl while in a medically induced coma. At one point she had to breathe with a ventilator.
While the baby was born six weeks early, she did test negative for Corona. Thankfully the mother was able to breathe on her own and was taken off a ventilator Monday night.

We can only pray Melissa doesn't have to face such an event.

"Cardillo is the CEO of Mend Urgent Care. He said he has found it only works if combined with zinc. The drug, he said, opens a channel for the zinc to enter the cell and block virus replication."

Correct - and to be more specific, it interferes with the action of RNA polymerase.

"He added that the drug should not be prescribed for those who are presenting only mild symptoms, as there are concerns about shortages for patients with other conditions who need to take the drug on a regular basis."

Yes, there are. And it it can also have serious cardiac side effects. Patients who take it on a regular basis need to have their heart functions closely monitored, because hydroxychloroquine can cause cardiac arrhythmia (potentially serious). There is also the possibility of taking an accidental overdose. Anything over one gram a day is an overdose, and can have serious complications. There have already been several cases of people attempting to self-medicate with hydroxychloroquine, and ending up in the ER with severe symptoms. In short, it is a potent prescription medication, and should never be taken except under the direction of a doctor.

Some researchers believe it will become a seasonal disease like some types of flu

Yes,I've heard that from other science teachers and from health care workers "on the front lines" here in Florida. But there isn't enough data to reach a definitive conclusion yet. We may in fact develop a "herd immunity" to this virus. But we don't even know if COVID-19 survivors have real immunity, and if they do, is it permanent (like polio and measles) or temporary (like tetanus and the flu). Yes, some researchers think that the coronavirus might turn out to be a seasonal disease, like the flu. And like the flu, we may need to update the vaccine every year, because the virus keeps evolving. But nobody really knows at this point.

Things will be shut down here in Vancouver at least until mid May, if not later. BC seems to have flattened it's curve, for the most part. It's definitely far less impacted than Canada's other majorly populated provinces. But we'll see what happens.

As for herd immunity...I'm not sure. From what I've read in a few places, there have already been a few instances of those who recovered coming down with the virus, again.

We shall see what happens...

Wasn't the Spanish Flu worse in its second wave over the first?

I guess our advantage today over a hundred years ago is our understanding of diseases and how to treat them via tech and medicines.I don't think they really knew what viruses were back when The Spanish Flu happened let alone the best treatments to deal with them.

If we get a second wave of COVID-19 in Fall/Winter,it will coincide with the start of flu season where this first wave happened towards the end of flu season.

So potentially you'll have both viruses ramping back up at the same time?That can't be good.

Also, as long as we are talking about the real world here. I don't know if I ever mentioned it before, but our science dept. at my school in South Florida is nothing like the Hollywood scientist stereotype. No, we are not a group of middle-aged white men in white shirts with pocket protectors who wear black-rimmed glasses all the time! Actually, our dept. is mostly young women biologists who dress like they did in college (lots of brightly-colored T-shirts). They're the ones who started teaching right out of college. And we also have some older biology people who used to be health-care providers, and an MD, an endocrinologist originally from Venezuela. (Yes, the students call her "Doctor".) Anyway, it's a great group of people to work with. I always enjoy our Tuesday-morning virtual dept. meetings. They invariably begin and end with people showing off their pets (in many cases new adoptions)!

Hollywood (and movie/TV in general) science is hilarious. Broken physics, incorrect/impossible chemical structures, fundamental misunderstandings of genetics/molecular biology......

I remember there was an episode of the Flash where they had to stop some nefarious chemical "benzene methanol" from being used to destroy the city or something. I died a little. Like, do you mean Phenylmethanol the largely harmless solvent lmao?

And then there's movie/TV scientists. Who mostly fiddle around with badass machinery while tapping on holograms and computerised lab equipment.

Real chemists/biologists' work is not so visually stimulating. We mostly pipette clear liquids that look like water all day, and watch PCRs fail.

Is she based on a colleague lol?

Pray tell that was satire

Pray tell that was satire

Unfortunately no, those from other countries please know that woman is not representative of most Americans. I apologize on behalf of my country.

Also please know that we do in fact have real-life heroes here in Florida.
Here's a very nice story about our local tennis world champion here in Palm Beach Co., Serena Williams:

Tennis Superstar Serena Williams Donates 5,000 Face Masks to Protect Children of Palm Beach County First Responders


https://www.bocaratontribune.com/bocaratonnews/2020/05/tennis-superstar-serena-williams-donates-5000-face-masks-to-protect-children-of-palm-beach-county-first-responders/?fbclid=IwAR2rnGRwly0V3am94-DdepFtdaaJPKv4ZdS8pZSTFhWwBdNc1yh5LRy4W8o

From Chemical & Engineering News (an American Chemical Society publication:

"Alcohol-based products work,” Thordarson says. “But nothing beats soap.”

Yes, that's what I've been telling everyone - soap is the "gold standard" for disinfecting your hands!
Hand sanitizer works, too - but not as well.

Useful when you don’t have access to a sink and some soap, hand sanitizers have become a hot commodity in the face of COVID-19

http://cen.acs.org/content/cen/articles/98/i12/hand-sanitizer-does-keep-hands.html?fbclid=IwAR2XrXMthD1pzBl_cwwyL3JEvrjy6fBPj5MEFcFdl1QT4QsmMkmgTB_fSN0

I only use hand sanitizer when I'm or have been out and about.I bring some with me in my car.I usually change gloves between stores and use it then.And I use it again when I first get home.

I use soap all other times which is a lot.I wash my hands several times a day.I've lost count how many.But many times throughout a day.I even do a good hand washing with soap before I go to sleep and when I first get up before I do anything else like brushing my teeth and stuff.

I even do a handwashing before showers which I know is strange given I'm washing my hands again along with everything else in the shower.

I've become anal about the hand washing due to my compromised immune system.

Luckly I've found soap very easy to get and I'm stockpiled on that.lol

Hand sanitizer is harder to come by but my local Walmart happened to have some big bottles of it last week and I got one.

Surprised this hasn't gotten more attention in the media - especially considering that it came from the WHO! This is an important news story:

Asymptomatic Transmission Is ‘Very Rare’: WHO (3:23 p.m. NY)


Transmission of the coronavirus by people who aren’t showing symptoms is “very rare,” the World Health Organization said Monday, contradicting speculation by public health officials and researchers that the disease was being spread by people who weren’t showing signs of illness.

“It still appears to be rare that an asymptomatic person actually transmits onward to a secondary individual,” Maria Van Kerkhove, head of WHO’s emerging diseases and zoonosis unit, said at a briefing in Geneva. She said her comment is based on detailed reports of contact tracing from various countries.

P.S. - Now today the WHO walked back their original statement on Monday. I agree - "very rare" were the wrong words to use. Asymptomatic people can spread the novel coronavirus, but that's not nearly as common as transmission from people are showing symptoms (even very mild symptoms, in some cases).
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/06/09/coronavirus-who-walks-back-comments-asymptomatic-spread/5325282002/?for-guid=3f01ae80-8344-4a91-af96-81a8cc3c05d0&utm_source=usatoday-Coronavirus%20Watch&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=baseline_greeting&utm_term=newsletter_greeting

I think the main thing that the WHO was trying to say here is that asymptomatic carriers are apparently not a major means of transmission of COVID-19, as they are for typhoid. (The most well-known example being the infamous "Typhoid Mary' - Mary Fallon.) Unfortunately, that message seems to have been misunderstood by many of those reporting the story. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoid_fever#Transmission

What's with the movement in the US against Coronavirus measures like social-distancing?

There are some, usually aligned with President Trump or of libertarian persuasion, that believe:
a) the danger of coranavirus is overstated,
b) the efficacy of mitigation measures is overstated,
c) people are free to assume the risk of getting the virus if they so choose
d) some combination or all of the above

Some think it is a hoax to see how easy it is to control the population with a "needless" lockdown. Some think it is a ploy to sabotage the economy and hurt Trump's reelection chances. Still others are just frustrated by their inability to go to work and provide for their families.

For them, things like wearing a mask or social distancing become symbols of mindless compliance instead of a way to help look out for the more vulnerable of our population.

Please note that although I do identify as a libertarian, I do not share these beliefs myself. I am convinced by the evidence and understand that several of my friends and family are at high risk. The attitudes I described above seem to me like cutting off your nose to spite your face.

Another breakthrough - the first drug that has actually been known to save the lives of COVID-19 patients!
Major news from the BBC
And they say that this well-known steroid is "cheap as chips" (that means French fries in the US

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-53061281?fbclid=IwAR1xz0nvu6CAOyT0MthCfxJojirxkZZoUNjI2ngUNK8YOwp5SwAlHrwUQzc

My thoughts right now go right along with this teacher. We are tired....this has not been a vacation for us since March.

I know educators at all levels who are grappling with how to best serve their students and maintaining a safe environment for all.

Side note: My alma mater's music department is particularly worried about chorus and wind instruments blasting covid into the space.

There seem to be no good answers. And any way it falls, with things as polarized as they are, some groups will be vocally upset.

This is where the compassion for all should kick in. It's an impossible situation. No one should take it out on teachers.

I hope only the best for you, Kelly.

This is cool dogs can be trained to detect Coronavirus. In this study the dogs were 94% accurate is detecting the virus in human saliva. I know dogs have been trained to sniff out other diseases so it makes sense. This would be a useful tool for crowds. Or what if a friendly dog made rounds in classrooms.

Interesting. I do know that dogs can be also trained to detect things like cancer.