wuhan - coronavirus

[TravelingChris 10,826]

1 minute ago, Pawz4me said:

He retweeted. That is an undeniable fact. I mean unless he deleted it (he often does go back and delete controversial things) then it's still there for anyone who wants to look. And even if he did delete it I'm sure there are plenty of screenshots.

As I stated in the above post, he tweets and retweets stuff all the time and his policies and decisions very often differ from those.  Is he angry with Dr. Fauci- probably- is he going to fire him-- probably not.  And if all a newspaper is doing is publishing tweets and retweets of people- that really isn't investigating, is it?

[Ausmumof3 23,316]

3 minutes ago, TravelingChris said:

As I stated in the above post, he tweets and retweets stuff all the time and his policies and decisions very often differ from those.  Is he angry with Dr. Fauci- probably- is he going to fire him-- probably not.  And if all a newspaper is doing is publishing tweets and retweets of people- that really isn't investigating, is it?

I’ve seen it from a couple of sources now so I suspect it’s going to be a story.  But I’ll be happy to be wrong.

[TravelingChris 10,826]

11 minutes ago, Paige said:

It's not a lie if you believe it to be true. It's a mistake. I think there's so much confusing data with covid and everything is so new that it is unsurprising if we are finding out new info daily. At first people thought it wasn't spread person to person, turns out that was wrong. People thought it wasn't airborne, or that asymptomatic people weren't contagious; they were wrong. But that doesn't mean people were lying- they were just wrong. 

As far as potential drugs...we still don't know if they work. The evidence is conflicting. That's all Dr Fauci said. He said some evidence said it worked, and some said it had no effect, and it was too soon to know. I don't think it should be promoted as the first line drug when there's others that have also shown promise. We won't know which is best unless they are all trialed.

I never said that Fauci lied though I have a suspicion that all the meds on top lied about airborne transmission in order to save the masks for the health care workers and thereby not have an even worse tragedy where so many medical personnel die that even more civilians die.  That would have caused a greater death rate so I understand it but also think that it contributed to the death rate in the minority communities where a higher number work 2 jobs, etc, and didn't have the time or energy to be looking up photos of everyone face masked in numerous countries.

[Pawz4me 38,302]

1 minute ago, TravelingChris said:

As I stated in the above post, he tweets and retweets stuff all the time and his policies and decisions very often differ from those.  Is he angry with Dr. Fauci- probably- is he going to fire him-- probably not.  And if all a newspaper is doing is publishing tweets and retweets of people- that really isn't investigating, is it?

??? Why do you believe that everything a newspaper publishes has to be investigative in nature? That's a unique POV.

I agree that he's probably not going to fire Fauci. People respect Fauci too much. His knowledge, intellect and popularity (trustworthiness in recent polling) is no doubt very threatening to Trump's ego. But he's wily, and he realizes that firing Fauci wouldn't be helpful to him in November.

[Ausmumof3 23,316]

12 minutes ago, TravelingChris said:

Trump was praising Hydroxychloroquine and nobody can be crazy buying it except medical doctors because it  (and the more dangerous, chloroquine) are prescription only drugs.  Fauci was wanting long, double blind studies.  There are so many medicines in the US being widely used by doctors for another reason that has never been subject to any study.  I take Trazadone for sleep- never tested.  I originally started taking hydroxychloroquine for Sjogren's - never tested but it was tested for RA and also lupus, I believe.  My kids took clonidine for ADHD- at that point not tested though over twenty years later it has been.  I just read an article last week about how a cancer drug that is injected into the eye is reversing macular degeneration-  also not tested but widely used.  That article cited the quote The perfect is the enemy of the good.  Fauci is wanting the perfect world where we double blind test,  

As to Trump's tweets and retweets-  you may not have noticed it since you are in Australia but he often tweets or retweets threats, etc, but uses them in a psychological way-  his end result is much more moderate.  

https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-claim-that-malaria-drugs-treat-coronavirus-sparks-warnings-shortages-11584981897?redirect=amp#click=https://t.co/9yJT0PvyCi
 

I think the crazy buying is happening in other countries where presumably it doesn’t need a script.  Note I’m not blaming trump for that or anything - preppers were trying to source it before his comments - I’m just saying it was something that happened.

[Sneezyone 29,255]

4 minutes ago, TravelingChris said:

I never said that Fauci lied though I have a suspicion that all the meds on top lied about airborne transmission in order to save the masks for the health care workers and thereby not have an even worse tragedy where so many medical personnel die that even more civilians die.  That would have caused a greater death rate so I understand it but also think that it contributed to the death rate in the minority communities where a higher number work 2 jobs, etc, and didn't have the time or energy to be looking up photos of everyone face masked in numerous countries.

 

I agree with you that masking should have been encouraged (of the civilian kind, cloth, whatnot) from the beginning. I do not think that kind of messaging would have been allowed b/c it is inconsistent with the incessant push to get back to normal and/or create the appearance of normal. Masked people raise alarms. Masked people indicate all is not well. Masked people shame the unmasked and make them feel bad. I do not agree, however, that the lack of masking is why marginalized people are dying at higher rates. Systemic inequality is the cause of that. Poor/inadequate leadership is the reason they were exposed in the first place.

[Ausmumof3 23,316]

17 minutes ago, TravelingChris said:

As I stated in the above post, he tweets and retweets stuff all the time and his policies and decisions very often differ from those.  Is he angry with Dr. Fauci- probably- is he going to fire him-- probably not.  And if all a newspaper is doing is publishing tweets and retweets of people- that really isn't investigating, is it?

It’s probably a bit political but to me if someone whose the elected leader of a country tweets stuff that should represent their actual views.  I realise that hasn’t been the case but it seems kinda crazy.  That he can tweet or say whatever and not really mean it.

im not really left wing or anything I’m all over the shop politically.  A lot of American politics just don’t seem to make much sense from here.

[Sneezyone 29,255]

7 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

It’s probably a bit political but to me if someone whose the elected leader of a country tweets stuff that should represent their actual views.  I realise that hasn’t been the case but it seems kinda crazy.  That he can tweet or say whatever and not really mean it.

im not really left wing or anything I’m all over the shop politically.  A lot of American politics just don’t seem to make much sense from here.

 

It doesn't make much sense up close either.

[Ordinary Shoes 6,231]

6 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

It’s probably a bit political but to me if someone whose the elected leader of a country tweets stuff that should represent their actual views.  I realise that hasn’t been the case but it seems kinda crazy.  That he can tweet or say whatever and not really mean it.

im not really left wing or anything I’m all over the shop politically.  A lot of American politics just don’t seem to make much sense from here.

Not from here either. 

[Pawz4me 38,302]

9 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

It’s probably a bit political but to me if someone whose the elected leader of a country tweets stuff that should represent their actual views.  I realise that hasn’t been the case but it seems kinda crazy.  That he can tweet or say whatever and not really mean it.

im not really left wing or anything I’m all over the shop politically.  A lot of American politics just don’t seem to make much sense from here.

I'm trying to avoid being too political, and there's certainly a lot I'd like to say. But to stay rather neutral -- he likes to float trial balloons. So he retweets or hints about something in another way and waits to see how the public responds. He draws back on some of his more outrageous things when the negative reeaction is too much. Now I could opine about the reasons he does that, but  . . . probably too political other than to say it's ultimately about self preservation. Not that that's unusual for any politician. But the trial balloons are often very good insight into what he'd really like to do, whether he follows through or not.

[Ausmumof3 23,316]

1 minute ago, Pawz4me said:

I'm trying to avoid being too political, and there's certainly a lot I'd like to say. But to stay rather neutral -- he likes to float trial balloons. So he retweets or hints about something in another way and waits to see how the public responds. He draws back on some of his more outrageous things when the negative reeaction is too much. Now I could opine about the reasons he does that, but  . . . probably too political other than to say it's ultimately about self preservation. Not that that's unusual for any politician. But the trial balloons are often very good insight into what he'd really like to do, whether he follows through or not.

Yeah that makes sense.  

[SKL 58,138]

1 hour ago, TravelingChris said:

Number one=-  Washington Post has been a highly unreliable newspaper for reporting on inside administration details,  They have reported on firings of people that have not happened so many times, reported so-called inside scoops that turned out to be the exact opposite of a policy,  reported misleading reports of policy that are so misleading that people panic but the policy is a slight tweak that should have no one panicking at all (something like Trump is cutting all funding for blank when in reality, his proposed budget is calling for a slightly smaller increase in budget like instead of a 10% raise in budget for a coming year a 9.5% increase), etc, etc.  

Number two=== Fauci was one of the people who could have saved lives and isn't doing it.  He kept spouting the lies that it wasn't airborne until last week or end of the week before.  He also kept discouraging the hydroxychloroquine/zinc/Z-pack combo, although it is saving lives.  

I had also heard F. has conflicts of interest that had people calling for his removal last week if not earlier.

[Arcadia 23,204]

58 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

Yeah that makes sense.  

FYI Singapore govt does “test balloons”, similar concept. Plenty caught for breaking social distancing rules too despite fines. 
Data for cases is cut at noon but information is out sometimes pass midnight. The later the daily press release the higher the case numbers according to the local public who are tracking press releases (quite obvious trend though).

ETA:

Trend holds true 😛

“BREAKING: Singapore reports 386 new COVID-19 cases in its highest daily increase yet, and its 9th death from the disease.” https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/covid19-coronavirus-singapore-new-cases-clusters-moh-12636840

Edited April 13, 2020 by Arcadia

[TCB 4,251]

52 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

I'm trying to avoid being too political, and there's certainly a lot I'd like to say. But to stay rather neutral -- he likes to float trial balloons. So he retweets or hints about something in another way and waits to see how the public responds. He draws back on some of his more outrageous things when the negative reeaction is too much. Now I could opine about the reasons he does that, but  . . . probably too political other than to say it's ultimately about self preservation. Not that that's unusual for any politician. But the trial balloons are often very good insight into what he'd really like to do, whether he follows through or not.

I am starting to think it's more like some kind of negotiating tactic. I think he uses tactics that he feels have proved useful to him his whole life, and they probably have. I personally like things to be much more straight forward and direct, but I'm sure I probably wouldn't survive in politics because of that. 

[Paige 17,018]

1 hour ago, TravelingChris said:

I never said that Fauci lied...

You said he repeated a lie...

I feel it is a little harsh to call it a lie when most experts were probably doing their best with the limited knowledge they have. Whether it’s Fauci or the people he quoted- chances are they were just wrong rather than malicious. If he knew it was airborne and said it wasn’t, or had been told or seen reliable reports that it was airborne and continued to downplay the risk, however, it would have been lying and dangerous. 
 

My problem with hydroxycholoroquine isn’t that there are no studies but that there are conflicting studies and anecdotes and there are other potential drugs. If you are going to believe the anecdotal evidence it works, you have to also consider the cases where it hasn’t worked and the anecdotal evidence for other drugs. 

Putting all our eggs in the hydroxychloroquine basket seems foolish. I’d like to see them say that there are many potential treatments being investigated and have the FDA allow many or all of them to be used (obvi not all on the same patient) including hydroxychloroquine. I don’t want to throw it out but I don’t want to depend on it either. There’s some aids antiviral that’s shown promise along with others I don’t recall because their names blend together in my mind. I think people would be more hopeful if all of these promising treatments were discussed during the press conferences instead of just one.
 

 

[Corraleno 34,596]

1 hour ago, TravelingChris said:

Trump was praising Hydroxychloroquine and nobody can be crazy buying it except medical doctors because it  (and the more dangerous, chloroquine) are prescription only drugs. 

 

"Four more state pharmacy boards have followed Ohio's lead and taken steps to block pharmacists from excessively dispensing two drugs touted as possible COVID-19 treatments, as both drugs are already in shortage.  Utah, Idaho, Texas and Nevada have all moved to block unnecessary prescriptions of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, both designed to treat malaria but commonly used to treat autoimmune diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. Physicians were found to be writing prescriptions for themselves and their families to stockpile the drugs, and both are already in shortage. Texas also limited prescriptions of the antibiotic azithromycin and another malaria drug, mefloquine, according to the Times.  It seems like people are trying to start hoarding these medications just like they've been hoarding toilet paper and water," Allison Benz, executive director of the Texas State Board of Pharmacy, told KXAN, an NBC affiliate in Austin, Texas." Article here

"Ohio doctors are obtaining so many prescriptions of a possible coronavirus treatment for themselves, their families, their colleagues and their friends that it’s wiping out the supply for everybody else — including people with lupus who will become more susceptible to the virus without their usual medication." Article here

“People are losing their minds about this product,” said Brian Brito, president of SMP Pharmacy Solutions in Miami. “We’re selling so much of this stuff and people are just stockpiling it prophylactically if anybody in their family gets sick — they’re just holding on to it. Brito said his pharmacy had about 800 tablets on Monday and were nearly sold out in about an hour. One doctor called and asked for 200 tablets, but the company refused. “He was a little upset about it but he understood and he went quickly from 200 to 42 tablets, which is essentially treating two people,” Brito said. “So yeah, they’re stockpiling it.”  Article here

[mumto2 34,140]

I don’t consider that the US has put all it’s eggs in the hydroxichloriquine (sp) basket by any means.  It’s promising, it’s somewhat known, it has other purposes.......I am sure it can be donated somewhere for malaria treatment.  I thought ramping production of it up was smart.  Why wait....now could save lives. One life saved is not a waste.  Is it right to stockpile it individually at this point, no............a side comment.......I do wish we had bought our travel pack of it the pharmacist offered when we picked up our Tamiflu last summer in the U.K. before traveling to the US tor Uni.  We skipped it because we were going to the US......it was common enough to be over the counter almost in the U.K.......you call a help line and get a prescription for travel meds then talk to the pharmacist who directs you to what you need.
 

Supposedly the U.K. is starting production of the untested Oxford vaccine........simply so it will be ready to use if it works.  Good common lifesaving sense......

[Corraleno 34,596]

1 hour ago, SKL said:

I had also heard F. has conflicts of interest that had people calling for his removal last week if not earlier.

Care to provide any links? All I can find are conspiracy theories that Fauci is in some kind of pact with Gates (who wants to implant us all with microchips via vaccine), and Fauci is discouraging chloroquine in order to help Gates get his scary vaccines approved as early as possible.

[TCB 4,251]

35 minutes ago, Corraleno said:

 

"Four more state pharmacy boards have followed Ohio's lead and taken steps to block pharmacists from excessively dispensing two drugs touted as possible COVID-19 treatments, as both drugs are already in shortage.  Utah, Idaho, Texas and Nevada have all moved to block unnecessary prescriptions of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, both designed to treat malaria but commonly used to treat autoimmune diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. Physicians were found to be writing prescriptions for themselves and their families to stockpile the drugs, and both are already in shortage. Texas also limited prescriptions of the antibiotic azithromycin and another malaria drug, mefloquine, according to the Times.  It seems like people are trying to start hoarding these medications just like they've been hoarding toilet paper and water," Allison Benz, executive director of the Texas State Board of Pharmacy, told KXAN, an NBC affiliate in Austin, Texas." Article here

"Ohio doctors are obtaining so many prescriptions of a possible coronavirus treatment for themselves, their families, their colleagues and their friends that it’s wiping out the supply for everybody else — including people with lupus who will become more susceptible to the virus without their usual medication." Article here

“People are losing their minds about this product,” said Brian Brito, president of SMP Pharmacy Solutions in Miami. “We’re selling so much of this stuff and people are just stockpiling it prophylactically if anybody in their family gets sick — they’re just holding on to it. Brito said his pharmacy had about 800 tablets on Monday and were nearly sold out in about an hour. One doctor called and asked for 200 tablets, but the company refused. “He was a little upset about it but he understood and he went quickly from 200 to 42 tablets, which is essentially treating two people,” Brito said. “So yeah, they’re stockpiling it.”  Article here

This is something to not be proud of with my fellow healthcare people. I can understand why they may want to do this, but it is something that we have to fight against our natural desires and let our better selves come through. Stockpiling for people that aren't even sick yet or may not get sick when people that already are won't be able to get the medication is not a nice thing at all. I guess I should also say, easier for me to say when I don't have the ability to write prescriptions anyway, but it really isn't a nice thing no matter what.

[livetoread 9,340]

54 minutes ago, Arctic Mama said:

Ish. He actually responded to it in a way that undermined the original tweet and called it fake news. The original tweet was a congresswoman saying that.  For accuracy.

I don’t understand your argument here. Maybe you could elaborate? The original tweet (by a candidate for congress who lost in a primary in Pelosi’s district) was angry at Fauci for saying that more lives would have been saved if social distancing had happened. Trump seemed to agree with her tweet, saying he had done the China ban early and called it fake news. Are you saying he was calling the candidate’s comment fake news? Because I read it to say that Fauci’s comment was fake news and he was agreeing with the candidate.

Editing to add, I don’t want to argue the point, just want to make sure I understand your point. We can interpret his tweets differently!

Edited April 13, 2020 by livetoread

[Pen 26,861]

Could someone pull up the thread I started that though it says “no politics”  in title would be a better place for politics than this thread?

The last couple of pages seem to be remarkably civil considering the discussion content.   Nonetheless, I fear they may go beyond the WTM no politics board rules and I don’t want moderators to shut down this thread. 

[Arcadia 23,204]

Vietnam 🙂

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-vietnam-riceatm/rice-atm-feeds-vietnams-poor-amid-virus-lockdown-idUSKCN21V0GQ

“HO CHI MINH CITY (Reuters) - A Vietnamese entrepreneur in Ho Chi Minh City has invented a 24/7 automatic dispensing machine providing free rice for people out of work following an ongoing nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. 

Vietnam has reported 262 COVID-19 cases, and no deaths so far, but as a result of a 15-day social distancing programme that began on March 31 many small businesses have been shuttered and thousands of people temporarily laid off from work. 

Nguyen Thi Ly’s husband was among those who have lost their job. 

“This rice ATM has been helpful. With this one bag of rice, we can have enough for one day,” said the 34-year-old mother of three children. “Now, we only need other food. Our neighbors sometimes gave us some leftover food, or we have instant noodles.” 

The machine distributes a 1.5kg (3.3lb) bagful of rice from a small silo to waiting workers, many of whom are street sellers or people who earned a living from cash-in-hand jobs like housekeeping or selling lottery tickets. 

Hoang Tuan Anh, the businessman behind the idea, had initially donated a batch of smart doorbells to hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City before turning his technological expertise to food distribution. 

Similar ‘rice ATMs’ have been set up in other big cities like Hanoi, Hue and Danang, according to state media. 

Employees monitoring the rice ATM declined to comment, but Anh told state media he wanted people to feel they still had access to food and resources, despite the current economic difficulties they found themselves in. 

“I refer to this machine as a ‘rice ATM’ because people can withdraw rice from it, assured that there are still good people out there who want to give them a second chance,” he said. 

While many in the Communist-ruled country can rely on a social safety-net, and the government has introduced a stimulus package designed to help society’s most vulnerable, some people living on the margin, like Ly and her family, have not received enough support.”

Edited April 13, 2020 by Arcadia
Removed photo caption

[Carrie12345 19,235]

Thrilled to see that NY, NJ, CT, PA, RI, and DE (I think that’s everyone) have joined forces to work on an “opening” plan together, with public health being the priority.  We have so much traffic flow between us, it really needs to be a joint effort. Today, each of the governors sounded like they were in no rush to risk the progress made.

[Jean in Newcastle 174,721]

28 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

Vietnam 🙂

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-vietnam-riceatm/rice-atm-feeds-vietnams-poor-amid-virus-lockdown-idUSKCN21V0GQ

“HO CHI MINH CITY (Reuters) - A Vietnamese entrepreneur in Ho Chi Minh City has invented a 24/7 automatic dispensing machine providing free rice for people out of work following an ongoing nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. 

A woman fills a plastic bag with rice from a 24/7 automatic rice dispensing machine 'Rice ATM' during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, April 11, 2020. REUTERS/Yen Duong

Vietnam has reported 262 COVID-19 cases, and no deaths so far, but as a result of a 15-day social distancing programme that began on March 31 many small businesses have been shuttered and thousands of people temporarily laid off from work. 

Nguyen Thi Ly’s husband was among those who have lost their job. 

“This rice ATM has been helpful. With this one bag of rice, we can have enough for one day,” said the 34-year-old mother of three children. “Now, we only need other food. Our neighbors sometimes gave us some leftover food, or we have instant noodles.” 

The machine distributes a 1.5kg (3.3lb) bagful of rice from a small silo to waiting workers, many of whom are street sellers or people who earned a living from cash-in-hand jobs like housekeeping or selling lottery tickets. 

Hoang Tuan Anh, the businessman behind the idea, had initially donated a batch of smart doorbells to hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City before turning his technological expertise to food distribution. 

Similar ‘rice ATMs’ have been set up in other big cities like Hanoi, Hue and Danang, according to state media. 

Employees monitoring the rice ATM declined to comment, but Anh told state media he wanted people to feel they still had access to food and resources, despite the current economic difficulties they found themselves in. 

“I refer to this machine as a ‘rice ATM’ because people can withdraw rice from it, assured that there are still good people out there who want to give them a second chance,” he said. 

While many in the Communist-ruled country can rely on a social safety-net, and the government has introduced a stimulus package designed to help society’s most vulnerable, some people living on the margin, like Ly and her family, have not received enough support.”

While I think that what this person is doing is great, rice dispensing machines (for pay, not for free) have been around for decades. 

[Plum 15,381]

Quote

 

There were 81 patients in the Brazilian study. About half of the participants were given a dose 450 milligrams of chloroquine twice daily for five days. The rest received a higher dose of 600 milligrams for 10 days. 

Within three days, researchers said they started noticing heart arrhythmias in patients taking the higher dose. By the sixth day of treatment, 11 patients had died, and the high-dose segment of the trial was stopped. Patients in the trial were also given the antibiotic azithromycin, which also carries heart risks.

The researchers said the study did not have enough patients in the lower-dose portion of the trial to conclude if chloroquine was effective in patients with severe cases of the disease. More studies evaluating the drug earlier in the course of the disease are “urgently needed,” the researchers said.

 

Chloroquine Trial in Brazil Stopped Over Risk of Deadly Heart Complications

https://www.newsmax.com/health-news/chloroquine-drug-trial-brazil-study/2020/04/13/id/962556/

[TravelingChris 10,826]

4 hours ago, Sneezyone said:

 

I agree with you that masking should have been encouraged (of the civilian kind, cloth, whatnot) from the beginning. I do not think that kind of messaging would have been allowed b/c it is inconsistent with the incessant push to get back to normal and/or create the appearance of normal. Masked people raise alarms. Masked people indicate all is not well. Masked people shame the unmasked and make them feel bad. I do not agree, however, that the lack of masking is why marginalized people are dying at higher rates. Systemic inequality is the cause of that. Poor/inadequate leadership is the reason they were exposed in the first place.

I am not blaming the lack of masking for the problem of the minorities.  There are multiple reasons including higher density households, much higher rates of some of the underlying conditions like high blood pressure and asthma, the types of work that some of the minorities are more represented in, etc.  But yeah, if people wear the right kind of masks- which aren't available anyway- they would have been protected,   

[TravelingChris 10,826]

2 hours ago, Paige said:

You said he repeated a lie...

I feel it is a little harsh to call it a lie when most experts were probably doing their best with the limited knowledge they have. Whether it’s Fauci or the people he quoted- chances are they were just wrong rather than malicious. If he knew it was airborne and said it wasn’t, or had been told or seen reliable reports that it was airborne and continued to downplay the risk, however, it would have been lying and dangerous. 
 

My problem with hydroxycholoroquine isn’t that there are no studies but that there are conflicting studies and anecdotes and there are other potential drugs. If you are going to believe the anecdotal evidence it works, you have to also consider the cases where it hasn’t worked and the anecdotal evidence for other drugs. 

Putting all our eggs in the hydroxychloroquine basket seems foolish. I’d like to see them say that there are many potential treatments being investigated and have the FDA allow many or all of them to be used (obvi not all on the same patient) including hydroxychloroquine. I don’t want to throw it out but I don’t want to depend on it either. There’s some aids antiviral that’s shown promise along with others I don’t recall because their names blend together in my mind. I think people would be more hopeful if all of these promising treatments were discussed during the press conferences instead of just one.
 

 

I am not thinking we should put all of our baskets into hydroxychloroquine at all.  I am sure that Trump wasn't meaning that too.  But instead of waiting for the months to years it takes for a proper randomnized double blind study of each of the potential helpers to be done- case studies of more limited groups can be very useful.  As a hydroxychloroquine using patient, I have no desire for my and my fellow arthritics to lose our medicine to unfounded theories. 

[TravelingChris 10,826]

28 minutes ago, Plum said:

Chloroquine Trial in Brazil Stopped Over Risk of Deadly Heart Complications

https://www.newsmax.com/health-news/chloroquine-drug-trial-brazil-study/2020/04/13/id/962556/

Nobody is being prescribed chloroquine in the arthritis community and haven't for at least 50 years because it did have more negative side effects compared to Hydroxychloroquine.   I had no idea which bad side effects of chlorquine were the ones that stopped its use as both an anti- malarial and anti-arthritic medication but at least in the USA, Plaquenil has been the standard since I think the mid to late 50s.

[Ausmumof3 23,316]

https://mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKCN21V1DK?__twitter_impression=true
 

amazon to add 75,000 jobs to handle surge in online deliveries 

[CAJinBE 795]

Macron just extended the lockdown in France until May 11! I suppose Belgium will follow when they make announcement on Wednesday.

[Lanny 9,818]

I read something about Australia has approved, or, is contemplating approving, a law that will prohibit International travel until New Years Day 2021?   Has that decree been issued?

[Sneezyone 29,255]

5 hours ago, Corraleno said:

 

"Four more state pharmacy boards have followed Ohio's lead and taken steps to block pharmacists from excessively dispensing two drugs touted as possible COVID-19 treatments, as both drugs are already in shortage.  Utah, Idaho, Texas and Nevada have all moved to block unnecessary prescriptions of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, both designed to treat malaria but commonly used to treat autoimmune diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. Physicians were found to be writing prescriptions for themselves and their families to stockpile the drugs, and both are already in shortage. Texas also limited prescriptions of the antibiotic azithromycin and another malaria drug, mefloquine, according to the Times.  It seems like people are trying to start hoarding these medications just like they've been hoarding toilet paper and water," Allison Benz, executive director of the Texas State Board of Pharmacy, told KXAN, an NBC affiliate in Austin, Texas." Article here

"Ohio doctors are obtaining so many prescriptions of a possible coronavirus treatment for themselves, their families, their colleagues and their friends that it’s wiping out the supply for everybody else — including people with lupus who will become more susceptible to the virus without their usual medication." Article here

“People are losing their minds about this product,” said Brian Brito, president of SMP Pharmacy Solutions in Miami. “We’re selling so much of this stuff and people are just stockpiling it prophylactically if anybody in their family gets sick — they’re just holding on to it. Brito said his pharmacy had about 800 tablets on Monday and were nearly sold out in about an hour. One doctor called and asked for 200 tablets, but the company refused. “He was a little upset about it but he understood and he went quickly from 200 to 42 tablets, which is essentially treating two people,” Brito said. “So yeah, they’re stockpiling it.”  Article here

 

This is also a sad indication of the craving/need for responsible leadership. The bully pulpit is powerful and it makes a difference, for better or worse.

[Melissa in Australia 13,595]

1 hour ago, Lanny said:

I read something about Australia has approved, or, is contemplating approving, a law that will prohibit International travel until New Years Day 2021?   Has that decree been issued?

I haven't heard this but I think pretty much all Australians would be behind this. If we seal ourselves off we may be able to get it under control soon

[Corraleno 34,596]

So glad we have the best minds in the country working on this...

 

[Ausmumof3 23,316]

4 hours ago, Arcadia said:

Vietnam 🙂

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-vietnam-riceatm/rice-atm-feeds-vietnams-poor-amid-virus-lockdown-idUSKCN21V0GQ

“HO CHI MINH CITY (Reuters) - A Vietnamese entrepreneur in Ho Chi Minh City has invented a 24/7 automatic dispensing machine providing free rice for people out of work following an ongoing nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. 

Vietnam has reported 262 COVID-19 cases, and no deaths so far, but as a result of a 15-day social distancing programme that began on March 31 many small businesses have been shuttered and thousands of people temporarily laid off from work. 

Nguyen Thi Ly’s husband was among those who have lost their job. 

“This rice ATM has been helpful. With this one bag of rice, we can have enough for one day,” said the 34-year-old mother of three children. “Now, we only need other food. Our neighbors sometimes gave us some leftover food, or we have instant noodles.” 

The machine distributes a 1.5kg (3.3lb) bagful of rice from a small silo to waiting workers, many of whom are street sellers or people who earned a living from cash-in-hand jobs like housekeeping or selling lottery tickets. 

Hoang Tuan Anh, the businessman behind the idea, had initially donated a batch of smart doorbells to hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City before turning his technological expertise to food distribution. 

Similar ‘rice ATMs’ have been set up in other big cities like Hanoi, Hue and Danang, according to state media. 

Employees monitoring the rice ATM declined to comment, but Anh told state media he wanted people to feel they still had access to food and resources, despite the current economic difficulties they found themselves in. 

“I refer to this machine as a ‘rice ATM’ because people can withdraw rice from it, assured that there are still good people out there who want to give them a second chance,” he said. 

While many in the Communist-ruled country can rely on a social safety-net, and the government has introduced a stimulus package designed to help society’s most vulnerable, some people living on the margin, like Ly and her family, have not received enough support.”

Just going to say I’m more than happy to do without rice for a while if it means they can eat 🙂 

I’m glad they are getting that support 

[BusyMom5 1,663]

Has there been any updated statistics on mortality in regard to age, comorbidities,  ect.?  My state is trying to keep the info current but I would like to see data from the US, Germany,  France- in regard to an age breakdown and death rate.

[Ausmumof3 23,316]

59 minutes ago, Melissa in Australia said:

I haven't heard this but I think pretty much all Australians would be behind this. If we seal ourselves off we may be able to get it under control soon

Yep

there are people clamouring for out but to be honest I actually feel quite hopeful that we could contain it here.  We have an R below one at this point apparently.  We need to be really careful with the people we’re bringing home from overseas.  Even locally acquired cases are decreasing.

[Ausmumof3 23,316]

https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus
 

@BusyMom5

Comes from here but you have to scroll a fair way

[Bootsie 7,720]

This chart compares the confirmed cases in Denmark and Sweden scaled to equivalent population sizes

Denmark is in orange.  It is interesting how with very different policies in place their curves are really not looking that different.  

[Matryoshka 36,412]

1 minute ago, Bootsie said:

This chart compares the confirmed cases in Denmark and Sweden scaled to equivalent population sizes

Denmark is in orange.  It is interesting how with very different policies in place their curves are really not looking that different.  

Sweden is not testing except for extreme cases.  Their death rate curves, I believe, look quite different.  Even though their cases per million are very similar, deaths per million in Sweden is 91, in Denmark 49.  I think a lot of cases in Sweden are being missed.

[Arcadia 23,204]

@square_25

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/us-new-york-cuomo-covid-19-coronavirus-lockdown-12638358

“"The worst is over if we continue to be smart going forward," said Cuomo, adding that he would speak to neighboring governors later on Monday to come up with a reopening plan.

He promised an announcement later in the day after speaking to his counterparts in New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and Delaware.

He said a reopening would be gradual, would involve easing isolation measures and could start with recalibrating who is an essential worker.

It would also require an increase in testing to monitor infection rates.

"This is a delicate balance," Cuomo said.

"It's not going to be, we flip the switch, and everybody comes out of their house, gets in their car, waves and hugs each other, and the economy will start."

"Do it carefully, do it slowly and do it intelligently," he added.

The governor described restarting New York's shuttered economy as like "opening a valve", and implored people to "do it carefully, do it slowly and do it intelligently".

"If you see that infection rates start ticking up, which would be undermining everything we have accomplished thus far, then you know you've opened the valve too fast," he said.

Cuomo encouraged New York's 19.5 million inhabitants to continue to follow social distancing guidelines, saying "two or three days of reckless behaviour" could set the fight against the pandemic back.”

[Bootsie 7,720]

If Sweden has consistently undertested relative to Denmark, the level of Sweden's real curve would be higher but the shape would be the same.  If they are always only counting 1/2 of their cases, for example, the curve would simply be twice as high.  That would mean that there were a lot more cases, but the trajectory of the spread would be the same.  You would think that they would have a much different trajectory due to differing policies.

[Acadie 2,468]

Potentially long-lasting sequelae for some who recover 😞 

https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2020-04-10/coronavirus-infection-can-do-lasting-damage-to-the-heart-liver?fbclid=IwAR2JmqVM-lJdw3egI-lMF815V1B3tMKiFYK35EmhhzxNNJsB80r2MvD34zM

[Corraleno 34,596]

23 minutes ago, Acadie said:

Potentially long-lasting sequelae for some who recover 😞 

https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2020-04-10/coronavirus-infection-can-do-lasting-damage-to-the-heart-liver?fbclid=IwAR2JmqVM-lJdw3egI-lMF815V1B3tMKiFYK35EmhhzxNNJsB80r2MvD34zM

That is a seriously depressing article ☹️

[Acadie 2,468]

7 minutes ago, Corraleno said:

That is a seriously depressing article ☹️

 

Agreed. I'm sorry. This whole thing just blows.

 

[Corraleno 34,596]

8 minutes ago, Acadie said:

 

Agreed. I'm sorry. This whole thing just blows.

 

I'm glad you posted it. I think people (especially young people) who are saying "I just want to catch it and get it over with" might have a different opinion if they knew that even people who had "mild" cases may have long-lasting damage. 😞 

Edited April 14, 2020 by Corraleno

[matrips 2,111]

13 minutes ago, Corraleno said:

That is a seriously depressing article ☹️

Agreed.

id be curious though to see the difference in heart, lungs, blood  etc of those who received immediate anti-viral or anti-malarial treatment vs those who had to tough it out.  

[calbear 1,775]

CA, OR and WA have formed a Western States pact on their strategy to re-open. The plan is to be revealed Tuesday 4/14 at 12 PM.

https://www.kcra.com/article/gov-newsom-coronavirus-update-april-13/32130091

 

Edited April 14, 2020 by calbear

[Ausmumof3 23,316]

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2009316
 

study screening all pregnant women in a New York hospital shows lots and lots of asymptomatic cases.  Only a few went on to develop symptoms.

84.6 pc negative

13.5 pc asymptomatic.

1.9 pc symptomatic 

 

 

[Ausmumof3 23,316]

41 minutes ago, StellaM said:

Can AU go for an elimination strategy?

https://www.smh.com.au/national/it-s-worth-a-shot-australia-s-endgame-must-be-total-elimination-of-the-virus-20200412-p54j71.html

 

We just had an ICU nurse diagnosed in SA 😔