General Discussion/Q&A on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

[burmans]

This would be amusing if it wasn't so sad

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dfw.cbslocal.com

A candidate for the Darwin Awards though.

 

[Pushka]

Had to turn off ABC news tonight. They were expounding the virtues of China and how they are living a very pleasant post covid life.

 

[drron]

The CDC is certainly confused as for what to do.They have changed their testing advice again.Doesn't sound right to me.

CDC removes 14-day quarantine recommendation from guidelines, says those exposed to virus may not need testing

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its guidelines for COVID-19 testing, saying those who have been exposed to the virus may not need to be tested.

www.wfla.com

And another study that needs to be done.Vitamin K levels have been found to be very low in Severe Covid disease.This may explain the clotting problems.Vitamin K is easy to use and many physicians use it frequently when counteracting the effects of warfarin and excessive bleeding.

Vitamin K insufficiency may be a modifiable risk factor of severe COVID-19

Reduced vitamin K status may play a role in the pathogenesis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) through interacting with both elastic fiber metabolism and the coagulation cascade, thus linking pulmonary and thromboembolic disease, according to a study published in Clinical Infectious...

dgalerts.docguide.com

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Question put to the the Treasurer tonight on the news... 'how do you justify big companies taking taxpayer jobkeeper, yet paying millions of dollars in executive bonuses?'.

Answer: 'that's a matter for companies and their shareholders to decide'.

Given the enormous gain to shareholders, not sure that is an appropriate oversight mechanism?

 

[drron]

Some more articles on Covid.
Seems asthma does not make you more likely to get covid and if so seems to be usually milder.Influenza is a bigger risk to asthmatics.

Asthma may not be a significant risk factor for severe COVID-19

A research letter published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society concluded that asthma may be an overestimated risk factor for hospitalisation due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).Richard Broadhurst, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, and...

dgalerts.docguide.com

CDC hedging it's bets on Convalescent plasma as treatment.

Welcome to Precision Vaccinations News

Precision Vaccinations News publishes vaccine news patients can trust to make informed immunization decisions in partnership with doctors, nurses, and pharmacists.

www.coronavirustoday.com

NIH panel issues statement on EUA of convalescent plasma for the treatment of COVID-19

The National Institutes of Health's (NIH) COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel has released a statement with regard to the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), issued by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on August 23, 2020, for convalescent plasma for the treatment of COVID-19.The Panel...

dgalerts.docguide.com

Although pregnant women have fewer symptoms with covid they may be more prone to severe disease.

Living review finds pregnant women show fewer COVID-19-related symptoms, but are more likely to need intensive care

Pregnant and recently pregnant women with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are less likely to manifest COVID-19-related symptoms of fever and myalgia, but they may be at higher risk for admission to intensive care units (ICUs) and invasive ventilation compared with non-pregnant women of...

dgalerts.docguide.com

And fungal diseases are a real risk if Covid positive.

Invasive fungal disease is a significant complication of severe COVID-19, increases mortality: Study

By Denise BaezNEW YORK -- September 1, 2020 -- A study evaluating a national, enhanced testing strategy to diagnose invasive fungal disease in intensive care patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) found that invasive fungal disease represents a significant complication associated with...

dgalerts.docguide.com

 

[tgh]

Interesting.. are there any au public companies with the dry ice market cornered because they could be a spec buy….


But what we’re looking at for the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech candidates, both of which are promising and are well into Phase II/III trials, is not just refrigeration. Moderna’s vaccine needs to be shipped and stored at -20 C (minus four Fahrenheit), while the Pfizer/BioNTech one needs to be at -70 C (-94 F). The former is enough of a challenge – freezer temperatures instead of refrigerator ones. But the latter. . .well, biology research labs all have freezers that go down that far (it’s where cell culture samples, oligonucleotide constructs, and recombinant proteins get stored), but you’re not going to find one down at the local pharmac_, which is perhaps where you were picturing lining up for a coronavirus shot.

This news sent both companies’ stock prices down late last week, because it’s definitely not what people wanted to hear. Pfizer has provided these details to the CDC about shipping and storage of their candidate: the vaccine can be shipped in “dry ice pack” boxes, but that dry ice will need to be replenished within 24 hours of receipt. The shipping carton needs to be closed within one minute of opening, and not opened more than twice per day. Vaccine vials, once removed, can be kept at refrigerator temperatures for up to 24 hours or at room temperature for no more than 2 hours after thawing. So this is going to take a very organized approach to make sure that the vaccine is handled properly without wastage. We’re looking at a lot of dry ice and a lot of orders for ultra-cold freezers if this is the candidate that gets heavy nationwide distribution

 

[VPS]

Interesting.. are there any au public companies with the dry ice market cornered because they could be a spec buy….


But what we’re looking at for the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech candidates, both of which are promising and are well into Phase II/III trials, is not just refrigeration. Moderna’s vaccine needs to be shipped and stored at -20 C (minus four Fahrenheit), while the Pfizer/BioNTech one needs to be at -70 C (-94 F). The former is enough of a challenge – freezer temperatures instead of refrigerator ones. But the latter. . .well, biology research labs all have freezers that go down that far (it’s where cell culture samples, oligonucleotide constructs, and recombinant proteins get stored), but you’re not going to find one down at the local pharmac_, which is perhaps where you were picturing lining up for a coronavirus shot.

This news sent both companies’ stock prices down late last week, because it’s definitely not what people wanted to hear. Pfizer has provided these details to the CDC about shipping and storage of their candidate: the vaccine can be shipped in “dry ice pack” boxes, but that dry ice will need to be replenished within 24 hours of receipt. The shipping carton needs to be closed within one minute of opening, and not opened more than twice per day. Vaccine vials, once removed, can be kept at refrigerator temperatures for up to 24 hours or at room temperature for no more than 2 hours after thawing. So this is going to take a very organized approach to make sure that the vaccine is handled properly without wastage. We’re looking at a lot of dry ice and a lot of orders for ultra-cold freezers if this is the candidate that gets heavy nationwide distribution

There are a number of things already shipped on dry ice and filling out the IATA paperwork is an absolute PITA

 

[Pushka]

Interesting report in SA media today. An SA man.

"I was high risk – I was male, over 60, and the first multiple myeloma patient in the state to contract the virus,” he said.

But after 19 days of touch and go in the Royal Adelaide Hospital – two in intensive care – Paul went home relatively unscathed.

“The doctors just could not believe I had survived the virus,” said the Seacombe Gardens resident.

“It’s bloody amazing – I should be sick as a dog and I am pretty well; it defies the laws of medicine.”

Paul has since discovered his blood contains high amounts of COVID-19 antibodies. Researchers have told him his levels are in the top five per cent of virus survivors.

“We didn’t think we’d be having him with us this Father’s Day,” said Paul’s 23-year-old son Daniel. “He’s as tough as nails … By all accounts he should have been dead.”

Paul is involved in two clinical trials at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and one at the Flinders Medical Centre."

 

[TheRealTMA]

A good paper, long read.

https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(20)31012-6

 

[TheRealTMA]

"I would rather die than wear a mask," one biker told an interviewer.

Seems like a good prediction.

Sturgis biker rally 'was super-spreader event'

An academic paper suggested the rally could have been potentially responsible for more than 250,000 cases.

www.theage.com.au

 

[Flashback]

Some lockdown restrictions about to be reinstated in the UK as numbers slowly rise. Still low compared to most of the rest of Europe, though. Spain excepted... Which continues to skyrocket.

 

[Pushka]

Some lockdown restrictions about to be reinstated in the UK as numbers slowly rise. Still low compared to most of the rest of Europe, though. Spain excepted... Which continues to skyrocket.

How is the hospital admission and death rate then? A second wave but is it as deadly?

 

[Seat0B]

Some lockdown restrictions about to be reinstated in the UK as numbers slowly rise. Still low compared to most of the rest of Europe, though. Spain excepted... Which continues to skyrocket.

All of which just seems crazy given that’s the eat out vouchers only finished a week or so back. It’s certainly a roller coaster ride.

 

[Flashback]

How is the hospital admission and death rate then? A second wave but is it as deadly?

All the numbers you see these days are just cases, no focus on hospital and death but my understanding is that it is way down and not a huge issue, so seems weaker in any case. You could also put it down to high levels of testing especially in hotspot areas so of course numbers rise.

All of which just seems crazy given that’s the eat out vouchers only finished a week or so back. It’s certainly a roller coaster ride.

I don't really think that had much impact anyway although I would say each time I ate out it just felt like normal.

Went to our office in town today and while the train and tube were busier overall it was still very quiet.

 

[LadyC]

All the numbers you see these days are just cases, no focus on hospital and death but my understanding is that it is way down and not a huge issue, so seems weaker in any case. You could also put it down to high levels of testing especially in hotspot areas so of course numbers rise.

It seems to have turned have turned from a pandemic to a casedemic!

 

[Pushka]

We therefore seem to be completely focussed on positive case numbers but not the impact this has on the health system management. Which at the beginning was the fundamental goal. The indicator instead, has become the goal post.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

We therefore seem to be completely focussed on positive case numbers but not the impact this has on the health system management. Which at the beginning was the fundamental goal. The indicator instead, has become the goal post.

As the president of the AMA said on Q&A Monday night... the policy changed from 'flatten the curve' to 'suppress and let's hope we get a vaccine asap'. He said if we view actions by the states through that lens, a lot of things begin to make sense.

He agreed communication of the strategy hasn't been good.

 

[LadyC]

We therefore seem to be completely focussed on positive case numbers but not the impact this has on the health system management. Which at the beginning was the fundamental goal. The indicator instead, has become the goal post.

Nor any recognition of the collateral damage the lockdown is causing.

 

[p--and--t]

He agreed communication of the strategy hasn't been good.

I'm not convinced there has been a cohesive strategy across the country since the very early days of "oh sh.. we need some beds and ventilators asap"

 

[Pushka]

I'm not convinced there has been a cohesive strategy across the country since the very early days of "oh sh.. we need some beds and ventilators asap"

But that then goes back to the fractured nature of the Federation and how really Australia has no national philosophy. I never realised how much the States can run their own state!