Currently in Quarantine

[JohnDB]

So...
Lots of stuff has changed since we all have gone into quarantine...
Lots of Politics and conspiracy theories muddying up the waters too.
(Some of that right here too)

And this thread is for none of that.

This thread is for verifiable data and reasonable information.

I don't care if you think Coronavirus is a hoax or conspiracy theory...we need to know what is going on with the scientific community research. So for this I'm starting a thread.

 

[JohnDB]

We have heard that there are going to be some vaccines available soon.... maybe shortly before or after Christmas.

But
Be careful.
We don't know if these things are dangerous or not...or if they are that effective or not.
50% effective is not sufficient for me to try one. And these vaccines are a lot like a tattoo....they are going to be with you for a while.
There's that and the fact that every time they have tried to make a vaccine for any coronavirus in the past it has failed miserably.

 

[JohnDB]

Testing....
Current tests are rather pathetic and almost a waste of time.
Waiting for a minimum of three day to a week to find out if you had been sick or might currently be sick isn't really helpful...and current tests are only 66% effective.... meaning 40-50% real world.

But if it worked like a flu test....

Well....

Check this article out....

They got one now that will work similar to a pregnancy test...and results as fast
AND
97% effective for testing for actual viruses....not just antibodies.

Here's the link:
Thoughts On a New Coronavirus Test (And on Testing)

 

[JohnDB]

For those who can read a ton of 59 cent words:

COVID-19 Drug & Vaccine Candidate Tracker | GEN

There are currently over 200 drugs and vaccines currently in testing and development. From antivirals to vaccines (and therapies and other drugs)

The antiviral's have the best chance of working IMHO...but for many of them it's going to be a while.
There's a few that will be in stage three testing soon. That means that it's capable of being in our local pharmacy soon.

 

[historyb]

Sorry we are not in quarantine unless your sick, this is lock down. Healthy people don't need to be quarantined.

 

[JohnDB]

I just went through the long list of vaccines...

It's rather depressing.
Remember that vaccines are a lot like a tattoo....they are going to be with you for a while. Better make sure that the effects are what you want. There are a ton of lousy tattoos out there. Everyone seems to be proud of bad ones too...


There's a ton of vaccines racing towards the finish line. (FDA approval for widespread distribution)
But I looked at the frontrunners...
The ones closest to providing protection.

It's not good.
Some require -70c storage...where this is going to work in a laboratory...your local pharmacy at Walgreens or CVS isn't going to have one. Nevermind the type of refrigerated tractor trailer for the millions of doses needed to be delivered. (Not an option)
And then what about remote locations?

There's only one that claims to only require one dose... again no numbers on effectiveness. But 50% effective is not really a good number...the potential downsides are too great IMHO. (Bad tattoo effects are something else to consider)

The rest of them require a "booster" injection several weeks after the first. A big negative because a huge percentage of people won't actually get the second injection needed to provide the immunity. And if the immunity effectiveness provided is only 50% when the regime is completed.... well, it's like not having any with potential disaster awaiting those who fall into the category of bad side effects.

None will be ready by Christmas.

Again this is decades worth of research being completed in less than a year. Amazing as it is...not exactly good news.


But there's about 3 antivirals being developed as we speak...
Those actually look promising. Especially if taken when symptoms first appear or exposure is known to have happened.

Then there's the T-cell and antibodies therapies... injections of antibodies grown in a lab that fight off this virus. These are virus killers that your own body makes...but they are still toxins. Totally unsure whether these will get used. It's a type of chemotherapy for sure.

There's also some new recommendations from a super computer recently from already approved drugs... again they need to go through clinical trials.

Depressing news... sorry to interrupt your holidays with a continuation of the pandemic...but there's hope for Easter.

 

[JohnDB]

And in other news today....

There's an inexpensive and decent preventative from getting so sick with Covid-19.

Vitamin D supliments.

Now apparently many people who are getting so sick from this virus are rather vitamin D deficient. This includes those taking ACE2 inhibitors and diabetics.

Most doctors overlook this in their patients as part of routine care for hypertension and diabetes. Also those with high melanin content in their skin who stay indoors average amounts in the cities also are at risk. (Basically anybody not white and who doesn't work in the sun on a daily basis)

A simple 1,000 iu capsule daily taken with breakfast or any other meal can mean the difference between hospitalization and just a bad cold if infected with the virus.

Much much easier for people to obtain without a prescription and fairly inexpensive to maintain on a regular basis until the pandemic is over. (Not to mention that it's not a bad idea for general health)

Most milk is fortified with vitamin D...and possibly a reason why children seem to not get sick with Covid-19 to begin with. But as adults age they drink less milk and become lactose intolerant and missing the added nutrient.

If you want to read all the big words and understand heavy deep science behind it (also read the comments below the article)
Here's a link for you:
Bradykinin and the Coronavirus

 

[Enoch111]

we need to know what is going on with the scientific community research.

Well if the so-called *scientific community* is hoaxing you, then what exactly are you going to discover? Everything concerning this SCAMDEMIC is lies and misdirection.

 

[JohnDB]

Well if the so-called *scientific community* is hoaxing you, then what exactly are you going to discover? Everything concerning this SCAMDEMIC is lies and misdirection.

This is not the thread for discussion of the conspiracy theories...there's another thread for that.

In this thread we are discussing the various treatments.

Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

 

[JohnDB]

Much work is being done in the Antiviral field for this pandemic. And where it likely will be a solution...it just might not be the one we are looking for.

Chicken pox is a virus that hides out in our bones and comes out later in life in the form of shingles...there's no telling when or where you will have an outbreak...but a shingles vaccine works wonders for this.

Now this scenario is what we might be looking at for coronavirus pandemic.
Long term effects aren't known yet of this virus...and won't be for some time.

Everyone has heard of DNA... what most people don't have much awareness of is RNA. RNA is most easily understood as something akin to as a set of instructions on how to read DNA. (It isn't, but close enough for the moment)

Now when a virus infects someone it's whole goal in life is to insert itself into a cell and replicate using the cell as a reproduction facility for clones of itself. The cell's former function is now destroyed once infected because it has been repurposed. Which is why people lose smell and taste and other functions when infected with this virus. And because this virus is so small (versus other Viruses) your body has a difficult time in recognizing the infection until even your body's immune system is infected as well and the partially functioning systems have to really react...which we call sepsis... AKA blood poisoning. (It's not but close enough for understanding purposes)

So...
All that to say that they are working on something called "small molecule" type antivirals which affect RNA and the duplication of infected cells. This is something similar to the treatments for HIV or Hepatitis C. A cocktail of drugs that effect a stop of virus replication and reduction.

Not a good scenario...but better than anything else going on.

Currently one of the leading candidates of vaccines in human trials was immediately stopped in mid testing. And everyone is wondering why and "how could this be?"
I'm going to be the one saying "I told you so"

Coronavirus vaccines have a horrible history of causing horrible side effects in a portion (25%) of the population...(such as death or super close to dying if infected with what you are trying to vaccinate against)

Hunker down... continue to mask and do not associate with those who refuse.(they aren't people you want in your life anyway) Don't eat in restaurants or visit in home with those with children who attend school in person.

I agree that this is not pleasant. We will survive. God will relent and give us a way out eventually... just be patient. Like God has been patient with you.

 

[Candidus]

Vitamin D supliments.

Now apparently many people who are getting so sick from this virus are rather vitamin D deficient. This includes those taking ACE2 inhibitors and diabetics.

I do not disagree that Vitamin D is essential to a good immune system. What I do question are the facts.

Getting exposure to the sun enhance vitamin D in the body. Early on in the virus, the areas that had the worst time with it occurred in many warmer regions, Italy, and Florida, Texas, and Arizona in the U.S.A.

While we were inside, and in long sleeves and jackets, the warm places raged with the virus. Is there a "cause and effect"? I do not know. It just went against my belief that when summer came, it would burn out for the most part, and it didn't.
I do not discourage taking Vitamin D, E, C and Zinc to keep our immune system strong, yet if you get a few hours of sun a day, your body should produce enough Vitamin D on its own. Excessive Vitamin D in the body creates many other problems.

 

[JohnDB]

I do not disagree that Vitamin D is essential to a good immune system. What I do question are the facts.

Getting exposure to the sun enhance vitamin D in the body. Early on in the virus, the areas that had the worst time with it occurred in many warmer regions, Italy, and Florida, Texas, and Arizona in the U.S.A.

While we were inside, and in long sleeves and jackets, the warm places raged with the virus. Is there a "cause and effect"? I do not know. It just went against my belief that when summer came, it would burn out for the most part, and it didn't.
I do not discourage taking Vitamin D, E, C and Zinc to keep our immune system strong, yet if you get a few hours of sun a day, your body should produce enough Vitamin D on its own. Excessive Vitamin D in the body creates many other problems.

The ones getting the most sick had vitamin D deficiency due to a comorbidity factor.
Getting a vitamin D deficiency test if you have hypertension or diabetes or some other endocrine system disorder isn't a bad idea and all I'm suggesting is getting tested if you don't know... even in warm climates. Tanning is not helpful in vitamin D levels. It's counterproductive. Skin pigments tend to block such.

And a great reason to get a test. ($35)

Intermittent 1,000 is good for your average person who doesn't know... often doctors will proscribe 5,000 daily for confirmed low levels. (And still check for levels regularly)

 

[JohnDB]

The supplement Dr. Fauci takes to help keep his immune system healthy

 

[JohnDB]

Good news today....
And we needed it.
Tiny Antibody Component Highly Effective Against COVID-19

Basically this is in the class of antivirals. It's an antibody Antiviral so it targets the viron itself instead of cell walls.
It's works in the bloodstream, doesn't need specialized cooling...can even snort the drug.
Or use a "patch" that is changed daily.

No word yet on how long the efficacy of this drug is but even if it's a weekly or daily basis dose it is a great therapy or preventative.

Clinical trials should begin immediately.

And since it was "discovered" by a university under a grant from the NIH it's free research all drug companies can take advantage of... even the generic makers.

A couple of years of this and it's all over but the crying.
It could even be "over the counter" type stuff if it is as well tolerated as they claim.

 

[JohnDB]

Here's another one
New antivirals kill SARS-CoV-2

 

[JohnDB]

Now what I find facinating is that the PRC has a new antiviral that they are using.

And I tend to think that I really won't care if someone steals this drug and manufactures it on a massive scale... they've stolen enough technology and intellectual property...and it was their lab that isolated and inadvertently released this virus upon the world.

 

[JohnDB]

Get ready...
Some new vaccines are about to announce.

The PRC vaccine is currently approved in the UAE...I'm not touching that one with a ten foot pole. They are claiming 100% efficacy and no side effects. Of course they are lying. Of course they claim the virus didn't come from them either. I'm sorry...no wait...I'm not sorry. I'd rather die than take their vaccine which is two injections over 28 days. It's the principle of the matter. Their crappy lab's procedures that allowed this virus out. I've been in quarantine since the spring because of this. So... nope...not having it.

But there's another one between the US and UK collaborating and they say that they will know in October whether theirs will be available or not....
Meaning that by the end of November we could be vaccinated. But again I'm going to caution people. Only 60% effective...and I'm wondering in which people groups there's better effectiveness. There has been no data released on this yet. And the lack of transparency is troubling.

So...IF this thing actually has decent numbers and if the open population who take this vaccine show no issues I can see taking it...but it still means that Christmas is going to be somewhat stilted.

Just saying...

There's hope...it's coming...and faster than ever now that results of research are finally becoming available.

 

[JohnDB]

Because everyone is waiting with baited breath to get a vaccine to help life get back to normal...

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31976-0/fulltext

This article relates exactly the effects of the vaccines in trials and the problems with them.

 

[JohnDB]

Okay...
It's reached phase 3 trials...the fourth one to do so.

Fourth large-scale COVID-19 vaccine trial begins in the United States


Now as this article states... having 4 stage 3 trials of vaccines for a virus that literally was discovered less than a year ago is mind blowing research. That is "warp speed" in an age of chemical powered rockets.

This one is going to have 60,000 participant volunteers. It's a single dose recombinant vaccine. Meaning that the virus is "alive" but dead and unable to replicate. An injection of viral zombies. (Science fact is almost better than fiction)

So...it's a double blind study. Half will get placebo of saline and half will get the vaccine.
I happen to think that this is a mistake as people will know the difference. Give the people a tetanus shot at least instead of saline...I mean really...that way human behavior is not going to affect the outcome.

If I think that I got a vaccine I'll engage in "risky" behavior. If I know that I didn't I most certainly won't. It's supposed to be double blind...not blind and thinly veiled. (I've seen more dressed strippers on stage than this)

So...where there's no accounting for the psychology of what people's brains will trick them into thinking...those that get this shot will know beyond all shadow of a doubt that they got run over by a proverbial truck and a bus that kept changing gears from forward to reverse several times.

So...
Looking forward to see the results of this study.

 

[JohnDB]

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2022926?query=featured_home

Here are the final hard numbers on HCQ. It isn't pretty either. Appears that HCQ does more harm than good. Do for all those hyperventilating that this stuff was good to cure Covid-19... actually it killed more people than leaving them alone.

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2007764?query=featured_home

And here are the hard numbers for Remdesivir...they actually are better. It's not a miracle cure by any stretch for a broad spectrum antiviral...it has marginal benefit. And at over $1500 per dose...not really sure it's worth it. But it does help with finding a blueprint for a drug that eventually will work.
(We hope)