Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #50

[Deleted member 158085]

Some people cannot give plasma. I signed up to donate plasma at work one time. Apparently my veins are not big enough to donate. Or arteries. Or whatever they plug into. They checked my arm, hand, and foot.

The Red Cross told me this, too, when I signed up for the Bone Marrow Donor registry. But years later a phlebotomist told me it was wrong in her opinion. I had never given blood because of what I was initially told. But if I get this and my plasma could be helpful to others, I’m going to give it a shot anyway. Sometimes it’s just a matter of how skilled the person is who is setting up the IV.

 

[Herat]

Antibody testing on Canterbury Rehab patients, staff raises questions about accuracy of COVID-19 test

What does this mean, I wonder? As far as accuracy and getting people back to work that have/have not been tested?[/QUOTE

The CDC and FDA caution that the 90 or so antibody tests released by Emergency Use Authorization may not be as accurate or sensitive as they claim. They have not undergone the usual rigoruous review that the FDA is required to do because of the COVID emergency, and the claims they submit under this EUA have not been independently verified.

I've seen some of the FDA filings for the fingerstick tests and they are very poorly supported. I would not do one myself, or allow my friends, family, or colleagues to rely on them for their safety.

There are far better tests coming along developed by reputable companies in the US and European laboratory industry and I will wait for those to become available. Several major research centers, Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic are reviewing the data and will have papers coming out soon.

 

[Deleted member 158085]

And some people have too low a body mass or have too low a red blood cell count to do so.

Those who do are heroes.

You have to be hooked up to the pheresis machine for up to 2 hours.

Ooh. Too low a body mass might prevent me this time.

It would suck to not be able to help when you have the right stuff in your veins.

 

[Teche]

Kali, you may have said this previously, but I'll never be able to catch up with the reading here- my question: Have you contacted your local government rep. yet regarding both your stimulus checks and getting a loan from the SBA now that the additional legislative bill has been passed?
We're in NYS and received the stimulus deposits on the actual day the Treasury Dept. said people would, although they did make it clear that those receiving paper checks in the mail would have a bit longer wait. I know those folks who have gone online to check on their stimulus have been successful in getting info.
I mention contacting your local state govt. rep. because we did that ourselves, via FB messaging, and got an immediate response from our NYS Assemblyman. He and his office are doing what they can to help us with the huge mess NYS's unemployment system is in. Supposedly it was "fixed," but it hasn't been. We are not the only one's suffering re: getting our claim finalized and getting some help. I totally empathize.

Kali...in our area, community banks are gathering the applications/paperwork for the PPP funds. Once the paperwork is complete and verified, it’s forwarded on to SBA. I just spoke to the director of the credit department at our community bank and she said that there is a significant amount of documents needed for approval. Much of this has to be handled via emails and records provided by CPAs/bookkeepers pertaining to payroll distribution, utilities payment, rent etc. It’s not an easy task for so good to help save small businesses.

 

[Deleted member 158085]

France testing whether nicotine could prevent coronavirus

This. Disease. Is. So. Bizarre!!!

 

[Herat]

Just to clarify a point:

Donating blood in a regular blood drive will not get you tested for SARS-Cov-2 antibodies or antigens.

You must be a confirmed COVID-19 PCR or NAAT ( swab test) positive by a licensed laboratory or state public health department to be eligible.

 

[BUF]

Andrew Cuomo on Twitter
Nursing homes are our top priority, and we will investigate any nursing home that violates the law. By law, nursing homes must:
-Have adequate PPE
-Isolate COVID residents
-Temp checks for staff
-Separate staff for COVID residents
-Notify residents/family members of positives
11:51 AM - 23 Apr 2020

Andrew Cuomo on Twitter
NEW: The first phase of results from a statewide antibody study are in. We collected approximately 3,000 antibody samples from 40 locations in 19 counties. Preliminary estimates show a 13.9% infection rate.
11:59 AM - 23 Apr 2020

Andrew Cuomo on Twitter
Percent positive by region:
Long Island: 16.7%
NYC: 21.2%
Westchester/Rockland: 11.7%
Rest of state: 3.6%
(Weighted results)
12:02 PM - 23 Apr 2020

Andrew Cuomo on Twitter
Percent positive by demographic:
Female: 12%
Male: 15.9%
Asian: 11.7%
Black: 22.1%
Latino/Hispanic: 22.5%
Multi/None/Other: 22.8%
White: 9.1%
(Weighted results)
12:04 PM - 23 Apr 2020

U.S. FDA on Twitter (Video)
People who have fully recovered from #COVID19 for at least two weeks are encouraged to consider donating plasma, which may help save the lives of other patients. #DonatePlasma #DonateCOVIDPlasma
Donate COVID-19 Plasma
1:00 PM - 22 Apr 2020

Ryan Struyk on Twitter
Deaf Americans are urging the White House to use sign language interpreters at coronavirus briefings via @CNN
Deaf Americans are urging the White House to use sign language interpreters at coronavirus briefings - CNNPolitics
10:12 AM - 23 Apr 2020

Ryan Struyk on Twitter
Deaf Americans are urging the White House to use sign language interpreters at coronavirus briefings via @CNN
Deaf Americans are urging the White House to use sign language interpreters at coronavirus briefings - CNNPolitics
^^^^This

Why don’t they have a sign language interpreter at the WH briefings? Most all other state briefings have them.

 

[BUF]

Some people cannot give plasma. I signed up to donate plasma at work one time. Apparently my veins are not big enough to donate. Or arteries. Or whatever they plug into. They checked my arm, hand, and foot.

I have the same problem. People even have trouble taking blood from me.

But if I had antibodies that could save someone, I would sit there for two days as they tried!

 

[otto]

Lina Hidalgo announces mandatory mask order for Harris County

More info on the Houston Mask Order........moo

Dress like a bandit!

 

[bmacmillan1]

Just read that Marianne Faithful, one of my favourite singers, has been released from hospital in the UK after 22 days, tested positive. She's 73 now. Glad she seems to be okay.

 

[Teche]

New Study Shows Nearly 9 in 10 Covid-19 Patients on Ventilators Don’t Make It
April 22, 2020

• Researchers tracked 2,634 outcomes in NY-area hospitals
• Only 3% of those over 65 on ventilators survived, report says
  

One of our local hospitals in St. Landry parish is using hyperbaric chamber on Covid-19 patients. The patients were able to leave ICU. Hopefully this is a promising step in treatment of Covid-19.

 

[cass523]

From the article,

"What’s more, there’s little evidence that surgical masks do much good in protecting humans for spreading or acquiring illnesses, an infectious disease doctor previously told Fox News. Surgical masks, which cover the nose and mouth, are often made from a flimsy material and aren’t fitted to the face. Spaces and gaps can form around the cheeks and edges of the mouth, making it easy for air to move in and out."

A couple of things. It can still enter via the eyes right? Also I posted an article yesterday about Hong Kong only having 4 deaths from CV19 and that 97% of people wear masks so there is evidence masks work. Not sure what type HK people wear but pictures sure looked like surgical masks. HK has a population of 7.5 million and a high population density so only 4 deaths is pretty incredible. ( All sources Worldometer)

• The current population of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China is 7,485,448as of Thursday, April 23, 2020, based on Worldometer elaboration of the latest United Nations data.
• China, Hong Kong SAR 2020 population is estimated at 7,496,981 people at mid year according to UN data.
• China, Hong Kong SAR population is equivalent to 0.1% of the total world population.
• Hong Kong ranks number 104 in the list of countries (and dependencies) by population.
• The population density in China, Hong Kong SAR is 7140 per Km2 (18,492 people per mi2).

I'll see if if can post a pic of that cat.

Cats are wearing coronavirus masks in China
By Madeline Farber | Fox News
Published February 16
Coronavirus
FOX News

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Chinese pet owners putting face masks on cats and dogs amid the coronavirus outbreak. ( AsiaWire )

That is scary. People counting on that surgical mask, PPE protection. I read an article in my local newspaper about an ER doctor who was infected. Luckily, he pulled through a long ordeal

I remembered a video I watched recently, ER, ICU doctors, nurses, and covid patients, how they have to be so close to them to treat them.

Dr. Daniel Nekola, an anesthesiologist, working in the ICU at Maimonides Medical Center, NY, talked about how close he has to be with infected patients

He said when the time comes to put each patient on a ventilator, they are literally face to face and on top of each infected patient, who is breathing rapidly and coughing non-stop, on them.

They have to place the breathing tube to properly oxygenate each patient to keep them alive, which requires them to be directly over the face of the patient.

On the day this interview was done, Dr. Daniel Nekola said he already did this procedure 15-16 times. He said he is afraid he may become infected and spread this to the peope he loves. He is afraid he is going to miss something, not change his gloves, forget to wash his hands, at some point and bring something home, he is scared.

There are more doctors saying the same thing about the PPE they use each day

Dr Nelola also talks about phone calls he has to place to families about their loved ones. That is a tough one, so sad.

Mark 7 minutes on video

 

[otto]

Antibody testing on Canterbury Rehab patients, staff raises questions about accuracy of COVID-19 test

What does this mean, I wonder? As far as accuracy and getting people back to work that have/have not been tested?

Doesn't that mean that there are problems with the antibody test?

 

[otto]

France testing whether nicotine could prevent coronavirus

That's interesting! It's the opposite of what was speculated early on. Early opinions were that people died from the virus in China because there is supposedly a high number of smokers.

I'm guessing they have to be healthy smokers, not smokers with smoking related weaknesses.

 

[Teche]

Ooh. Too low a body mass might prevent me this time.

It would suck to not be able to help when you have the right stuff in your veins.

We’ll need to eat up...

 

[10ofRods]

Oh no, I resent it, but I'm not that outraged. It's Kaiser and they have been normally great to me. I just want them to mail, as they usually do, my regular Rx and not expose me by making me pick it up again. The POTUS was talking about my Rx drug so much that it created a shortage. It was at the height of the outbreak when they were busy enough, so I didn't make a stink, but they should know better without me having to join a class action suit. They did the same thing to a little girl with Lupus - shorted Rx and come back in 14 days. I think they changed it when they realized the legalities.

BTW, you might be able to understand more about this VA trial. Did you see it? It seemed like it needed better parameters.
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.16.20065920v1.full.pdf

It seems clear that HC (hydrochloroquine) resulted in about twice as many deaths. I was surprised that HC + Z did as well as it did. Apparently for those with pneumonia, Z-pac is really helping. For those without pneumonia, HC is not a therapeutic agent - it actually is associated with more deaths than not taking HC.

Amateurs are criticizing this research as being overly "age-based" but people treated at VA hospitals are not all old and in general, represent a wide range of age demographics. They are mostly men, but the study is still quite valuable.

I hope you get your medicine soon.

 

[10ofRods]

Other than malaria, is it used to stay alive, or to ameliorate symptoms? I know it's used to treat RA (maybe lupus, too) but I didn't think it was life saving for those uses.

For people with unremitting type of lupus die from the disease. Early treatment with whatever therapeutic happens to work for them (hydrochlorquinone works for many) keeps them from dying early. Typically, they'd be dead in 10 years, but with HC they can live much longer.

So, yes, I'd say it's lifesaving for them.

Disease course patterns in systemic lupus erythematosus. - PubMed - NCBI

This is true of most chronic disease that kills. If a therapeutic can be found to ameliorate lupus or CF or MS or any of the Jerry's kids diseases, then if they can't get that, they lose life expectancy. They die sooner. Same with HIV treatment, etc. They don't die as suddenly as transplant patients deprived of their immunosuppressants, but they certainly do die more quickly.

 

[cody22]

They can blast them with high powered water hoses.

The protestors just might "blast" back.......moo

 

[PommyMommy]

Canada will send thousands of soldiers to help in long-term care homes

[...]

Nearly half of those that have died in Canada from Covid-19 are linked to residents in long-term care centers throughout the country. In Ontario, where there are well over 100 senior residences with outbreaks, more than 70% of those who have died of the virus are residents of care centers.

“We’re seeing terrible tragedies in long-term care facilities across the country, this is unacceptable. If you’re angry, frustrated, scared, you’re right to feel this way, we can do better, we need to do better. Because we are failing our parents, our grandparents, our elders, the greatest generation who built this country,” Trudeau said.

[...]

About a third of the world’s population now under coronavirus movement restrictions

[...]

At least 2.7 billion people worldwide – just over a third of the world’s population – are affected by partial or total lockdowns, curfews or other restrictions on their movements due to the coronavirus pandemic, CNN calculates.

UK capacity for coronavirus testing is more than 50,000 people per day

[...]

That means “essential workers will be able to book tests themselves on Gov.UK,” Hancock said, adding that the process will be free, and that people who live with essential workers will also be able to get tested.

Results will come by text message, Hancock said.

The British government aims to test 100,000 people per day by the end of the month.

[...]

Almost half of coronavirus deaths in Europe were in care homes, World Health Organization says

[...]

As many as half of the people who have died from Covid-19 in Europe were residents in long-term care facilities, according to estimates from the World Health Organization.

[...]

“This pandemic has shone a spotlight on the overlooked and undervalued corners of our society. Across the European Region, long-term care has often been notoriously neglected. But it should not be this way,” said Kluge, calling the workers employed in these facilities as “the unsung heroes of this pandemic.”

Coronavirus live updates and news from around the world - CNN

 

[cody22]

France testing whether nicotine could prevent coronavirus

Note To Self - Buy more cigarettes and pork chops ahead of the possible future shortages....... moo