Covid Update 4/16/20 | COVID 19 Information Page

More hope is coming. The are so many approaches now that similar to modern day business in the age of information – it is going to be about being able decipher the barrage of information to make the most effective decision.

Interesting treatment approach – https://www.richmond.com/special-report/coronavirus/a-richmond-doctor-s-dramatic-story-of-covid-19-infection-hospitalization-and-survival/article_750722ad-7918-544d-bc4d-798d456033f6.amp.html?

“There’s a growing belief in the medical community that it isn’t the coronavirus itself that kills a patient, but the patient’s extreme inflammatory response.”

“Jones compares the body’s response to a forest fire. It’s not too difficult to extinguish a match. But once the match has been dropped and the brush begins to burn and the fire spreads, the devastation is more extensive and the resources needed to stop the fire are more substantial. Jones thinks the treatment many COVID-19 patients are receiving needs to occur in an earlier stage. On March 27, he administered to Brown a medicine called Actemra, a brand of tocilizumab, which disabled Brown’s inflammatory response by blocking specific cytokines called interleukin-6 or IL-6. Actemra hasn’t been approved to treat the coronavirus but it has shown promising results across the U.S. and in China. Roche, the Swiss maker of the drug, received $25 million from the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority last week to accelerate the drug’s trial. The medicine is traditionally used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Brown was in Stage II of the disease, about to cross the line into Stage III, in which the viral response gives way to a dangerous inflammatory response. The forest fire was about to ignite. So Jones infused the medicine in Stage II before Brown’s inflammatory response went haywire. The theories Jones had developed years ago as a fellow at VCU were being put to use and the results were dramatic. Work he had begun years ago was culminating in this case.”…but it wasn’t just that drug….”Jones prescribed one other unconventional treatment — intravenous vitamin C. He had called Dr. Alpha “Berry” Fowler, a professor of medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University who runs the lab where Jones was a fellow. Fowler suggested the vitamin C.

Vitamin C isn’t an approved treatment for the coronavirus, either, and it isn’t recommended by Bon Secours. But the playbook for treating COVID-19 is being written on the fly, and Fowler says there’s a growing amount of anecdotal evidence that vitamin C might be effective in treating COVID-19. Fowler is hoping a clinical trial to approve the use of vitamin C in COVID-19 patients will begin this summer. A large amount of vitamin C is injected — 4,000 to 5,000 times the normal amount in the bloodstream. Whether it was the timing of the Actemra, the vitamin C or the combination of medicines that saved Brown is unknown.”

“In 45 minutes he began to feel a change. Within two hours his discomfort had subsided. His fever diminished and his heart rate slowed.

On March 28, Brown received a second dose of Actemra. A day later, a Sunday, he felt well enough to go home. The day after that he did go home. In three days he had gone from his body almost being overrun by the disease to leaving the hospital.

“I’ve never seen anybody recover as quickly as he did with that level of disease,” Jones said.”

Only 2 patients but interesting results – https://www.jpost.com/HEALTH-SCIENCE/New-Israeli-COVID-19-treatment-seemingly-successful-with-first-two-patients-624722

“One of the two patients was in the ICU and even considered for intubation, but within days of the experimental drug being administered, they were released. The patients received the opanagib treatment while receiving the standard care for coronavirus, which includes hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) as background therapy. Opanagib is a "new chemical entity," according to RedHill, which is administered orally and performs "anticancer, anti-viral and anti-inflammatory activities." ”

Plasma treatment – “passive vaccine” – also showing promise – https://www.jpost.com/HEALTH-SCIENCE/29-year-old-among-first-to-be-treated-with-MDA-passive-vaccine-624353

“the plasma is being used to create a “passive vaccine,” based on the assumption that those who have recovered from COVID-19 have developed special antivirus proteins or antibodies in their plasma, which could therefore help sick patients cope with the disease.

Passive immunization is when you are given those preformed antibodies. An active vaccine, in contrast, is when you are injected with a dead or weakened version of a virus that tricks your immune system into thinking that you’ve had the disease, and your immune system creates antibodies to protect you.”

“Before being able to donate plasma, a patient must wait 14 days from the time he or she was confirmed negative for coronavirus via two separate swab tests.

Last month, Shinar said, the FDA approved a similar protocol in the US.”

Placenta Therapy – not bad results so far – https://m.jpost.com/HEALTH-SCIENCE/Israeli-COVID-19-treatment-shows-100-percent-survival-rate-preliminary-data-624058/amp?

“Not only have all the patients survived, according to Pluristem, but four of them showed improvement in respiratory parameters and three of them are in the advanced stages of weaning from ventilators. Moreover, two of the patients with preexisting medical conditions are showing clinical recovery in addition to the respiratory improvement.”

Another proponent on HCQ – it seems to have gotten very polarized only because Trump said something – if he hadn’t would it be this controversial? http://www.rfi.fr/en/france/20200416-coronavirus-disappearing-controversial-marseille-doctor-didier-raoult

“High-profile virologist Didier Raoult, a leading proponent of the controversial drug chloroquine as a treatment for Covid-19, says the virus is disappearing in Marseille.”

“He maintains that an anti-malaria drug, hydroxychloroquine, combined with the antibiotic azithromicyne, is an effective treatment for Covid-19 patients, if used before they need intensive care.”

“He has published results from his use of this approach which show considerable success but with no neutral control group for comparison, there is no conclusive proof that patients recover because of his treatment. As a result, it has not been authorised for use except in certain conditions in hospitals.”

“Numerous other trials on hydroxychloroquine are underway but so far none which tests his exact approach. It is unclear why his critics in the scientific community have not conducted such trials, to prove or disprove its effectiveness. Instead the impression is given of a scientific community which is unwilling for some reason to explore certain options versus a maverick burnishing a reputation.”

Bad news – it looks to perhaps not just be a respiratory issue – evidence of brain infection – https://www.wired.com/story/what-does-covid-19-do-to-your-brain/

““The medicines we use to treat any infection have very different penetrations into the central nervous system,” says S. Andrew Josephson, a neurologist at UC San Francisco. Most drugs can’t pass through the blood-brain barrier, a living border wall around the brain. If the coronavirus is breaching the blood-brain barrier and infecting neurons, that could make it harder to find effective treatments.”

“Analyzing health records from 214 patients admitted to the Union Hospital of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, the team found that 36.4 percent of those patients showed signs of nervous-system-related issues”

Article on ventilator statistics – still even in the best case you don’t want to get to this stage – https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/coronavirus/article242008566.html

“Chinese government’s center for disease control and prevention found the mortality rate for COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care units was far lower, between 49% and 61.5%, and that those who were provided with intubated ventilation may have received it too late to make a difference.”

“In Britain, the Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre recently released its first tranche of data on mortality rates for patients with COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, admitted throughout the month of March to intensive care units, where most patients require forced oxygen for help breathing. The audit found that 79% of critical COVID-19 patients who had entered ICUs were still there fighting off the disease after weeks of breathing through mechanical ventilation.”

“Mortality rates remain high where the outbreak is first peaking in the United States. Doctors in New York City, the center of the U.S. epidemic, have said that roughly 80% of coronavirus patients on ventilators have died.”

Obviously sports venues not the most important thing right now – but the article highlights a new normal expected in the future – https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/pirates/2020/04/15/Dr-Anthony-Fauci-sports-return-MLB-baseball/stories/202004150179

“According to a recent poll by Seton Hall University’s Stillman School of Business, 61% of sports fans and 72% of all respondents said they wouldn’t attend a sporting event until a coronavirus vaccine has been developed. That likely won’t happen until next year at the earliest.”

Ha wish I was wrong but I think the bandana is coming back – its much more comfortable than the fabric mask in my opinion – https://twitter.com/NYGovCuomo/status/1250472598720430086?s=09

Well McKinsey & Co. found a way to capitalize on this hopefully they do better than their M&A arrangements – not only corporate execs can use them as excuses but now politicians – https://mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKCN21Y01V?

Let me end the article summary with my plea to all of you to take care of yourself – https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-04/uovh-cem041520.php

“80% of confirmed COVID-19 patients have mild symptoms with no need of respiratory support. The question is why. Our findings about an endogenous antioxidant enzyme provide important clues and have intrigued us to develop a novel therapeutic for ARDS caused by COVID-19.””

“Research suggests that even a single session of exercise increases production of the antioxidant, prompting Yan to urge people to find ways to exercise even while maintaining social distancing. "We cannot live in isolation forever," he said. "Regular exercise has far more health benefits than we know. The protection against this severe respiratory disease condition is just one of the many examples."”

A big jump in deaths for US and France. France data is very erratic. CT, CA, MA hit new max daily death difference.