Covid 10/9/20 | COVID 19 Information Page

There are discussions that covid-19 is no more deadly than the flu. There is some truth to that statement depending on your perspective of deadly. Many note deadly and lethal as direct impact of what is being compared – e.g. deadliest snake is the banded sea snake – BUT the odds of getting a bite from a banded sea snake is very small – but if you did it would be very lethal. Hypothesis: IF the flu could have spread as much as covid we would likely see the same amount of deaths. Why would I make that claim? Well IF covid was more lethal than a hypothesis is that the age breakdown of deaths should be more distributed and not look similar to the common flu…..well its very close in the US….

Death breakdown for covid 65+(79%) 50-64 (15.6%) https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#demographicsvs flu 65+(78%) 50-64 (16.6%) https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/2018-2019.html – amazingly close I was really not expecting it to be this close!

The big difference has to be virulent nature not the fatality rate. Covid-19 spreads so much more than the flu. Nonetheless I still contend I would not like to get the covid-19/flu/ or even the cold so I would do what I can within reason to not get it (adopt healthy lifestyle (majority whole foods, exercise, no alcohol/smoking) – take Vitamin C,D, and Zinc – wear a mask in public spaces – be aware of ventilation if need be purchase equipment to clean air and modify hvac for more fresh air)

We have talked about BCG vaccine helping the immune system to fight of covid – NPR is covering it again now under the concept of live attenuated vaccine will boost immunity – which BCG is – also the nasal flu spray – https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/10/08/917831035/could-the-live-flu-vaccine-help-you-fight-off-covid-19

“There’s a chance the vaccine could offer some protection against COVID-19 itself, says virologist Robert Gallo, who directs the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and is chairman of the Global Virus Network.

The key is getting the right flu vaccine, says Gallo, who was one of the main scientists credited with discovering HIV. "The vaccine has to have a live virus in it. The virus is attenuated so it doesn’t cause disease, but otherwise the virus is alive."

A live virus may sound a bit terrifying, but it’s a standard way to make safe and effective vaccines. In fact, you’ve probably already had a few "live, attenuated" vaccines in your lifetime, such as the measles vaccine or oral polio vaccine.”

“vaccine for tuberculosis. It’s called bacille Calmette-Guerin, or BCG, and it contains a live, but weakened, strain of TB from cows.

When doctors in Sweden first started using BCG back in the 1920s, they noticed not only that the vaccine reduced a child’s risk from dying of TB, but also that children who got it had a mortality rate from all causes that was almost three times lower than unvaccinated children. Since the 1970s, scientists in West Africa have documented a similar pattern with both the BCG vaccine and the live measles vaccine. In other words, the vaccines were doing something to boost the immune system’s response to many kinds of pathogens.

Recently, doctors in the Netherlands directly tested the BCG vaccine against a placebo, to see if it could help volunteers fight off a weakened form of yellow fever. The conclusion? People who received the BCG vaccine mounted a stronger immune response against the virus and cleared out the virus more effectively than those who received the placebo, the study reported.”

“Scientists have had a hard time believing the evidence because the idea goes against the way they thought vaccines work, says immunologist Zhou Xing at McMasters University in Ontario. "It’s a new concept that has emerged in the field of immunology over the past five to 10 years or so."

In general, vaccines work by tricking the body to produce antibodies. These molecules are very specific. They typically target and neutralize only one type of infection.

Live vaccines also work through antibodies, but they likely do something else, as well. They supercharge our body’s front-line defenders — the cells that first recognize an invader and try to clear it out before the infection gets out of control, Zhou says. Specifically, scientists think live vaccines epigenetically reprogram immune cells in the bone marrow, called myeloid cells.”

“No one believes the protection will be as strong — or as long-lived — as that provided by a specific COVID-19 vaccine, says Dr. Moshe Arditi, who leads one of the trials at Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles.

But, he says, the BCG vaccine has several advantages to a specific vaccine. It’s cheap. A dose only costs a few dollars. And we already know it’s safe. "More than 130 million kids every year — every year — receive the BCG vaccine so the safety profile has been very strong," Arditi says.

So the BCG vaccine could be approved — and available — by early next year, he says. "It could be a bridge until we have a safe, effective COVID-19 vaccine."”

“the flu vaccine comes in two major forms: a shot or a nasal spray. The shot, which is approved for all people above age 6 months who don’t have contraindications, contains an inactivated virus or components of the virus. The nasal spray (FluMist), which is approved for people ages 2 to 49, contains live, attenuated flu viruses.

"You watch," Gallo says. "People who get the live flu vaccine will also be protected against the COVID-19. That’s the hypothesis."

However, even if you get a vaccine, you should still exercise all the same cautious you would otherwise: Wear a mask, keep your distance, wash your hands and avoid large indoor gatherings.”

Compelling to get the nasal flu spray…..but IF you take it better take it when you can afford to be slightly sick – right now I have no time….

No country over 1K – impressive for midweek reporting