General COVID-19 Talk #4 MOD Warning

[Lt Dan]

Friday's numbers

 

[Lt Dan]

Today's numbers

Obviously not doing great. Hosp back in tot he 500s

 

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Obviously anecdotal, but I've been hearing/reading very recent news of fully vaccinated folks becoming noticeably ill after contracting this. Obviously hoping for a full recovery for all affected; but, I conversely haven't heard any recent news on the status of the prospective treatments <??>

 

[Fishhead]

Obviously anecdotal, but I've been hearing/reading very recent news of fully vaccinated folks becoming noticeably ill after contracting this. Obviously hoping for a full recovery for all affected; but, I conversely haven't heard any recent news on the status of the prospective treatments <??>

Probably because they aren't easy to come by.

Treatments are difficult with viruses, you can't just kill it or lyse it like bacteria. Nearly all treatments try to prevent the virus from replicating, whether it's a broad spectrum antiviral or something more specific like a protease inhibitor. Using a current medication to treat COVID will be a lightning in a bottle thing, and would take tremendous luck. We haven't struck gold there yet.

A more general antiviral like Tamiflu doesn't stop the replication in a cell, but it blocks the enzymes on the viruses that they use to move from cell to cell. It's an all or none thing really, if the viruses utilize this enzyme or something similar to spread, it will stop it from moving around. It works great against flu A & B, but it is worthless against COVID because it doesn't utilize this enzyme. To use this type of drug the mechanism of spread would have to be pinpointed, and a suitable inhibitor would have to be developed. It would take a long time, far longer than it took to develop the vaccines.

Something specific like a protease inhibitor would be easier to develop, they attack the viruses on a genetic level. Viruses use protease to help assemble proteins after using the cells own mechanisms to make copies of itself. Without protease, they can make a copy, but can't assemble correctly so they cant create another virus to spread to different cells. These are very effective against retroviruses in particular, they are what has essentially stopped HIV in its tracks.

Something on the genetic level is probably the best bet. They will, however, be less safe than the vaccines and have far more potential for side effects. If people are hesitant to take a vaccine because that was developed quickly, I'm not sure how they would be onboard with something more dangerous. It would work for the "I should have gotten the shot" crowd, I suppose.

It still amazes me that a lot of people pop advil all the time, and ibuprofen is far more dangerous than any vaccine.

 

[KINGS17]

There is not enough coverage or discussion of treatments in the media.

Convalescent plasma therapy and mortality in COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU: a prospective observational study | Annals of Intensive Care | Full Text

Conclusion

Administration of CVP in patients with acute respiratory failure related to COVID-19 is associated with improved ICU survival rates.

 

[Lt Dan]

Hosp jumped again, but ICU down 1

 

[Lt Dan]

Hosp up 3 , ICU jumps 8

 

[Lt Dan]

a lot of cases, hosp stable, ICU up

deaths are starting to climb. I'll post a graph in a sec

 

[Lt Dan]

cases are still in line with last summer's surge

This is day of death, not day reported

Deaths are still very low compared to last summer with very similar case counts

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Now THAT is a f***ing excellent result, imo.

 

[Bandit]

Here's to hoping that the long term effects of mild/asymptomatic cases are mild/nonexistant.

 

[Papa Mocha 15]

Obviously anecdotal, but I've been hearing/reading very recent news of fully vaccinated folks becoming noticeably ill after contracting this. Obviously hoping for a full recovery for all affected; but, I conversely haven't heard any recent news on the status of the prospective treatments <??>

Most vaccinated people who land in the ICU transfer up and don't get intubated. I have been pleased to see that. We watch them but most of them have been able to dodge the intubation tube. People on immunosuppressants do not do well because they have no immune system. Good to see them get prioritized for the booster which is supposed to cover the Delta variant.

There really aren't any major "treatments" at this time, decadron (steroids), remdesevir, and oxygen and prone. We include people in studies once they hit the ICU, they can always opt not to, but nothing is really showing good effect which leaves us with we're not doing anything different really than last year except that proning helps earlier in the process so the lungs don't become overly inflamed. There just isn't anything out there that is showing good effect. The one trend is that Vit D is often low and that helps the immune system. Also, undiagnosed diabetes is another contributing factor.

 

[Kingspiracy]

Covid 19 coronavirus: Chris Hipkins' amusing slip up, tells Kiwis to socially distance when you 'spread your legs' - NZ Herald

One of our politicians had an interesting message at our daily update today, woops

 

[KINGS17]

My fully vaccinated father is currently very sick with Covid.

How is your father feeling? Hope he is getting better.

 

[Lt Dan]

Sat-Mon numbers, so a little over 600 new cases a day
Hosp went down 1 over the weekend and a huge drop in ICU from 137--->116

 

[Reaper45]

How is your father feeling? Hope he is getting better.

He is thanks. Avoided the hospital. Covid pneumonia was the official diagnosis.

 

[Fishhead]

Well, mandates are coming shortly for a lot of folks, I'm sure we will see a jump in shots soon as it will make many people more comfortable. I'm curious to see how many holdouts will actually lose their jobs over a vaccine.

We will also finally see how effective the vaccines are once we climb into the higher percentages in a larger population. It's obviously going to help, but how much? Hopefully the focus shifts to analyzing breakthrough cases instead of just trying to tread water and keep a bunch of people alive.

 

[KINGS17]

He is thanks. Avoided the hospital. Covid pneumonia was the official diagnosis.

Hey! Glad to hear your father is on the mend. Good news!

 

[KINGS17]

Well, mandates are coming shortly for a lot of folks, I'm sure we will see a jump in shots soon as it will make many people more comfortable. I'm curious to see how many holdouts will actually lose their jobs over a vaccine.

We will also finally see how effective the vaccines are once we climb into the higher percentages in a larger population. It's obviously going to help, but how much? Hopefully the focus shifts to analyzing breakthrough cases instead of just trying to tread water and keep a bunch of people alive.

Haven't we already seen that the vaccine is highly effective?

We must learn to accept there will always be variants, and there will always be cases.

What we shouldn't accept is more mandates of any kind from government.

 

[Fishhead]

Haven't we already seen that the vaccine is highly effective?

We must learn to accept there will always be variants, and there will always be cases.

What we shouldn't accept is more mandates of any kind from government.

It's effective, but the jury is still out on whether hitting 80%+ of vaccinated population can really stop COVID in its tracks. I think it will, but who knows.

And I don't think we have to worry about government mandates much anymore, the private sector should take care of that. The complaints are just going to change from the government forcing something on people to employers forcing something on people.

 

[Lt Dan]

Cases are still 500+ but another drop in hosp 570--->564
ICU up today though 116---->132

 

[Lt Dan]

LA is looking good too
L.A. County hospitalizations appear to level off; only 2 new COVID-19 patients

In a promising sign that hospitalizations could be leveling off, Los Angeles County reported only two new patients with COVID-19 following four straight days of declines, according to state figures released Monday.
The potential plateau comes after weeks of steady increases, with hospitals earlier this month describing unsustainable conditions amid a surge fueled by the Delta variant of the coronavirus.
The county on Monday reported 1,724 COVID-positive patients in hospitals, up from 1,722 patients Sunday. The numbers are still some of the highest since the waning days of the devastating fall and winter surge, but could indicate a sea change.
“It appears that we may be getting into a plateau phase of this fourth surge here in California,” Dr. Robert Kim-Farley, medical epidemiologist and infectious diseases expert at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, said Monday.

 

[Rumpelstiltskin]

This would be nice:

There could be one COVID-19 vaccine to stop all the variants, experts say (msn.com)

 

[KINGS17]

This would be nice:

There could be one COVID-19 vaccine to stop all the variants, experts say (msn.com)

Nice, but not as profitable for Moderna and Pfizer.

Thanks for the interesting read. My daughter came down with a bad case of SARs several years ago. I hope this means she has extra protection.

 

[Fishhead]

Nice, but not as profitable for Moderna and Pfizer.

Thanks for the interesting read. My daughter came down with a bad case of SARs several years ago. I hope this means she has extra protection.

I think it's possible, with more understanding of COVID it makes targeting certain locations on the virus easier.

Moderna, and to a lesser extent Pfizer, have already made money, but more importantly have established themselves as the go-to for RNA vaccine technology. Pharma companies are notorious for milking it, but even if they did this vaccine for free they've really set themselves up for the future. Never underestimate greed, though.