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[Hurdity]

Hi there all

In vew of the current situation, there is a lot of information about this new disease pandemic and lots of threads and information all over the place including multiple threads in the chat room.

To help us read and discuss the science, epidemiology, and health aspects I am starting a thread here so that hopefully much of it can be in one place and members can find the information more easily.

Can we moderate this ourselves and keep the chat to the chat room?!

I'll kick off with a couple of links - some about the sceince and some about the epidemiology and the predicted peak.

Science Daily is a good source of information for those interested. https://www.sciencedaily.com/

Here is a paper about the spread and when symptoms are apparent:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200316143313.htm

"Coronavirus spreads quickly and sometimes before people have symptoms, study finds:

Summary:
Infectious disease researchers studying the novel coronavirus were able to identify how quickly the virus can spread, a factor that may help public health officials in their efforts at containment. They found that time between cases in a chain of transmission is less than a week and that more than 10 percent of patients are infected by somebody who has the virus but does not yet have symptoms. "

Here is another on incubation period:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200310164744.htm

"New study on COVID-19 estimates 5.1 days for incubation period

Median time from exposure to symptoms affirms earlier estimates and supports CDC's current 14-day quarantine period

Summary: An analysis of publicly available data on infections from the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, that causes the respiratory illness COVID-19 yielded an estimate of 5.1 days for the median disease incubation period, according to a new study. "

Article discussing the paper from Imperial College which modelled the epidemiology and on which the most recent stricter measures were recommended on Monday evening (haven't read this yet!).

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/196234/covid19-imperial-researchers-model-likely-impact/

Hurdity x

[Hurdity]

Here is some information about drugs and vaccines being tested for Covid-19:

https://www.clinicaltrialsarena.com/analysis/coronavirus-mers-cov-drugs/

Article entitled: "Coronavirus treatment: Vaccines/drugs in the pipeline for Covid-19"

Hurdity x

[Taz2]

Have you read anything about Chloroquine/Hydroxychloroquine? It's all over Twitter currently.

It's described as an anti-malaria drug which is well tolerated and (apparently according to an article said to have been on Breitbart.com) known to be effective since the SARS outbreak in 2005.

One has of course to be careful with social media ..... but still?

Yes I've heard a lot about that too but it's hard to find scientific evidence on it. Maybe you can help Hurdity. Thanks for this thread.

Taz x

[Sparrow]

https://drmalcolmkendrick.org/2020/03/18/coronavirus-covid-19/#comments


From the above link:-

4: Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine

These drugs normally used to treat/prevent malaria (and are also used to treat various ?immune? disease). However, they have been found to be effective in treating other viruses and seem to have been highly effective against COVID-19 4. These drugs will only be available as part of medical management. They cannot be bought over the counter (in any country, as far as I know).

If you, or a loved one, is seriously ill, I would urge you to ask for ? one or the other ? to be used. Hydroxychloroquine has fewer side effects (drug related adverse effects)

ADVICE ? Ask for one of these drugs if you, or a loved one, is seriously ill with COVID-19.

[Tc]

Thank you ladies. X

[Hurdity]

Have you read anything about Chloroquine/Hydroxychloroquine? It's all over Twitter currently.

That was why I posted the link this morning because you had said you had read about anti-malarial drugs.

This is what it said in brief:

"Chloroquine to be tested as coronavirus treatment in the US

The President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced on 19 March that chloroquine (hydroxychloroquine/Plaquenil), a drug used to treat malaria and arthritis, were approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be tested as treatment for COVID-19. The drug is being tested in various clinical trials conducted by government agencies and academic institutions.

Other antivirals drugs are also planned to be fast tracked for testing for coronavirus."

I don't know anything about Malcolm Kendrick but I expect he is from US and should not be posting stuff like that giving people false hope!

Do read about what the US media have said eg here:

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/19/coronavirus-treatment-trump-directs-fda-to-examine-whether-malaria-drug-can-be-used.html

and here:
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/19/politics/fact-check-chloroquine-trump-fda/index.html

or here:
https://www.wired.com/story/an-old-malaria-drug-may-fight-covid-19-and-silicon-valleys-into-it/

Here is one "Breitbart" article giving summaries of 3 studies:
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/03/18/malarial-drug-chloroquine-effective-against-coronavirus/

Hurdity x

PS don't want to sidetrack this thread as I'd love to keep it mainly on topic (CV science etc!) but what is breitbart?

[Sparrow]

Have you read anything about Chloroquine/Hydroxychloroquine? It's all over Twitter currently.

I don't know anything about Malcolm Kendrick but I expect he is from US and should not be posting stuff like that giving people false hope!

Sorry you have not heard of the good doctor so just to educate you.

I am a GP living in Macclesfield, having graduated from Aberdeen medical school many moons ago.

This blog is my best effort at providing some balance to the increasingly strident healthcare lobby that seems intent on scaring everyone about almost everything. Is there a foodstuff that is safe to eat anymore? Is there any activity that does not cause cancer or heart disease?

https://drmalcolmkendrick.org/about/

He has written several books and often appears on the media and is definitely not American, and as a doctor is better informed than you or I. 

[sheila99]

So.. as chloroquine and quinine act in pretty much the same way.. will we all be drinking gin and tonic?

[bear]

Hi girls,

Hope everyone is managing to hang on... Stay safe.

Two good sources of information:

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

https://promedmail.org/coronavirus/

BeaR.

[Sparrow]

Hi girls,

Hope everyone is managing to hang on... Stay safe.

Two good sources of information:

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

https://promedmail.org/coronavirus/

BeaR.

Really interesting BeaR.  It's good to see clear stats.  Thank you.

[Sparrow]

Exactly sparkle.

Look up Dr. Malcolm Kendricks website, and his blog on the virus, or find it on the link in my previous posts.

[CLKD]

VitD is a totally different issue ;-)

[Sparrow]

VitD is a totally different issue ;-)

Too what?

[Sparrow]

Sound advice, I'll look it up.  Thank you.

[bear]

Hi girls,

One thing to bear in mind is that this virus has a protein called 'nsp1' that promotes cellular mRNA degradation and blocks host cell translation, resulting in blockage of innate immune response, so only acquired immune response, ie immune cells that have already been in contact with the viral antigens, can have a strong reaction against the virus. No vitamins will change that, but of course they can help you combat the virus indirectly by boosting many other mechanisms.

Regarding chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine, these substances are Zinc ionophores, they help the cells internalise Zinc ions (Zn²+) and zinc has been shown to inhibit Coronavirus RNA dependent-RNA polymerase (RdRp), which is a viral enzyme necessary for its multiplication.

Zinc supplements won't do the trick without chloroquine though.

https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.1001176

BeaR.

PS: More pharmaceutical companies donating chloroquine
https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/new-commitments-mylan-and-teva-move-to-supply-tens-millions-hydroxychloroquine-tablets-to