COVID 19, CPAP, Ventilator MEGA THREAD...everything go here please

My understanding is that it is mostly unproven and therefore has approval status only for emergency use because it appears useful anecdotally based on a small study for narrow application for the very ill in shortening the suffering of recovery but without improving survival.

" 'Remdesivir is an experimental medicine that does not have established safety or efficacy for the treatment of any condition.' Gilead also warns of possible serious side-effects. . . . The trials did not give any clear indication whether it can prevent deaths from coronavirus."--Coronavirus: US authorises use of anti-viral drug Remdesivir, 02 May 2020.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52511270

jnk... wrote: ↑

Sat May 02, 2020 4:52 pm

My understanding is that it is mostly unproven and therefore has approval status only for emergency use because it appears useful anecdotally based on a small study for narrow application for the very ill in shortening the suffering of recovery but without improving survival.

" 'Remdesivir is an experimental medicine that does not have established safety or efficacy for the treatment of any condition.' Gilead also warns of possible serious side-effects. . . . The trials did not give any clear indication whether it can prevent deaths from coronavirus."--Coronavirus: US authorises use of anti-viral drug Remdesivir, 02 May 2020.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52511270

yup. looks like this has to go through more rigorous testing and says as much in the article. and it's for the most critical need right now.

i'm hoping that it's a step in the right direction. it's for care and not cure. and of course it's nothing even CLOSE to vaccine.

It led to 31% less recovery time, which is a pretty big deal. And at least people didn't have reported bad reactions, unlike that drug Trump kept toting as a game changer.

raisedfist wrote: ↑

Sat May 02, 2020 6:03 pm

It led to 31% less recovery time, which is a pretty big deal.

Yes, that is a very big deal. It translated on average to four fewer days in the hospital. Had Remdesivir been available before the NYC peak, this would have greatly reduced the demand on NYC hospital workers and resources.

Furthermore, medical researchers are excited that this drug proved the virus can be affected. Remdesivir will be the initial drug in a line of other drugs under development. Some of these will be more effective than Remdesivir.

from the canadian broadcast system and their radio program, Spark-

Montreal AI lab develops 'privacy-first' contact tracing app to track COVID-19 cases

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/spark/montreal ... -1.5552857

i haven't did a search, but i hope the same thing is happening in the united states.

or better yet, just copy what canada is doing.

zonker wrote: ↑

Sun May 03, 2020 2:07 pm

...
or better yet, just copy what canada is doing.

Canada is awesome. And I love Montreal. They're doing so many things right.

DreamDiver wrote: ↑

Sun May 03, 2020 2:16 pm

zonker wrote: ↑

Sun May 03, 2020 2:07 pm

...
or better yet, just copy what canada is doing.

Canada is awesome. And I love Montreal. They're doing so many things right.

for sure. i'm currently, like, 45 minutes away from the canadian border. unfortunately, the border is closed to non-essential crossings.

isn't getting my fix of fine and friendly canadians essential?!?!?

zonker wrote: ↑

Sun May 03, 2020 5:00 pm

isn't getting my fix of fine and friendly canadians essential?!?!?

From a social distance of 2m, please.

And most wildlife officials agree...

[EDIT: In case anyone thinks this would offend Canadians, my grandparents were Canadian. My grandfather would have thought this was hilarious. Mom too.]

ChicagoGranny wrote: ↑

Sun May 03, 2020 11:08 am

. . . Remdesivir will be the initial drug in a line of other drugs under development. Some of these will be more effective than Remdesivir.

In support of that statement:

Results from a third study in China suggesting remdesivir failed to help COVID-19 patients were released in the British medical journal the Lancet after review by a peer group of scientists. "That's the only thing I'll hang my hat on, and that was negative," said Dr. Eric Topol, director and founder of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Jolla, California. He was unimpressed by remdesivir's modest benefit. "It was expected to be a whopping effect," Topol added. "It clearly does not have that." . . . "We know that was an imperfect drug. It was the first step," Fauci said . . . , "the first baby step towards what hopefully will be a number of better drugs that will come in and be able to treat people with COVID-19."--https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/929706

An early case of COVID-19 was just uncovered in France dating back to late December. He had no links to China nor any recent travel, so how he acquired it is a mystery.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-heal ... SKBN22H15R

My wife and I had recently mulled the possibility that we had COVID back in early February, but brushed it off as overthinking it. I'm not so sure now. She had been traveling (US only) and had passed through the airport in Boston where she thinks she may have picked up a bug that she was sick with the day after she came home. I was sick myself right around the same time (I think right after she returned) and brushed it off as flu or flu-like, but it was a little unusual compared to what my symptoms usually are when sick in this season. Antibody testing will be something to definitely look into when available.

Lifeisabeach wrote: ↑

Tue May 05, 2020 7:00 am

An early case of COVID-19 was just uncovered in France dating back to late December. He had no links to China nor any recent travel, so how he acquired it is a mystery.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-heal ... SKBN22H15R

My wife and I had recently mulled the possibility that we had COVID back in early February, but brushed it off as overthinking it. I'm not so sure now. She had been traveling (US only) and had passed through the airport in Boston where she thinks she may have picked up a bug that she was sick with the day after she came home. I was sick myself right around the same time (I think right after she returned) and brushed it off as flu or flu-like, but it was a little unusual compared to what my symptoms usually are when sick in this season. Antibody testing will be something to definitely look into when available.

My wife and I... same. We really need reliable IgA (currently contagious), IgM (no longer contagious) both-in-one take-home tests that anyone can use like a pregnancy or diabetes stick. They should be available like pez candy in free dispensers everywhere so people can test, contact-trace and isolate as necessary. Until we have a reliable vaccine, anything else is magical thinking.

Chris

DreamDiver wrote: ↑

Tue May 05, 2020 7:33 am

Lifeisabeach wrote: ↑

Tue May 05, 2020 7:00 am

An early case of COVID-19 was just uncovered in France dating back to late December. He had no links to China nor any recent travel, so how he acquired it is a mystery.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-heal ... SKBN22H15R

My wife and I had recently mulled the possibility that we had COVID back in early February, but brushed it off as overthinking it. I'm not so sure now. She had been traveling (US only) and had passed through the airport in Boston where she thinks she may have picked up a bug that she was sick with the day after she came home. I was sick myself right around the same time (I think right after she returned) and brushed it off as flu or flu-like, but it was a little unusual compared to what my symptoms usually are when sick in this season. Antibody testing will be something to definitely look into when available.

My wife and I... same. We really need reliable IgA (currently contagious), IgM (no longer contagious) both-in-one take-home tests that anyone can use like a pregnancy or diabetes stick. They should be available like pez candy in free dispensers everywhere so people can test, contact-trace and isolate as necessary. Until we have a reliable vaccine, anything else is magical thinking.

Oh definitely. Getting tested is more to satisfy our curiosity than anything else since we're well aware that it isn't known that one is immune due to having been previously infected. Especially since there are now, what, 3 or more variants of the virus? I'm planning on going all-in on the contact tracing program that Apple and Google are working on. I'm normally wary of tracking programs in general, but they have built it out with privacy in mind and this is just too important to be successful in managing this and getting back to some sense of normalcy. Believe you me, my wife and I are VERY AWARE of the reality of the state of vaccine and medication testing. She works for a CRO and is managing nearly a dozen trials herself. She especially knows the data, the reality of the timelines and expectations. Neither of us are foolish enough to take seriously, how shall I phrase this, unqualified "gut instinct" over the highly qualified opinions of medical and science experts in the field.

Lifeisabeach wrote: ↑

Tue May 05, 2020 9:43 am

I'm planning on going all-in on the contact tracing program that Apple and Google are working on.

Yes! Gramps and I also. Our kids and grandkids that we have talked to are eager to join in also.

Apple has published some details about the program - https://www.apple.com/covid19/contacttracing

Their FAQ about exposure notification is a good, brief explanation - https://covid19-static.cdn-apple.com/ap ... AQv1.1.pdf

Lifeisabeach wrote: ↑

Tue May 05, 2020 9:43 am

Oh definitely. Getting tested is more to satisfy our curiosity than anything else since we're well aware that it isn't known that one is immune due to having been previously infected. Especially since there are now, what, 3 or more variants of the virus? I'm planning on going all-in on the contact tracing program that Apple and Google are working on. I'm normally wary of tracking programs in general, but they have built it out with privacy in mind and this is just too important to be successful in managing this and getting back to some sense of normalcy. Believe you me, my wife and I are VERY AWARE of the reality of the state of vaccine and medication testing. She works for a CRO and is managing nearly a dozen trials herself. She especially knows the data, the reality of the timelines and expectations. Neither of us are foolish enough to take seriously, how shall I phrase this, unqualified "gut instinct" over the highly qualified opinions of medical and science experts in the field.

Got that right.

Haven't read this entire thread, but found this report interesting:

https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/art ... 246753.php

"Doctors have also found benefit from using simple CPAP machines — “continuous positive airway pressure” devices commonly used to help people with sleep apnea breathe regularly though the night — instead of placing as many people with COVID-19 on ventilators. While not cures, the treatments appear to help many patients avoid infections and other complications down the line."

I also found this photo with the article interesting

Thank goodness we don't have to "wheel" our CPAP's around!