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Coronavirus


Bjornebye

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2 minutes ago, Nelly-Torres said:

"This could be one of the greatest tests of modern time.....but we might get some good tele out of it!" 

 

https://www.thelocal.de/20200317/germanys-big-brother-contestants-to-be-told-about-coronavirus-pandemic-on-live-tv


I think that’s appalling. The absolute fucking lowest of reality television. In the gutter. To be told that knowing you’ve had no contact with family and friends who might be infected. Fucking shameful, both on the programme makers and anyone who watches it.

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4 minutes ago, Anubis said:


I think that’s appalling. The absolute fucking lowest of reality television. In the gutter. To be told that knowing you’ve had no contact with family and friends who might be infected. Fucking shameful, both on the programme makers and anyone who watches it.

It's disgraceful. Real bottom of the barrel stuff, which appears to show little regard for the mental health of those being exploited. 

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Bottom of the barrel you say? 

 

Medical company threatens to sue volunteers that 3D-printed valves for life-saving coronavirus treatments

 

https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/17/21184308/coronavirus-italy-medical-company-threatens-sue-3d-print-valves-treatments?utm_campaign=theverge&utm_content=chorus&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

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13 hours ago, moof said:

Anybody heard from Starmer at all during this crisis? If he wants people to believe he can lead the country some day, wouldn’t it be a good idea to start here

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/17/the-chancellors-stimulus-package-doesnt-go-nearly-far-enough

 

We are living through a global emergency. There are no easy solutions. Soundbites will not turn the situation around. And all of us have a duty to act in the public interest.

 

So far, the government has, understandably, focused on a public health approach. But we must have confidence in the advice that is being given. This confidence requires full transparency from the government about the evidence and the modelling being relied upon. The last few days of confused messaging and policy-making has exacerbated uncertainty and cannot continue.

 

We need a clear and accessible public safety campaign, along with up-to-date information and clear guidance to the public about the steps required of them. It is good the prime minister has accepted the need for daily press conferences, but it is no use people waiting by their television for advice that is incomplete and incoherent.

 

In addition, the sheer scale of the challenge ahead requires a coordinated national response going well beyond a public health approach. It is no good telling older people to stay at home without an accompanying plan to guarantee their wellbeing. Ministers and departments cannot act in isolation.

 

There should be a coordinated resilience plan on a huge scale, anticipating problems wherever possible and flexible enough to adapt to swiftly changing circumstances.

 

How we provide core public services – police, transport, childcare, housing, social care – and ensure a supply of basic goods during a prolonged period of uncertainty is critical. In the absence of clear cross-departmental planning, urgently needed resources will not be allocated quickly enough or put to best use.

 

What is needed is a national plan of action, which the government should draw up as a matter of urgency and publish. This plan should then be coordinated and rolled out through the civil contingency secretariat, the agency responsible for emergency planning.

 

Alongside public health and the provision of core public services, safeguarding our economy is vital. The government’s fragmented, incomplete and insufficient announcements caused huge concern and anxiety, especially for those working in the hospitality, arts and entertainment sectors. In future, any new social distancing measures should be announced alongside a comprehensive financial package to help businesses, families and employees.

 

The extra fiscal stimulus announced by the chancellor is overdue, but we have to be honest that it is does not go far enough. The chancellor announced no new support for renters, no new money for social care, insufficient clarity for employment support and no new money for public services and local authorities. And for industries most at risk, the government has yet to provide concrete solutions for how it will protect these businesses and the people who depend on them.

 

If the government fails to appreciate that what is now a health crisis will soon be a fully-blown social-economic crisis, then they will have failed to grasp the severity of the situation.

The chancellor should commit to making regular financial statements, with updated economic forecasts. That way, Parliament will be able to subject the government’s approach to effective scrutiny and test what further intervention may be necessary to protect jobs and the economy.

 

The scale of this crisis we face means things cannot simply be left to Whitehall. The government should convene an economic taskforce involving councils and devolved nations, representatives of key sectors of the economy, businesses (large and small), trade unions and economists to thrash out the economic implications of the crisis and the stimulus required to maintain investment and jobs for the future.

 

Finally, we need an international response to the crisis. So far, the default position of most national governments has been to take unilateral action. Yet, this is a global threat that demands a global response. If countries with weaker health systems are overwhelmed, we will never defeat the virus. Any geopolitical conflict over this issue must be resisted. It is our duty to be leaders on the world stage helping to coordinate international efforts and an international response.

 

For the Labour party, this crisis will straddle a period of change as we elect a new leader and deputy leader. Whoever wins will not get to choose the circumstances they will inherit. But he or she must rise to the challenge.

That is why, if I am elected leader, I am determined that the Labour party will act with the responsibility and care needed to put the best interests of the public first. We will ensure that we are in a position to speak for the country over the practical measures the UK needs by using the expertise from local and devolved governments, the trade union movement, businesses, economists and other key sectors.

 

The role of the opposition is vital in this period. We must be constructive and forensic. We should ask searching and difficult questions; not to score party political points but to give voice to the concerns of the public and because scrutiny and challenge improves decision-making.

 

When ministers are doing the right thing, we should have the courage to say so. When they are not, we should have the courage to call them out. The public interest must come first.

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Cuban medicine could treat thousands of coronavirus patients as production of a “flagship” drug known to combat the disease is set to increase significantly, pharmaceutical bosses said at a press conference on Friday. 

President of the BioCubaFarma group Eduardo Martinez explained that the socialist island has developed 22 drugs that are set to be used to contain the outbreak. 

 

Countries from across the globe have asked Cuba for the Interferon Alpha 2B, a drug developed in Cuba proven to be an effective against COVID-19

 

A Cuban drug, known as the Interferon Alpha 2B, could save thousands of lives in the COVID-19 pandemic. The drug has been produced in China since January 25 and, so far, has managed to effectively cure more than 1,500 patients from the coronavirus. It is one of 30 drugs chosen by the Chinese National Health Commission to combat the respiratory disease. 

 

https://peoplesdispatch.org/2020/03/16/cuba-leads-global-efforts-against-covid-19-in-spite-of-blockade/

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Guest Pistonbroke

I was reading that Gun Stores in the USA are running out of stuff, stay safe Howie mate. 

 

Figures rising here, especially in the state where we live. Out of the 7156 cases 2105 of them are in Nordrhein-Westfalen. 

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Guest Pistonbroke
5 minutes ago, davelfc said:

Cuban medicine could treat thousands of coronavirus patients as production of a “flagship” drug known to combat the disease is set to increase significantly, pharmaceutical bosses said at a press conference on Friday. 

President of the BioCubaFarma group Eduardo Martinez explained that the socialist island has developed 22 drugs that are set to be used to contain the outbreak. 

 

Countries from across the globe have asked Cuba for the Interferon Alpha 2B, a drug developed in Cuba proven to be an effective against COVID-19

A Cuban drug, known as the Interferon Alpha 2B, could save thousands of lives in the COVID-19 pandemic. The drug has been produced in China since January 25 and, so far, has managed to effectively cure more than 1,500 patients from the coronavirus. It is one of 30 drugs chosen by the Chinese National Health Commission to combat the respiratory disease. 

 

A Cuban drug, known as the Interferon Alpha 2B, could save thousands of lives in the COVID-19 pandemic. The drug has been produced in China since January 25 and, so far, has managed to effectively cure more than 1,500 patients from the coronavirus. It is one of 30 drugs chosen by the Chinese National Health Commission to combat the respiratory disease. 

 

https://peoplesdispatch.org/2020/03/16/cuba-leads-global-efforts-against-covid-19-in-spite-of-blockade/

 

I wonder if the required tests on humans has been done on these various drugs that are being reported? 

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My wife is choosing to ignore the advice and go to work, despite me having symptoms and being vulnerable. She's a stubborn, irresponsible person and I'm furious with her. But it's fine, she's only a teacher that will come in to contact with hundreds of people today. 

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Coronavirus can persist in air for hours and on surfaces for days - study

 

(Reuters) - The highly contagious novel coronavirus that has exploded into a global pandemic can remain viable and infectious in droplets in the air for hours and on surfaces up to days, according to a new study that should offer guidance to help people avoid contracting the respiratory illness called COVID-19.

 

Scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, attempted to mimic the virus deposited from an infected person onto everyday surfaces in a household or hospital setting, such as through coughing or touching objects. 

 

They used a device to dispense an aerosol that duplicated the microscopic droplets created in a cough or a sneeze. 

The scientists then investigated how long SARS-CoV-2 remained infectious on these surfaces, according to the study that appeared online in the New England Journal of Medicine on Tuesday - a day in which U.S. COVID-19 cases surged past 5,200 and deaths approached 100. 

 

The tests show that when the virus is carried by the droplets released when someone coughs or sneezes, it remains viable, or able to still infect people, in aerosols for at least three hours. 

On plastic and stainless steel, viable virus could be detected after three days. On cardboard, the virus was not viable after 24 hours. On copper, it took 4 hours for the virus to become inactivated. 

 

In terms of half-life, the research team found that it takes about 66 minutes for half the virus particles to lose function if they are in an aerosol droplet. 

That means that after another hour and six minutes, three quarters of the virus particles will be essentially inactivated but 25% will still be viable. 

The amount of viable virus at the end of the third hour will be down to 12.5%, according to the research led by Neeltje van Doremalen of the NIAID’s Montana facility at Rocky Mountain Laboratories. 

On stainless steel, it takes 5 hours 38 minutes for half of the virus particles to become inactive. On plastic, the half-life is 6 hours 49 minutes, researchers found. 

 

On cardboard, the half-life was about three and a half hours, but the researchers said there was a lot of variability in those results “so we advise caution” interpreting that number. 

The shortest survival time was on copper, where half the virus became inactivated within 46 minutes. 

As part of their experiments, the researchers compared the stability of SARS-CoV-2 to that of SARS-CoV-1 under the same experimental circumstances and found similar results. “This indicates that differences in the epidemiologic characteristics of these viruses probably arise from other factors,” they conclude, “including high viral loads in the upper respiratory tract and the potential for persons infected with SARS-CoV-2 to shed and transmit the virus while asymptomatic.

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Guest Pistonbroke
1 minute ago, Karl_b said:

My wife is choosing to ignore the advice and go to work, despite me having symptoms and being vulnerable. She's a stubborn, irresponsible person and I'm furious with her. But it's fine, she's only a teacher that will come in to contact with hundreds of people today. 

 

It won't be long before the decision to work (apart from home) is taken out of her hands mate. Hope you stay away from this thing. 

When I have to be out and about I'm surprised at the amount of old people I see. Plus it's not due to shopping or other necessities, they are walking in the park holding hands. 

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16 minutes ago, Pistonbroke said:

 

I wonder if the required tests on humans has been done on these various drugs that are being reported? 

 

 

Interferon alfa-2b is an antiviral or antineoplastic drug, that was originally discovered in the laboratory of Charles Weissmann at the University of Zurich. It was developed at Biogen, and ultimately marketed by Schering-Plough under the tradename Intron-A. It has been used for a wide range of indications, including viral infections and cancers.

This drug is approved around the world for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C, chronic hepatitis B, hairy cell leukemia, Behçet's disease, chronic myelogenous leukemia, multiple myeloma, follicular lymphoma, carcinoid tumor, mastocytosis and malignant melanoma.

 

 

The hope is that they find a current drug to stem the tide, therefore it could be given immediately with little to no risk as it's already been approved years ago. If the world is working together then testing can be reduced considerably on current available drugs. Hope is all we have at the moment. 

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Emerging treatments

Antivirals

Various antivirals (monotherapy and combination therapy) are being trialled in patients with COVID-19 (e.g., oseltamivir, lopinavir/ritonavir, ganciclovir, favipiravir, baloxavir marboxil, umifenovir, ribavirin, interferon alfa); however, there are no data to support their use.[6][7][8][102][103][104][105][106][107][108] Results from one small case series found that evidence of clinical benefit with lopinavir/ritonavir was equivocal.[109] Remdesivir shows in vitro activity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and has been used to treat patients in China, as well as the first patient in the US.[110][111] Clinical trials with remdesivir have started in the US and in China.[112][113][114]

 

Intravenous immunoglobulin

Intravenous immunoglobulin is being trialled in some patients with COVID-19; however, there are no data to support this.[7]

 

Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine

Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are being trialled in some patients with COVID-19.[115][116][117]Chloroquine shows in vitro activity against SARS-CoV-2.[111] An expert consensus guideline in China recommends chloroquine in mild to severe cases of COVID-19 as it may improve the success rate of treatment, shorten hospital stay, and improve patient outcome.[118]

 

Traditional Chinese Medicine

Traditional Chinese Medicine is being trialled in some patients with COVID-19 (e.g., Xue-Bi-Jing, Shuang-Huang-Lian, Xin-Guan-2); however, there are no data to support this.[119][120][121] These medicines are commonly used in China to treat COVID-19 patients.[122]

 

Stem cell therapy

Stem cell therapy is being investigated to treat patients with COVID-19 in clinical trials. It is thought that mesenchymal stem cells can reduce the pathological changes that occur in the lungs, and inhibit the cell-mediated immune inflammatory response.[123]

 

Angiotensin-II receptor antagonists

Angiotensin-II receptor antagonists such as losartan are being investigated as a potential treatment because it is thought that the angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) receptor is the main binding site for the virus.[124]

 

Convalescent plasma

Convalescent plasma from patients who have recovered from viral infections has been used as a treatment in previous virus outbreaks including SARS, avian influenza, and Ebola virus infection.[125] A clinical trial to determine the safety and efficacy of convalescent plasma in patients with COVID-19 has started in China; however, there is no data on its use as yet.[126]

 

https://bestpractice.bmj.com/topics/en-gb/3000168/emergingtxs

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