Covid-19 News

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Conspiracy theory” is widely acknowledged to be a loaded term. Politicians use it to mock and dismiss allegations against them, while philosophers and political scientists warn that it could be used as a rhetorical weapon to pathologize dissent.

Conspiracy cannot explain hydrochloroquine/ivermectin persecution by Big Pharma by itself: instead of it it's an emergent pluralistic ignorance effect. The main point here is, attitude of people is cumulative like gravitation of massive bodies: the negativism stance of large crowd of socially or professionally interconnected people gets always higher than the bias of individual peers (who thus may feel unbiased, just because they're each surrounded by similarly thinking people). After all, just here on this LENR forum the people should already know, how pluralistic ignorance works against cold fusion.

Note also that the tendency to apply existing already well proven medicines for curing new infections is remarkably conservative traits, whereas the tendency to look for new cure for every new disease is remarkably progressivist attitude. The progressives ignore past, the conservatives fear of future. Young people are naturally progressive simply because they still have no sufficient life experience, which would help them to learn from the past. They also exhibit occupational-driven bias, because they're looking for jobs and professional carrier, so that they're more willing to collaborate with multinational corporations on dystopian research of GMO, vaccines, artificial intelligence, etc..

Quote from Zephir_AWT

Conspiracy cannot explain hydrochloroquine/ivermectin persecution by Big Pharma by itself: instead of it it's an emergent pluralistic ignorance effect. The main point here is, attitude of people is cumulative like gravitation of massive bodies: the negativism stance of large crowd of socially or professionally interconnected people gets always higher than the bias of individual peers (who thus may feel unbiased, just because they're each surrounded by similarly thinking people). After all, just here on this LENR forum the people should already know, how pluralistic ignorance works against cold fusion.

Agreed - but I think the jury is still out as to whether the current reaction to hcq is persecution. Lots of people are testing it - no positive rcts yet but many rcts due to report soon.

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For these reasons - correlation is not causation - it is very difficult to conclude any therapeutic effect for Vitamin D. There might be some - certainly vitamin deficiency can have affects. But studies like this do not provide evidence.

The causality is already here, see for example: Covid-19 is a disease that causes massive inflammation of the endothelium. And Vitamin D has a protective effect on endothelium.

Quote from Zephir_AWT

The causality is already here, see for example: Covid-19 is a disease that causes massive inflammation of the endothelium. And Vitamin D has a protective effect on endothelium.

No Zephir. That is a possible mechanism. There are many many such, most of which don't pan out. It does not show causation. In fact it is pretty weak. "Massive inflammation" and "a protective effect" do not necessarily cancel, and even if they do, there is no proof that the clinical problems associated with COVID will be prevented if this massive inflammation were reduced.

You could prove causation without a mechanism

Or, you could have a mechanism that was quantitative and proven, and therefore prove causation. But that is very rare in the flaky world of medicine

Covid-19's future: small outbreaks, monster wave, or ongoing crisis - or whatever else...

This article reveals interesting thing: i.e. that despite century of research modern epidemiology still has absolutely no clue what will happen next. The long incubation period and asymptomatic transfer of Covid-19 (originally denied by WHO in an effort to protect international travelling and business) is partially the culprit. We really don't know why and how Covid-19 pandemics ceased down in China and another countries as fast as it emerged here. We just think, that social distancing could work here, but we aren't sure, in particular because despite very different measures adopted in various countries, their case curves all look very similar. We also have strange six-day periodicity here. There is something systematic going on here which I don't think we fully understand. Apparently spreading of this disease is mystery comparable to prediction of tsunamis for our experts...

Quote from Zephir_AWT

Covid-19's future: small outbreaks, monster wave, or ongoing crisis - or whatever else...

This article reveals interesting thing: i.e. that despite century of research modern epidemiology still has absolutely no clue what will happen next. The long incubation period and asymptomatic transfer of Covid-19 (originally denied by WHO in an effort to protect international travelling and business) is partially the culprit. We really don't know why and how Covid-19 pandemics ceased down in China and another countries as fast as it emerged here. We just think, that social distancing could work here, but we aren't sure, in particular because despite very different measures adopted in various countries, their case curves all look very similar. We also have strange six-day periodicity here. There is something systematic going on here which I don't think we fully understand. Apparently spreading of this disease is mystery comparable to prediction of tsunamis for our experts...

Have you tried lining up weekends with the dates?

These periods are a bit shorter than seven days. In addition they're not synchronized across various countries at the first sight.

Quote from Zephir_AWT

Covid-19's future: small outbreaks, monster wave, or ongoing crisis - or whatever else...

This article reveals interesting thing: i.e. that despite century of research modern epidemiology still has absolutely no clue what will happen next. The long incubation period and asymptomatic transfer of Covid-19 (originally denied by WHO in an effort to protect international travelling and business) is partially the culprit. We really don't know why and how Covid-19 pandemics ceased down in China and another countries as fast as it emerged here. We just think, that social distancing could work here, but we aren't sure, in particular because despite very different measures adopted in various countries, their case curves all look very similar. We also have strange six-day periodicity here. There is something systematic going on here which I don't think we fully understand. Apparently spreading of this disease is mystery comparable to prediction of tsunamis for our experts...

I'd agree that we don't fully understand COVID.

BUT - the strange 7 day periodicity is because 3 day rolling averages do not capture the (always large) weekend effects in testing and reporting. Look at the 7 day rolling averages!

The obvious difference between China and other countries is more testing and much more intrusive obligatory lockdown on per person basis from app which EVERYONE must have.

Western countries prioritise privacy and freedom over getting out of the epidemic quickly - a political choice. But in any case they maybe don't have the mass surveillance infrastructure needed to rigorously enforce a lockdown.

Useful results from NY observational study. In this one they did the statistics properly, using discrete variable analysis for highly non-gaussian continuous variables (like age).

But needs further work to confirm.

https://www.medrxiv.org/conten….20080036v1.full.pdf+html

The main finding of this study is that after adjusting for the timing of zinc therapy, we
found that the addition of zinc sulfate to hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin was
found to associate with a decrease in mortality or transition to hospice among patients
who did not require ICU level of care, but this association was not significant in patients
who were treated in the ICU. This result may be reflective of the proposed mechanism
of action of zinc sulfate in COVID-19. Zinc has been shown to reduce SARS-CoV RNA
dependent RNA polymerase activity in vitro [13]. As such, zinc may have a role in
preventing the virus from progressing to severe disease, but once the aberrant
production of systemic immune mediators is initiated, known as the cytokine storm, the
addition of zinc may no longer be effective [17]. Our findings suggest a potential
therapeutic synergistic mechanism of zinc sulfate with hydroxychloroquine, if used early
on in presentation with COVID-19. However, our findings do not suggest a prophylactic
benefit of zinc sulfate in the absence of a zinc ionophore, despite interest in this therapy
for prevention. A prophylactic strategy of zinc sulfate should be evaluated to help
answer this question.

This study has several limitations. First, this was an observational retrospective analysis
that could be impacted by confounding variables. This is well demonstrated by the
analyses adjusting for the difference in timing between the patients who did not receive
zinc and those who did. In addition, we only looked at patients taking
hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin. We do not know whether the observed added
benefit of zinc sulfate to hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin on mortality would have
been seen in patients who took zinc sulfate alone or in combination with just one of
those medications. We also do not have data on the time at which the patients included
in the study initiated therapy with hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin, and zinc. Those
drugs would have been started at the same time as a combination therapy, but the point
in clinical disease at which patients received those medications could have differed
between our two groups. Finally, the cohorts were identified based on medications
ordered rather than confirmed administration, which may bias findings towards favoring
equipoise between the two groups. In light of these limitations, this study should not be
used to guide clinical practice. Rather, our observations support the initiation of future
randomized clinical trials investigating zinc sulfate against COVID-19.

Quote from THHuxleynew

Vit D - the sunshine vitamin - is correlated with people who are outside more in the sun.

Typical THH logic. But there are recommendation made by doctors now - in certain countries. Of course the sunny UK does not need vitamin D....

Quote from Dr Richard

time to add heparin into Anti-Bat? If it can be given in an effective pill form, it's a large mucopolysaccharide which unlike hydroxychloroquine is not easy to absorb or will suffer degradation in the stomach. These two new negative HCQ studies again suffer from using the drug too late (16 days after first sympotoms) as If given as a remedy of last resort when all other treatment has failed. Also not given with Zn. Heparin also has cardioprotective properties which may counteract not only the hemagglutinating action of the virus but also ameliorate the side effects of HCQ, as would doxycycline instead of azithromycin. Remdesivir from the biochemistry has a similar potency to HCQ and should be equally effective administered early enough.

In Switzerland they do run a Heparin study. You can have it as a pill. Absolute no risk.

The Swiss idiots just did find out out that most deaths are from people sent home with mild symptoms... They think now too send them home with Heparin pills now due to the huge count of small lung infarcts they found.

New information from Geneva's (Switzerland) first anti body test. 1 out of ten cases is in the statistics. This reduces the death rates further well below a common flu for most younger than 65.

May be JulianBianchi can comment about it!

Quote from Wyttenbach

But there are recommendation made by doctors now - in certain countries. Of course the sunny UK does not need vitamin D....

Not sure what you mean. Of course Vit D deficiency is a bad idea - and UK as other countries recommend supplements during winter, or all year for those who do not go out much or who cover up v completely.

Quote from THHuxleynew

Not sure what you mean. Of course Vit D deficiency is a bad idea - and UK as other countries recommend supplements during winter, or all year for those who do not go out much or who cover up v completely.

There are many studies related with flu and Vi D. Absolutely recommend !

Quote from Alan Smith

Don't start making threats Navid, no matter how veiled. You would be wrong to suggest that we don't accept dissident voices, however, there is always a need for balance, a little dissidence is good, but too much is indigestible. This is particularly the case when people's health is at stake, which in many ways is much more important than our idly kicking at the door of Castle Physics.

Alan, this is a rhetorical device called pathos.

I don't see the connection between the need to monitor/censure speech and people's health at stake. In fact I see that it is exactly opposite. Free movement of ideas allows for innovation. Even in this crisis underground movements are saving lives

The Germany study showing IFR from one well tested town with high prevalence. Interesting (rather surprising) data and discussion. But it looks like this one festival caused most of the COVID, so skewing things!

Issues here about whether mild exposure => less severe symptoms etc.

https://www.medrxiv.org/conten…101/2020.05.04.20090076v1

22.2% of all infected individuals were asymptomatic. With the seven SARS-CoV-2-associated reported deaths the estimated IFR was 0.36% [0.29%; 0.45%]. Age and sex were not found to be associated with the infection rate. Participation in carnival festivities increased both the infection rate (21.3% vs. 9.5%, p<0.001) and the number of symptoms in the infected (estimated relative mean increase 1.6, p=0.007). The risk of a person being infected was not found to be associated with the number of study participants in the household this person lived in. The secondary infection risk for study participants living in the same household increased from 15.5% to 43.6%, to 35.5% and to 18.3% for households with two, three or four people respectively (p<0.001).

Whoa folks! Please look stuff up before posting it.

Wyttenbach I appreciate the link to the antiviral activity of heparin- I was not aware of it. But realize, heparin is not absorbed by mouth. It *must* be given parenterally by injection (either subcutaneous or intravenous). Heparin use for any length of time and at any significant strength must be controlled by clotting laboratory studies. There is no oral form- not in Switzerland, not anywhere or prove me wrong with a credible link.

Heparin without a doubt has a role to prevent DIC (disseminated intravascular coagulation)- a significant cause of amputation and death in COVID patients. But that would be for a very sick patients in a hospital. Heparin in the form of the low molecular type (Lovenox in the US) might be given briefly at home in *convalescing* and not acute care patients and I can not see any role it would have in prevention. Heparin can induce widespread serious or even lethal bleeding with little warning. It is not safe outside of strict limits of dose and time except in a hospital setting and even there, a lot of caution is required.

Once more: I know of no oral heparin! Prove me wrong.

Another plea from an ICU nurse in SoCal... a different one:

"Just my rule: Please don't send me your conspiracy theory porn. I get that people need to occupy their brains with something, and at a time of uncertainty supposition makes some feel "informed". But let me tell you what facts are in my world.

I'm still leaving my child to walk into an icu. I change into hospital scrubs, put on a surgical cap, disposable bonnet and gown, booties over my shoes, an N95 mask, double gloves and then a face shield. I'm still doing all of my regular critical care tasks but also struggling to trouble shoot why all our normal interventions aren't met with positive responses in patients. I'm still trying to carefully maneuver rooms with all my safety gear on, be cautious with the safety of my other coworkers entering the room with me and remember the life under my hands.. I'm now constantly concerned for the health and well being of multiple people in every patient interaction. I am still seeing gravely ill, highly contagious patients . I'm still seeing Covid and non Covid patients, PEOPLE, die without their loved ones because that will be the policy until this pandemic is under control. I am and will still battle thoughts of my own mortality with every drive home. I will still worry after calls from my supervisor that I may have unknowingly been exposed in --- shift and so need to self monitor closely.

These will be my constant no matter what suspicions you spread.

This will be my life for the foreseeable future and all the theories google affords you won't change that. What those will do is hinder my ability to do my job by dampening the mental fortitude I need to be a care giver now, and at times resilience seems difficult to find. Also know that there are some interpreting these theories as a green light to go back to the way we lived precovid and it is my personal opinion that this is irresponsible behavior that may seriously impact my reality.

Please understand that If you find yourself removed from my media's it's not because I'm not capable of thoughtful discussion when it's appropriate or I disagree (which I do) but more than that this is just how I protect my mental health now.

I'm just a gal trying my best to be a good member of society and not think only of myself. I am imploring you to do the same."

via Facebook

Uhho....

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/0…nned-n95-coronavirus.html

Counterfeit and non-working masks with N95, KN95 and 2626 certifications claimed are widely distributed and sold. Most are junk from Asia.

As I thought too, oral heparin is not possible but if the antiviral action is confirmed it could be injected with remdesivir (which only seems to have been tested in late stages, when anticoagulants look beneficial anyway). Not an Anti Bat addition yet because anti-virus treatment in a mass fever protocol has to be started before the pathology is excessive and irreversible. Pity heparin was not tested in the Gordon et al. Nature paper which would have confirmed or excluded it on biochemical testing against the coronavirus. Besides, HCQ may have some anti-coagulant activity itself since quinine is known to enhance the effects of warfarin for example.