COVID-19/Coronavirus Information and Support Thread (see OP for useful links)

  • Thread starter baldgye
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The Rock announced he & his family tested positive.
He says that they contracted the virus from family friends who didn’t know that they had COVID, and noted that he feels lucky because some of his best friends have lost loved ones to the disease. He adds that the family isolated themselves and that his girls were mostly okay with only a few symptoms, but he and his wife had a rough go of it.
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https://411mania.com/wrestling/the-rock-tested-positive-covid-19/
 
It looks like corticosteroids could be an effective treatment for some COVID-19 patients, especially those in respiratory distress.

Corticosteroids for COVID-19

Here's a summary of the evidence they presented and the recommendation of the paper:

The evidence: The guideline panel was informed by combining two meta-analyses which pooled data from eight randomized trials (7184 participants) of systemic corticosteroids for COVID-19. The panel discussions were also informed by two other meta-analyses, which were already published and pooled data about the safety of systemic corticosteroids in distinct but relevant patient populations. The resulting evidence summary suggested that systemic corticosteroids probably reduce 28-day mortality in patients with critical COVID-19 (moderate certainty evidence; seven studies,1703 patients; relative risk [RR] 0.80, 95% CI 0.70–0.91; absolute effect estimate 87 fewer deaths per 1000 patients, 95% CI 124 fewer to 41 fewer), and also in those with severe disease (moderate certainty evidence; one study, 3883 patients; RR 0.80, 95% CI 0.70–0.92; absolute effect estimate 67 fewer deaths per 1000 patients, 95% CI 100 fewer to 27 fewer). In contrast, systemic corticosteroids may increase the risk of death when administered to patients with non-severe COVID-19 (low certainty evidence; one study, 1535 patients; RR 1.22, 95% CI 0.93–1.61; absolute effect estimate 39 more per 1000 patients, 95% CI 12 fewer to 107 more). In addition, systemic corticosteroids probably reduce the need for invasive mechanical ventilation (moderate certainty of evidence; two studies, 5481 patients; RR 0.74, 95% CI 0.59–0.93). In contrast, harms, in the context of the mortality reduction in severe disease, are minor.

Recommendations: The panel made two recommendations: a strong recommendation for systemic (i.e. intravenous or oral) corticosteroid therapy (e.g. 6 mg of dexamethasone orally or intravenously daily or 50 mg of hydrocortisone intravenously every 8 hours) for 7 to 10 days in patients with severe and critical COVID-19, and a conditional recommendation not to use corticosteroid therapy in patients with non-severe COVID-19.
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Essentially they found that intravenous or oral corticosteroids help keep people off mechanical ventilators with minor side-effects and risks. This makes sense considering if you have asthma and are in distress, you're often given corticosteroids. Same with COPD and other respiratory patients. While this certainly isn't a miracle treatment by any means, it's at least another treatment that could work for some people under certain conditions.

I just hope that people don't latch onto this since it's really only recommended for those with severe cases of COVID. Not someone at home who's feeling a bit under the weather.
 
My department has just announced that all face-to-face teaching has now been cancelled for this semester.

There was already going to be no lectures or tutorials, but Chemistry is as much about practical work in labs, and those were supposed to be going ahead - not any more.

Now there will be 'e-labs' - presumably some of us will have to physically do experiments in the lab while being streamed online... that will be fun (not), but I guess it beats trying to shepherd a bunch of undergraduates around a lab for 3 hours while maintaining social distancing.

-

Meanwhile, the UK has recorded almost 3,000 new cases for two consecutive days - the highest level of new cases since the days after lockdown was introduced.
 
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Touring Mars
My department has just announced that all face-to-face teaching has now been cancelled for this semester.

There was already going to be no lectures or tutorials, but Chemistry is as much about practical work in labs, and those were supposed to be going ahead - not any more.

Now there will be 'e-labs' - presumably some of us will have to physically do experiments in the lab while being streamed online... that will be fun (not), but I guess it beats trying to shepherd a bunch of undergraduates around a lab for 3 hours while maintaining social distancing.

-

Meanwhile, the UK has recorded almost 3,000 new cases for two consecutive days - the highest level of new cases since the days after lockdown was introduced.
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Bright side, the school will not be responsible for any chemical mishaps :sly:.
 
ROAD_DOGG33J
Albertsons offers a kit for spit testing at home. You have to order it and pick it up at the store. Select markets for now but they are expanding to more markets.

https://progressivegrocer.com/albertsons-launches-home-covid-19-tests
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Not sure this is a great idea, since the potential for false negatives is still very high - in principle, however, it would be great if people could test themselves at home, provided the results are reliable and it is relatively easy/fool-proof (which existing tests are not...)

On a side note, I remember Albertson's well from my time living in Irvine, CA... I bought a bottle of vodka there once and the young guy behind the till ID'd me. I showed him my UK/EU driver's license and he went bright red when he told me that he could only accept a UK passport as evidence of my age. I said not to worry and I wouldn't bother with the vodka, and he changed his mind and politely said 'I'll let this through, but please bring a passport for next time'. Considering I was a balding, 40-year old, slightly overweight Scotsman with a slight drinking problem*, I found it quite charming.

The irony was, I was buying it as a gift (albeit in the knowledge that they would share it with me) for a 23 y.o. friend who, while old enough to legally drink, would likely not have been allowed to buy it themselves in Albertson's due to their ID policy at the time... I should also note that it was Sky Vodka, and not Albertson's own-brand, industrial sized vodka... like I would ever drink that...
lookaround.gif


* Not any more :) (I'm 45 now)
 
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Touring Mars
My department has just announced that all face-to-face teaching has now been cancelled for this semester.

There was already going to be no lectures or tutorials, but Chemistry is as much about practical work in labs, and those were supposed to be going ahead - not any more.

Now there will be 'e-labs' - presumably some of us will have to physically do experiments in the lab while being streamed online... that will be fun (not), but I guess it beats trying to shepherd a bunch of undergraduates around a lab for 3 hours while maintaining social distancing.
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Just send all the reactive and dangerous chemicals to the kids in the mail.
 
Touring Mars
Not sure this is a great idea, since the potential for false negatives is still very high - in principle, however, it would be great if people could test themselves at home, provided the results are reliable and it is relatively easy/fool-proof (which existing tests are not...)

On a side note, I remember Albertson's well from my time living in Irvine, CA... I bought a bottle of vodka there once and the young guy behind the till ID'd me. I showed him my UK/EU driver's license and he went bright red when he told me that he could only accept a UK passport as evidence of my age. I said not to worry and I wouldn't bother with the vodka, and he changed his mind and politely said 'I'll let this through, but please bring a passport for next time'. Considering I was a balding, 40-year old, slightly overweight Scotsman with a slight drinking problem*, I found it quite charming.

The irony was, I was buying it as a gift (albeit in the knowledge that they would share it with me) for a 23 y.o. friend who, while old enough to legally drink, would likely not have been allowed to buy it themselves in Albertson's due to their ID policy at the time... I should also note that it was Sky Vodka, and not Albertson's own-brand, industrial sized vodka... like I would ever drink that...
lookaround.gif


* Not any more :) (I'm 45 now)
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He should have carded you. For all he knew, you could have been two kids dressed up in a trench coat wearing a bald-looking cap :sly:.
 
Eunos_Cosmo
Sturgis Motorcycle Rally was 'superspreading event' that cost public health $12.2 billion: analysis

Oops.
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https://reason.com/2020/09/09/no-the-sturgis-motorcycle-rally-didnt-spawn-250000-coronavirus-cases/

The researchers also assumed a $46,000 price tag for each person infected to calculate the $12.2 billion public health cost of the event—but this figure would only make sense if every person had a severe case requiring hospitalization.

The results of the IZA paper "do not align with what we know," South Dakota epidemiologist Joshua Clayton said at a Tuesday news briefing.

The IZA paper "isn't science; it's fiction," Gov. Kristi Noem (R) said.

It's also good election-time propaganda, apparently. Despite the dubious nature of the IZA study, a range of Democratic consultants and cheerleaders have been using it to condemn President Donald Trump.


Of course someone has been shifting the goalposts. In the olden days (pre-covid) a case was some one who was suffering from an illness. Now anyone tested who has been affected, but not suffering and don't even know they have it, have been considered a case. This is just complete bollocks. This is the reason that as more tests take place, more "cases" are detected and therefore the death rate per case goes down. If the goalposts keep changing then how are we able to compare it to anything before or after. It's just flannel.

Makes good headlines though.
 
x3ra
https://reason.com/2020/09/09/no-the-sturgis-motorcycle-rally-didnt-spawn-250000-coronavirus-cases/

The researchers also assumed a $46,000 price tag for each person infected to calculate the $12.2 billion public health cost of the event—but this figure would only make sense if every person had a severe case requiring hospitalization.

The results of the IZA paper "do not align with what we know," South Dakota epidemiologist Joshua Clayton said at a Tuesday news briefing.

The IZA paper "isn't science; it's fiction," Gov. Kristi Noem (R) said.

It's also good election-time propaganda, apparently. Despite the dubious nature of the IZA study, a range of Democratic consultants and cheerleaders have been using it to condemn President Donald Trump.


Of course someone has been shifting the goalposts. In the olden days (pre-covid) a case was some one who was suffering from an illness. Now anyone tested who has been affected, but not suffering and don't even know they have it, have been considered a case. This is just complete bollocks. This is the reason that as more tests take place, more "cases" are detected and therefore the death rate per case goes down. If the goalposts keep changing then how are we able to compare it to anything before or after. It's just flannel.

Makes good headlines though.
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What on Earth are you trying to say here? You think the "goalposts" need to stay put by refusing to test?
 
x3ra
The researchers also assumed a $46,000 price tag for each person infected to calculate the $12.2 billion public health cost of the event—but this figure would only make sense if every person had a severe case requiring hospitalization.
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That's not how they got that figure. The $46,000 figure comes from a calculation presented in a paper by Thomas J. Kniesner. It uses a number of factors to figure out an average cost of $46,000. I'm not sure how sound that number is, but looking at all the factors, it's probably somewhere in the ballpark.

Also, hospitalization for a severe COVID case would be a helluva lot more than $46,000. One day in the ICU is roughly $10,000 and people are spending an average of 7 days in the ICU the last time I looked (it could be different now). So that's roughly $70,000 for just the ICU stay. Factor in the emergency room visit, post-ICU hospitalization, aftercare at home, and any missed work and you're easily looking at over $1 million per severe case. If the patient develops any long term effects from the virus, that number could easily bloom 10 or more times.

It's super easy to get to $46,000 when dealing with any form of healthcare because healthcare is expensive.
 
Gov. Noem is one of the last people to take serious on Covid. A week ago, she basically called out the credibility of the medical/scientific community by calling them the "elite class of so-called experts".
 
McLaren
Gov. Noem is one of the last people to take serious on Covid. A week ago, she basically called out the credibility of the medical/scientific community by calling them the "elite class of so-called experts".
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"It's not as if people who dedicated their life's work to be an expert in said profession have any idea what they are talking about anyways." I assume that was her reasoning to her attack, presumably.
 
My workmate, who I was meant to be having lunch with today, has called in sick with a fever and a sore throat, and will book at CV test today :ill:

Amazingly, there are no testing facilities within 40 miles of his home, and no home-testing kits available either. Not sure how this is possible at this stage, but there you go.
 
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Touring Mars
My workmate...will book at CV test today
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Hope he has more look than Mrs. Ten, after a week of trying to book a test she's still unable. Local gossip suggests that those who are getting test appointments are having to go to Manchester for them, that's about 130 miles. There are no home kits available now, seems to be a supply issue (we're told by 119). Meanwhile we're having to isolate until she feels better. Personally I think she has a particularly stinking cold but what can we do?
 
TenEightyOne
Hope he has more look than Mrs. Ten, after a week of trying to book a test she's still unable. Local gossip suggests that those who are getting test appointments are having to go to Manchester for them, that's about 130 miles. There are no home kits available now, seems to be a supply issue (we're told by 119). Meanwhile we're having to isolate until she feels better. Personally I think she has a particularly stinking cold but what can we do?
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Pretend you're footballers. They have plenty of tests available.
 
Dennisch
Pretend you're footballers. They have plenty of tests available.
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There's no way I'd pass for a Scottish Premier League footballer... I can play football.

TenEightyOne
Hope he has more look than Mrs. Ten, after a week of trying to book a test she's still unable. Local gossip suggests that those who are getting test appointments are having to go to Manchester for them, that's about 130 miles. There are no home kits available now, seems to be a supply issue (we're told by 119). Meanwhile we're having to isolate until she feels better. Personally I think she has a particularly stinking cold but what can we do?
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That's ridiculous, and I hope she/you are all OK.

The irony is that our workplace (Uni. of Glasgow) is at the forefront of the testing programme in Glasgow, and yet we can't get tests for Uni staff - or even our free masks that we were supposed to be issued with weeks ago.

Oh, and 30,000 students arrive back for Fresher's Week this weekend.
 
I'm amazed you guys are having a hard time getting tested, that seems ridiculous at this point in the pandemic. We have so much spare testing here that every weekend they have a drive-up clinics where you don't need an order or anything, if you think you need testing you just show up. In Utah alone, we're averaging 4,000-ish test per day.
 

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