[helene_t]

Cyberyeti, on 2020-April-21, 14:53, said:

I see Spain got 600K coronavirus testing kits from China an unlicensed Chinese company which was not on the list which the Chinese government recommended Spain to use, sent them back because they were crap, received the "improved" ones recently and have just sent them back because they're still terrible.

F.Y.P.

[Cyberyeti]

helene_t, on 2020-April-21, 15:49, said:

F.Y.P.

This is true, but Turkey have had similar issues, it appears there are some bad batches even from licensed suppliers.

[cherdano]

FelicityR, on 2020-April-21, 08:36, said:

It's a great computer tool to predict rates of infection, however the only drawback is that you have to be reliant on people downloading the app and entering the data. I am sure there are people who cannot be bothered with doing this together with other people who do not have the wherewithal to do so, e.g. the elderly.

But given that half-a-million people have used the app - thank you - it's at least a promising indication of where we as a nation are heading, plus further confirming that the lockdown measures are at least working in the main.

It's 2.5 millions using it.
I am not sure how they arrive at their total estimate of the number of infected, i.e. how they account for the obvious self-selection problem. (You'll be more interested in downloading the app and reporting your symptoms when you have symptoms.) But the change of time is almost certainly meaningful. Well, there are still problems with people who start or stop using the app (people dropping out of studies is basically the main unsolvable methodological problem of medical research), but this won't explain a 70% decline.

In any case, anyone who downloads the app and uses it no matter whether they have symptoms or not helps them improve the quality of their data.

[FelicityR]

There's a strange irony that most western countries now rely on China, and other low-income Asian countries, to manufacture everything from corona testing kits to PPE and everything else in between. Yes, I do get it as it is all about profit margins and that's what big business is about. But when the items are not reliable, faulty or just rubbish - and don't worry I have bought British and European items that have been far from perfect - surely we should change suppliers?

I realise that this is not quite possible given the urgency of the coronavirus epidemic, but there are plenty of pharma/biotech companies in the EU and the USA that could provide low cost kits. However, they need approval from the FDA and EU bodies, which begs the question how did we all end up buying so many duff Chinese kits? And how have the genuine Chinese kits got approval so quickly, too?

I have a gut feeling there are a small amount of people making a killing and profiteering at others expense here. The scandal with the lack of PPE is bad enough. Now there are other shady dealers milking the urgency to supply corona testing kits in various forms. Next will be the vaccines.

We might berate individuals selling over-priced hand sanitiser on eBay, but what happens at a corporate and governmental level is 100x more obscene.

[Winstonm]

FelicityR, on 2020-April-22, 04:36, said:

There's a strange irony that most western countries now rely on China, and other low-income Asian countries, to manufacture everything from corona testing kits to PPE and everything else in between. Yes, I do get it as it is all about profit margins and that's what big business is about. But when the items are not reliable, faulty or just rubbish - and don't worry I have bought British and European items that have been far from perfect - surely we should change suppliers?

I realise that this is not quite possible given the urgency of the coronavirus epidemic, but there are plenty of pharma/biotech companies in the EU and the USA that could provide low cost kits. However, they need approval from the FDA and EU bodies, which begs the question how did we all end up buying so many duff Chinese kits? And how have the genuine Chinese kits got approval so quickly, too?

I have a gut feeling there are a small amount of people making a killing and profiteering at others expense here. The scandal with the lack of PPE is bad enough. Now there are other shady dealers milking the urgency to supply corona testing kits in various forms. Next will be the vaccines.

We might berate individuals selling over-priced hand sanitiser on eBay, but what happens at a corporate and governmental level is 100x more obscene.

Dear Felicity: Elections matter. Character of the elected matters.

[hrothgar]

The mayor of Las Vegas is nuts

https://www.cnn.com/...per-sot-vpx.cnn

[y66]

Steve Dickson, Federal Aviation Administrator said:

We are not a public health agency.

https://www.latimes....irplanes-flying

[cherdano]

hrothgar, on 2020-April-22, 15:05, said:

The mayor of Las Vegas is nuts

https://www.cnn.com/...per-sot-vpx.cnn

More importantly, the mayor of New York is nuts.
https://www.rollings...tements-978553/
https://www.theatlan...rk-city/609379/

[shyams]

cherdano, on 2020-April-23, 06:08, said:

More importantly, the mayor of New York is nuts.
https://www.rollings...tements-978553/
https://www.theatlan...rk-city/609379/

Thank you for sharing, cherdano.

I read both the articles; it made me feel de Blasio would make a great President!?! Maybe in 2024?

[shyams]

cherdano, on 2020-April-21, 07:03, said:

If true, this is the best coronavirus news in the UK I have seen in a while: https://covid.joinzoe.com/data

(If you live in the UK, you can help them gather more data by downloading the app and spending 30 seconds (when feeling well) a day with it. It will especially important once restrictions are eased - they might be able to detect a spike of infections in your area much quicker than even widespread testing, and of course much quicker than hospitalization numbers. )

An article from the joinzoe website that may be useful reference for older people (link here)

Quote

We have looked at the symptoms experienced during proven COVID-19 infection by people who are over 85, report limiting health problems, or need help or physical aids. We found that this group of people testing positive for COVID-19 experienced more shortness of breath than other test-positive groups.

Interestingly, they also experienced more headache, confusion and diarrhoea than non-frail people. These symptoms are not normally considered typical of COVID-19.

[Winstonm]

Abnormal clotting in Covid-19

Quote

Doctors treating the sickest Covid-19 patients have zeroed in on a new phenomenon: Some people have developed widespread blood clots, their lungs peppered with tiny blockages that prevent oxygen from pumping into the bloodstream and body.

[pescetom]

Winstonm, on 2020-April-23, 08:27, said:

Abnormal clotting in Covid-19

This isn't something really new, medics in Italy commented on it a month ago.
The massive inflammation caused by the virus impact lungs directly but also blood, abnormal pressure and clotting can complicate pneumonia and also cause death in other ways.

[hrothgar]

So, looks like Trump might have figured out a new / better way to treat COVID-19

I couldn't quite figure out what he was talking about, but I think that it involves drinking lots of bleach or maybe injecting bleach or perhaps nebulizing bleach

[kenberg]

hrothgar, on 2020-April-23, 17:32, said:

So, looks like Trump might have figured out a new / better way to treat COVID-19

I couldn't quite figure out what he was talking about, but I think that it involves drinking lots of bleach or maybe injecting bleach or perhaps nebulizing bleach

Drinking bleach would probably solve the problem.

[Winstonm]

kenberg, on 2020-April-23, 18:27, said:

Drinking bleach would probably solve the problem.

How do you get Trump to drink it?

[cherdano]

Hah, see! The libs are taking the bait! Again!! Brilliant!!!

[FelicityR]

shyams, on 2020-April-23, 07:58, said:

An article from the joinzoe website that may be useful reference for older people (link here)

Whilst covid-19 might be the cause of additional ailments for the over 85s, any serious infection for anyone in that age group causes problems generally. People in that age group have weakened immune systems, and poorer lung and bowel health. A bacterial urinary tract infection (UTI) which is common amongst seniors causes delirium and confusion. That's why in later life it is so important to follow a good diet together with sensible vitamin and nutraceutical supplementation as the body is less able to repair itself on its own.

[shyams]

I saw a re-run of the daily briefing by Trump his team. The presentation by Bill Bryant (lasting approx. 6 minutes) was extremely interesting and I thought it provided useful indicators for actions the average corporation / person can take to reduce the risk of Covid transmission.

However, Trump's insane remarks immediately followed the presentation by Bryant thereby immediately relegating all useful information from the presentation to oblivion. Not one TV programme or News bulletin even mentioned the salient points from Bryant's presentation. Unfortunate!

[pilowsky]

shyams, on 2020-April-24, 06:50, said:

I saw a re-run of the daily briefing by Trump his team. The presentation by Bill Bryant (lasting approx. 6 minutes) was extremely interesting and I thought it provided useful indicators for actions the average corporation / person can take to reduce the risk of Covid transmission.

However, Trump's insane remarks immediately followed the presentation by Bryant thereby immediately relegating all useful information from the presentation to oblivion. Not one TV programme or News bulletin even mentioned the salient points from Bryant's presentation. Unfortunate!

Just to be completely clear: you just explained that the person holding the office of President of the United States of America is making insane remarks, and the unfortunate thing is that somebody else's comments about sunlight which were also pretty unimportant compared with the remarks of Birx/Fauci and Redfield about getting your 'flu shot didn't get enough airtime? Did I get that right or should I be watching Faux (makes you sic) news?

[FelicityR]

shyams, on 2020-April-24, 06:50, said:

I saw a re-run of the daily briefing by Trump his team. The presentation by Bill Bryant (lasting approx. 6 minutes) was extremely interesting and I thought it provided useful indicators for actions the average corporation / person can take to reduce the risk of Covid transmission.

However, Trump's insane remarks immediately followed the presentation by Bryant thereby immediately relegating all useful information from the presentation to oblivion. Not one TV programme or News bulletin even mentioned the salient points from Bryant's presentation. Unfortunate!

Donald Trump has just no idea. Suggesting UV light and disinfect to kill the virus inside the body just shows us how ignorant and uninformed the man is. On a more positive note:

https://news.sky.com...sorder-11977789

Tracheostomy and ventilator intervention is commonplace in hospitals (especially in ICU units) but puts some patients at risk. Using a non-invasive CPAP machine for less severe corona cases could become the norm as time goes on.