Corona Virus Update

I hope the vaccine we have can tackle the COVID b117 unless we have to go back to the drawing board

 

One of my favorite golf buddies died of the COVID today.
He was in a rehab following a surgery.
Probably days away from being vaccinated.
Be careful people. It's almost over, but not quite.

 

I am very sorry this happened. My condolences go out to him.

 

S sorry to hear that. My sincere condolences. Take care.

Sadly, it is far from over ....

 

So sorry to hear that.

 

Good news.


Over-the-counter inhalers suppress severe COVID symptoms, trial finds
Stuart Layt
February 10, 2021 — 12.18pm

Researchers say their clinical trial using a cheap asthma inhaler to prevent COVID-19 patients developing severe symptoms has produced “incredible” results.

The results give hope the worst effects of the virus can be contained by the easily accessible medication, as the world waits for viable vaccines to be rolled out.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/...vid-symptoms-trial-finds-20210210-p5716m.html

 

I wonder if they'll have them at your local pharmacy.

 

Thanks for this article. Very interesting read.

 

They never have.

Its so nice to be able to go to Tijuana occasionally and pick up basic meds like that without a prescription. Studying the Physicians Desk Reference to see all the details for medications (this was before the internet).

Every Mexican pharmacy had a copy to study right on the counter for customers to refer to. That was a Godsend when I had heart failure and had no health insurance for years.

 

I read things like this and thank G*d for Medicare in Australia.
It would be terrifying to not be able to afford healthcare.

 

Especially when you find out healthcare costs twice as much per person in the US compared to the UK.
Still, got to keep those insurance company executives in yachts somehow.

 

There's Canada where teh prices are controlled by the I think the government.

 

Trump's condition during hospitalization was worse than acknowledged: NYT (msn.com)
I found out that Trump's comndition was worse than acknowledged when he tested positive for COVID-19 last year. Trump said he'd get the pandemic and it turned out that he did. He won't learn his lesson no matter what happens next.

 

He could not even be truthful about his condition. His focus on his macho image prevents that. But he sure made time to have a drive by for his adoring supporters.er..fans.

 

That proves that you can't believe anything he says. He's like "The boy who cried Wolf".

 

Yes.

In the USA, about 500,000 bankruptcies per year occur from medical care . That's a cost I never hear from the USA losses that is much an issue in every other 1st world medical system.

I am amazed the USA is not charging citizens for COVID vaccine. Of course, in the USA, some states are banning COVID vaccine from people who own their winter homes but because the residents are only "part time", the "full time" residents try to refuse to vaccinate these carpet-baggers, despite being extensive homes too!

 

Canada does a pretty system for most drugs.

The government negotiates with the pharmaceutical companies and makes a buy based on all a particular drug, say like Prosac, so Candian goverment gets the price for a 500 million doses, which is far, far than retail or through a health insurance company. Then the pharmacies in Canada buy those drugs at cost at a piitance, compared to what the USA pays in their mess of buying. Congress bans much of the drugs, like Medicare, must pay the RETAIL PRICE for medications so our drug companies get 30 or 40 BILLION dollars extra over the prices every every country, like Australia and Canada, pays for the identical medications.

Thanks, Congress!

 

They do a good job of it. I think.

 

A friend recommended chicken soup for COVID-19, as a treatment rather than a preventative and as yet there is no authoritative research on chicken soup and COVID.

Who needs authoritative research when reputable sources such as the following are available?

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/chicken-soup

https://www.drsallyskitchen.com/blog-main/2017/1/15/the-healing-benefits-of-chicken-soup
(Not me, old RN Ret.)

 

Off topic for a moment: But Are you a retired RN??

 

I get my inhalers from Canada. I get 3 for a little over the price of my copay for one in the US.
They did run short in the summer because of the pandemic.

 

I saw the kitchen and I like the look of refridgerator.

 

Trump's Covid-19 condition so concerning that doctors considered putting him on a ventilator, source confirms (msn.com)
When Trump was flown to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, he not only had trouble breathing, but had received supplemental oxygen. Trump "definitely has had oxygen,"
There's more proof that Trump's problem with COVID 19 was a lot worse that we should have known. After he said He wouldn't get it and he did. We also know that Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and Mike Pence all tested negarive. Trump required hospitalization. rump was almost a goner.

 

I think it is unlikely the virus has mutated to beat the MRNA vaccines since they are pretty specific in what they target.
I think it is more likely that some mutate later. The ones that survived the vaccine.
But maybe @CenterField can comment.

 

Yes, I've commented extensively in other places. Go to my State of the Vaccines thread pinned to the top of the Coronavirus Pandemic Discussions (not news, discussions) and I say a lot there, including, answering this very question in my latest two posts. Also, I have a thread about the new variants.

But repeating it here:

B.1.1.7 (the UK Kent variant) is fully susceptible to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. The South African variant B.1.351 has just been shown to be pretty susceptible to the Pfizer vaccine too; while neutralizing antibodies drop, T-cell response does not and is robust, affording sufficient protection. We don't know anything about vaccines and the P.1 (Brazilian Manaus variant) yet. And there is a new UK Bristol variant.

Still, I continue to believe that all vaccines will remain protective against hospitalization and death (so far all 7 that have finished phase 3 trials have shown 100% protection against hospitalization and death, including in South Africa) including for the new variants of concern.

It is not excluded, though, that eventually the virus will evade the vaccines for good and we'll need updated vaccines. Four companies have already started tweaking their vaccines for the new variants - Pfizer, Moderna, Janssen, and Curevac, if I recall correctly. The new batches can be available starting in the fall. The FDA has said that approval for tweaked vaccines will be fast and won't require a full phase 3 trial.