This crisis is the first event in my lifetime that's given me any optimism about our ability, as a global civilization, to solve problems and get things done. I don't feel like we've seen humanity at its best in several decades. Shame it always takes a catastrophe (and an immediate one at that; see climate change) to bring it out.
Covid-19’s stop-gap solution until vaccines and antivirals are ready
41–50 of 207 posts
Re: Covid-19’s stop-gap solution until vaccines and antivirals are ready
#42This crisis is the first event in my lifetime that's given me any optimism about our ability, as a global civilization, to solve problems and get things done. I don't feel like we've seen humanity at its best in several decades. Shame it always takes a catastrophe (and an immediate one at that; see climate change) to bring it out.
I think it has the potential to, but so far, there hasn't really much of it, or have I been missing it? Obviously progress is slow, but I think there's also a lot of fluff being thrown around, so we won't really know for some time.
I haven't noticed any extra amount of cooperation though between countries, more so than the usual.
Re: Covid-19’s stop-gap solution until vaccines and antivirals are ready
#43Some emerging theories of pathology suggest that lung function can be increased by reinflating collapsed alveoli with constant pressure: https://emcrit.org/pulmcrit/cpap-covid/. It describes cases where oxygen supplementation could be reduced or eliminated.
This development (https://www.isinnova.it/easy-covid19-eng/) looks very promising for 'sub-intensive' cases -- adapting decathlon mask/snorkel with a 3D printed valve to provide positive air pressure (to help reinflate lungs) without intubation or leaking contaminated exhaust. If the closed mask method could be used successfully to prevent serious cases from progressing to ICU (or more importantly, keep people in their homes a little longer), it could have a huge impact on reducing load in the hospital system.
Re: Covid-19’s stop-gap solution until vaccines and antivirals are ready
#44This crisis is the first event in my lifetime that's given me any optimism about our ability, as a global civilization, to solve problems and get things done. I don't feel like we've seen humanity at its best in several decades. Shame it always takes a catastrophe (and an immediate one at that; see climate change) to bring it out.
I think it has the potential to, but so far, there hasn't really much of it, or have I been missing it? Obviously progress is slow, but I think there's also a lot of fluff being thrown around, so we won't really know for some time. I haven't noticed any extra amount of cooperation though between countries, more so than the usual.
I guess I primarily mean the people on the ground. Not the politicians - the best that can be said about them is that they're getting out of the way (in some, not all cases) - but the doctors and nurses, the scientists, the grocery store workers, the companies converting their factories to make medical supplies, and yes, even the bureaucrats who are pushing this stuff through. There are still lots of people out there to be disappointed in, but we're also seeing those who do care about the greater good coming out of the woodwork and really taking real action, and it's inspiring.
Re: Covid-19’s stop-gap solution until vaccines and antivirals are ready
#45Earlier quoted context omitted.
That’s why there is comprehensive screening of donated blood which has essentially eliminated pathogen transfer and it’s used en masse everyday.
Screening is not perfect. https://www.redcrossblood.org/faq.html#eligibility-medicaltr... “ You may not donate if you received a blood transfusion since 1980 in the United Kingdom or France (The United Kingdom consists of the following countries: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Gibraltar or Falkland Islands). This requirement is related to concerns about variant CJD, or 'mad…
That is interesting. I have always been told it was stricter than that - basically this:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1116429/
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has imposed a ban on blood donations from anyone who has spent more than six months in Britain from 1980 to 1997 because of the possible risk of transmitting the human form of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, known as variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD)
Nothing about receiving a transfusion there, just having lived in the UK was enough to make you ineligible to donate.
The American Red Cross restriction is weaker. Can anyone clarify?
Re: Covid-19’s stop-gap solution until vaccines and antivirals are ready
#46This crisis is the first event in my lifetime that's given me any optimism about our ability, as a global civilization, to solve problems and get things done. I don't feel like we've seen humanity at its best in several decades. Shame it always takes a catastrophe (and an immediate one at that; see climate change) to bring it out.
> This crisis is the first event in my lifetime that's given me any optimism about our ability, as a global civilization, to solve problems and get things done.
Based on what?
What I see is the same scenario play out over and over again, from one country to another, delayed by a week, or two, or three, with most of them making the same mistakes that their predecessors made.
Nobody in the West lifted a finger to prepare themselves until mid-February. We didn't jump-start mask production. We didn't start building hospitals. We didn't start building ventilators.
If this is what the world's reaction to global crisis is going to be like, my sole reassurance is that I'll likely be dead before the worst of climate change hits.
Re: Covid-19’s stop-gap solution until vaccines and antivirals are ready
#47Why do they keep saying 'until vaccines are ready' as though it's a foregone conclusion that we can make a vaccine for this? Is this type of virus always a good one to make vaccines for?
There are tons of viruses we have failed to vaccinate for, despite trying for 30 or 40 years. People seem to be universally saying a vaccine is '12-18 months away'. Is this just misinformation?
I would love to hear from an expert about this.
Re: Covid-19’s stop-gap solution until vaccines and antivirals are ready
#48I don't see why people think we will hold out 18 months for a vaccine to be developed and tested, society would fall apart by then. I don't see it lasting longer than 2-3 months quarantine and then the common people will just go out anyway, especially in the USA where there's not much of a safety net.
There won't be a safety net anywhere if they require everyone to be quarantined for 18 months. The government can print money by changing a number in a computer, but they can't print sandwiches that way. Eventually dumping money into the economy where very little is being produced just leads to runaway inflation.
Re: Covid-19’s stop-gap solution until vaccines and antivirals are ready
#49Why this article does not mention chloroquine at all, though?
Re: Covid-19’s stop-gap solution until vaccines and antivirals are ready
#50This may be a stupid question. But can the antibodies be synthesized based on samples from recovered patients? If not, why?
You need to create a cell line.
Many medicines today use murine (mouse) monoclonal antibodies.