There are probably cases not being captured that should. But there are also cases in countries like Ecuador (quoted in the article) where death statistics were never truly captured correctly in past years, and now that someone is taking extra care to track them, suddenly the numbers are much higher (which they would not normally be because of poor tracking, politically undesirably, etc). We'll likely never know the true extent of the fudgery and poor amalgamation of data. What we can be sure of is that data that drives a narrative allowing the government to get more power and spend more/print more money isn't likely to be trustworthy.
tocilizumab I posted on this drug a while back, somewhere. Anyway, some of the early trial studies are wrapping up and I guess it has some value or promise - so far anyway. Arthritis drug shows 'significant' promise in severe COVID-19 cases: study The arthritis drug tocilizumab has shown early promise in preventing extreme inflammation in gravely ill COVID-19 patients, according to a French clinical study. The treatment, which suppresses the body's natural immune response, was found to reduce "significantly" the number of deaths or life support interventions compared with a control group of patients. The study, carried out by the Paris university hospital trust (AP-HP), looked at 129 people hospitalised with moderate or severe viral pneumonia, which occurs in 5-10 percent of COVID-19 patients. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-arthritis-drug-significant-severe-covid-.html
The research and creation of remdesivir was done at UNC-Chapel Hill... Breakthrough treatment innovated at UNC proves effective against COVID-19 https://www.cbs17.com/news/local-ne...ted-at-unc-proves-effective-against-covid-19/ The federal coronavirus task force announced Wednesday positive clinical trial results for remdesivir, a treatment that originated in labs at UNC-Chapel Hill. Officials at UNC say the treatment diminished the time to recovery from COVID-19. Animal testing at UNC Gillings School of Public Health set the stage for clinical trials to begin as the virus spread across the globe. “This is a game changer for the treatment of patients with COVID-19 and provides hope to many infected,” says Ralph Baric, an epidemiologist in the UNC Gillings School of Public Health that led lab testing of the broad-spectrum antiviral drug. Gilead Sciences’s remdesivir would be the first treatment to pass such a test against the virus, which has killed more than 218,000 people since it emerged late last year. Having a treatment could have a profound effect on the global pandemic, especially because health officials say any vaccine is likely a year or more away. In 2014, the UNC lab partnered with Gilead Sciences. Their goal was testing the company’s antiviral drugs to curb emerging viral diseases, according to Tim Sheahan, a virologist in Baric’s lab. The study, run by the National Institutes of Health, tested remdesivir versus usual care in about 800 hospitalized coronavirus patients around the world. The main result is how long it takes patients to recover. Gilead gave no details on results Wednesday, but said an announcement is expected soon. NIH officials did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Remdesivir is given through an IV and is designed to interfere with an enzyme that reproduces viral genetic material. In animal tests against SARS and MERS, diseases caused by similar coronaviruses, the drug helped prevent infection and reduced the severity of symptoms when given early enough in the course of illness. But it is not yet approved anywhere in the world for any use.
A little walk on the wild side here. But I will look at anything, as long as it does not involve bats. Antibodies from llamas could help in fight against COVID-19 https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-antibodies-llamas-covid-.html
I just hope that the results are correct and the treatment is effective. The following is the financial disclosure from NIH. I hope that that isn't anything unscrupulous going on here. Clearly, that is bad optics at a minimum. https://www.covid19treatmentguidelines.nih.gov/panel-financial-disclosure/
It's turning out the best way to track COVID-19 and the number in the population who have it may be via waste. Trial programs have been rolled out in multiple cities during the past weeks. It is much more accurate than sample testing for anti-bodies and attempting to extrapolate to the population. CDC eyes tracking coronavirus through human waste On a call this week, a top CDC doctor said monitoring coronavirus outbreaks by testing wastewater could be a promising way to track the virus. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/01/cdc-human-waste-coronavirus-222253
Our local newscast mentioned that 63 cities in 39 states are now doing this... Houston officials are using your poop to track the spread of coronavirus https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/01/health/flu-vs-coronavirus-deaths/index.html City health officials and Rice University scientists have begun testing Houston wastewater samples for COVID-19, a process they hope will reveal the true spread of the new coronavirus as clinical testing continues to lag. The city-led effort makes use of studies that show traces of the virus can be found in human feces. By testing samples of sewage collected at the city’s wastewater treatment plants, officials hope to uncover the scale of the outbreak in Houston and, perhaps, locate hotspots undetected by in-person tests. (More at above url)
Wow. So, Trump has been correct wrt China this whole time!? This will clearly help Trump in November. I wonder if Biden will change his opinion from China is so awesome and acting as thought Trump is crazy wrt his stance on China. Emphasis mine below. https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrap...say-time-to-decouple-from-china/#4949107877a2 Overwhelming Majority Say Time To ‘Decouple’ From China If there is one thing to come out of this pandemic, it is the fact that Americans believe the U.S. relationship with China has to change. Support for this runs across party lines and education levels. The golden days of China as the go-to manufacturing hub for American companies is becoming a bygone era. At leasts that is what more than 70% of survey respondents say they want in a world post-pandemic. Survey firm McLaughlin & Associates released their poll of American attitudes towards China on April 22 and it showed that 75% felt that the U.S. should end its dependence on China for medical imports, including things like N95 respirators and even ibuprofen, two markets China dominates. That opinion holds across party lines with 62% of Democrats saying we need to end some or all dependence on China for medical equipment; 80% of Independents and 85% of Republicans. When asked whether they agreed that post-pandemic life meant the U.S. and China trade relationship should change, 72% said they agreed and only 15% said they disagreed. Even those who disapprove of President Trump agreed that decoupling was in order, with 62% of those self-identified as disliking the president saying so. Within Trump’s camp, a whopping 86% said it was time to decouple. Battleground and non-battleground states felt the same way about China, with around 72.5% saying they agreed the trade relationship had to change. Moreover, some 60% of African-Americans said post-pandemic relations needed to change and 65% of Hispanics agreed, as well. College educated and non-college educated were also on board, with an average of 72.5% agreeing. When asked if the U.S. should outright “withdraw manufacturing from China”, the number was still high, but by a smaller margin with 59% for a withdrawal.