COVID-19 — Coronavirus

[Marvin]

Another potential drug treatment from the Lancet May 2020, Hung et al.

Small control study. Combination of anti-virals shown to reduce treatment time

Effective antiviral therapy is important for tackling the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We assessed the efficacy and safety of combined interferon beta-1b, lopinavir–ritonavir, and ribavirin for treating patients with COVID-19.

Findings
Between Feb 10 and March 20, 2020, 127 patients were recruited; 86 were randomly assigned to the combination group and 41 were assigned to the control group. The median number of days from symptom onset to start of study treatment was 5 days (IQR 3–7). The combination group had a significantly shorter median time from start of study treatment to negative nasopharyngeal swab (7 days [IQR 5–11]) than the control group (12 days [8–15]; hazard ratio 4·37 [95% CI 1·86–10·24], p=0·0010). Adverse events included self-limited nausea and diarrhoea with no difference between the two groups. One patient in the control group discontinued lopinavir–ritonavir because of biochemical hepatitis. No patients died during the study.
Interpretation
Early triple antiviral therapy was safe and superior to lopinavir–ritonavir alone in alleviating symptoms and shortening the duration of viral shedding and hospital stay in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19. Future clinical study of a double antiviral therapy with interferon beta-1b as a backbone is warranted.

 

[Rammy Blue]

Very much a levelling off, which is a bit shit.

 

[Healdplace]

And 40 of todays reported 207 English hospital deaths were in the North West. The worst region. Now the epicentre of the UK.

 

[paulchapo]

Easter bump. What happens afterwards is still a mystery but it shows the danger of easing measures.

I think we are due to see a sharp rise after this hot weather and the VE celebrations. Neighbours here were sitting in their own spaces but as the drink flowed lots of crossovers happened, adults and kids. Today I see the family who kept their son in, who's about five, have now allowed him out to play with the two kids who have been out everyday since the lockdown. If this behaviour was repeated around the country I see cases rising again by a fair bit.

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

I think there are 15000 Nursing homes in the Uk. I bet the spread now is 70% plus in those

 

[Gaylord du Bois]

it will show up in the 1st June figures. However, I read a report this morning about asymptomatic cases on the Cruise Ship. They now put it at about 70%. If that's the case then despite reports to the contrary the virus may well have been much more widespread than thought. The main problem will all the statistics at the moment (except death) is that the testing is very inaccurate.

Is that the Diamond Princess ?

 

[paulchapo]

it will show up in the 1st June figures. However, I read a report this morning about asymptomatic cases on the Cruise Ship. They now put it at about 70%. If that's the case then despite reports to the contrary the virus may well have been much more widespread than thought. The main problem will all the statistics at the moment (except death) is that the testing is very inaccurate.

Yes the lack of testing and accurate testing, while employing a half hearted lockdown and letting thousands come back into the country with no checks or enforced isolation and it's no wonder we have been hit badly. I'm not sure why Boris is delaying this 14 day isolation on people entering the UK until June 1st, why not immediately?

 

[kaz7]

Siren voices - here's Dr John
"Ten reasons why I believe that it is wrong to continue with lockdown and why we should start to reverse it immediately and rapidly."

1. You cannot understand the significance of this virus simply by looking at the raw death figures

2. The policy response to the virus has been driven by modelling of Covid – not other factors

3. We don’t know if lockdown is working

4. We should ease the lockdown to save lives

5. Lockdown is not sustainable

6. Lockdown directly harms those most likely to be affected by coronavirus

7. Lockdown directly harms those who will be largely unaffected by coronavirus

8. The health service has not been overwhelmed nor likely to be

9. The virus is almost certainly not a constant threat

10. People can be trusted to behave sensibly"

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/ten-reasons-to-end-the-lockdown-now

Because of three we have got eight,most of that is bollocks

 

[marco]

Yes the lack of testing and accurate testing, while employing a half hearted lockdown and letting thousands come back into the country with no checks or enforced isolation and it's no wonder we have been hit badly. I'm not sure why Boris is delaying this 14 day isolation on people entering the UK until June 1st, why not immediately?

i think they have their arms twisted up their backs to do something, so a DIY half hearted quarantine will pacify, from all the press meetings its been quite clear there not bothered about tightening up on people coming in via the airports, as they said its a small minority that do get through with the virus and a hey ho its here anyway attitude

 

[PragueBlue]

Easter bump. What happens afterwards is still a mystery but it shows the danger of easing measures.

Thought it looked lower today in hospitals. About 200 in England and 9 in Wales so probably under 250 for the whole UK. I don't remember last Saturday's figures but I don't remember it being so low. Certainly well down on the 8-900 from a few weeks ago.

Was speaking to a nurse who works at Harrogate hospital yesterday and apparently there are not presently any Covid-19 cases in the hospital there or in the Nightingale hospital that is also in the town.

 

[kaz7]

I see the contact tracing app crashed and burned in the Isle of White as it doesnt work on older phones and burns Apple battery life.
Government sponsored health applications in a nutshell.
Stage 2 is bringing in tne Apple and Google boys (and girls) to try and fix it.
Stage 3 will probably to ditch it and pretend the Google/Apple version is their own.

Here's how the project will go in 5 pictures:

Another example of us going out own way,this has been a bollocks policy from the very start

 

[Man_City_Loyal]

Great news.
It's taken me 8 weeks (4 weeks from the last symptoms) to get close to normality. Still the occasional twinge in the brain but getting less and less.

twinge?.

 

[Rammy Blue]

And 40 of todays reported 207 English hospital deaths were in the North West. The worst region. Now the epicentre of the UK.

Unfortunately, must say I “sort of” judge things on levels of ambulances screeching past my house, and only remarked earlier to missus that there’s been a marked increase in last few days.

 

[kaz7]

• Another 207 people with COVID-19 have died in hospitals in England
• There have been 36 more deaths in Scotland, and nine more in Wales
• Ireland to come

 

[paulchapo]

i think they have their arms twisted up their backs to do something, so a DIY half hearted quarantine will pacify, from all the press meetings its been quite clear there not bothered about tightening up on people coming in via the airports, as they said its a small minority that do get through with the virus and a hey ho its here anyway attitude

Possibly yes. The travel industry aren't happy obviously, but in reality nobody is going to be travelling on holiday until at least October/November at the earliest I reckon and the policy could have been retracted by then.

 

[Tim of the Oak]

Thought it looked lower today in hospitals. About 200 in England and 9 in Wales so probably under 250 for the whole UK. I don't remember last Saturday's figures but I don't remember it being so low. Certainly well down on the 8-900 from a few weeks ago.

Was speaking to a nurse who works at Harrogate hospital yesterday and apparently there are not presently any Covid-19 cases in the hospital there or in the Nightingale hospital that is also in the town.

Maybe Micah can suggest to Pep that City pop over to Harrogate for pre / season resumption training.

I’m hoping that the lower figures are a positive sign. I’m just a bit worried that a lot of people may have been off work yesterday so there might be plenty of gaps in the information returned. Leeds has been quiet since the “lockdown” but yesterday seemed busier than a normal Friday.

 

[lancs blue]

Thought it looked lower today in hospitals. About 200 in England and 9 in Wales so probably under 250 for the whole UK. I don't remember last Saturday's figures but I don't remember it being so low. Certainly well down on the 8-900 from a few weeks ago.

Don't forget yesterday was a Bank Holiday so the same caveats apply as to reports from the weekend.

 

[kaz7]

Daily briefing

Total tests 1,728,443

Last 24hrs tests 96,878

Positive tests 215,260

Hospital in patients 11,809 17% down since last sat

Deaths 31,587 in all settings

346 last 24hrs

Stay in lockdown this weekend

Transports network will only have one in ten capacity as compared to before going towards

Encourage people to walk and cycle instead

National cycling plan from june,bigger cycling lanes,councils have to make it easier to cycle,bikes will be made available from employers

Drs to encourage us to cycle

(That will sort it then)

Trials of e scooters rental schemes to start

Electric vehicles charging points to be increased

Pot holes to be filled

Apps to avoid travel hotspots on public transport

When we travel again we must keep social distancing and basic rules

 

[MCFC1993]

Hackney police overwhelmed in the parks today.

All because of those newspaper headlines 2 day ago in my opinion, they should have been addressed to prevent shit like this.

We're going to be dealing with this a lot longer than we should have to.

 

[abu13]

Serious question without wanting to make light of the current situation but how will you feel if the lock down is extended by a further 3 weeks with minimal lifting of the restrictions? There has been a lot of speculation about what might be lifted but I suspect most of it will be bullshit. I can't see anything significant changing other than trying to get some sectors back to work.

I admit that I am struggling mentally the longer this goes on, not seeing family is the main problem for me but being unable to partake in sports and go to the Gym is taking it's toll as well.

I tend to have quite a structured approach to my life, not OCD in any way but I like a schedule. I am fortunate in the fact that i have been back at work for pretty much the whole lock down to date and so i'm not stuck in the house.

I can see a real breakdown in these measures the longer the lock down continues and the fear is it puts us back by weeks if not months.