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.