@knowstuff they just published it. It wasnt Technion. It is Hadassah, Ein Kerem. “Israel’s Race for the Cure: A Conversation on Public Health Policy, Testing, and Vaccine. https://www.jewishpublicaffairs.org/covid-19-videos/
I don’t mind taking a covid 19 test prior to a dental appt, (actually I prefer the self administered one as I have a deviate septum and don’t relish the nasopharyngeal swab.) My question is how often are dentists being tested? Would you ask your dentist this question prior to a visit? Also, if dentists and health care providers are going to require tests, will the tests all be covered by insurance?
@silverpurple . Nice. I will have to check it out later . Thx.
In my state (CT) there is no charge for Covid tests.
I just got a nice mailing from my perio office. They outlined their procedures and told me I would get a call from them prior to the appointment.
Looks like newest, most comprehensive study of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine (with/without azithromycin) does not show activity against coronavirus. And patients taking the antimalarials were significantly more likely to die than those in the control group.
To quote the summary from Derek Lowe (“In the Pipeline”): “The mortality in the control group was 9.3%. The mortality in the chloroquine group was 16.4%. The mortality in the chloroquine plus azithromycin group was 22.2%. The mortality in the hydroxychloroquine group was 18%. And the mortality in the hydroxychloroquine plus azithromycingroup was 23.8%.”
Interesting that the patients in this report received the antimalarials within 48 hours of diagnosis.
The Lancet study is here: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31180-6/fulltext
Also interesting - one of the early pro-hydroxychloroquine preprints from a French group has been retracted by its authors.
Based on Figure 2 in that paper, the factors that were most strongly associated with increased mortality were (numbers are hazard ratios):
1.756 Congestive heart failure
1.664 SPO2 < 94%
1.626 Arrythemia
1.495 Hispanic
1.447 Hydroxychloroquine with macrolide
1.368 Chloroquine with macrolide
1.365 Chloroquine alone
1.344 Black
1.335 Hydroxychloroquine alone
1.302 Hypertension
1.268 Current smoker
(Macrolides include only clarithromycin and azithromycin.)
Associated with decreased mortality:
0.566 ACE inhibitor
0.717 Asian
0.758 qSOFA < 1
0.793 Statin
0.825 Female
One of the authors of the above Lancet study on HCQ, Amit Patel, is the primary author of the ivermectin retrospective study from last month (awaiting peer review, from what I understand; https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3580524). I think there is still only the one study with HCQ in combination with zinc, more waiting…
Those studies were of people that were hospitalized. Way back early when this drug was first discussed, it was as a prophylactic or early treatment. Those studies are in early stages. And it may turn out it doesn’t help then, either. But the hospital studies don’t seem all that surprising given the initial focus.
That is my question @MomofJandL . @scout59 mentioned that one was for people receiving it within 48 hours diagnosis which seems like early treatment. Truly asking.
What confuses me is that numbers of people take it for lupus, RA, etc long term and from following threads down twitter hole (not a great scientific approach) only a few of these people chimed in to say they quit because of adverse reactions.
I know MUSC is participating in clinical trial for confirmed cases with symptoms for 10 or fewer days but these are patients that have already been admitted to hospital.
So does anyone know the time frame actual trials (not look backs) for HCQ as prophylactic? Curious if the prevailing thinking is that it is dangerous for all people (including lupus/RA patients) or just not effective against Covid19?
So much conflicting information and i don’t always trust that mainstream media distills the actual results correctly - I’ve enjoyed reading this thread for the scientific scrutiny. Thank you smart people.
Here is the vaccine plan for the US, coming out of Operation Warp Speed.
Fourteen vaccines will enter testing, enrolling 100,000-150,000 people with the goal of having at least one ready to go by December 2020/Jan 2021.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-vaccine-exclus-idUSKBN22Y2L3
I hope the emerging vaccines prove safe!
Don’t know if it was stated but Israel now has a test that is 96% accurate with blowing into a tube like device 3 times. This would be for airports, schools etc. I guess larger testing will start.
Going to the dentist? Be ready to pay a “PPE fee.” OOP.
I don’t think there is any change in the perception of these drugs for lupus/RA in the dosages typically prescribed for those conditions. Keep in mind that those patients are NOT generally critically ill at the time the drug is prescribed, and they are monitored by their doctors; and it was already known that hydroxychloroquine is contra-indicated for patients with heart problems (see https://www.drugs.com/hydroxychloroquine.html)
My guess is that these anti-malarial drugs can cause heart problems for people who are predisposed – and because it now appears that Covid19 causes heart damage as well as lung damage, it’s particularly dangerous for people who need to be hospitalized for Covid. The Lancet study was looking at only hospitalized patients, so it’s hard to know what the outcomes might have been for patients who were not hospitalized and who took the drug.
Finally at least a hint of western news on ivermectin. People have been waiting for some data out of Florida (sorry I don’t have a better link; this is random news)
https://www.newsmax.com/us/ivermectin-drug-virus/2020/05/22/id/968688/
This Gates-backed French trial is not yet among the 14 currently underway per clinicaltrials.gov.
Do they have any understanding of the mechanism of action of ivermectin for covid?
Michigan dentists are now eligible to receive a push pack through the Michigan Healthcare Coalition. One per address. I got 20N95s, 50KN95s, face shields, generic surgical masks, hand sanitizer. The 95s are legit 3M.
I have not been tested nor has my staff. Everyone will have a temp and pulse ox taken daily (same with patients). We will have a soft opening most of June, beginning the 1st. No hygiene appointments until we get our flow down smoothly. I have 40+ urgent need patients to start with. Operative procedures with aerosols will be minimized at the start.
The instant tests aren’t available to us yet.
How long will that PPE last, @dentmom4? Assistants need to wear PPE too. And if that’s all that’s sent to a single address, what about practices with multiple dentists.
Before COVID-19, I noticed a gradual trend over the years of dentists and hygienists increasing the PPE level while doing anything in a patient’s mouth. In the last year or few just before COVID-19, they wore gloves, gowns, hair coverings, surgical masks, and eye shields, so the dental office presumably kept enough around for expected use and bought them as needed on a regular basis. N95 masks would be yet another increase in PPE level.
Dentists have been wearing gloves and surgical masks for over 30 years, since the AIDS crisis began. And I’ve never seen a dentist wearing hair covering. Covid-19 is taking the need for PPE to a whole new level.