Coronavirus prep

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  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,898 Member
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    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Report from WBUR's Here and Now program, broadcast on US National Public Radio (NPR):

    https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2020/03/23/malaria-drug-shortage-coronavirus

    Summary: Hydroxycholoquine (brand name Plaquenil) is an anti-malaria drug being tested for potential use against COVID-19/coronavirus. CDC sounds hopeful, but says proof is needed. US President has touted the drug in press conference as "a tremendous breakthrough" and "a game changer".

    The drug is also important for treatment of people with other conditions, including autoimmune conditions such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

    In some areas, demand has risen to the point where supplies are challenging to get, for people with the relevant health conditions who routinely need them.

    Some of the increased use is potentially health professionals understandably doing anything possible (even if unproven) to avoid contagion in a context of inadequate protective equipment, but speculative over-prescription and hoarding are also suspected.

    I'm trying really hard here to keep this post a simple factual summary, in light of the MFP community guidelines against political content. I think the core issue would be of common interest, but especially so to those who currently depend on hydroxychloroquine prescriptions.

    I've read two stories about people dying from trying to treat themselves with choloquine. One was about this couple in the link already posted: https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/489097-man-dies-after-taking-malaria-medication-in-effort-to-prevent-coronavirus

    And here's the other story: https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/23/africa/chloroquine-trump-nigeria-intl/index.html
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,898 Member
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    ReenieHJ wrote: »
    SisterSue, you get a 10++ for your very thoughtful action of offering freebies to those who need it!!

    I've stuck with my usual once a week shopping, am a little ahead on a couple things, mainly for my dogs. :blush: But am finding stores have little to none of: paper products, cleaners, and bread. I haven't been able to get one loaf of bread in 10 days now. Not even frozen bread dough. I'll have to resort to homemade but I remember trying that a couple times, years and years ago. :(

    Lots of great recipes and tips for making bread in this thread! https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10454582/so-i-was-going-to-bake-my-first-bread/p1

    All you need is flour, water, salt, and yeast :smiley:

    I prefer the Dutch oven method these days, but I have definitely made good bread in regular bread pans, and flatbread, and rolls...

    Here's a fabulous bread book: Flour Water Salt Yeast: The Fundamentals of Artisan Bread and Pizza

    Under normal circumstances I would suggest seeing if your library system has it (mine does) but likely your library is now closed :(
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    edited March 2020
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    Follow up to my post about the Connie Willis book (The Doomsday Book). Now I'm at a point where the unpleasant characters in the book are calling the mysterious illness striking in 2054 the "Indian flu" (the first person known so far to have come down with it is descended (3rd gen) from Pakistani immigrants), and people are picketing and blaming the unidentified flu on the EC (book published in 1992, precursor to the EU) and demanding that England get out since immigrants bringing in the flu can come from Europe.

    Not meaning to be political and obviously details are different, but again weird parallels. (Also, in the Plague subplot, discussion of how the Plague moved from China to Italy and later England -- much slower progress for a while, though.)
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,898 Member
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    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    Follow up to my post about the Connie Willis book (The Doomsday Book). Now I'm at a point where the unpleasant characters in the book are calling the mysterious illness striking in 2054 the "Indian flu" (the first person known so far to have come down with it is descended (3rd gen) from Pakistani immigrants), and people are picketing and blaming the unidentified flu on the EC (book published in 1992, precursor to the EU) and demanding that England get out since immigrants bringing in the flu can come from Europe.

    Not meaning to be political and obviously details are different, but again weird parallels. (Also, in the Plague subplot, discussion of how the Plague moved from China to Italy and later England -- much slower progress for a while, though.)

    I belong to three library systems and would normally be able to get a book published in 1992 right away, but "The Doomsday Book" is in high demand these days. I'm on the wait list.

    Meanwhile, I'm reading "Station 11" and have Robin Cook books in my queue.

    Unfortunately, I just reread "The Stand" last year.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
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    Are we supposed to be reading virus books? I didn't get the required reading list. Since I have been in a weight loss induced midlife crisis of sorts I am going back through a bunch of books from my youth. I will probably not re-read the 50 or more Star Trek books I must have read in HS. One of them probably had a space virus which would relate to corona though since it is an astrological term.
  • Nony_Mouse
    Nony_Mouse Posts: 5,646 Member
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    lkpducky wrote: »
    Nony_Mouse wrote: »
    Meanwhile I'm mucking around trying to get my hair to curl...

    (it's my apocalypse project #priorities)

    The news should be enough to make your hair curl. :o

    Maybe that's actually what's happening!!

    (my hair used to be straight, it's been getting wavier, way more so than I realised because it often gets plaited/braided or stuck in a ponytail as soon as it's washed, I'm pretty sure with not too much effort I can get ringlets)
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,958 Member
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    NovusDies wrote: »
    Are we supposed to be reading virus books? I didn't get the required reading list. Since I have been in a weight loss induced midlife crisis of sorts I am going back through a bunch of books from my youth. I will probably not re-read the 50 or more Star Trek books I must have read in HS. One of them probably had a space virus which would relate to corona though since it is an astrological term.

    I'm about halfway through the last season of TNG and Data is on some planet and has lost his memory and he is carrying a case that says, "Radioactive." He sold some of the metal pieces in it and now there is an epidemic of radiation sickness but no one knows what "radioactive" means so they're all getting sick...I have it on pause right now while I log my dinner...Data is trying to diagnose and he's honing in on the metal..."When did this illness start? What were they doing when they got sick? What is new and different to those people?"

    I suppose he's gonna lock everyone down.
  • mph323
    mph323 Posts: 3,565 Member
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    If you really want nightmares, re-read Edgar Allen Poe's short story "The Masque of the Red Death". 😄
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    bmeadows380 wrote: »
    ...

    I ran some math numbers for my mother yesterday which I hope she understood and took to heart: if you have 50% of the some 330 million people in the US get this, with 10% of that number being hospitalized for serious cases, you have some 16.5 million people needing extreme care. If only 1% of those people die from this, that's still 165,000 people. And yet there are still some people who claim this isn't any worse than the flu!...

    My understanding is NOT that 1% of people who are hospitalized die. It's 1% of people who get infected will die. So if you run your numbers again, if half the people get it, then 1% of that half dies = 1,650,000. That's 10 times as many.
  • GummiMundi
    GummiMundi Posts: 396 Member
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    veganbaum wrote: »
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Report from WBUR's Here and Now program, broadcast on US National Public Radio (NPR):

    https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2020/03/23/malaria-drug-shortage-coronavirus

    Summary: Hydroxycholoquine (brand name Plaquenil) is an anti-malaria drug being tested for potential use against COVID-19/coronavirus. CDC sounds hopeful, but says proof is needed. US President has touted the drug in press conference as "a tremendous breakthrough" and "a game changer".

    The drug is also important for treatment of people with other conditions, including autoimmune conditions such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

    In some areas, demand has risen to the point where supplies are challenging to get, for people with the relevant health conditions who routinely need them.

    Some of the increased use is potentially health professionals understandably doing anything possible (even if unproven) to avoid contagion in a context of inadequate protective equipment, but speculative over-prescription and hoarding are also suspected.

    I'm trying really hard here to keep this post a simple factual summary, in light of the MFP community guidelines against political content. I think the core issue would be of common interest, but especially so to those who currently depend on hydroxychloroquine prescriptions.

    I am really upset by this because my grandmother is one of those who is prescribed hydroxychloroquine for a medical reason. Now she has yet one more thing to worry about, in addition to being in a very high risk group.

    It's unbelievably irresponsible to tout that something might be helpful with only anecdotal evidence - both for those who currently rely on the medication and those who might be tempted to take it because of what-ifs.

    ETA: just in case it's not clear, I'm not saying Ann is irresponsible for sharing.

    If it makes you feel any better, I think it was pretty clear (for me, at least) that you weren't referring to Ann, and I completely agree with what you said.
    I truly hope your grandmother doesn't have issues getting her meds.
    Hugs to you and your family!
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
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    jenilla1 wrote: »
    bmeadows380 wrote: »
    ...

    I ran some math numbers for my mother yesterday which I hope she understood and took to heart: if you have 50% of the some 330 million people in the US get this, with 10% of that number being hospitalized for serious cases, you have some 16.5 million people needing extreme care. If only 1% of those people die from this, that's still 165,000 people. And yet there are still some people who claim this isn't any worse than the flu!...

    My understanding is NOT that 1% of people who are hospitalized die. It's 1% of people who get infected will die. So if you run your numbers again, if half the people get it, then 1% of that half dies = 1,650,000. That's 10 times as many.

    Latest numbers from China are 1.4% mortality rate for those who tested positive. Other information indicates around half of those infected never show symptoms and thus never are tested. That puts the mortality rate at closer to 0.7%. This is still a lot of deaths.

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