When I worked at the local ER during the Swine Flu outbreak, basically, we did nothing unless they were severely dehydrated or somehow immunocompromised. Otherwise the treatment was go home and push fluids, rest, Tylenol and/ or Motrin for the fever. People expected to be tested, but we finally stopped doing it because the treatment was the same either way. And we had a shit ton of people waiting with the same thing (which is where our wonderful health care system gets pushed to its limits quickly, but that’s another topic ). Most healthy people can be taken care of for this or any other flu at home the same as prescribed: rest, fluids, control the fever.
So if I get the coronavirus I basically just jump in the creek to cool off then alternate between drinking and sleeping? Sounds like my plans for tomorrow actually.
I imagine with all the developments in antiviral drugs that giving them to people would help. Why are doctors so reluctant to do this - do they not want the same thing happening with viruses that happened with antibiotics?
Apparently viruses do have the capability to evolve antiviral resistance, similar to the way bacteria can evolve antibiotic resistance, but I'm not sure if that's the why here. It's possible it's a cost/availability/efficacy issue, it's not like we can hand someone with HIV a handful of antivirals and after two weeks they're cured. I think with viruses the immune system has to duke it out no matter what, and throwing antivirals at the problem would be a high-cost but low-impact endeavor.
My understanding is that antivirals still have to be somewhat targeted to be effective. That's why there are 3 main strains of flu shot, and they make a best guess as to which one will hit each year, and manufacture the shit out of that one. If the strain that hits is not the type that they made the shots for, then they are nowhere near as effective, or not effective at all.
Something to also keep in mind as the virus “spreads” is that it’s most likely already where you live. The cases being reported are people who are going to medical treatment because they fell ill. Most people who get the flu might go to the doctor, but if the most they can get is some prescription cough medicine, it’s not worth going. There’s a decent chance I even had the coronavirus a few weeks ago when I thought I had the flu, went to the doctor, had a flu test and it came back negative. Still had all the symptoms. Drank a ton of Gatorade and tea. Slept, took Advil and rode out the night sweats. Ymmv, but taking care of yourself with good hygiene and immune support can go pretty far.
Hasn't gotten to crazy over here in Aus yet but I'm seeing some drop dead stupid shit floating about, someone asked what the military was advising due to it being purposefully released by the Chinese government. It was all I could do not to throw something at them. It's not great but in my view the media is blowing it way out of proportion being that the common flu has already killed more poeple this year than COVID-19. This TED talk has a pretty cool concept for dealing with things like the Flu. https://www.ted.com/talks/alexander...the_antibiotics_crisis/transcript?language=en
Yeah, I'm kind of surprised people on here sound one alarm away from hitting the doomsday button. No one I know, or see in my daily life is stockpiling months worth of food, or seems at all affected. I know according to the media the global economy is about to go over a cliff, the CDC barely exists anymore, and Trump is going to ensure the only people combating a possible outbreak will be so stupid and ill-prepared they will only expedite the spread. I mean, yeah, but they always say this shit, don't they? By the way, CDC funding never got cut. It was actually increased under Trump. He did try to cut it, but every once in awhile even his bad ideas don't get the rest of the republican wagon to hop on board, and congress overruled him on this. I don't know why so many people in the media keep repeating this myth. Probably because one of them said it, so now they all say it, and they're stupid. Within my demographic my chances of dying from coronavirus appear to be less than 1%. Sure, I don't want to catch it, but I'm not ready to go live in a cave over this.
Well, this is kind of entertaining. Seems that Iran is the latest hot bed for the viral outbreak, and it may have something to do with their religious leaders calling it all a big hoax, which resulted in a fuck-ton of people licking communal religious symbols and shrines. https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/n...aunt-coronavirus-by-licking-religious-shrines I find that to be fucking hilarious. What is not so hilarious is that Iran now seems to be so infected that people are collapsing in the streets, much like China: https://twitter.com/indrams888/status/1234159144728313856 And then there's the Deputy Health Minister: https://twitter.com/aliarouzi/status/1232340934114848769 And now some of their senior leadership is dying off: https://apnews.com/2ab5535d09074fd0e1c70fc78fef2fad More and more of the spread of this seems to be linked in some way to Iran. How nuts is that?
It’s almost like the authoritarian need to constantly save face can have dire consequences. Especially with an indiscriminate leveling of the playing field like you get with the spread of a disease. Who knows, maybe they will start lighting fires to clean the air and bleeding the ill because they have an excess of humours in the body.
https://www.cnbc.com/video/2020/03/...-doctor-cdc-department-health-squawk-box.html All y'all should watch that video.
What in the actual fuck? Even IF the virus was a hoax, WHY would anyone want to LICK a public object? Don't they wipe their asses with their bare hands in the middle East? Can you imagine how much fecal matter is on all of the surfaces?
The CDC totally screwed the pooch on this one. We've lost any shot we had at containment and now have to hope it doesn't turn into an epidemic. Is it any better on your side of the border?
I think we're fairly good up here... our guys have been on the ball pretty well since the start, I'd say.
I’m willing to bet far more people have been exposed than anyone realizes. There has to be a segment of the population that exhibits not only mild symptoms, but also no real symptoms other than what they think it is a regular cold.
That could be me. I *rarely* get sick but about two weeks ago I came down with this cough that just lingered. If it was the corona, I would've been one of the first in the states to get it. So yay me?
Did they correct the test? If I recall, the test was showing false negatives and the only way to say conclusively that someone had the virus was a chest x-ray, is that changed now?
If the only way to see it is on a chest xray, then they are looking for pneumonia, which means it's really advanced. Thats a really poor indicator, imo.