[News] The Coronavirus Good News thread

[blue-shifted]

Fingers crossed for this one...

Results of large hydroxychloroquine study to be released next week

Researchers in New York will announce new week the preliminary results of a study on hydroxychloroquine, a drug often touted by President Trump as a “game-changer” for coronavirus patients.

The announcement could offer one of the first scientific hints as to whether the drugs are helpful against the virus.

Since hydroxychloroquine is already on the market for malaria, lupus and other diseases, doctors are free to prescribe it “off label” to patients with coronavirus. Doctors can also prescribe chloroquine, a similar drug, and azithromycin, an antibiotic that’s sometimes paired with the two drugs.

The New York study will review hundreds of medical records from hospital patients across New York state with coronavirus to see if the drugs are helping them or hurting them.

“We wanted to get an immediate sense of this,” said David Holtgrave, dean of the University at Albany School of Public Health, who is running the study. “Time is so much of the essence here.”
A recent chloroquine study in Brazil was halted because study subjects who were taking a high dose of the drug had a higher risk of potentially deadly heart problems.

Because of those cardiac concerns, a Swedish government agency has issued a warning that that chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine should not be used outside of clinical trials for Covid-19.

The Albany researchers will review hospital charts to see if patients who are taking the drugs have different outcomes compared with those who are not. They’ll be comparing mortality rates, and rates of admission to the intensive care unit as well as any side effects of the drugs.

The researchers hope to study 1,600 patients divided equally into four groups: those taking hydroxychloroquine; those taking hydroxychloroquine along with azithromycin; those taking chloroquine; and those taking none of the drugs, as a comparison group.

Holtgrave said he hopes to have final results at the end of the month. He said doctors shouldn’t make prescribing decisions based on the results of his study alone. Rather, he said doctors should look at his results together with the results of clinical trials, which are considered more rigorous.

In clinical trials, which are considered the gold standard in medicine, doctors give the drugs to a group of patients and then give placebo pills to another group of patients, and compare how the two groups fare. There are more than a dozen clinical trials underway in the US right now but results for most of them won’t be published for months.

The Albany medical records study is being conducted in partnership with the New York Department of Health, which is funding the study.​

It would be a little galling if the wonder drug to treat this virus was the one that Trump has been touting all along. I mean he boasts enough when he was nothing to boast about.

 

[RossyG]

If he's right and this works he can boast until the cows come home.

 

[LlcoolJ]

Has now hit £2m ................

Can he promoted to Major? What a hero!

 

[Norman Potting]

Can he promoted to Major? What a hero!

Bless his little cotton socks - hopefully whatever his old regiment is now called will recognise his magnificent effort.

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

It would be a little galling if the wonder drug to treat this virus was the one that Trump has been touting all along. I mean he boasts enough when he was nothing to boast about.

No it wouldn't. I dislike Trump very very much but if he was right about this it would be great.

 

[Leekbrookgull]

If the nation is clapping on Thursday night at 8pm,let's have it for Tom Moore.

 

[nickbrighton]

The NHS Nightingale Birmingham field hospital has had all its staff stood down as they have no patients . The hospitals that feed into it are coping and so there is no overflow.

 

[LlcoolJ]

The NHS Nightingale Birmingham field hospital has had all its staff stood down as they have no patients . The hospitals that feed into it are coping and so there is no overflow.

That is brilliant news.

 

[LlcoolJ]

No it wouldn't. I dislike Trump very very much but if he was right about this it would be great.

I agree. He's a complete and utter ****.

But I couldn't care less about his preening smugness if it means that thousands of lives are saved and millions keep their jobs. He'll try to take the credit and act like a hero (when it's actually **** all to do with him), but he does that all the time anyway. Plus ca change.

Looking at the bigger picture, he'll probably win a second term now that the Democrats have ballsed up their nomination. So we'll have to endure another four years of his twattishness, but then he'll be gone.

And then he'll be fair game for the FBI and his other enemies as well. Or he'll just fanny about losing money on golf courses til he dies.

 

[Bozza]

From CNN.com...

Denmark will speed up lifting Covid-19 restrictions after the latest numbers of new cases proved lower than expected, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said today.

Speaking at a press conference, Frederiksen said because the numbers of admissions is “better than expected,” they will expand the so-called phase 1 of re-opening, that starts tomorrow, with the partial reopening of schools for younger students.

Denmark has said before it plans to send children back to school and kindergarten from April 15 if coronaviruses cases remain stable.

It is not yet clear what other restrictions will be eased. Prime Minister said she will discuss this with other government leaders this evening.

 

[Stat Brother]

[tweet]1249716012599083010[/tweet]

 

[LlcoolJ]

Was just thinking about Captain Tom and the nearly £3m (inc gift aid) that he's raised so far.

I know Just Giving have costs and need to earn a crust, but I REALLY hope they aren't going to take the (around £50k so far) commission off of this one (as they are perfectly entitled to do).

https://www.justgiving.com/info/fees-2019-march

Haven't been able to find any kind of announcement from them but surely.......surely.......

 

[Simgull]

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp....fi-join-forces-to-work-on-coronavirus-vaccine

As someone who works for GSK, I’ve got to say that the speed of this coming together and willingness to collaborate is incredible and not something I’ve seen before.

 

[dazzer6666]

Was just thinking about Captain Tom and the nearly £3m (inc gift aid) that he's raised so far.

I know Just Giving have costs and need to earn a crust, but I REALLY hope they aren't going to take the (around £50k so far) commission off of this one (as they are perfectly entitled to do).

https://www.justgiving.com/info/fees-2019-march

Haven't been able to find any kind of announcement from them but surely.......surely.......

They don't charge a platform commission in the UK do they ? Those donating have an option to contribute,and they charge a credit card/paypal fee of 1.9% +20p per donation in the UK (which will be largely take by the cc companies)

 

[LlcoolJ]

They don't charge a platform commission in the UK do they ? Those donating have an option to contribute,and they charge a credit card/paypal fee of 1.9% +20p per donation in the UK (which will be largely take by the cc companies)

Yeah that's' how I back of fag packeted the £50k.

You're right, probably be mostly taken by the banks and PayPal.

 

[Bry Nylon]

Go Captain Tom

 

[dazzer6666]

Go Captain Tom

£2.8 million now........quite staggering response - going up at something like 10k per MINUTE at the moment

 

[Bry Nylon]

£2.8 million now........quite staggering response.

I only heard of this fantastic story today. I'll bunging a few quid Captain Tom's way tonight

 

[southstandandy]

£2.8 million now........quite staggering response - going up at something like 10k per MINUTE at the moment

Yeah I agree - just popped another £50 onto the kitty. Keep going Tom.

 

[Mellotron]

Incredibly, the rate of donating seems to be increasing - now at £1,510,000 and going up by 000s every few minutes. Remarkable.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/tomswalkforthenhs

Nearly £3m now. Incredible. Chucked in my bit.