@spacerogue: Off topic, but if there's anything you wish to know about that project, please let me know.
This is how innocent people act: https://thehill.com/policy/internat...s-economic-consequences-if-australia-launches
This is moving in the right direction, may be costly but at least available IMHO Quest Diagnostics direct-to-consumer COVID-19 antibody testing service available, likely to yield key data https://www.zdnet.com/article/quest...g-service-available-likely-to-yield-key-data/ For $119, Quest Diagnostics is allowing consumers to get COVID-19 antibody testing at GetQuest Test. The testing may give us a better picture of COVID-19's reach.
The current Covid19 anti-body test are not that accurate. It will only show if you have had a Corona virus, not necessarily just the Covid19, but any Corona virus you could have had previously. The Swine Flu or what was known as H1N1 in 2009 was a Coronovirus, if you had the Swine Flu in 2009, you would also show positive for the anti-body test today, even if you did not have Covid19
Quick tests are not trustworthy.The only test that is accurate is the cotton swab thingy with samples collected form nose and throat.I really don't get it why they are promoting this quick tests.
Please be careful making general statements! There are reliable COVID-19 antibody (ELISA) tests already. And they are not more than 40$. (A reliable German one here is 20 €). The problem is there are a lot of fake tests (internet or streets) The tests are specific there is no way to get a false positive by H1N1. They are also specific to SARS-CoV-2 IgG and IgM.....there are also confirmation tests which confirm 3 proteins (N, S1 and S2) additionally. The reason why they are not 100% is that every human is different....there can be an unpredictable individual interference and there can be user mistakes when applying... A proper test has a control stripe C (to see that you have made no mistake) and an separate IgG and IgM stripe. Cleartest (Germany) offers a good one also Biomerica inc. (California). Also you should know its purpose. It is NOT made to check if you are infected or not. It is made to check if you have got antibodies and hence are CURED and if the antibodies are still in an 'earlier' state where you still could be infectious. Still IgM positive, too.
Hopefully we here in the U.S. can start using those ELISA test too. But so far, we are not that far into making reliable tests, I am sure they are working on getting better results though... https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2020/04/4...-assays-scrutinized-accuracy-ucsf-uc-berkeley
I hear the second wave of this virus is going to hit us like a ton of bricks wait next month when people start coming out in herds....what i find must disturbing is how people are out their with out any mask on
IgM detection is generally less consistent at nearly all tests. But IgG >20days is usually very reliable at good systems... Too bad they have not tested the Biomerica Inc test.....would like to know its performance. (Also compared to the Cleartest)... (For those interested in Germany :Cleartest 'specs' https://www.hitado.de/media/pdf/7d/1d/9d/IFU-Cleartest-2019-NCOV.pdf ) Biomerica also expands..... https://www.wallstreet-online.de/na...d-19-that-enables-high-volume-screenings-labs
I agree, in the U.S. idiots are having a temper tantrum because they can not have their spoiled way, The govt is going to cave in and let things start up too soon. "Ya can't fix stupid"
the governors are making their own choice as what to do there not paying attention to any body ! California and Florida have opened beaches and you cant swim with a face mask on! oh and on the issue of face masks and medicine guess who supply's most of the worlds supply "china" why greed cheap labor and price and they don't care if the quality is poor, its cheap ! and who knows for sure if there will be a second wave of the virus ? will it come back every fall like the flu ? we speculate, we wont have enough information until next year at this time when we have gone thru a full cycle of this viruses life
I found an interesting article about vitamin D affecting the severity of COVID 19. https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.24.20075838v1 @Yen: I'd like to know what you think about this. Question: Are they talking about vitamin D from whole milk and sunlight, or vitamin D3 (calciferol)? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholecalciferol
Remdesivir will be getting FDA approval for Covid19 https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/29/health/gilead-sciences-remdesivir-covid-19-treatment/index.html They are also considering to use remdesivir in combination with other drugs
I have d/l the pdf and read it later.... The Vitamin D metabolism and vit. D processes are very complex but one needs to know a bit of it....and to know that there is actually no consensus about the 'right' vitamin D level. The direct vitamin D uptake from food plays a minor role only. Human body can create vitamin D on its own by synthesis from cholesterol (sun light and heat / skin) Cholesterol in liver--->7-dehydrocholesterol 7-dehydrocholesterol + UV-B rays (skin)---->Previtamin D Previtamin D + heat----> Vitamin D3 = Cholecalciferol Usually measured is an inactive form of vitamin D it's 25-OH-D3 Calcidiol. It is circulating through body bond at vitamin D binding protein (DPB). It is also the form of storage in liver. The supply with vitamin D is evaluated by this form (circulating form and form of storage) and NOT by the active form of vitamin D which is Calcitriol 1,25-(OH)2-D3 The body can create active vitamin D on demand from the storage / circulating form. Active vitamin D Calcitriol acts like a hormone and has influence on various (VDR= Vitamin D receptors) cell processes.
So just let your body expose to sunlight between 11 - 15 hrs. ten or fifteen minutes a day. You'll be helping to boost your immune system and overall health.
@Mr.X: Or just drink milk, although some people can't stand milk or are lactose intolerant. Personally, I like the beach. IMHO salt water is more healthy for you than pool water. That should get you a lot of sunlight. I was taking vitamin D3, and I'm wondering if it has any effect.
@Michaela Joy I have read the pdf. TBH I cannot recognize any use of the study. This is the first line at -conclusions- And compared to the headline: I even cannot agree with their suggestions. The study is n=20. Generally correlation is not causality. A causality and vitamin D is only at rachitis AFAIK. Older people do generally produce lesser amount of vit. D by own in-body synthesis. And severity correlates maybe more to age. On the other hand supplemental vit. D could help here compensating a lesser synthesis rate... Vitamin D levels and in-body regulation is a complex and conditioned mechanism...it also depends where you have grown up as a child (sun level)...and got used to.... Vitamin D can act as immune modulator that is no question. But to associate an deficiency with COVID-19 severity ermm well is very dared.... The study is not peer reviewed yet (I would let it fail, but I am no medic and do not know what's their scientific claim). Generally I am no big fan of taking supplemental vitamins. (Except there is an illness which is clearly associated to a vitamin deficiency.) Balanced nutrition and yes sun, a bit of sports and fresh air instead of vit. supp. My 2 cents.
Last night the city of Torrance, CA played over & over a WHO graphic show w/ their Testing recommendations, spread, Treatment, fatality by age & comorbid conditions. I took around 40 photos to remember what they were saying. Attached is the one on (drug) Treatment. *Edit: no one liked my graphic so I removed it.