The Trump Administration has touted hydroxychloroquine to treat patients with COVID-19, despite a paucity of scientific evidence that it’s an effective treatment. The drug, hydroxychloroquine, is a popular malaria and lupus treatment.
The Trump administration continues to cite small unscientific studies in China and France as evidence that hydroxychloroquine helps treat COVID-19 patients. The most recent study came from China and found that the anti-malaria drug helped speed the recovery of a small number of patients who were mildly or moderately ill, though notes that the evidence is limited.
The report anecdotal findings from China and France revealed that virus symptoms of cough, fever and pneumonia went away faster and that patients’ illness were less likely to become severe after administering hydroxychloroquine.
The FDA has not approved hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19, though it has granted it limited emergency-use authorization. But medical experts warn that reports of the drug’s benefits for COVID-19 patients are anecdotal and small-scale. And, there is little scientific evidence that proves it efficacy against the coronavirus.
Medical experts warn of hydroxychloroquine potentially severe side effects, which can include impaired vision, hearing loss, paranoia and cardiac arrhythmias, which could be fatal for patients with heart problems or who are taking certain antidepressants. “It is not like water. It is not harmless,” one emergency-room doctor and research scientist said.
The administration’s touting of chloroquine has already created a shortage, making it unavailable for some patients with existing prescriptions for the drug.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has repeatedly said it’s too soon to say if the drug would be effective against COVID-19.
As more studies show that people without symptoms of COVID-19 are spreading the virus, the CDC is advising that people use cloth masks or face coverings in public.
Scientists now know that a portion of people with the coronavirus may lack symptoms – possibly 25% or higher. And others who are pre-symptomatic can transmit the virus before they show signs of COVID-19.
“In light of this new evidence, the CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings,” U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, MD, said, including in grocery stores and pharmacies. “The CDC is always looking at the data and evolving the recommendations, and new ones will come as the evidence dictates.”
The guideline discourages people from using medical-grade or surgical-grade masks, such as N95 masks, and instead, leave those for medical professionals. People can purchase basic cloth or fabric masks online or make them at home.
If people choose to wear a face covering, they should wash their hands first, Adams said. They should not touch their faces while wearing a mask, and carefully remove the mask after use and wash their hands.
“This is all about you protecting me and me protecting you,” Adams said.
The new precaution doesn’t replace CDC guidance on social distancing, including staying at home as much as possible. That includes staying six feet away from others, not shaking hands, and washing hands with soap and water for 20 seconds throughout the day.
Asymptomaticspread of COVID-19
“It’s good to think about wearing a mask as protecting your community and asking your community to do the same for you.” Jeremy Howard
However, the idea of universal face mask use in the U.S. has been gaining support with the growing belief by health experts that many people who have no idea they are infected are spreading the virus because they either have no symptoms or have not begun to experience symptoms.
A study by researchers in Singapore estimated that around 10% of new coronavirus infections may be spread by people who carry the virus but have not displayed any symptoms such as fever, cough, difficultybreathing or sore throat.
And, according to Jeremy Howard, a Melbourne-raised research scientist at the University of San Francisco who has become one of America’s leading champion of universal mask-wearing, stated that, “The primary transmission [of coronavirus] is now known to be droplet-based, and we now know that that transmission largely occurs in the first seven days after infection, when people are largely asymptomatic. So that means that if you’re highly infectious, you probably won’t know it. So we should all assume that we are potentially lethal to people around us. The way we are potentially lethal to people around us is when we speak: that’s when these micro droplets get ejected up to six feet.”
In response, the CDC has changed how it defined the risks of infection, saying essentially that anyone may be a carrier, whether they have COVID-19 symptoms or not. But neither it nor the World Health Organization changed their recommendations that everyone did not have to wear masks.
CDC reconsiders guidance to wear masks
There is a growing number of Americans and vocal proponents of wearing face masks believe that wearing a mask reduces how many times they touch their eyes, nose and mouth, “but there aren’t any data to support that that’s a useful intervention,” Dr. Schaffner says.
There has been a fair amount of person-to-person coronavirus spread by people not showing symptoms, the CDC will look at whether having more Americans wear masks will prevent transmission of COVID-19.
Nevertheless, staying at home, “social distancing” and washing your hands remain the most important things people can do to help flatten the curve and mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.
“There are ‘tremendous opportunities’ in markets.” Larry Fink
To build wealth, it is advised that investors should take a long-term view of markets; and that they should take a long-term view in the way they manage their personal finances and investment portfolios. It is certain that the world will get through; and, the economy and markets will recover once the COVID-19 crisis has abated.
For investors who keep their focus on the long-term horizon, “there are tremendous opportunities to be had in today’s stock markets”, according to Blackrock’s Chairman and CEO Larry Fink. For many of Blackrock’s clients, “the recent sell-off created an attractive opportunity to rebalance into equities,” Fink said.
Take banks as an example, “the damage has already been done” to the industry according to most financial professionals and traders. Yet, the banks are in better condition financially than they were during the 2007-2009 financial crisis. Once the virus spread stalls and the economy returns to normal operation, the Fed will still be supporting the banking system.
Positive sign for comeback
“Don’t watch their lips, instead watch their feet.”
Extraordinary monetary stimulus measures by the Federal Reserve and fiscal stimulus measures by Congress and the White House have put a proverbial floor under the market in late March. As a result, many C-suite executives are buying up their own company’s stocks at a record pace, according to InsiderSource.
“Insiders have a 35+ year track record of buying on the type of extreme weakness experienced in Q1′20,” InsiderScore director of research Ben Silverman said in a note. “A dramatic increase in insider buying volume combined with dampened levels of insider selling has resulted in the generation of industry buy inflections – our strongest, quantitative macro signal – for the entire market.”
In his 2010 newsletter to Berkshire-Hathaway shareholders, Warren Buffett wrote: “When it’s raining gold, reach for a bucket, not a thimble.” Based on his vast and highly successful investing experience, he states that in period like the present, “Big opportunities come infrequently”.
Should you wear a face mask to protect yourself from the virus, even if you’re not sick?
In a video posted by Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse, a Mayo Clinic infectious diseases specialist, states CDC current recommendation:
“The current recommendations regarding masks are that if you yourself are sick with fever and cough, you can wear a surgical mask to prevent transmission to other people. If you are healthy, there is not thought to be any additional benefit to wearing a mask yourself because the mask is not airtight and does not necessarily prevent breathing in of these viral particles, which are very tiny,” says Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse, a Mayo Clinic infectious diseases specialist.
If you are going to a clinic or hospital to be seen by a health care provider because of concerns of cough or fever, Dr. Rajapakse recommends wearing a face mask to avoid transmitting possible infection or virus to other patients and medical staff. Face masks also are recommended for health care workers and people who are taking care of someone infected with COVID-19 in close settings (at home or in a health care facility).
“Most people who do not work in a health care setting have not received training on how to put on and take off the masks properly. Doing this incorrectly can actually increase your risk of infection. Also, people who are wearing masks tend to touch their face more than those who are not, which can paradoxically result in an increased risk of infection as well,” says Dr. Rajapakse.
She says instead of wearing masks, people need to:
Wash their hands frequently using soap and water for 20 seconds or an alcohol-based hand rub.
Avoid touching their eyes, nose and mouth.
Practice cough etiquette. Cough into a flexed elbow or tissue, discard the tissue in the trash, and wash hands.
Stay home from school, work and public places if feeling unwell.
WebMD provides the latest updates on cases, government response, travel restrictions, and more here.
Coronavirus cases in U.S.
“Just a little bit of separation can stop a fire from spreading” – CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield
The first coronavirus case in the U.S. was confirmed back on January 20 when a 35-year-old man went to an urgent care clinic in Snohomish County, Washington. He’d recently returned from visiting Wuhan, China, where the coronavirus was first noticed.
Since the first reported case, the virus has spread to all 50 states. The worst-hit state is New York, with more than 40,000 cases and 500 deaths. Other states with high case numbers include New Jersey, Washington, and California.
The first coronavirus death in the United States occurred in late February in Washington state. Since then, about 1,500 people have died in the United States. The only states not reporting deaths are Hawaii, Rhode Island, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, citing “extensive community transmission” of COVID-19 in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut late Saturday urged residents to refrain from non-essential travel for 14 days effective immediately. The advisory does not apply to employees of critical infrastructure industries such as trucking, public health professionals, financial services and food supply.
Worldwide Coronavirus Cases
According to Johns Hopkins University, there are more than 701,525 cases and 33,174 deaths worldwide. More than 145,000 people have also recovered.
As of early Sunday afternoon, the U.S. has the most cases followed by Italy’s 97,689, and China’s 81,439:
United States: 131,366
Italy: 97,689
China: 81,439
Spain: 78,799
Germany: 60,887
Iran: 38,309
France: 37,611
United Kingdom: 19,522
Switzerland: 14,795
Netherlands: 10,923
Belgium: 10,836
South Korea: 9,583
The top five in COVID-9 deaths are:
Italy: 10,779
Spain: 6,606
China: 3,300
Iran: 2,640
United States: 2,328
France: 2,314
Rapid-Result Coronavirus Test
The FDA has authorized a coronavirus test that the manufacturer says can tell if someone is infected with the virus within 5 minutes.
The test is meant to be used in places like a doctor’s office, emergency room, or urgent care center. The test will provide results through a platform currently used by many of those locations for tests like flu and strep, instead of sending the throat or nasal swab to a lab for analysis.
The FDA’s emergency use authorization (EUA), does not mean that the FDA has approved the test, but that it is allowing its use because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Living in a warmer environment doesn’t mean you can’t catch coronavirus. But it sure seems to help.
High Temperature and High Humidity Reduce the Transmission of COVID-19 according to a paper that investigates how air temperature and humidity influence the transmission of COVID-19.
Analysts at Jefferies plotted coronavirus cases in temperate climates — everything north of latitude 23 degrees and south of 23 degrees — and compared them with countries in the tropical and subtropical areas. The brokerage excluded China, where the virus first emerged, from the analysis.
High temperature and high relative humidity significantly appear to reduce the transmission of COVID-19, respectively, even after controlling for population density and GDP per capita of cities.
Chart shows, there’s a big difference.
This result is consistent with the fact that the high temperature and high humidity significantly reduce the transmission of influenza. It indicates that the arrival of summer and rainy season in the northern hemisphere can effectively reduce the transmission of the COVID-19.
COVID-19 virus can be transmitted in areas with hot and humid climates
From the evidence so far, the COVID-19 virus can be transmitted in ALL AREAS, including areas with hot and humid weather. Regardless of climate, adopt protective measures if you live in, or travel to an area reporting COVID-19.
The best way to protect yourself against COVID-19 is by frequently cleaning your hands. By doing this you eliminate viruses that may be on your hands and avoid infection that could occur by then touching your eyes, mouth, and nose.
According to the most recent information from the CDC, for most people, the immediate risk of being exposed to the coronavirus (COVID-19) is thought to be low. Coronavirus (COVID-19) is an illness that has infected more than 100,000 worldwide — including more than 650 confirmed cases in the United States — and killed more than 3,000.
Many of those affected by coronavirus develop only a mild illness, while some develop no illness at all. That may be an indication of what happens when the virus meets a well-functioning immune system.
When it comes to keeping our immune systems healthy, a lot of it comes down to healthy habits. So no, you are not doomed if infected by the coronavirus; Most are sailing through the epidemic just fine.
It is nothing you haven’t heard before, but it certainly bears repeating during this cold and flu season: If you want to meet the coronavirus or any infectious agent fully armed eat well, sleep well and de-stress.
.
