COVID-19/Coronavirus Information and Support Thread (see OP for useful links)

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It looks like the saliva testing is just as accurate, if not more accurate than the nasopharyngeal swab. This is fantastic news because the roto-rooter test is fairly terrible. If I could just spit into a tube, that would be so much nicer. Thankfully, the hospital where I'm at will have the saliva tests available in the next few weeks.

Saliva or Nasopharyngeal Swab Specimens for Detection of SARS-CoV-2

Besides being way more comfortable for the patient, these tests should also reduce the bottleneck of testing. While I'm not sure this will lead to mail-in testing, at least not yet anyway, testing sites could have cars line up and a nurse delivers the tube to the car. Then after you're done spitting, you put your hazards on or something to signal you're finished. In theory, several people could be doing the test at once instead of waiting in line for your turn. In addition, this would also decrease the time the clinical person spends with the patient making it safer for them.

There's also an opportunity to have these available at pharmacies where you can pick them up like any prescription and then drop off your sample at a lab. I know for some this seems odd, but people bring all sorts of bodily fluids in labs that they collected themselves at home (i.e. stool sample).

Now they just need to ramp up the production of the rapid tests. Once they do that, the roadblocks for testing should be minimal with the major bottleneck shifting to the lab's ability to process the tests. I have to imagine it's fairly easy to process the test though since despite thousands of people getting tested every day here in Utah, I still got my results back in less than 24 hours. I think the average is something like 18 hours through our lab, but we tell everyone 24-48 hours just to be safe.
 
It looks like the saliva testing is just as accurate, if not more accurate than the nasopharyngeal swab. This is fantastic news because the roto-rooter test is fairly terrible. If I could just spit into a tube, that would be so much nicer. Thankfully, the hospital where I'm at will have the saliva tests available in the next few weeks.

Saliva or Nasopharyngeal Swab Specimens for Detection of SARS-CoV-2

Besides being way more comfortable for the patient, these tests should also reduce the bottleneck of testing. While I'm not sure this will lead to mail-in testing, at least not yet anyway, testing sites could have cars line up and a nurse delivers the tube to the car. Then after you're done spitting, you put your hazards on or something to signal you're finished. In theory, several people could be doing the test at once instead of waiting in line for your turn. In addition, this would also decrease the time the clinical person spends with the patient making it safer for them.

There's also an opportunity to have these available at pharmacies where you can pick them up like any prescription and then drop off your sample at a lab. I know for some this seems odd, but people bring all sorts of bodily fluids in labs that they collected themselves at home (i.e. stool sample).

Now they just need to ramp up the production of the rapid tests. Once they do that, the roadblocks for testing should be minimal with the major bottleneck shifting to the lab's ability to process the tests. I have to imagine it's fairly easy to process the test though since despite thousands of people getting tested every day here in Utah, I still got my results back in less than 24 hours. I think the average is something like 18 hours through our lab, but we tell everyone 24-48 hours just to be safe.

Being able to test a entire population in a short period of time could really dramatically affect the ability to quarantine and stop the spread.
 
lie
Sadly, I'm sure the stipulation is proving it in some asinine way so that it can't be proven akin to following:

"Prove Humans can travel to Australia!"
Ok, here's a plane.
"No."
Uh, here's a ship?
"No, try again."
There's not really another way; the human body can't get there on its own.
"Exactly! Australia can't be traveled to by humans".
That is actually not far from the truth right now. Only 4000 people a week are allowed to enter Australia, regardless of nationality. There are citizens who are spending weeks being repeatedly bumped from flights trying to get home.
 
@
Which is an interesting concept from someone who avoids posting to avoid answering questions, apparently for long enough to believe everyone's forgotten about them.

Debate works by posing and answering questions. It starts by posing them to yourself.

Okay, I'm not going go back and answer and find all the questions you and your ilk have asked me, however I will answer next three questions posted in this thread addressed at me, subsequent to this post.

As for a debate, it require two viewpoints, best of luck having a horse race when you are all on the same horse.
 
@


Okay, I'm not going go back and answer and find all the questions you and your ilk have asked me, however I will answer next three questions posted in this thread addressed at me, subsequent to this post.

As for a debate, it require two viewpoints, best of luck having a horse race when you are all on the same horse.
You wouldn't have to go back if you simply answered them when they were brought up instead of constantly deflecting. And you think it can all be reset by answering questions now? And only three? Do I have to rub a magic lamp too?
 
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In answer to your questions.
You wouldn't have to go back if you simply answered them when they were brought up instead of constantly deflecting. And now you think it can all be reset by answering questions now? And only three?
No, it was merely a courtesy. If someone actually had posed a valid question that they wanted answering.
Do I have to rub a magic lamp too?
You really don't get his three questions thing do you. If you have a magic lamp, rub away !
 
After being back at work for a few weeks now it's strange. We used to all be a close bunch of folk from different departments who would have a right good laugh in the common area at the end of the day, now it's a wee wave in the passing. My own job hasn't changed at all as I work alone, but I did go to the shop for a bacon roll today: mask on and paid contactless. No butter or sauce but man it tasted goooooooood!!!

I wonder if society in general will be 'cleaner' and more aware of transmission of infectious things, and if we will see a reduction in illnesses in general as a result? A sort of short sharp education in how easily an infectious disease can spread across the globe which reinforces good hygiene practices. I mean, an infection appeared in China and football got cancelled in Scotland, which is not a link I would have ever made.
 
you and your ilk
I have no ilk.
As for a debate, it require two viewpoints, best of luck having a horse race when you are all on the same horse.
There's also a point where an alternate viewpoint is not only unnecessary (because the facts are established) and unhelpful, but actively foolish - akin to entering the race on a seahorse.

Nonetheless, you have the contrary viewpoint that you wish to debate. The fact that everyone else has a different viewpoint does not eliminate debate. Furthermore, as I pointed out, debate starts within. You ask yourself if you can answer questions that challenge your point of view before you ask others to do it for you.
 
You need to take a break from the O&CE forum. It seems to me that you're at the point of having some sort of break down and really, Internet discussions aren't worth it.
And you should take a break from telling people how to react. You do you. I'll do me.
 
I'm sorry, who's going around telling people to just ignore something they don't like? Because that ever solved anything.
 
If we were all like @VBR and ignored everyone that disagreed with them/they didn't like then we'd all be in our own echo chambers and there'd be no conversation at all. That's not good either.
 
True, but the way you usually go about things isn't exactly conductive to conversation either.
Fair enough. I know and have admitted to not being the best with words.

@DesertPenguin

Yeah, no.

The O&CE currently resembles the US presidential debates. A lot of monkeys throwing poop at each other instead of having a sensible debate.

Somewhere it's understandable with everything that is going on in the world at the moment but GTP used to be better than that.
I would disagree but I may be looking at it from a different perspective. As I said before, you do you.
 
@DesertPenguin

Yeah, no.

The O&CE currently resembles the US presidential debates. A lot of monkeys throwing poop at each other instead of having a sensible debate.

Somewhere it's understandable with everything that is going on in the world at the moment but GTP used to be better than that.
Which is why I generally avoid this thread and definitely stay out of any political threads in this section. Space in General is the only worthy thread in this section and even then it's not as popular as it should be. Thought I would duck my head in here to see what was going on and now I regret it. Never coming back.
 
Here's an academic look at why Dr. Harvey Risch's op-ed on hydroxychloroquine is bunk.

Concerns About the Special Article on Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin in High Risk Outpatients with COVID-19 by Dr. Harvey Risch

I particularly like this bit from the abstract:
Unfortunately, the current scientific evidence does not support HCQ+AZ as an effective treatment for COVID-19, if it ever did; and even suggests many risks. Continuing to push the view that it is an essential treatment in the face of this evidence is irresponsible and harmful to the many people already suffering from infection.
 
The US is currently facing an unprecedented set of related crises, at a time where the country is being led by one of the most incompetent and dangerously deluded people imaginable.
Fun fact:
If the USA had fifty (50) TIMES the per capita COVID death rate as New Zealand’s, 113,985 of our people would still be alive.
(Data from worldometers)

If Biden gets elected, all the blame, all of it, will be laid upon him in the eyes of the Republican Party.
Another fun fact:
That’s ALREADY happening. While the Trump administration is ignoring peaceful protesting, Biden is getting the blame for all incidents of violence at protests because they are examples of what WOULD happen under a Biden Administration, rather than being REALITY under the Trump Administration.
 
@joeyD with reference to Risch, that report seems to nullify his findings.

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavi...t-as-preventative-measure-study-says-12043367

"The benefits found in small post-exposure treatment trials, although modest, could be very valuable if they were confirmed."

Professor Nick Day from the Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, also guiding the study, was confident the study "will find out if these drugs can prevent COVID-19 or not."

The Oxford-led study was recently paused following controversy over a study from The Lancet, which claimed the drug caused higher death rates and heart problems.

The WHO halted its research due to these findings but resumed it after errors were found in the Lancet study.

So I'll wait for the new findings thank you.

While we wait for those findings then have a butchers at this https://scitechdaily.com/risk-of-de...-19-patients-treated-with-hydroxychloroquine/
 
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@joeyD with reference to Risch, that report seems to nullify his findings.

So I'm not mounting a disinformation campaign then.

As for the study of hydroxychloroquine, I fully agree that under safe conditions and with informed consent, it should be studied. As of right now most evidence points to it not working, but one of the cornerstones of science is that you keep asking questions and keep seeking better and better information. However, until it's fully studied, it should not be touted as a cure or even a potential cure. Right now it's an experimental treatment that could very well kill you or could save your life. I believe there is a subset of patients that could benefit from the drug, but what that subset is no one knows.
 
If we were all like @VBR and ignored everyone that disagreed with them/they didn't like then we'd all be in our own echo chambers and there'd be no conversation at all. That's not good either.
THAT'S IT! THAT'S IT! That's the leftist attitude! Shutting people down and preventing legitimate discussion!
 
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