Another interesting fact, the vast majority of those who are dying from COVID also happen to be taking ACE inhibitors such as Lisinopril, Losartan, etc.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.c...-link-ace-inhibitors-severe-covid-19-symptoms

I checked the 3 main citations in that article based on this statement:

Other researchers have observed that lisinopril and losartan can increase (or upregulate) the ACE2 Receptor mRNA cellular expression by five and three-fold, respectively.4 This has given rise to concerns that these inhibitors may increase ACE2 Receptor cellular surface expression leading to exacerbated viral load in cells.

continues...
There is mounting consensus that ACE inhibitors may be a primary driver of the severe symptoms. The concerns have been raised in the Lancet8 and most recently in Medscape.9

My annotation of those references:

(4) Re: Preventing a covid-19 pandemic: ACE inhibitors as a potential risk factor for fatal Covid-19. BMJ. Feb. 28, 2020. Vol. 368. https://www.bmj.com/content/368/bmj.m810/rr-2

This is a review article with no new data. It discusses the hypothetical pros and cons of using ACE2 inhibitors that up regulate ACE2 binding sites.

(8) Fang L, Karakiulakis G, Roth M. Are patients with hypertension and diabetes mellitus at increased risk for COVID-19 infection? The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. March 11, 2020. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(20)30116-8/fulltext

"If this hypothesis were to be confirmed, it could lead to a conflict regarding treatment because ACE2 reduces inflammation and has been suggested as a potential new therapy for inflammatory lung diseases, cancer, diabetes, and hypertension."

I could not find an article by L. Fang et al. with data showing ACE2 inhibitors were a separate risk factor. That is, it is all hypothesis. None use multivariate analysis to parse out the risk of using ACE2 inhibitor medications per se.

(9) Hughes S. COVID-19 and Angiotensin Drugs: Help or Harm?. Medscape. March 25, 2020. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/927542

This is another review article that seems reasonable balanced. The conclusion is that the role of ACE2 inhibitors has not been resolved, Maybe they help; maybe they hurt.

 

Point is, ACE inhibitors seem to increase the severity of COVID several-fold. And unfortunately, these types of meds also turn out to be some of the most prescribed, worldwide. (Lisinopril for example is like #3)

There are way too many such claims and counter claims to do a review in a week. Can you cite the one to which you refer?

 

And have saved many fold the lives lost from COVID-19 over the years they have been prescribed, worldwide. Much the lesser of two evils as the pandemic will end but the need for ACE inhibitors won't.

I'm not advocating that these medications shouldn't be used. I'm simply saying that they do tend to increase the severity of the infection, and so people who ARE taking them should be particularly careful about being exposed to the virus. That's all.

 

I'm simply saying that they do tend to increase the severity of the infection, ...

On what basis can you parse out the effects of ACE2 inhibitors to conclude they aggravate the infection. There is evidence they may actually be beneficial at reducing lung damage.

 

There is evidence they may actually be beneficial at reducing lung damage.

If that were an issue then asthmatics and smokers would be at a higher risk. But they aren't.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/all.14238

An approximately 1:1 ratio of male (50.7%) and female COVID‐19 patients was found, with an overall median age of 57.0 years. All patients were community‐acquired cases. Fever (91.7%), cough (75.0%), fatigue (75.0%), and gastrointestinal symptoms (39.6%) were the most common clinical manifestations, whereas hypertension (30.0%) and diabetes mellitus (12.1%) were the most common comorbidities. Drug hypersensitivity (11.4%) and urticaria (1.4%) were self‐reported by several patients. Asthma or other allergic diseases were not reported by any of the patients. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, 1.4%) patients and current smokers (1.4%) were rare.

On what basis can you parse out the effects of ACE2 inhibitors to conclude they aggravate the infection.

Well this for example:

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.104.510461

There are way too many such claims and counter claims to do a review in a week.

By counter-claims, you mean like the ones which are now being retracted?

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2021225

And oh look! The very same authors who have already been accused of creating false data about hydroxychloroquine. (Remember those guys?)

Pure coincidence, I'm sure...

 

<snip>
Well this for example:

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.104.510461

Get serious. That article is from 2005 and has absolutely nothing to do with Covid-19.

What you seem to be missing is the think between one interpretation of theory and fact. So far you have not cited a single article of fact to support your conclusion that,

... ACE inhibitors seem to increase the severity of COVID several-fold

And,

I'm simply saying that they do tend to increase the severity of the infection, ...

Believe what you want. Wear your face mask in the shower, if you want. Do whatever you want. When lives are at stake for others, we need to look at data.

 

Get serious. That article is from 2005 and has absolutely nothing to do with Covid-19.

Actually it does. What it basically says is that ACE inhibitors increase the expression of ACE-2. Which is precisely what COVID attaches to.

https://www.rndsystems.com/resources/articles/ace-2-sars-receptor-identified

Based on the sequence similarities of the RBM between SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV, several independent research groups investigated if SARS-CoV-2 also utilizes ACE-2 as a cellular entry receptor. Zhou et al. showed that SARS-CoV-2 could use ACE-2 from humans, Chinese horseshoe bats, civet cats, and pigs to gain entry into ACE-2-expressing HeLa cells.5 Hoffmann et al. reported similar findings for human and bat ACE-2.21 Additionally, Hoffmann et al. showed that treating Vero-E6 cells, a monkey kidney cell line known to permit SARS-CoV replication, with an Anti-ACE-2 Antibody (R&D Systems, Catalog # AF933) blocked entry of VSV pseudotypes expressing the SARS-CoV-2 S protein.21

What you seem to be missing is the think between one interpretation of theory and fact. So far you have not cited a single article of fact to support your conclusion [ ... ]

https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lanres/PIIS2213-2600(20)30116-8.pdf

We suggest that patients with cardiac diseases, hypertension, or diabetes, who are treated with ACE2-increasing drugs, are at higher risk for severe COVID-19 infection and, therefore, should be monitored for ACE2-modulating medications, such as ACE inhibitors or ARBs. Based on a PubMed search on Feb 28, 2020, we did not find any evidence to suggest that antihypertensive calcium channel blockers increased ACE2 expression or activity, therefore these could be a suitable alternative treatment in these patients.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...does-it-exist-coronavirus-population-immunity

Friston’s models also suggest that immunity in the population is higher than data indicates, but for him it’s not clear how long that immunity will last – and he argues that test-and-trace protocols should be put in place now, ahead of any possible second wave that might erupt once that immunity drops off. Heymann remains wary of models, which he says have too often been mistaken for reality in this pandemic, and he awaits more data: “I don’t think anybody can predict the destiny of this virus at this point in time,” he says.

 

“I don’t think anybody can predict the destiny of this virus at this point in time,” he says.

I already did. It'll always be with us as yet another seasonal flu.

Open it up.

 

I already did. It'll always be with us as yet another seasonal flu.

Open it up.

Yes, COVID-19 will become just another banana peel on the slippery slope of risks that we blend into the life equation.

https://news3lv.com/news/local/as-las-vegas-casinos-continue-to-reopen-so-do-businesses

 

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/202...rms-triggering-culls-prevent-human-infections

LELYSTAD, THE NETHERLANDS—In a sad sideshow to the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities in the Netherlands began to gas tens of thousands of mink on 6 June, most of them pups born only weeks ago. SARS-CoV-2 has attacked farms that raise the animals for fur, and the Dutch government worries infected mink could become a viral reservoir that could cause new outbreaks in humans.

The mink outbreaks are “spillover” from the human pandemic—a zoonosis in reverse that has offered scientists in the Netherlands a unique chance to study how the virus jumps between species and burns through large animal populations.

 

On account of Coronavirus, North Carolina's Gov. Cooper has announced that school will remain out for the summer (and possibly, forever).

 

On account of Coronavirus, North Carolina's Gov. Cooper has announced that school will remain out for the summer (and possibly, forever).

View attachment 209610

In related news, a Portland, OR school has been blown to pieces.

 

Some hard numbers regarding the use of face masks:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200612172200.htm

We conclude that wearing a face mask in public corresponds to the most effective means to prevent inter-human transmission.

 

hi,
Ref Face masks.
Standing on the pavement outside my Bank last Friday, wearing a face mask, waiting for my turn to enter the Bank, dutifully standing 2 meters apart.
An old guy wearing a face mask insisted on standing almost shoulder to shoulder with me, I kept edging away from him, his final stupid act was to remove his face mask to sneeze, within 2 feet of me.!!!

You can imagine a gave him a double barrel verbal !*****!.

Some people are just plain stupid.

E

 

How to put on and remove a face mask
Disposable face masks should be used once and then thrown in the trash. You should also remove and replace masks when they become moist.

Always follow product instructions on use and storage of the mask, and procedures for how to put on and remove a mask. If instructions for putting on and removing the mask are not available, then follow the steps below.

How to put on a face mask

1. Clean your hands with soap and water or hand sanitizer before touching the mask.
2. Remove a mask from the box and make sure there are no obvious tears or holes in either side of the mask.
3. Determine which side of the mask is the top. The side of the mask that has a stiff bendable edge is the top and is meant to mold to the shape of your nose.
4. Determine which side of the mask is the front. The colored side of the mask is usually the front and should face away from you, while the white side touches your face.
5. Follow the instructions below for the type of mask you are using.
   • Face Mask with Ear loops: Hold the mask by the ear loops. Place a loop around each ear.
   • Face Mask with Ties: Bring the mask to your nose level and place the ties over the crown of your head and secure with a bow.
   • Face Mask with Bands: Hold the mask in your hand with the nosepiece or top of the mask at fingertips, allowing the headbands to hang freely below hands. Bring the mask to your nose level and pull the top strap over your head so that it rests over the crown of your head. Pull the bottom strap over your head so that it rests at the nape of your neck.
6. Mold or pinch the stiff edge to the shape of your nose.
7. If using a face mask with ties: Then take the bottom ties, one in each hand, and secure with a bow at the nape of your neck.
8. Pull the bottom of the mask over your mouth and chin.

How to remove a face mask

1. Clean your hands with soap and water or hand sanitizer before touching the mask.Avoid touching the front of the mask. The front of the mask is contaminated. Only touch the ear loops/ties/band.Follow the instructions below for the type of mask you are using.
2. Face Mask with Ear loops: Hold both of the ear loops and gently lift and remove the mask.
3. Face Mask with Ties: Untie the bottom bow first then untie the top bow and pull the mask away from you as the ties are loosened.
4. Face Mask with Bands: Lift the bottom strap over your head first then pull the top strap over your head.
5. Throw the mask in the trash. Clean your hands with soap and water or hand sanitizer.

 

Due to the Pandemic, I will only be telling inside jokes!

Finland has just closed their borders.
I guess no one will be crossing the Finish line?

So many conavirus jokes out there.
I guess its a pundemic!

Now is not the right time to be surrounding yourself with Positive people!

There will be a minor baby-boom in 9 months, then one day in 2033 we will see the rise of the "Quarenteens"

The WHO has announced that dogs cannot contract Covid-19, Dogs previously held in quarantine are now to be released. which answers that question,
WHO let the dogs out?.

Why do they call it the Novel Conavirus? , It's a Long story............

I would tell you a conavirus joke, but you would need to wait 2 weeks to see if you got it!

I ran out of toilet paper and had to start using newspaper, Times are rough!

What do you call panic-buying of sausage and cheese in Germany? The Wurst case scenario.

The grocery stores in France look like tornadoes hit them, all that is left is de Brie!

Max.

 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...ccines-may-not-prevent-you-from-getting-covid

Desperation for a way to keep economies from collapsing under the weight of Covid-19 could mean settling for a vaccine that prevents people from getting really sick or dying but doesn’t stop them from catching the coronavirus.

Although a knock-out blow against the virus is the ultimate goal, early vaccines may come with limitations on what they can deliver, according to Robin Shattock, an Imperial College London professor leading development of an experimental shot.

 

@cmartinez
I remain skeptical of the effect of face masks. Here's a link to the actual article in pdf: https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/early/2020/06/10/2009637117.full.pdf

The principle method of transmission has been pretty well shown. That is not central to estimating the value of face masks.

It is very common to see organism growth to exhibit a "sigmoid" character. While the curves are usually ploted as logs, there are linear plots to be found. Here's a definition (source: https://www.encyclopedia.com/earth-and-environment/ecology-and-environmentalism/environmental-studies/s-shaped-growth-curve#:~:text=S-shaped growth curve(sigmoid,then declines in a negative )

S-shaped growth curve(sigmoid growth curve) A pattern of growth in which, in a new environment, the population density of an organism increases slowly initially, in a positive acceleration phase; then increases rapidly, approaching an exponential growth rate as in the J-shaped curve; but then declines in a negative acceleration phase until at zero growth rate the population stabilizes. This decline reflects increasing environmental resistance which becomes proportionately more important at higher population densities.

Here is Figure 2 from the article. The black circled points are the dates mask wearing was implemented in the NYC and Italy. A linear extrapolation from those dates given what one usually sees in not valid. It is pretty obvious that the rate of infection in both Italy and NYC was already declining by the date that face masks were introduced. (I believe the is substantial evidence to support ignoring the Wuhan data.) My crude visual estimate of the inflection points is marked with a blue line in each.


There is also an expected effect from increased testing in the US, which based on what we now know about asymptomatic infections should show a departure of infections vs. deaths. Perhaps May 14th was too early to see that.

 

It is very common to see organism growth to exhibit a "sigmoid" character.

I have suspected that the virus case profile over time would likely look like a log normal distribution. An initial steep infection rate followed by a slower decay. Many biological processes exhibit this feature. Wouldn't surprise me if viral load in an infected individual would have the same shape. (The source of the data in the graph isn't clear but the shape definitely looks log normal to me.)