By Nachman Kanovsky
It was the best of times. It may become the worst of times. My objective in the following brief essay is not to regurgitate the alarms and clichés which we are constantly inundated with pertaining to this novel corona virus pandemic. What for? I’m sure you’ve heard enough. There is however an aspect of this pandemic which is either being hidden or downplayed by much of the media and by our governments, both federal and state. Weeks before the federal government began shutting down the country in early March, reports were seeping through about an existing drug, hydroxychloroquine, as being effective against the corona virus, especially when taken in combination with the common antibiotic, azithromycin. While none of the reports stated that those results emanated from classical double blind testing, they were sufficiently encouraging to allow the possibility that this pandemic can be short-lived.
When in history did an epidemic break out together with its potential cure? There was an explicit video of a doctor in Orange County NY who reported nearly 100% effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin given to hundreds of his patients. The viral disease specialist from France, who first reported success with that drug combination back in January, had subsequently reported identical successes with much larger sampling. Other doctors were confirming similar results but interestingly – and frustratingly – one had to scour the media and the internet to readily locate these reports. Why?
By mid-March, New York State, apparently with some foot-dragging, agreed to test the drug combination with around 10,000 doses. The Trump administration hinted at the possibility of a new direction in the progression of our counter-measures against the virus more than a week ago. This would have come approximately a week after the 10,000 doses would have been given and their results could have been evaluated. Eight days later, no new direction was announced. On the contrary, at the daily presidential press conference, Dr. Fauci in a response to direct question about hydroxychloroquine stated that the drug is not yet “FDA clinically approved.” He was ostensibly referring to the usual FDA protocols where final approvals for any drug also involves double blind tests which obviously weren’t yet done in a pandemic situation. Which doctor would knowingly give a placebo to an ailing patient facing potential death?
This country, and the world, is facing a catastrophe. This economic certainty extends well beyond the financial realm and includes physical, mental, and sociological ramifications as well as other disastrous probabilities. With these looming eventualities, our governments have correctly implemented all sorts of emergency measures to counter this scourge. No one questions the need for hospital beds, gowns, masks, and the like. Mostly everyone applauds government’s reduction of the usual regulations to get medications and vaccines into play. But there is something missing in the direction we’re going. Vaccines are at least a year away, and they don’t cure those who contracted the disease. New medicines require safety and dosage testing in addition to the double-blind protocols. The reality is that even if any new medicine does acquire FDA approval in record time – which will be at least months – we will face the near certainty of having a “successful operation… but the patient will have died.”
We have medications today, i.e. hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin, whose safety and dosages are well-known and established, but their off-label use for the coronavirus has still not passed all the FDA protocols. Moreover, hydroxychloroquine has also shown great promise as a prophylactic, similar to a vaccine. Why has not our government ordered mass manufacturing and distribution of these drugs and made them available to any physician wishing to dispense them for treatment of the coronavirus? Are not these drugs are far easier and quicker to produce than ventilators? In these critical times why aren’t these medicines available to administer to all seniors and other susceptible persons, and to anyone who shows any symptoms of the disease? Such usage should not necessarily require hospitalization either. Instead, various states including New York, New Jersey, and California have imposed restrictions on the use of these drugs. It makes no sense other than its being a suicidal submission to the usual medical protocols. Should we cheer when we hear in the daily briefings about our advancement in the testing procedures and the “granularity” of the models and charts our experts are basing their policies on? Last time I checked, testing doesn’t cure anything. There is more than sufficient evidence from around the world that these well-established medications work. That is where our emphasis should be placed – not on a religious subservience to protocols only applicable and appropriate in otherwise healthy times. Our country is already in the “right to try” condition. What can we possibly lose more than we already are?
Correction: If the Worldometer figures on the number of diagnosed cases of COVID-19 are accurate, and the estimate of the number of undiagnosed people infected with the virus are also accurate, then the death rate associated with the SARS-CoV-2 virus is 00082 %.
“Substantial undocumented infection facilitates the rapid dissemination of novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV2)
Ruiyun Li1,*, Sen Pei2,*,†, Bin Chen3,*, Yimeng Song4, Tao Zhang5, Wan Yang6, Jeffrey Shaman2,†
See all authors and affiliations
Science 16 Mar 2020:
eabb3221
DOI: 10.1126/science.abb3221
Article
Figures & Data
Info & Metrics
eLetters
PDF
Abstract
Estimation of the prevalence and contagiousness of undocumented novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV2) infections is critical for understanding the overall prevalence and pandemic potential of this disease. Here we use observations of reported infection within China, in conjunction with mobility data, a networked dynamic metapopulation model and Bayesian inference, to infer critical epidemiological characteristics associated with SARS-CoV2, including the fraction of undocumented infections and their contagiousness. We estimate 86% of all infections were undocumented (95% CI: [82%–90%]) prior to 23 January 2020 travel restrictions. Per person, the transmission rate of undocumented infections was 55% of documented infections ([46%–62%]), yet, due to their greater numbers, undocumented infections were the infection source for 79% of documented cases. These findings explain the rapid geographic spread of SARS-CoV2 and indicate containment of this virus will be particularly challenging.
View Full Text” From March 19 2020 Sciencemagazine. If the author’s estimates are correct, then the less than .01 per cent of people infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus die with symptoms of COVID-19. That is the same rate as for influenza infections.
According to figures supplied by Worldometer, if you do a little simple math, deaths fromCOVID-19 amount to .0005 deaths worldwide. About 0.6 of those diagnosed with COVID-19 died. And it is generally agreed among medical practitioners that there are many unymptomatic “carriers” of the SARSCoVid19-2 virus than people who have been diagnosed with the disease.
FYI: “The Trump administration has already created a national strategic stockpile of 29 million doses of the malaria drug, anticipating that its test results on more than 1,500 COVID-19 patients in New York is yielding positive results.”
Trump threatened RETALIATION if India didn’t release the supply of the drug to the US:
https://www.livemint.com/
The drug is still controversial:
https://fortune.com/2020/03/25/coronavirus-hydroxychloroquine-trump-india-export/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroxychloroquine
“The U.S. supply may initially be diverted from Africa’s routine consumption of the anti-malaria drug. The Wall Street Journal reported April 7:
The normal domestic consumption of the drug in India is pegged at around 24 million tablets a year. Until now India has been largely exporting the drug to African nations that struggle with malaria.”
https://www.breitbart.com/health/2020/04/07/donald-trump-gets-millions-of-hydroxychloroquine-pills-from-india/
I couldn’t find out how much India would have to stockpile for its own population.
Donald Trump Gets Millions of Hydroxychloroquine Pills from India.
President Donald Trump persuaded India’s prime minister to release many millions of hydroxychloroquine pills on April 6 after the Indian government had announced it would keep all of the pills for its own population of almost 1.5 billion people.
This is a bitter (and somewhat paranoid) rant from Mike Adams (Natural News) but I think it’s worth reading:
https://www.naturalnews.com/2020-03-28-dear-america-you-are-now-living-under-the-tyranny-you-deserve.html
I’ve been subscribed to his E-mails for years but never had the time to read them and actually deleted zillions of them a couple of months ago. With this pandemic stuff going on, I found some interesting info there.
If you scroll down to the bottom of the page, you will see more articles.
“Have a good evening, or morning, Reader”
Thanks.
@ Reader: None whatsoever, Reader.
By thaw, Boris Johnson is in the ICU in a London hospitall and “fighting for his life,” according to news reports. He is reported to be suffering from COVID-19, which he was diagnosed as having two weeks ago. I hope he pulls through, and I ask all Israpundit readers to join me in prayers for his recovery.
England desperately needs his strong leadership as it struggles to regain its national independence from the EU. There is enormous hate and division in Britain as there is the United States and Israel. If Johnson dies, it could unleash a storm of recriminations and chaos, a unilateral Scots declaration of Indpendence, and God knows what else. Worst of all, maybe it will confirm in nearly everyone’s mind that the world is experiencing a terrible coronavirus pandemic when this is probably untrue. Given the incredible stress he has been under for the past several months, and the prevalence of all kinds of infectious diseases in this time of year every year, (I have fallen ill many times in March, always a terrible month for my health), any number of pathogens could have made Johnson become gravely ill. But it will of course greatly increase the panic over coronavirus if he dies, and greatly prolong the counterproductive measures being taken to supposedly halt its spread.
We really must pray that Boris pulls through some how.
Have a good evening, or morning, Reader, depending on where you are.
“The coronavirus vaccine might kill up to 110,000 Americans, suggest estimates from health author”
https://www.naturalnews.com/2020-04-02-coronavirus-vaccine-will-kill-110000-americans.html
@ Reader:
After you view the video, scroll down for more interesting stuff about Bill Gates and coronavirus.
“Bombshell plea from NYC ICU doctor: COVID-19 is a condition of oxygen deprivation, not pneumonia… VENTILATORS may be causing the lung damage, not the virus” [includes a video]
https://www.naturalnews.com/2020-04-04-nyc-icu-doctor-covid-19-oxygen-deprivation-not-pneumonia-ventilators.html
@ Shmuel Mohalever:
Adam, do you have any doubt that if this were the plague, cholera, or smallpox the politicians would retreat into their hidey holes and let the “brave and heroic” medical people take care of everything?