Emergence of a Deadly Coronavirus

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President Trump has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, and in doing so, he joins a growing list of world leaders who have previously contracted the disease.

Since the start of the pandemic, at least seven major world leaders have tested positive for the virus, the most notable ones being Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Juan Orlando Hernandez, the Honduras president was another leader to contract the virus along with his wife who also contracted the disease.

Last month, Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei, 64 announced he had tested positive for the virus and would be working from home.

Other notable leaders to test positive include Bolivian interim president Jeanine Anez, 53, and Luis Abinader, 53, the elected president of the Dominican Republic.

In India, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday.

In Iran, an adviser to the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei died from the coronavirus in March, as other top officials in the country were confirmed to be infected. Senior Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri and Vice President Massoumeh Ebtekar also contracted the virus.

Source: Trump joins list of world leaders who have tested positive for coronavirus

Some individuals are at greater risk for contracting the coronavirus because their careers demand meeting with a large number of people and extensive travel. Politicians, movie stars and sports celebrities fall into this category.

Some of the stars and royals who have tested positive for the coronavirus or say they've likely had it include:
* Jim Parsons who played Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory said he and husband Thomas Spiewak started feeling ill in March and initially thought they had colds – but then they couldn't smell or taste anything and realized they had COVID-19.
* Princess Diana's brother, Charles Spencer, has revealed he also had COVID-19 earlier this year.
* Jack Osbourne's [The Osbournes] three-year-old has come down with COVID-19 – as has one of the little girl's older sisters.
* The E! host, Giuliana Rancic, was unable to take her place as one of those helming the network's Emmy Awards red carpet on Sept. 20 after she tested positive for COVID-19. Her husband, Bill Rancic and her son Duke, 8, also have the virus.
* The How I Met Your Mother star, Neil Patrick Harris and his husband David Burtka, plus, their nine-year-old twins, Gideon and Harper, had COVID-19 earlier this year.
* The celebrity trainer, Jillian Michaels, said she contracted COVID-19 a few weeks ago from a friend.
* Robert Pattinson, the actor, recently contracted COVID-19, causing production on The Batman to halt after his diagnosis.
* Neymar, the Brazilian soccer star, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain, was among three of the team's players to test positive for COVID-19 in September.
* The comedian, Kevin Hart, has revealed he tested positive for COVID-19 in March, about around the same time Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson went public with their own positive tests.
* Usain Bolt, the sprinting legend, who won whopping eight gold medals during his Olympic career, was reported to have tested positive for COVID-19 on Aug. 25.
* Lena Dunham, the former Girls star revealed in August that she'd battled COVID-19 earlier this year, saying she came down with it in mid-March.
* Jack Nicklaus, the golf legend says he was sickened by COVID-19 earlier this year, as was his wife, Barbara.
* Brian Cox, the Succession star said he got a surprise when he went to the doctor for a routine blood test: He tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies.
* Bryan Cranston, the former Breaking Bad actor has revealed that he and his wife, actress Robin Dearden, contracted the coronavirus "early on" but they have thankfully recovered.
* Antonio Banderas, the actor, film producer and director, [Philadelphia (1993), Interview with the Vampire (1994), Desperado (1995), Assassins (1995), Evita (1996), and The Mask of Zorro (1998). He also appeared in the Spy Kids series] revealed that he wasn't exactly having the best 60th birthday after testing positive for COVID-19.
* Alyssa Jayne Milano tested positive for antibodies to the illness.
* Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, the Bollywood star, her daughter Aaradhya, her husband, Abhishek and father-in-law, the legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan, have all tested positive for COVID-19.
* Nick Cordero, the Broadway star passed away on July 5 at age 41 after a brutal battle with COVID-19.
* Novak Djokovic, the world No. 1 in tennis announced he has COVID-19 after he was highly criticized for organizing an event which some said could have exposed tennis players to the illness.
* Prince Joachim of Belgium, the 28-year-old has also apologized for attending a party in Spain despite the ongoing lockdown. He reportedly only has mild COVID-19 symptoms.
* Andrea Bocelli, an Italian opera singer, songwriter, tenor and record producer, revealed he'd beaten COVID-19.
* Patrick Ewing, the two-time Basketball Hall of Fame inductee shared his positive COVID-19 diagnosis on May 22.
* Matt Damon revealed during an interview on May 13 that his eldest daughter, Alexia Barroso, had COVID-19 but has since recovered. The family is currently isolating in Ireland.
* Madonna revealed that she tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies.
* On May 3, Lesley Stahl, the 60 Minutes host revealed she had recovered from COVID-19, which left her with pneumonia and very rough symptoms that ultimately landed her in hospital.
* Georges Laraque, the former Montreal Canadiens star is in hospital with COVID-19, which he says he likely came down with on April 26 while delivering groceries to people in his community.
* Roy Horn, who levitated tigers, made elephants disappear, turned himself into a python and mesmerized Las Vegas audiences for decades as half of the famed illusionist team Siegfried & Roy had the coronavirus in April. He passed away on 8 May.
* Marianne Faithfull, the 73-year-old singer had been admitted to hospital in London on April 4 with symptoms that were later confirmed to be COVID-19, and has since been released.
* In early April, the comedian Ali Wentworth revealed her COVID-19 diagnosis, and now her husband, Good Morning America anchor George Stephanopoulos, says he has it, too.
* Todd Chrisley, the patriarch of the Chrisley family and star of Chrisley Knows Best said he contracted the coronavirus.
* Jennifer Aydin, The Real Housewives of New Jersey star took to Instagram on April 8 to reveal she'd been diagnosed with COVID-19.
* Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, the soul musician and producer who is known for his work on tracks by Boyz II Men, revealed over Easter weekend that he also been diagnosed with the coronavirus.
* Sara Bareilles, the Broadway star told fans on April 2 that she had recovered from COVID-19.
* J.K. Rowling, the Harry Potter author says she's recovered after experiencing "all the symptoms" associated with COVID-19, though she says she wasn't tested.
* On April 4, the pop star Pink and her son Jameson, revealed they had tested positive for COVID-19 two weeks earlier.
* Duchess Camilla's ex-husband, Andrew Parker Bowles, revealed on April 1 that he had tested positive for COVID-19.
* Chris Cuomo, the CNN anchor, who is New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's brother, revealed his positive test on March 31.
* Clarence House announced on March 25 that the heir to the British throne, Prince Charles, had tested positive for COVID-19.
* Jackson Browne, the "Boys of Summer" and "Running on Empty" hitmaker acquired a cough and a fever recently and took a COVID-19 test, which he told Rolling Stone was positive.
* Greta Thunberg, the 17-year-old climate activist took to Instagram on March 24 to say it was "extremely likely" that she had contracted the coronavirus. She also revealed her father likely had it, saying she's since recovered after isolating herself for two weeks.
* Andy Cohen, the Watch What Happens Live host revealed he has the illness too on March 21.
* Sabrina Dhowre, the model and actress, who is married to Idris Elba, said she has coronavirus, too, after deciding she'd rather be with him while he recovers than apart.
* Placido Domingo, the singer, who is one of the most famous operatic tenors of all time, announced his diagnosis on Facebook on March 22.
* Colton Underwood, the former Bachelor shared his diagnosis on social media on March 19, saying it has been brutal on him.
* Daniel Dae Kim, the Lost star announced he had tested positive on March 19
* Prince Albert of Monaco, the 62-year-old revealed on March 19 that he had COVID-19.
* Indira Varma, the former Game of Thrones and Luther star revealed her diagnosis on March 19.
* Arielle Charnas, the fashion influencer took to Instagram on March 18 to write about being diagnosed with the coronavirus, which she said has "horrible" symptoms.
* Kevin Durant, the Brooklyn Nets NBA star and two-time NBA champion tested positive for coronavirus, he revealed in March.
* Karl von Habsburg, the ancestral Archduke of Austria tested positive for COVID-19 and says "it's annoying" but he's "fine." "It's not the Black Plague," he told Austria's oe24 TV network.
* Kristofer Hivju, The Game of Thrones star, who played Tormund Giantsbane in the series, revealed on March 16 that he has COVID-19, too.
* Idris Elba, the English actor, writer, producer, rapper, singer, songwriter and DJ told his fans on March 16 that he had the coronavirus.
* Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau tested positive for the virus in early March,
* The Oscar-winning star Tom Hanks and actress Rita Wilson tested positive while they were in Australia.
* The Quantum of Solace star Olga Kurylenko took to Instagram to let her followers know she'd tested positive.

Source: Stars and royals who have tested positive for the coronavirus or say they've likely had it

Last edited by jimmy m on 02 Oct 2020, 10:10 am, edited 2 times in total.

Paris might be soon going into total lockdown according to CNN.

The combination of Flu and COVID might necessitate another lockdown in America as to not overwhelm the health care system. In America the vulnerable can not count on being protected. It is up to us. The more people let go of restrictions the more we have to lock ourselves down.

While scientifically invalid how Trump fares with his case of COVID will have an effect both on how much governments restrict people and individuals restrict themselves.

My husband today did big grocery shopping, so we can avoid supermarkets for some time. He's still working remotely.
I'm back to wearing my mask outside.
The school is making attempts not to shut down completely, we'll see what comes out of it.

My job keeps me isolated and alone either at home, in my car, at my office, or at a remote data-collection site.

I disagree with lockdowns being only "delaying the inevitable". It was buying time to learn and prepare.
I don't say some didn't waste that time.

Face Mask Myth

A new study suggests that surgical face masks don’t cause a buildup of carbon dioxide or restrict oxygen, despite opposing claims.

The study, on the “Effect of Face Masks on Gas Exchange in Healthy Persons and Patients with COPD,” which was published in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society on Friday, was conducted after a group of Florida residents challenged Florida’s mask-wearing mandate in June, arguing that wearing the protective face coverings could result in the buildup of too much carbon dioxide.

Researchers led by Dr. Michael Campos, a pulmonologist with the Miami VA Medical Center and the University of Miami Hospital and Clinics, looked at problems with changes in oxygen levels or carbon dioxide levels in healthy individuals and those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) before and while wearing surgical masks.

The small study included 15 military veterans with severe COPD, each with lung function under 50%, and 15 healthy participants. All participants wore masks for 30 minutes and were told to walk for six minutes while wearing the surgical masks. Researchers then gave each participant a blood test and discovered there were no differences in levels of oxygen or carbon dioxide.

Source: Face masks don't restrict oxygen or contribute to carbon dioxide buildup: study

Coronavirus vaccine trial participants report day-long exhaustion, fever and headaches — but say it’s worth it

We can read and hear quite mutch about how the coronavirus pandemic effects to hospitals, elderhomes/nurseries and somtimes homeless shelters around the world but what about disability homes (or how you call the homes for people with mental disabilities or retardation?)

University of Washington-based global researchers forecast more than 371,000 COVID-19 deaths in U.S. by January

Scientific American: Aerosol Transmission

On 1 October 2020, Scientific American published an article titled Protecting against COVID’s Aerosol Threat. It was a good article and for the most part was a good discussion.

This feels like a lopsided fight. In one corner, we have scientists, epidemiologists, infectious-disease physicians, clinicians, engineers—many different experts in the medical community, that is—arguing that the spread of COVID-19 by aerosols (that is, tiny droplets that can remain airborne long enough to travel significantly farther than the six-foot separation we’ve been told to observe) is both real and dangerous. In the other, it’s the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), which until very recently have allowed only that aerosol spread is possible, not necessarily likely.



And while watching experts going against governmental agencies isn’t always riveting stuff, this particular battle is terribly important. It has significant implications for how we as a country handle this epidemic, and what decisions we make going forward—and those decisions need to be made sooner, not later.

On some level, this is a discussion of droplets versus aerosols. You’ve probably heard plenty this year about droplets: they’re larger in size and may be exhaled by someone talking, shouting, singing, coughing or sneezing. These droplets don’t travel far and fall quickly to the ground, one reason why a “social distance” of roughly six feet is seen as a safe one.

Aerosols, on the other hand, are tiny by comparison, nearly 10,000 times smaller than a human hair. They’re spread at far greater distances—20 to 30 feet—and can linger in the air for minutes to hours, infecting others. What constitutes a safe distance from aerosols is much harder to define, especially in crowded indoor spaces with poor ventilation. Choosing a safe mask becomes difficult as well: an N95 respirator, for example, would be preferable to an ill-fitting cloth mask when it comes to filtering out these minuscule viral aerosols. For these and other reasons, some in the medical community suspect, our health agencies have been reluctant to accept the data on the airborne transmission of COVID-19—because if they do, they’re acknowledging a problem far more challenging even than what we’ve been dealt with so far.

Towards the end of the article, it focuses on additional steps recommended for minimizing coronovirus aerosol transmission.

Much of the solution to the challenge of aerosol (and droplet) transmission in indoor areas is ventilation. “If people use recirculated air during a pandemic, it is going to be dangerous, because you will just circulate the virus around,” Yao says. The goal of ventilation, instead, is to exhaust air from inside a building—along with whatever contaminants it contains—and replace it with clean air from the outside.

One great way to do this, according to Yao and the CDC, is to increase outdoor ventilation by opening windows and doors. Experts say this can make a huge difference in air flow rates in buildings. “Open all the windows possible. The outside air has a much bigger diluting capacity because there is a big space,” says Yao. In some instances, Bahnfleth says, a fan can be placed near one window while other windows are left open in order to create forced ventilation.

Nothing is perfect, of course. Ventilation can be expensive, depending upon what is needed, and some of the recommendations may use significant amounts of energy. Fans in HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems are limited in the amount of outside air exchange they can do—but more is better, and the ASHRAE guidelines recommend that the units be kept running for longer hours, 24/7 if possible.

It was a tradition in old world European countries to air out their homes in the dead of winter. They would open up their windows for a couple hours to vent the old stale air. But traditions are often forgotten in the modern world. Today's building and homes are very much different than our ancestors. Many buildings do not even have windows and those that do may be sealed shut. Most homes and buildings rely on HVAC systems for temperature control and air circulation. Proper air ventilation is often neglected.

High efficiency air filtration and disinfection are important. Filters should be upgraded to the extent possible in HVAC systems without diminishing airflow. The ASHRAE paper recommends MERV-13 filters or the highest level allowable, which filter very small infectious particles. And if HVAC units cannot use higher-grade filters, consider using portable air cleaners with HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filters to disinfect the air further.

A word about ultraviolet light. “A coronavirus is a coronavirus,” says Bahnfleth, and prior studies found that ultraviolet light inactivated other coronaviruses, like SARS-CoV-1 and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome). UV fixtures can be mounted on the ceiling or walls, or placed inside ventilation ducts to neutralize viruses and bacteria. The biggest limitation is that the irradiation can be a health hazard, to both skin and eye, which is why the fixtures are placed up high, away from people.

On this front, there is promise. A newer ultraviolet technology that employs a lower wavelength of light, called far-UVC light, appears to work without the potential health issues. In prior studies, far-UVC killed airborne flu virus, and in a study in Nature it was shown to inactivate other airborne coronaviruses. Based on the results, far-UVC exposure in occupied public areas would inactivate approximately 90 percent of the virus in eight minutes, and 99.9 percent by 25 minutes. Researchers expect it would work similarly against COVID-19. Let’s keep a close eye on this.

Ultra-Violet C (UVC) units such as the REME-HALO are the way to go here. They fit within the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) metal ductwork. They kill the virus but the metal ductwork prevents the light from escaping and posing a hazard. UVC light can damage your eyesight very quickly. I would be very hesitant for mounting UVC units in the ceiling or walls because of this potential hazard. But they do make goggles matched to the wavelength of the UVC that will completely block this radiation from the eyes. It just seems far simpler to mount it within the HVAC unit.

Other mitigation measures recommended by experts including the WHO and the CDC are wearing masks indoors, maintaining social distance, having fewer people indoors, and, potentially, installing droplet barriers. The barriers, however, can potentially interact with air flow patterns in a way that actually spreads the virus. Bahnfleth recommends getting help from an expert to make sure that what is being installed is actually helpful.

Wearing face mask indoors where there is a threat of viral infection is a good strategy but I recommend the right kind of mask, the N95. The main goal is to protect yourself. That is the primary goal. The secondary goal is to protect the other guy and the N95 will do that also.

And that’s it. Open the windows and the doors, beef up the HVAC circulation/outdoor air exchange, and consider letting the unit run 24/7. Install high-level filters if you can. Consider purchasing additional portable air cleaners, bring fewer people inside the building, and employing ultraviolet technology.

Governing agencies’ reluctance aside, preventing indoor person-to-person aerosol spread of COVID-19 could be a game changer. Good ventilation alone should help avoid some of the superspreading events we’ve seen, and help all of us get back to the normalcy we crave. With airborne COVID-19 transmission, there is a lot more we can do besides mask, social distance and wash our hands. It’s time to step up our game and think more like the engineers who are trying to help us solve this problem.

The only other thing that the article leaves out is Humidity Control. Maintaining relative humidity (RH) levels between 40 and 60 percent is very important indoors. At low humidity levels such as experienced during winter, the airborne ultralight viral particles will remain aloft for hours. Add humidity and these particles will become very heavy and quickly fall to the floor.

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CDC Updated Guidelines

Today the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an update to its coronavirus guidance recommendations that includes aerosols. Link: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) The new guidance reads:

COVID-19 can sometimes be spread by airborne transmission

* Some infections can be spread by exposure to virus in small droplets and particles that can linger in the air for minutes to hours. These viruses may be able to infect people who are further than 6 feet away from the person who is infected or after that person has left the space.
* This kind of spread is referred to as airborne transmission and is an important way that infections like tuberculosis, measles, and chicken pox are spread.
* There is evidence that under certain conditions, people with COVID-19 seem to have infected others who were more than 6 feet away. These transmissions occurred within enclosed spaces that had inadequate ventilation. Sometimes the infected person was breathing heavily, for example while singing or exercising.
* Under these circumstances, scientists believe that the amount of infectious smaller droplet and particles produced by the people with COVID-19 became concentrated enough to spread the virus to other people. The people who were infected were in the same space during the same time or shortly after the person with COVID-19 had left.
* Available data indicate that it is much more common for the virus that causes COVID-19 to spread through close contact with a person who has COVID-19 than through airborne transmission.

A Recipe for Disaster

The mayor of New York City is focusing on some coronavirus transmission threats (such as restricting synagogue and church services) while ignoring other threats (such as mass transit). That is a recipe for disaster.

While New York, once the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, has imposed strict social-distancing rules on businesses, out-of-state travelers and other groups to curb the spread of COVID-19, the cramped subway cars of New York City tell a very different -- and concerning -- story. Photos from inside some rush-hour subway trains last week showed commuters filling the seats, with others forced to stand uncomfortably close. A vast majority wore masks, but little to no social distancing could be found in those cars.



Trains headed from both the Bronx and Brooklyn to Manhattan’s Grand Central Terminal during the morning, while not completely packed with people, passengers still stood shoulder-to-shoulder in some cases. Dr. Marty Makary, a professor of health policy & management at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health said, “The crowded conditions of New York's public transit system was one of the major drivers of their epidemic.”

Source: NYC's coronavirus-era subway cars fill up at rush hour; Cuomo takes few steps to enforce social distancing

The coronavirus is being spread by aerosols. Both WHO and CDC have reluctantly acknowledged this threat of virus transmission. Congested subway cars, and buses are a major link in transmission. If you want to be safe in New York City and other cities while riding in the various forms of mass transit, then the mandate should be to wear the right kind of mask, the N95s. Stay safe and stay alive!

Case Study: Donald Trump

We are heading into the Winter months again in the Northern Hemisphere and may see an insurgence of the coronavirus. Initially when the coronavirus struck the U.S. in late winter, it caused a pandemic killing a large number of Americans. But over the summer the death rates dropped off dramatically. Many people were still getting infected throughout the summer in the U.S. but the high mortality rates tapered off. But with Winter months quickly approaching and along with it a falling of the indoor humidity levels, I expect an explosion of coronavirus deaths, the Second Wave.

So it dawned on me that Donald Trump is highlighting the way forward in treating the second wave. He became infected, was treated, and recovered quickly. He represents the treatment protocol for the Second Wave. The methods used to treat him will become a gold standard for the way forward in this pandemic.

So the first thing to address is who are the most at risk for dying from this COVID-19 coronavirus infection - the high-risk group? According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the vulnerable are:
* People 65 years and older
* People who live in a nursing home or long-term care facility
* People of all ages with underlying medical conditions, particularly if not well controlled, including:
---- People with chronic lung disease or moderate to severe asthma - People who have serious heart conditions
---- People who are immunocompromised [Many conditions can cause a person to be immunocompromised, including cancer treatment, smoking, bone marrow or organ transplantation, immune deficiencies, poorly controlled HIV or AIDS, and prolonged use of corticosteroids and other immune weakening medications]
---- People with severe obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 40 or higher) - People with diabetes
---- People with chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis
---- People with liver disease

So Donald Trump falls with the high-risk group, as does jimmy m. who is 72 years old. In combating this pandemic it makes more logical sense to put the primary focus on the high-risk group. This is because most healthy younger people will survive the infection quite well. In general, it is the elderly that are dying.

So treating Donald Trump as a case study for future treatment of high-risk patients, what can be discerned.

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The first thing I noticed is that the drop in oxygen saturation levels using a pulse oximeter raised red flags to the medical community. Over the course of his early illness, the President experienced two episodes of transient drops in his oxygen saturation.

On 10 March 2020, page 55 of this thread, I recommended household purchase and use a pulse oximeter.

I always practice what I preach, so not only did I purchase a pulse oximeter for my household I also purchased one for each of my children. My grandchildren turned this into a kind of game. When they got up each morning, they each took their oxygen reading and competed to see who had the best readings.

So to wrap up this first key point, the general guidance for when someone comes down with a fever is to shelter at place in your home. This guidance is incomplete. For those in the high-risk group, the first thing is to find out if you have the coronavirus, get tested. And the second thing is if you experience an oxygen saturation anomaly (because you measure it using a pulse oximeter), then get admitted to the hospital and immediately begin treatments.

Many of the proposed experimental treatments are effective when they are administered to the patient early on but have proven ineffective when the patient is brought to the hospital when they are at death’s door. For the vulnerable, it is critical to start treatment early.

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So what did the doctors do when they observed a drop in the oxygen saturation in President Trump. They administered a steroid, Dexamethasone. That makes sense. Dexamethasone, a corticosteroid, is similar to a natural hormone produced by your adrenal glands. It relieves inflammation and is used to treat asthma. It helps to relieve the congestion in the lungs and restore oxygen saturation levels.

This is similar to the protocol that jimmy m. would use should he contract the coronavirus. I had asthma for several years and used Advair to treat the condition. Advair contains 2 medications: fluticasone and salmeterol. Fluticasone belongs to a class of drugs known as corticosteroids. It works by reducing the irritation and swelling of the airways. Salmeterol belongs to the class of drugs known as long-acting beta agonists. It works by relaxing the muscles around the airways so that they open up and you can breathe more easily. I still have a couple diskus of Advair lying around the house and use it as a type of rescue inhaler whenever my lungs get congested.

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So what happened next? They rushed him to the hospital (Walter Reed medical center). This is an important step for the vulnerable population. Don’t wait until they are at death’s door.

The optimal approach for controlling the Second Wave should primarily be focused on the vulnerable population.

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President Trump was then treated with therapeutic agents. These included:
* Regeneron’s antibody cocktail REGN-COV2 which contains two monoclonal antibodies.
* Gilead’s nucleotide analog called Remdesivir

REGN-COV2 is a combination of two antibodies directed against a key protein of the virus that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2. They bind to a region on the main surface spike protein that helps the virus attach to a receptor on human cells called angiotensin-converting enzyme 2.

Remdesivir is a nucleotide analogue prodrug that inhibits viral RNA polymerases. Drug trials revealed the drug was effective in shortening the time to recovery and in lowering respiratory tract infection in COVID-19 patients.

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Trump also took zinc, vitamin D, melatonin, a daily aspirin, and famotidine.

Many people take zinc in lozenge form to treat the common cold. There is some evidence that zinc is effective in blocking coronavirus (and most other viruses) from multiplying in your throat and nasopharynx.

There is some research primarily coming out of Europe about the usefulness of Vitamin D supplementation for treating COVID-19. It appears to minimize the severity of the infection. I have talked about the usefulness of Vitamin D in this thread and provided additional information in this link: Action Plan

Melatonin, the main hormone secreted by the pineal gland, plays crucial roles in pharmacological and pathological conditions in both animals and humans. Melatonin has various properties such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-excitatory, sleep initiation, and immunoregulation. Some research shows that melatonin may help in treating COVID-19.
Melatonin potentials against viral infections including COVID-19

Many COVID-19 patients in the ICU are developing blood clots, including clots in small vessels, deep vein thromboses in the legs, clots in the lungs, and stroke-causing clots in cerebral arteries. Common Aspirin works as a blood thinner, which can prevent blood clots from forming.

Famotidine has been suggested to be a treatment for COVID-19, but it’s also a popular heartburn remedy, sold widely under the name Pepcid.

Regeneron's REGN-COV2 Treatment

I came across a good article this morning discussing one of the treatments that President Trump underwent, Regeneron's monoclonal antibodies. Here is a link: Explaining The President's COVID Treatment The drug is currently in a series of Phase 1 blending into Phase 2 studies.

The drug is a combination of two designer antibodies that attach and "disable" the spike proteins associated specifically with COVID-19, resulting in a reduction of viral load, and at least in "non-human" primates, less lung damage. The underlying treatment concept is a more "industrialized" form of convalescent plasma. Rather than identify recovering patients and "milking them" for antibodies, these antibodies have been created in the laboratory. They act in a non-competing manner, meaning they attach to their target without interference from other antibodies that might dilute their effect. Developing these designer antibodies means that we can produce them in large quantities, making them a more readily available drug for the population at risk.

Irrespective of serologic status, the medication reduced viral load. In the group with the largest viral load at baseline, Regn-COV2 reduced viral load by nearly 100% compared to placebo. The antibody "cocktail" appears, at least for outpatients, to reduce the length and severity of their illness, putting it into the Tami-flu category of impact. Given a lack of therapeutic options, that is good.