[marvin4242]

Thanks xyzcf for the article. Today there was this from the chief scientist at WHO which seems to keep with the data seen before about children, Covid and schools. From The Guardian blurb below. It will be interesting to see the actual data.

“Data on reopening schools reassuring, says WHO scientist

Dr Soumya Swaminathan, chief scientist at the World Health Organisation (WHO), spoke to the BBC’s Andrew Marr show earlier. The PA news agency has her comments.

Asked about the reopening of schools, and evidence from countries that have done so, Dr Swaminathan said:

Overall, the data has been very reassuring, though of course it’s only a few countries that have done that. The guidance that has been put out by WHO clearly lays out the criteria you would use when you consider whether to reopen a school or not...

It’s really important that all the stakeholders, that is the teachers, the children themselves and the parents or caregivers, have had a chance to have a dialogue and ask questions, and be informed of what is being done to minimise the risks and what they need to do.

Dr Swaminathan said evidence from countries where schools have remained open suggests this has not led to large outbreaks of Covid-19.

What we have seen in countries where schools have remained open is that there have not been big outbreaks in schools, and where there have been it’s been associated with events - where a lot of people gather, not in regular classrooms, and it’s often been associated with an adult whose had the infection and has spread it.“

[marvin4242]

I just read that a study in Hong Kong showed that use of surgical masks reduced spread of Covid by 60%...in hamsters. I was impressed they could get the hamsters to keep those masks on. They must have looked cute!

More seriously they placed the masks in the airflow path between cages. So it is a good indication that use of masks can help reduce the spread from people who are carriers.

[Thunder]

Marvin, now if we could just convince everyone to wear one, huh?

Not sure if anyone posted this yet, about the importance of Vitamin D:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200507121353.htm

[marvin4242]

Thunder: that is a fascinating little study. Not only does it again emphasize that a lot of the damage is done by the Cytokines storm (immune system overreaction) in people who are not already at risk, but also that vitamin D is not only important in good immune system function AND in keeping the immune system from overreacting. So it all ties together.

And the final nugget is the fact that children are not in as much risk exactly because their immune system is not well developed enough to show the over reaction that is the risk factor in younger people.

Thanks for posting that. So much information is one article.

[marvin4242]

Early positive results from one of the first vaccines. No safety issues except redness at site of injection. And this is NOT the same as efficacy but there was similar or higher antibody counts in testers compared to people who had recovered from Covid. And the vaccine protected vaccinated mic. This is encouraging news.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/05/18/coronavirus-vaccine-first-results/

[Treasur]

The UK government rather strangely imho based on the public facts announced that a vaccine being trialled in Oxford will be made available for 30 million doses in September....hmmm....https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/oxford-coronavirus-trials-heres-what-we-know-so-far-about-the-covid-19-vaccine/.....the phrase 'swallow doth not a summer make' comes to mind. Of course, we all want a vaccine and early encouraging signs en route to one is good news, but I do wish some of the public communication was a little more fact-based and a little less 'political' perhaps? Makes it rather difficult to judge what is solid information and what is not.

[MyBrainIsBroken]

Oxford coronavirus trials: here’s what we know so far about the COVID-19 vaccine
https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/oxford-coronavirus-trials-heres-what-we-know-so-far-about-the-covid-19-vaccine/

[marvin4242]

Interesting new revision in guidelines from CDC in the US. Nothing really new but a good restatement of main mode of transmission. Headline has the highlights, links below:

“Virus ‘does not spread easily’ from contaminated surfaces or animals, revised CDC website states”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/05/21/virus-does-not-spread-easily-contaminated-surfaces-or-animals-revised-cdc-website-states/

[Nerissa]

The UK government rather strangely imho based on the public facts announced that a vaccine being trialled in Oxford will be made available for 30 million doses in September....hmmm....https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/oxford-coronavirus-trials-heres-what-we-know-so-far-about-the-covid-19-vaccine/.....the phrase 'swallow doth not a summer make' comes to mind. Of course, we all want a vaccine and early encouraging signs en route to one is good news, but I do wish some of the public communication was a little more fact-based and a little less 'political' perhaps? Makes it rather difficult to judge what is solid information and what is not.

They have today begun recruiting volunteers to trial the vaccine  who are aged over 55 and  under 18.  I had understood  that the vaccine wasn’t showing complete immune protection but mitigated symptoms.  They must believe progress to be sufficient to extend testing.  I suppose more information will come soon.  I’ve submitted an application to volunteer for it but there are a lot of checks and tests  to go through before being accepted.

[marvin4242]

More from the “science beats feelings from the gut” camp of reality.

Antimalarial drug touted by President Trump is linked to increased risk of death in coronavirus patients, study says

Key paragraphs of article

“ A study of 96,000 hospitalized coronavirus patients on six continents found that those who received an antimalarial drug promoted by President Trump as a “game changer” in the fight against the virus had a significantly higher risk of death compared with those who did not.”

And

“It’s one thing not to have benefit, but this shows distinct harm,” said Eric Topol, a cardiologist and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute. “If there was ever hope for this drug, this is the death of it.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/05/22/hydroxychloroquine-coronavirus-study/?hpid=hp_hp-banner-main_hydroxy-840am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory-ans