Lots of COVID news this week – here’s the latest.
The bad.
One out of every hundred Americans has been infected with COVID19.
Almost one out of every 25 people infected have died.
People of color are far worse off than white folks.
This racial disparity is pretty much everywhere, in every state, although it is particularly bad in Kansas where Black people account for 6% of the population and 22% of deaths; Michigan – 14% of the population, 41% of deaths; and Missouri – 12% and 36%.
Testing here in the US is still waaaaay behind where it should be. Results often take so long they are all but useless.
Hydroxychloroquine is useless. Or worse.
Despite being touted by the President and others who should have known better, more and more research is proving the drug:
- is not effective for early treatment of mild COVID19 cases;
- does not prevent healthy people from getting infected;
- actually reduces the effectiveness of remdesivir if taken with it; and
- is particularly dangerous when taken outside a hospital setting due to risk of cardiac problems.
Fortunately the FDA revoked its emergency use authorization for the drug; unfortunately idiots with no science background continue to tout it.
I have written extensively about this over the last four months; here’s
- a detailed look at the study that started the whole mess;
- a quick summary of other studies; and
- how PBMs are dealing with requests for the drug.
The good
We DO know masks really make a difference.
Fast, cheap, and accurate tests are coming – and they can’t get here soon enough. The paper-strip tests will cost less than $5 and give instant results. While that’s still costly, it is a lot less expensive than the current lab-based tests.
Therapeutic medications appear to be helping treat folks who are infected.
Monoclonal antibodies (taken from the blood of those already infected and maybe from mice) appear to help prevent the disease and treat those who get infected.
A study published last week shows anti-viral drug remdesivir was associated with “improved recovery and a 62 percent reduced risk for death compared with standard care.”
Black people did even better as did those not on a ventilator.
The unknown
If you’re buying into the White House’s happy talk about a vaccine, take a lesson from the Administration’s early cheerleading for hydroxychloroquine – they were completely wrong. Wait for the science, and ignore the politicians.
What does this mean for you?
Science. It’s all about the science.
