Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[Mike]

Well, I actually have 6 more weeks until I’m fully vaccinated but I’ll keep you posted as to when life can go on. Hint: it’s in 6 weeks.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Stop being a pussy.

[Jeff Buchanan]

New COVID-19 treatment ‘showing it gets rid of virus completely’ in trials

Local health officials explain why that could be a bad thing.

I'm on the road and phone so this isn't a full response. The announcement of this COVID drug therapy is from Merck. Caveats apply. Early, small study. Large scale trials pending. FDA approval at least a year or more away so, this announcement is premature and morr about Merck advertising look at me (their vaccine candidate was a failure).

I've read available results. This is a antiretroviral similar in how it works to Tamiflu. Its based on a drug developed for SARS 1 and MERS that I don't think ever made it to market. You take it at onset of symptoms and for 5d. Preliminary results involving 208 COVID + subjects showed the 78 people in the study group who had detectable SARS2 in the nasopharynx, cleared it after drug treatment.

Going back a year when the most probable outcome was that everyone was going to die from this new plague, smart people were saying that technology and invention would render predictions for an outcome like that look silly. They were in a minority. Well, look at where we are. I'd say this drug has use in future SARS - whatever number outbreaks. Reportedly it can be used prophylactically. Anyway a long way off. It's marketing at this point.

[Jeff Buchanan]

CDC announced guidance for what vaccinated people can do yesterday. They missed a huge opportunity to step up and make recommendations that I've posted about before - how can the public safely and with acceptable risk return to normal. They blew it. US CDC continues to demo its incompetence and lack of leadership......EU isn't much better. Asians and Indians on top of this.

[Hannibal]

Sounds promising. Everyone let's make sure that Donald Trump doesn't say anything good about it.

[iam416]

The drug on 60 Minutes was Fluvoxamine. It is an anti-depressant. It is extremely cheap (less than $1 per pill) and has minimal side effects. It's biochemistry is that it inhinits cytokine production. Hence, someone thought, hey, if it inhibits cytokine production maybe it will lessen or stop the dreaded cytokine strom that covid can cause.

The initial data, which is minimal, was that 0% of Covid patients that took the drug ended up in the hospital and roughly 8-12% of Covid patients that had the placebo ended up in the hospital. That was in one rigorous study sufficient for JAMA publication and one sort of anecdotal study done at a racetrack (with a huge outbreak).

There's enough evidence to credibly think that it is an effective treatment. However, there is insufficient evidence to say that definitively.

The only question is whether "covid treatment" can be added to the FDA label. Right now, though, an doctor can prescribe it off-label. Personally, if I ended up with Covid I would ask my doctor to prescribe me Fluvoxamine off label. Which any doctor can do -- TODAY.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Republican Senators retiring in 2022

Pat Toomey (PA)
Rob Portman (OH)
Richard Burr (NC)
Roy Blunt (MO)
Richard Shelby (AL)

Chuck Grassley is 87 and is "undecided" about running. McConnell has reportedly been working with the Kentucky state legislature to pass a law taking away the Governor's (a Democrat) ability to appoint a Senator should he die/retire, so there's speculation he doesn't expect to stay till 2026. Cornyn just won reelection but he's 70 and this might be his last rodeo too.

Establishment wing of the Party is going to look a lot smaller in the Senate soon.

[lineygoblue]

Soon, it will be just The Party.

[iam416]

Correct.

[froot loops]

Yeah those guys are undoubtedly going to be replaced by mini Trumps like Ronald Desantis. Either you are 100 percent with the Trump family or you are not wanted in that party.

[iam416]

Fingers crossed that they get replaced with DeSantis clones. There may still be some shred of hope, yet.

[iam416]

Just to keep score -- so far:

(1) a massive covid "relief" bill for an economy that is set to take off in a matter of weeks. The notion of limiting the relief to any sort of targeted relief (like extending unemployment) went out the window and he were with a blue state money grab.
(2) federalizing all elections...JFC...
(3) a police bill that measures "racial profiling" by disparate impact. So, you know, if you stop AAs more than their proportion of the population then you're racist. Also included in the bill -- profiling based on sex -- so, same thing -- gotta stop women and men the same amount of times. And this is the party of "facts".

And, of course, rampant virtue signaling shit like Keystone and Men plays Women's sports. But, those 3 are actual bills.

I think we can all dispose of the notion that Biden is any sort of moderate. It's Prog time. Elections have consequences and, whoa boy, they're coming our way.

[Mike]

Yeah, it's very disappointing.

[iam416]

Yep. PDJT's post-election asshattery squarely cost the Rs at least 1 Georgia seat. And so, at 50-50, the floodgates are open. The Administrative state was always going to go hard left, including virtually any sensible immigration rules. But, kudos to the Ds for holding together to get their Prog agenda rolling. I mean, it's a disaster, but they do stick together.

[Dr. Strangelove]

How much is every state getting in the covid bill?

The Senate version didn't change the total but did put slightly more under the control of state govts instead of local ones.

https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/politics/2021/03/04/how-much-money-each-state-would-receive-if-joe-biden-covid-stimulus-bill-passes/6892464002/