Welcome to the COVID-19: Medical and Scientific Information thread.
The goal of this thread is to share and discuss medical and scientific information related to COVID-19 infection, the SARS-COV-2 virus, symptoms, course of disease, treatments, vaccines, and other directly related topics in a straightforward and apolitical manner.
Although many of these have been discussed in other threads, the information there is more difficult to uncover and recover due to the fast pace of unrelated content and the obvious political nature of many of the posts (in the NS thread).
If you wish to avoid the politics but would like to share and find information on this subject, then this is the TideFans thread for you.
We need to throw out a couple of caveats and disclaimers before we get started here:
1. Nothing on TideFans should be construed as medical advice, even if it comes from a medical professional. Everything posted on TideFans is for informational and entertainment purposes only, even if stated otherwise. Nothing here is to be construed as diagnosing or treating a disease or recommending a treatment or diagnosis. If you are concerned about your health (or another's) you should seek medical treatment in the way you best see fit.
2. We are attempting to offer a place where factual information can be shared, found, and discussed. Although TideFans attempts to allow many viewpoints and ideas to be discussed freely, false information can take many forms and may pose a danger. TideFans is not responsible for the information posted, whether true or false, but posts containing false, misleading, and/or dangerous information are subject to removal based on moderator/administrator discretion. If you make a post and it disappears please check with us prior to posting the same again. If you feel a post was wrongly removed for any reason please check with us.
3. We are hoping to have reasoned discussion of mainly scientific and medical studies and articles and other information pertinent to this discussion.
4. Political posts of any viewpoint will not be tolerated. There is already a thread for political discussion. Such posts are subject to removal and the poster is subject to temporary or permanent removal of posting privileges.
5. All of the normal rules for TideFans and for the Non-Sports & NO Politics! board apply, with special rules and exceptions for this thread stated above. TideFans reserves the right to apply and change these rules without prior notification.
Your questions and input are welcomed.
I'll kick things off with a few links regarding symptoms of COVID-19 and the course of illness.
Here's one from the CDC.
Here's another from Mayo Clinic.
And another from Worldometer that is a little more complete and includes information about the course of illness.
The symptoms vary from the classic and often reported symptoms of fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Some have primarily or mostly GI symptoms like nausea and diarrhea. Others may experience fatigue, achiness, or confusion or other flu-like symptoms.
The course of the disease is quite variable. Some seem to have mild or even no symptoms while others progress to not only respiratory distress and failure but also multiorgan dysfunction syndrome (MODS), organ failure, and death. No one currently understands why some have only mild symptoms and others have more severe disease.
There are currently NO APPROVED and PROVEN medical treatments for COVID-19. (Source)
This should get the conversation started. Feel free to bring in articles that have been posted in other threads as well as new articles and links to studies and other reliable information sources.
The goal of this thread is to share and discuss medical and scientific information related to COVID-19 infection, the SARS-COV-2 virus, symptoms, course of disease, treatments, vaccines, and other directly related topics in a straightforward and apolitical manner.
Although many of these have been discussed in other threads, the information there is more difficult to uncover and recover due to the fast pace of unrelated content and the obvious political nature of many of the posts (in the NS thread).
If you wish to avoid the politics but would like to share and find information on this subject, then this is the TideFans thread for you.
We need to throw out a couple of caveats and disclaimers before we get started here:
1. Nothing on TideFans should be construed as medical advice, even if it comes from a medical professional. Everything posted on TideFans is for informational and entertainment purposes only, even if stated otherwise. Nothing here is to be construed as diagnosing or treating a disease or recommending a treatment or diagnosis. If you are concerned about your health (or another's) you should seek medical treatment in the way you best see fit.
2. We are attempting to offer a place where factual information can be shared, found, and discussed. Although TideFans attempts to allow many viewpoints and ideas to be discussed freely, false information can take many forms and may pose a danger. TideFans is not responsible for the information posted, whether true or false, but posts containing false, misleading, and/or dangerous information are subject to removal based on moderator/administrator discretion. If you make a post and it disappears please check with us prior to posting the same again. If you feel a post was wrongly removed for any reason please check with us.
3. We are hoping to have reasoned discussion of mainly scientific and medical studies and articles and other information pertinent to this discussion.
4. Political posts of any viewpoint will not be tolerated. There is already a thread for political discussion. Such posts are subject to removal and the poster is subject to temporary or permanent removal of posting privileges.
5. All of the normal rules for TideFans and for the Non-Sports & NO Politics! board apply, with special rules and exceptions for this thread stated above. TideFans reserves the right to apply and change these rules without prior notification.
Your questions and input are welcomed.
I'll kick things off with a few links regarding symptoms of COVID-19 and the course of illness.
Here's one from the CDC.
Here's another from Mayo Clinic.
And another from Worldometer that is a little more complete and includes information about the course of illness.
The symptoms vary from the classic and often reported symptoms of fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Some have primarily or mostly GI symptoms like nausea and diarrhea. Others may experience fatigue, achiness, or confusion or other flu-like symptoms.
The course of the disease is quite variable. Some seem to have mild or even no symptoms while others progress to not only respiratory distress and failure but also multiorgan dysfunction syndrome (MODS), organ failure, and death. No one currently understands why some have only mild symptoms and others have more severe disease.
There are currently NO APPROVED and PROVEN medical treatments for COVID-19. (Source)
Treatment is supportive. IOW, if you can't effectively breathe on your own then your breathing will be supported with oxygen, ventilator, and/or other methods.Information for Clinicians on Therapeutic Options for Patients with COVID-19
Updated April 7, 2020
There are no drugs or other therapeutics approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to prevent or treat COVID-19. Current clinical management includes infection prevention and control measures and supportive care, including supplemental oxygen and mechanical ventilatory support when indicated. Interim guidelines for the medical management of COVID-19 will be provided soon by the Department of Health and Human Services COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel.
Remdesivir
Remdesivir is an investigational intravenous drug with broad antiviral activity that inhibits viral replication through premature termination of RNA transcription and has in-vitro activity against SARS-CoV-2 and in-vitro and in-vivo activity against related betacoronaviruses. Information about clinical trials of remdesivir is available at ClinicalTrials.govexternal icon. Remdesivir is also available through an expanded access programexternal icon from the manufacturer, Gilead Sciences.
Hydroxychloroquine and Chloroquine
Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are oral prescription drugs that have been used for treatment of malaria and certain inflammatory conditions. Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are under investigation in clinical trials for pre-exposure or post-exposure prophylaxis of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and treatment of patients with mild, moderate, and severe COVID-19. More information on clinical trials can be found at ClinicalTrials.govexternal icon. FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to authorize use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquineexternal icon from the Strategic National Stockpile for treatment of hospitalized adults and adolescents (weight ≥50 kg) with COVID-19 for whom a clinical trial is not available or participation is not feasible.
Other Drugs
Several other drugs (e.g., investigational antivirals, immunotherapeutic, host-directed therapies) are under investigation in clinical trials or are being considered for clinical trials of pre-exposure prophylaxis, post-exposure prophylaxis, or treatment of COVID-19 in the United States and worldwide. Information on registered clinical trials for COVID-19 in the United States is available at ClinicalTrials.govexternal icon. FDA has issued guidance for administering or studying use of convalescent plasma for treatmentexternal icon of patients with COVID-19.
This should get the conversation started. Feel free to bring in articles that have been posted in other threads as well as new articles and links to studies and other reliable information sources.