The COVID-19 Science and Medicine Question Thread

So when you say he can barely text, what are his symptoms besides fatigue? Any fever?

[USER=2]@george[/USER] and other interested parties, here's a snippet from a NYTimes piece specific to a possible COVID-19 pill treatment...

***ATLANTA — Nine years ago, Dr. Dennis Liotta, a professor of organic chemistry at Emory University, set out to change the way drugs are developed for so-called [neglected diseases]('https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/neglected-tropical-diseases') — those that primarily affect populations in poorer countries and for which there exist few, if any, safe and effective treatments.

“The cold hard truth is that it can cost billions of dollars and take decades to develop a new drug,” he said during a [TEDx talk]('

Dr. Liotta would know.

He is a co-inventor of 12 drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Two of them, the antiretrovirals lamivudine and emtricitabine, were instrumental in curbing the spread of H.I.V., the latter having made possible the first-ever combination therapy for the virus [in a once-daily pill]('https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/13/business/13drug.html'). Dr. Liotta is considered a leader in discovering new disease-fighting drugs.

Now, many scientists think another drug from Dr. Liotta’s lab could similarly transform the fight against Covid-19.

If approved, Molnupiravir, an antiviral agent licensed by Merck & Co., in partnership with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics — a smaller company that first acquired the drug and remains involved in its development — would be the first treatment for the virus that could be taken as a pill. That would allow it to be quickly and easily disseminated, a major advantage over currently existing options like remdesivir and monoclonal antibody therapies, all of which have to be infused intravenously.
***
While the F.D.A. is still awaiting data from a [Phase II/III clinical trial]('https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04575597?term=molnupiravir+AND+merck&draw=2&rank=2'), Merck says it has [partnered with generic drugmakers in India]('https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210427005590/en/') to make Molnupiravir available there pending its authorization for emergency use amid the country’s catastrophic second wave of infections.

That should bring in some big bucks for the industry.

I’m sure they will make it a low dose so its needed weekly or monthly.

I think its a great idea.

?

That should bring in some big bucks for the industry.

I’m sure they will make it a low dose so its needed weekly or monthly.

I think its a great idea.

?

Drug half-life, how quickly the body metabolizes the drug, is a critical factor in dosage regimes, and what’s tested and validated in clinicals. This won’t be a prophylactic treatment, there’s a vaccine for that. It will be an acute treatment.

Potentially great news!!

[HEADING=2]Immunity to the Coronavirus May Persist for Years, Scientists Find[/HEADING]
Important immune cells survive in the bone marrow of people who were infected with the virus or were inoculated against it, new research suggests.

Immunity to the coronavirus lasts at least a year, possibly a lifetime, improving over time especially after vaccination, according to two new studies. The findings may help put to rest lingering fears that protection against the virus will be short-lived.

Together, the studies suggest that most people who have recovered from Covid-19 and who were later immunized will not need boosters. Vaccinated people who were never infected most likely will need the shots, however, as will a minority who were infected but did not produce a robust immune response.

Both reports looked at people who had been exposed to the coronavirus about a year earlier. Cells that retain a memory of the virus persist in the bone marrow and may churn out antibodies whenever needed, according to one of the studies, [published on Monday]('https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03647-4') in the journal Nature.

The other study, posted online at BioRxiv, a site for biology research, found that these so-called memory B cells [continue to mature and strengthen]('https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.12.08.416636v1') for at least 12 months after the initial infection.

No problem. Will gladly get the booster.

Are there any side effects that have been found during this massive experiment? I'll give you one example, actually the only example I know of. A good friend of mine received the moderna vaccine and had his second shot in April. He has suddenly lost the taste for sugar. He simply can't taste it. He never had Covid.

Co winky dink ? Losing the taste for sugar might not necessarily be a bad thing for some... just sayin'

Co winky dink ? Losing the taste for sugar might not necessarily be a bad thing for some... just sayin'

Unless he was a baker the. It would be very bad

but here’s the rub little side effects can quickly turn into huge problems , not saying that this will end poorly but the truth is
It’s one big experiment we are the lab rats and the results are still yet to be seen
We all weigh the risk then take the leap or don’t

Someone was just telling me that if you got the shots you cant give blood Anyone hear about this?

Someone was just telling me that if you got the shots you cant give blood Anyone hear about this?

[URL unfurl="true"]https://www.redcrossblood.org/local-homepage/news/article/covid-19-vaccination-guide-blood-donation.html[/URL]

Someone was just telling me that if you got the shots you cant give blood Anyone hear about this?

That unsubstantiated rumor was undoubtedly spread by someone against vaccinations.

[URL unfurl="true"]https://www.redcrossblood.org/local-homepage/news/article/covid-19-vaccination-guide-blood-donation.html[/URL]

[USER=58]@pequa1[/USER] You better check on JPD's link. The Red Cross is clear - You cannot donate blood if you've been vaccinated.

The only thing you can't donate is convalescent plasma. Which, as far as I can see isn't a thing anymore anyway.

[USER=58]@pequa1[/USER] You better check on JPD's link. The Red Cross is clear - You cannot donate blood if you've been vaccinated.

well that's going to cause problems with blood supplies

The only thing you can't donate is convalescent plasma. Which, as far as I can see isn't a thing anymore anyway.

Thanks for the clarification. There's no one taking my blood either way :)

That unsubstantiated rumor was undoubtedly spread by someone against vaccinations.

I don’t think there are many ppl against vaccinations
Against forced or mandatory vaccinations
Against providing proof of vaccination
Yes

but against you or anyone that wishes to be part of the trial doing so , not many

But I belive your going to find even a lot of those participating in this experiment with those views

Thanks for the clarification. There's no one taking my blood either way :)

The only thing mine would be good for is antifreeze.

[USER=58]@pequa1[/USER] You better check on JPD's link. The Red Cross is clear - You cannot donate blood if you've been vaccinated.

that is not how I read it. Two week delay recommended for the idiots who don't know which vaccine they got. Plasma is the exception.

Are there any side effects that have been found during this massive experiment? I'll give you one example, actually the only example I know of. A good friend of mine received the moderna vaccine and had his second shot in April. He has suddenly lost the taste for sugar. He simply can't taste it. He never had Covid.

Haven't heard that one. How long after the second shot did he lose his taste of sugar?