06-29-2020, 02:18 AM
(06-29-2020, 01:31 AM)oncemoreuntothejimbreech Wrote: Decadron is not a new treatment. It’s a steroid that reduces inflammation from such conditions as Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome to poison ivy to use during joint injections for arthritis. I use it a lot for bronchitis because 80% of cases are viral and steroids reduce airway inflammation to hopefully reduce symptoms and speed recovery. It is a symptomatic treatment. And steroids are one of the mainstay of treatment for many respiratory conditions such as asthma and COPD for decades. Steroids for respiratory problems are about as common as Tylenol for a fever or headache.
That’s an investigational drug that is only for inpatient use when patient’s are on death’s door and used as a last resort when nothing else has worked. The vast majority of prescribers in the US can’t prescribe it unless you’re a hospitalist working in an ICU. Studies have shown it reduces symptoms from 15 days to 11 days.
This is from the NEJM from May . . .
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2007764
And this is from the manufacturer . . .
https://www.remdesivir.com/us/dosing-administration/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjani2_Gl6gIVyZ6zCh0oSgakEAAYASABEgJE1fD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Testing is not a treatment.
I had a test result return today after 12 days. If we’re lucky tests return in 2 days at the earliest. The normal range is 3-5 days. The labs are so backlogged tests are being shipped to labs out of state who have less of a demand which increases turn around time.
We had anterior nasal swabs made in China to collect samples, but our supply ran out and now we’re back to using nasopharyngeal swabs that go back almost as far as your ear.
And the test you’re talking about, is it a PCR test or an antibody test? Because the antibody test should not be used to diagnose Acute Covid 19.
There’s literally nothing new that I can write a prescription for that wasn’t already available when the pandemic began. And the most promising drug reduces symptoms from 15 to 11 days, but I can’t write a prescription for it.
Yes but you weren't writing a prescription for it to be used with Covid 19 in January, Feb, March or April.
The new Saliva test they are rolling out in Victoria uses the same PCR test in the lab as the current nose and throat test.
Testing is not a treatment no but I was also discussing the purpose of flattening the curve was to buy time to improve resourses and practices and improving wide scale testing is an important component of combating Covid 19. Countries that have managed to do well up to this point are the countries that implemented aggressive contact tracing to break the infection chain. The US is way past this point, but increasing the capability of testing and contact tracing was a significant advantage of flattening the curve here.
