Tag: corona virus
San Francisco and Iceland: Success Stories for the Covid Vaccine
Both Iceland and San Francisco are seen as having had low Covid case rates and high vaccination rates. But with the Delta variant, both places had a surge this summer in cases and hospitalizations. Iceland is 77% vaccinated, San Francisco 73%, the U.S. 53%. At the height of the surge in mid-August, the Washington Post reported…
Read MoreAspirin Reduces by Nearly Half the Need For Mechanical Ventilation for COVID-19 Patients
This makes total sense since blood clotting is a huge problem in severe Covid 19 patients. There is a risk of internal bleeding, but the risk/benefit ratio is quite low. Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and taking aspirin were nearly half as likely to require mechanical ventilation as those with COVID-19 not taking the drug,…
Read MoreVaccination Does Prevent Illness as well as Spreading of Covid
Another great article from National Geographic about the vaccines and how they help to mitigate disease and its spread. After any infection, “you have white blood cells, specifically T and B cells, that hang around and remember that initial infection so that if you do become infected again, these memory cells respond by immediately multiplying…
Read MoreHygiene Hypothesis>Don’t fear all germs!!!
Dr. Graham Rook, an emeritus professor of medical microbiology at University College London, likens the immune system to a computer. He says that the microbes we encounter in daily life — on other people and in our spaces — are the data that the immune system relies on to program and regulate its operations. While…
Read MoreDr. Kariko, Hero of the Covid mRNA vaccine
An absolutely incredible story of a dogged, persistent scientist in the face of huge obstacles who persevered and was key in the effort to produce the mRNA vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna alike. I encourage you to read the whole thing. Inspiring! And it underscores the importance of basic science but also of following hunches…
Read MoreHow the Corona Virus Hacks the Immune System: the New Yorker
This is such a terrific article. Not only does it do a creditable job of explaining the basics of the immune system, but also how Covid 19 acts to disrupt cells and highjacks the immune system. Since I’m unsure if the article will be accessible if you’re lacking a subscription, I’ll quote some pertinent parts…
Read MoreWear the Humble Mask. It Is Your Servant to Protect and Defend
There will be no improvement in jobs and economic activity until we beat this thing. Until infection rates in whatever population decreases to manageable levels, we will be stuck with no “normal” life. From California we cannot visit New York without quarantining anymore. Though deaths are staying flat, hospitalizations are increasing. In the Bay Area…
Read MoreNewsletter. The Long Haul of the Pandemic. Sleep.
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Read MoreTesting In California
Our testing is ramping up fast! This is one of the main determinants of when we can reopen. We’re 3/4 of the way there.
Read MoreHospitalizations and ICU visits Bay Area and California as of 5.7.2020
Bay Area is looking good. I hope that we can loosen restrictions sooner rather than later! California as a whole is not as good. Flat, at least, and not going up. But not sure how you can justify opening quickly.
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