COVID-19 Science discussion

[km1125]

That's the advisory I saw. Where do you see it being rebuffed?

The drug (when used with some kind of zinc) has definitely been used in several countries with what appears to be positive results. It may not work for everyone and the negative consequences appear to be very very limited unless it's abused (overdosed or drug conflicts). However, I still haven't found really good info on how it operates in a prophylactic manner, only slowing the virus once it's already infected a host.

[TC Talks]

As it turns out, the reality-based, science-friendly communities and information sources many of us depend on also largely failed. We had time to prepare for this pandemic at the state, local, and household level, even if the government was terribly lagging, but we squandered it because of widespread asystemic thinking: the inability to think about complex systems and their dynamics. We faltered because of our failure to consider risk in its full context, especially when dealing with coupled risk—when multiple things can go wrong together. We were hampered by our inability to think about second- and third-order effects and by our susceptibility to scientism—the false comfort of assuming that numbers and percentages give us a solid empirical basis. We failed to understand that complex systems defy simplistic reductionism.

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/ ... se/608596/

[TC Talks]

Evidence that testing early and often leads to success...

As confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Germany soared past 10,000 last week, hundreds of Berliners crowded Volkspark am Friedrichshain to play soccer and basketball, and to let their kids loose on the park's many jungle gyms.

The conditions seemed ideal for the spread of a virus that has killed thousands. Indeed, as of Wednesday, Germany had the fifth-highest number of cases.

Yet Germany's fatality rate so far — just 0.5% — is the world's lowest, by a long shot.

"I believe that we are just testing much more than in other countries, and we are detecting our outbreak early," said Christian Drosten, director of the institute of virology at Berlin's Charité hospital.

https://www.npr.org/2020/03/25/82059548 ... Q1FjBVhwxI

[audiophile]

0.5%? Maybe it's proof sauerkraut is good for you.

[TC Talks]

0.5%? Maybe it's proof sauerkraut is good for you.

There seems to be a parallel between testing and low infection rates. That's how we keep Influenza at bay. Without Vaccines, Flu testing and Tamiflu I suspect that would be just a frightening. Germany was prepared and may the sauerkraut gives them the intelligence to be prepared?

[audiophile]

Well if you test more, you find more - then the ratio will be better. My guess is 0.5 is probably close worldwide.

[TC Talks]

More testing should produce a greater infection rate per 100,000 at first, but then you could manage it better to produce lower result over the span of the virus curve. It would probably produce a much lower mortality rate of those infected but the mortality rate per 100,000 would go down with better management.

[TC Talks]

Some cool resources...

Some of the best science related website for students and teachers: http://www.forensicsciencetechnician.or ... -teachers/
FREE ONLINE COURSES (Watch recorded university lectures from universities around the world. Classes include ((but are not limited to)): Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Microbiology, Climate Change, Math, Business, Psychology, Engineering, computer programming) (Most free online learning sites have mobile apps as well)

[TC Talks]

Here is an excellent site that discusses the Pathogen Genome as it evolves...

Viruses are scary because they can mutate and gain new powers much more quickly than any other kind of pathogen. At every transmission from one host to another, a virus’s DNA undergoes random tweaks to its small genome. In case of Ebola, for instance, one such transmission suspected to be from a wild animal to a two-year-old toddler in Guinea gave the virus the mutation it needed to spread faster than it had before and kill thousands of people.

https://qz.com/920836/a-new-genetic-too ... d=35474420

https://nextstrain.org/

[Bryce]

0.5%? Maybe it's proof sauerkraut is good for you.

You may be on to something here. Sauerkraut is VERY good for you. Your gut is the first line of defense against viral and bacterial infection. Fresh (not canned) Sauerkraut is loaded with probiotics which feed the healthy gut bacteria.

People with healthy gut bacteria get sick much less often than folks that don't.

Eat a little Sauerkraut or Kimchi, and a little Greek Yougurt every day. To help kick start and feed the probiotics and help them grow, eat a bit of dark chocolate (80% cacao or higher) which is a great PREbiotic.

Back to your regularly scheduled programming.

[TC Talks]

Interesting article on how fear is as harmful as contracting the virus...

The FEAR of the Coronavirus is deadlier than the virus itself.
You see, when you are in fear, a reactive part of your brain called the amygdala takes control of your actions.
You enter into a fight-flight-freeze response.
(It’s what's causing people to buy way too much toilet paper.)
And when you are in this reactive state, your body starts producing a steroid called cortisol to help you handle the stress.
And guess what cortisol does to your immune system?
It WEAKENS it!
We have bacteria, viruses, fungus and a whole array of foreign particles we are exposed to every day, but it’s your immune system that prevents you from getting sick.
When we’re in fight-flight because of worries or anxiety, our bodies are wasting a ton of energy because it actually thinks it might die at that current moment.
And all that energy that’s gone now makes our bodies weaker and more vulnerable.
Being afraid is literally making you even more susceptible to getting sick.
And guess what else happens when you are in fight-flight-freeze mode?
You’re in a SELFISH, self-protective state.
You literally lose the capability of thinking or having empathy.
This is where so much of the damn racism is coming from because people are so afraid and they’re only looking out for themselves.
It’s what prevents us from thinking clearly and end up making matters worse.
Such as people who take up physicians’ time saying they think they have the virus when their symptoms aren’t even related. This takes time away from serving people who are actually infected.

https://medium.com/the-mission/why-coro ... ed6abe75bc

[audiophile]

0.5%? Maybe it's proof sauerkraut is good for you.

You may be on to something here. Sauerkraut is VERY good for you. Your gut is the first line of defense against viral and bacterial infection. Fresh (not canned) Sauerkraut is loaded with probiotics which feed the healthy gut bacteria.

People with healthy gut bacteria get sick much less often than folks that don't.

Eat a little Sauerkraut or Kimchi, and a little Greek Yougurt every day. To help kick start and feed the probiotics and help them grow, eat a bit of dark chocolate (80% cacao or higher) which is a great PREbiotic.

Back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Thanks for the PSA

[TC Talks]

Here is a great discussion about the different proteins in COVID19 and their role...

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/202 ... otein.html

[TC Talks]

Here is a report that Google publishes on how we have changed our habits.

https://www.google.com/covid19/mobility/

[TC Talks]

A first hand look at the science of the disease from an urgent covid case in New Jersey's first patient.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/05/maga ... e=Homepage