Dr. Novella takes a look at the efficacy of face masks.
A Death Absolutely Caused by an Irresponsible & Ignorant US President
An Arizona man has died and his wife is in a critical condition after both ingested chloroquine phosphate in an apparent effort to stave off Covid-19.
President Donald Trump has touted the medication form of chloroquine as a possible treatment for the virus.
…
Shortly after ingestion, the couple fell ill, said Arizona-based hospital system Banner Health. The couple were both in their 60s. The woman told NBC News she had seen a televised briefing in which Mr Trump discussed the potential benefits of chloroquine as a treatment Covid-19.
…
“We saw his press conference. It was on a lot, actually,” she said. “Trump kept saying it was basically pretty much a cure.” “We were afraid of getting sick,” she told NBC.
…
They mixed a small amount of the substance with liquid to drink. Within 20 minutes, both fell ill. “I started vomiting,” she said. “My husband started developing respiratory problems.” Her husband could not be revived in hospital and she remains in critical care.
Source: Coronavirus: Man dies taking fish tank cleaner as virus drug – BBC News
Victory!
In a stunning victory for nonprofits and NGOs around the world working in the public interest, ICANN today roundly rejected Ethos Capital’s plan to transform the .ORG domain registry into a heavily indebted for-profit entity.
Pay Attention to Dr. Gorski and Other Science Based Doctors If You Want the Best Chance of Surviving This Pandemic
As I’ve pointed out before, the entire saga shows that, when push comes to shove and a crisis hits, physicians’ dedication to science- and evidence-based medicine is disturbingly weak. So it came as no surprise (to me, at least) when the FDA issued a warning on Friday about chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine:
“The Food and Drug Administration warned consumers Friday against taking malaria drugs chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine to treat Covid-19 outside a hospital or formal clinical trial setting after deaths and poisonings were reported. …”
Read the rest here: Hydroxychloroquine and the price of abandoning of science- and evidence-based medicine – Science-Based Medicine
One thing is very clear, Dr. Didier Raoult, and David L Brown M.D. should have their licenses to practice medicine revoked, like what happened to former doctor Andrew Wakefield.
Wonderful Article on the BRVNHP
An excellent article on my favorite part of the world, the Blackstone River Valley, and its National Historical Park is in the May/June issue of Harvard Magazine.
Historic Threads
Tracing America’s industrial roots in the Blackstone River Valley
by NELL PORTER BROWN
Blackstone River Valley sights and activities | Harvard Magazine
Wisconsin Republicans Want to Kill Wisconsin Democrats
Republicans don’t need to vote in the Wisconsin primary election, Trump is the nominee. Their actions to prevent a delay clearly show they want only Democrats to be forced to go congregate in large crowds. The very active voters in the population are mostly in the highest risk group for death in this pandemic. Therefore the Wisconsin Republicans are clearly hoping to kill many Wisconsin Democrats.
The Supreme Court, in an unsigned opinion from which the four liberal justices dissented, reasoned that extending the date by which Wisconsin voters could mail absentee ballots “fundamentally alters the nature of the election.”
Source: Wisconsin: Supreme Court halts absentee ballot deadline extension
A Must Read for Coping with this Pandemic
The short answer to the question – how do you boost your immune system – is that you can’t. The very concept of “boosting” the immune system is not scientific and does not exist within
Source: Boosting Your Immune System During a Pandemic | NeuroLogica Blog
Summary of Healthcare in America in 2020.
How do health insurers continue to see huge profits during this crisis? “If medical claims start to rise uncontrollably,” @bobjherman reports, “they’ll increase everyone’s premiums next year.” Humana CEO Brian Kane put it more opaquely: “We would price for this for 2021.” (7/11)
They’re already prepping for big rate increases next year. California officials say they expect insurers to hike premiums up to 40% next year for plans in the state’s Obamacare exchange. Those getting coverage through employers should also brace for big premium hikes. (8/11)
In addition, Anthem’s CEO said his company expects to realize a “net saving” because hospitals are canceling non-emergency & elective procedures due to COVID-19. And we already know insurers are refusing to waive copays & deductibles for COVID-19 treatments. (9/11)
This is all music to investors’ ears, who are rushing to buy these stocks.
Another Clueless White Guy in a Position of Power
“I can’t believe we’ve been doing remote learning for a week,” Superintendent of Schools Jay Cummings said. “It feels like a year.”
More than 100 Chromebooks were distributed to students around Grafton, several by Cummings himself. What he discovered during the visits surprised him: students whose parents did not speak English, homes without Internet access.
I think it’s very bad that the superintendent was surprised at the plight of the working class and poor families . Seriously, the white guys who run this country have to wake up to the reality and start taking from the rich & corporations to help the working class and poor in this country.
Source: Grafton struggles with lessons, technology, lunch in first week of online schools – Grafton Common
Why Trump should be blamed for the situation we’re in
Keep that video in mind while you read this:
The cost of Trump’s ignoring and demonizing of the intelligence community just got much higher. It turns out that Trump was being warned by the intelligence reports as early as January that the coronavirus was likely to become a pandemic and hit the United States just as it had hit other countries. […]
Source: Intel Reports Predicted Coronavirus Pandemic in January | Ed Brayton
Finally see the latest way the President is likely to increase the harm:
Our president is going to get people killed. I don’t say this lightly. His actions today fall nothing short of reckless. Earlier today, President Trump tweeted: …
