Tagged: covid-19
Human beings are not the same thing as monkey cells: no, don’t start taking fenofibrate
Audacy (a site for radio stations’ online presence) reports, “Cholesterol drug cuts COVID infection rate by 70%: study”.
Actually, no, that is not what’s reported.
70% reduction in infection would be incredible, so naturally I read the article. I even read the actual journal paper they refer to.
Bonus points for this being an actual, peer-reviewed, published paper in a real journal, Frontiers in Pharmacology Translational Pharmacology. It just does not say anything about infection in humans. It says that the virus failed to infect monkey cells in culture media by up to 70%.
This is a really interesting paper, and I look forward to future work. This could potentially be a useful treatment.
That does not justify the utterly false headline. Audacy reporter Stephanie Raymond apparently either did not read the paper or did not know what Vero cells are and did not bother to look it up. Certainly she did not interview any of the scientists involved. One wonders if she worked off a press release.
Note: in the subject line I said not to start taking fenofibrate. I of course mean, “Unless it’s prescribed by your doctor, for a valid reason.” I am not a medical doctor and I’m not giving medical advice. I’m just saying that you shouldn’t start any prescription med unless it is prescribed by a licensed practitioner.
Terrifyingly transmissible variants?
So, we hear a lot about how the VOC 202012/01 variant (the “British variant”) and 501Y.V2 (the “South African variant”) are more transmissible than the baseline SARS-CoV-2 virus, and there is evidence that this is true.
However, something to keep in mind:
| New Cases of SARS-CoV-2 Infection | UK | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 16 | 41,346 | 13,973 |
| Jan 30 | 23,275 | 5,297 |
So, while these new variants are coming to dominate new infections in both nations, both countries have reduced their number of actual infections dramatically. That isn’t an inconsistency–it just indicates that common-sense public health measures like distancing and mask-wearing actually work fine against the new variants. (There are lots of other factors, like the “post-Christmas surge” in cases abating, of course.)
This is what evil looks like
A protest forced the temporary closure of a COVID-19 vaccination site in Los Angeles. They’re literally willing to kill people for the fiction that COVID-19 doesn’t exist.
They’re willing to kill for a lie. I literally can’t think of worse evil. Bigger evil, sure, but not worse.
To quote a post from one of the protestors, “… please refrain from wearing Trump/MAGA attire as we want our statement to resonate with the sheeple. No flags but informational signs only.” Naturally, they had to lie about who they were.
Retail Unmasked
I wrote this to a particular local store. I’m not going to name-and-shame them, so this is an open letter to many retailers:
Hello,
I was in your store this morning.
Several of your staff were wearing their masks either around their necks, or not covering their noses.
This is another way to say, “Not really wearing masks.”
Or, “Not protecting your customers or each other from disease.”
I am deliberately not naming or describing them, because this is not a failure of the hourly employee. It is inevitably and inarguably the responsibility of the management to ensure that the staff follows proper health and safety practices.
If you need assistance, Suffolk County and the State of New York have many resources available to you.
I will note that at least one staffer was apparently walking in to start a shift. You may want to remind them to wear a mask whenever they are in the store, not just when they are on the clock. The same rules that apply to your customers apply to your staff. Masks protect us all, but only if we all wear them.
Let me emphasize that I’m not angry at your staff, or you. I am trying to help protect them, and you, from a potentially deadly disease.
Thank you.
Reasonably Literate 