There is a light at the end of the tunnel and it is not another train coming at us. A solution to the COVID-19 epidemic is visible. The key to returning to normalcy is the rate at which people who contract the illness need to be hospitalized.
The media have been mostly ignoring this. Every day and night they are blaring the TOTAL number of people who have gotten it along with the number who have died. Of course, these numbers go up. They will continue to do so because people will get the illness and, unfortunately, some will die.
When the media does pay attention to hospitalization, it is usually to scream that a hospital is being overwhelmed. They pay little attention to the hospitalization rate, that is, the number of people who require hospitalization out of the number who fall ill. This is the key to getting back to normal.
Let’s talk a couple of what-if scenarios.
If the rate at which hospitalization is required is 20%, then a rapidly spreading infection would quickly overwhelm the hospital bed capacity in a specific area. This was the concern early in the process and is what led to shelter-in-place orders in different states. The idea was to “flatten the curve” of infection. This would be accomplished by reducing the opportunities for close contact. This would prevent the situation which occurred in Italy where, in some areas, they literally ran out of hospital beds to put people into.
However, if the hospitalization rate was 0.2%, the health care system would have little chance of being overwhelmed anywhere. It would be like a somewhat severe outbreak of the flu.
The key to getting the hospitalization rate down is outpatient treatment. The key to outpatient treatment is identifying those who have COVID-19 and then prescribing an effective treatment regimen that will usually prevent the need to enter a hospital.
So, testing is one key. While there was an issue with the CDC and a flawed test early on, the fact is that testing is now available on a widespread basis. One thing that South Korea did to facilitate testing for COVID-19 was to set up drive-through testing stations around the country. That needs to happen here.
Right now there is a capacity of some 500,000 Abbott tests that are not being utilized according to Dr. Birx. Why?
The CDC stands in the way. Because there was a shortage of testing capacity in the beginning, the CDC restricted testing to “high priority” patients.
The shortage of testing has been eliminated. The above criteria must be eliminated ASAP. Allowing the general public to access tests on a mass scale will help identify the many people with moderate, mild, or nonexistent symptoms who are now spreading the virus to others. Once identified, these people can be quarantined and treated. The goal is to reduce the spread and prevent the need for hospitalization.
Regarding treatment, a survey of some 6200 doctors worldwide showed the hydroxychloroquine-zinc cocktail to be the treatment of choice. As previously noted, Dr. Zelenko, a primary care physician to a New York Hasidic community, modified this slightly and had remarkable success.
His prescription was the following:
- Hydroxychloroquine. 400mg first day and 200mg per day for four days
- Zinc. 220mg once daily for 5 days
- Zithromax. 500mg day for 5 days
His result was four patients needing hospitalization out of 699 cases. He also noted that early intervention was more successful than waiting.
Please be reminded: Do not self-medicate.
Multiple other studies have confirmed the success of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and chloroquine (CQ).
First Chinese Test-Tube Study, Second Chinese Test-Tube Study, First Chinese Human-Subject study, First French Human-Subject Study, Second French Human-Subject Study.
Please note that these are not formal clinical trials. They represent different efforts to study the virus and determine a possible course of treatment.
Although Dr. Fauci of the CDC will say that there is no formally approved treatment (as a scientist, that is his role here), the doctors on the frontlines recognize a winner when they see it. This treatment when coupled with widespread testing should allow the earlier recovery of patients as well as a very substantial reduction in the need for hospital care.
Someone else who appears to recognize a winner when he sees it is NY’s Governor Cuomo who reversed his earlier limitations on HCQ.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=150&v=2JFThng_2bs&feature=emb_logo
One hurdle to HCQ is its availability. The bulk of U.S. supplies of HCQ come from U.S. pharmaceutical companies operating in India. Because the drug is now considered to be the leading source of treatment, India had banned the export. PDJT reached out to his good friend, India’s Prime Minister Modi, and it appears that an exception will be made to supply the U.S.
In addition, Mylan Labs in WV is starting a new production line to help with the need for HCQ. It is possible that the National Production Act may also be brought into play to help out.
So, there truly does seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel. Reversing the curve of hospitalization should allow America to return to normalcy in the not-too-distant future.