Category Archives: Science And Society

Are We Using Ventilators Wrong?

Do patients need oxygen rather than pressure? Are we doing more harm than good with the ventilators?

https://youtu.be/g3ka8lo_fZ8

[Via Kate McMillan, who has more]

[Update mid-afternoon]

This didn’t get much attention in comments a few days ago, but let’s try to boost the signal. I just did, on Twitter:

Artemis Alternatives

Plus, it considers only the extra $35B that NASA wants for Artemis, while ignoring the money hemorrhaging of SLS.

Data And Numbers

Where are we really with the virus?

Note that (as is often the case with healthcare statistics) different countries are keeping books differently, making it difficult to compare. I continue to believe that the fatality rate will ultimately end up being far below one percent.

[Update early afternoon]

A lot of links from Instapundit. Things are looking better than the models. One I found of interest is that if we can believe Chinese data, four out of five cases are asymptomatic.

The FDA’s Death Toll

It’s long past time to track it.

Bureaucracy kills.

[Update a while later]

I should add that, when this is over, we should have a national commission to review all federal regulatory actions and legislation, and see how much of it is still necessary (if it ever was) and how much of it is actively harmful (e.g., plastic-bag bans) with little benefit/cost ratio. At least we never got that nonsense at a federal level. So it would also be useful to examine state-level regs, for info purposes for those states. But unfortunately, contra bulls**t claims from the Democrats about being the “party of science,” this nonsense will likely continue.

The Latest Attempts At A Cure

They don’t target the virus; they target the hosts.

Let’s hope it works.

[Update a few minutes later]

And now we have a new vaccine that seems to build antibodies in mice.

As always, faster, please.

[Update a couple minutes later]

Cutting through the fog about the potential cures.

I think that 95% of the media resistance to the idea that hydroxychloraquine would be effective is because Trump said it could be.

[Update a few more minutes later]

More vaccines on the way. Fortunately, as the article points out, this bug is relatively easy to target, more so than the flu. It’s just too bad that we didn’t have a head start on it.

A Vaccine Is Coming

…and it will work.

But not in time to prevent everything that’s happening right now.

Also, a cure is in the works, but again, not soon enough to prevent all the economic destruction.

Faster, please.

[Update a few minutes later]

Did the virus originate in a Chinese lab, and why is it crazy to ask?

I don’t think it is, which is not to say that I (yet) believe it did.

[Update a while later]

Ignoring the rant at the end, I wonder if this is for real?

https://healthimpactnews.com/2020/dr-rowen-ozone-reverses-critically-ill-covid-patients-in-china-and-very-rapidly/

I take it somewhat seriously because Patricia had it done to prepare her for a surgery a few months ago, and it did seem to help. It only costs a hundred bucks or so (she paid out of pocket), but I don’t know how capable we are of ramping it up.

[Update late morning]

How permanent will the changes to the healthcare industry be?

Some of the regulatory relief should certainly remain. I expect to see a lot more telemedicine, which is all to the good.

[Bumped from earlier]

[Afternoon update]

A new flu inhibitor? Unfortunately, while promising, it too won’t help with the current crisis.