thegock
Well-Known Member
It's "you're," but you knew that.
This Thread Blows - C19 and beyond
- Thread starter Paul H
- Start date
It's "you're," but you knew that.
Captain Brainstorm
Well-Known Member
In my pharma life I've worked on 2 big projects, not specifically disease related, that required a patient to stick something up into their sinuses. Despite what the focus groups and consumer testing was telling us, the marketing folks insisted we launch anyway because "innovation" will sell. Both were dismal failures because in the US, no on likes sticking anything into their nose unless its cocaine. I haven't gotten a COVID test yet, but if I do, I need to take a box of tissues for the nose-bleed that will most definitely follow. If they're giving cocaine out though, I may change my mind.
serviceguy
Well-Known Member
First of all I am stupid and have no training in whatsoever relevant to the subject. But I have questions for those that are more versed, hoping they can reply using simple terms that make sense and not exceed my attention span that is notoriously very short.
a) why to swab test you need to stick a swab way up your nose if the virus is so easily spread by aerosol ? I would be thinking it could be easily found on your throat, nose etc.
b) if some of the test kits (apparently coming from China) are pre-contaminated with COVID-19 wouldn't you get the virus just being tested? If true, doesn't this make this type of test obsolete given the existence of alternatives?
a) why to swab test you need to stick a swab way up your nose if the virus is so easily spread by aerosol ? I would be thinking it could be easily found on your throat, nose etc.
b) if some of the test kits (apparently coming from China) are pre-contaminated with COVID-19 wouldn't you get the virus just being tested? If true, doesn't this make this type of test obsolete given the existence of alternatives?
Captain Brainstorm
Well-Known Member
I'll take a stab at this, although I'm not a Dr. or PhD, but sometimes play one on TV. For those early in the infection cycle or asymptomatic, they won't be dispersing a high viral load through coughing or sneezing, so nasal epithelial cells are the most reliable source since that's where infection usually starts. As for pre-contaminated test kits, that sounds like conspiracy theory. If anything, the manufacturing was shoddy and they produce a lot of false positives. This is the first I'm hearing of that pre-contaminated thing, what kind of tests are coming from China? For RT PCR all you need is the primer and reagents, and the CDC will give you the primer.
serviceguy
Well-Known Member
I was referring to some batch of tests that were shipped to Italy/Europe from China. The high number of false positives may have sparked the concept that they were contaminated with the virus to begin with.
Climbing in an unfinished attic when it's 90 outside sounds far worse than climbing with a mask on. Not that I'll do either.
Captain Brainstorm
Well-Known Member
Ok, so I just got my google science on, since I'm married into a 100% Italian family, I have to help "my people" out. If you're referring to the tests back in March that were bought through a middle-man and thought to be faulty, they were rapid immune-based tests. I didn't find much on the tests being contaminated, but back in March it was highly unlikely that anyone would have a rapid test that was reliable. Back then, they didn't have any real idea of which viral proteins elicited a strong immune response, and therefore would not be able to develop any type of reliable rapid test. Sounds to me that the purchasers of these test were hoodwinked.
serviceguy
Well-Known Member
It was briefly in the news in Italy back in March/April. Apparently the company Eurofins had been (re)selling to the UK test kits from 'overseas' ad some
'parts' of these kits had been found to be contaminated by the virus. how that happened or how anybody found out is left to the imagination (not paying or starting a free trial of the Telegraph to find out https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/20...-coronavirus-testing-hindered-key-components/). The delivery was postponed as a result. Eurofins happened to have 4 plants in Italy, hence the interest from Italian media (and I'm using a wide interpretation of the term here) into the issue, as it was mentioned that the Italian government may have been buying from the same company. As there isn't much out there about it, other bits and pieces, it obviously means that it was complete fake news or absolutely true and was covered up by the might and powerful. Or anything in between.
Captain Brainstorm
Well-Known Member
The truth may lie somewhere in the middle. Either way, it looks like an unreliable rapid test that flat out didn't work. Looks like another instance where someone tried to take advantage of a crisis to make some money at others expense. Unfortunately there is no shortage of people like this in the world.
this is great!
love the marketing weenies.
any chance a person could have just blown their nose into a collection tissue?
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then what came to mind is kids tying a string to food, swallowing it, and pulling it back up.
which is what the marketing kids did in college while the stem kids were trying to get on the
real-time computer in the lab
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i get grossed out when my wife does the neti pot.
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I wore a mask all day today - i was sweeping-up blown-in insulation. i should have worn my respirator, but couldn't find it.
i think i left it in the attic 😉
Soon to be an insulated attic! But yes, I wouldn't do that now either.
Captain Brainstorm
Well-Known Member
The marketing weenies knock some out of the park, and they have some duds. As soon as they start with the "its all about the patient" spiel, they have management eating out of their hands.
I neti pot, but I use a squeeze bottle because its just silly to stick a pot up your nose, and I can control the flow better with the bottle. Its an oddly satisfying sensation, you should do it. I do it after I cut the grass, you wouldn't believe the amount of shit that comes out. I started wearing a mask to cut about 5yrs ago, the amount of shit coming out is much less now.
rick81721
Lothar
Greetings from the belly of the beast!
Yes deaths are going up, but as discussed multiple times, not proportional to new cases. 132 was preceeded by a 46 and 35 day. Will see by end of the week if cases have stabilized around 10k/ day with an average of 60-70k tests/ day.
In any event, experience travelling:
In general, haven't seen such small crowds in airports and on a flight since I flew to MN about 2 weeks after 9/11 for fishing trip.
Newark Airport, about 90% wearing masks inside, but easy to social distance.
Flight to Tampa - maybe 40 people on a plane that holds 200+. Everyone wearing masks, only service is s prepackaged bottle of water and a few snacks. Everyone spread apart.
Tampa Airport - 80% wearing masks, but even less crowded.
Achilles heal is car rental - each supplier has one person working, long lines. Took 30 minutes in line to get my car.
Here in Venice, stopped at Publix for supplies, surprisingly most wearing masks. Very few people around here, always goes down in the summer but more so this year. Did a mtb ride today in the preserve about 9 miles away - didn't see a soul (one raccoon tho).
Side note - spent 2 hrs at a doctor's office this afternoon, starting having flashes in one eye last night and then noticed lots of new floaters during today's ride. Symptoms of another retinal tear (I had one 10 years ago), so went to ophthalmologist for retinal exam. Fortunately no new tears.
serviceguy
Well-Known Member
Meh. I like conciseness, a quality I don't have. This guy took 13 minutes to make the point that stupid people think they're smart and smart people think they're stupid (or that is what they pretend to think). All in a very annoying voice. Meh.
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That's much better.
chile, brazil, and peru are in a similar situation. Not that it makes me feel any better.
would be nice if they didn't hide that fact.
well, if this is true, the graph should look better soon.
Not that it changes the virus numbers.
White House tells hospitals to bypass CDC on COVID-19 data reporting
Hospitals will begin sending coronavirus-related information directly to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), not the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), under new instructions from the T
The_Mountainside_Menace
Well-Known Member
Well... POTUS did mention that one day it would "disappear"