Treatments, Vaccines, and Defeating COVID-19
Are treatments and vaccines right around the corner?
The latest mainstream media drama and distraction is centered on politicized claims accusing the HHS/CDC (and, by extension, Donald Trump) for being slow to implement testing for COVID-19 (CV19) infections. While tests are not vaccines, antidotes, or cures, they certainly are instructive in determining viral spread and how to retard it.
As for all the Demo finger pointing, some issues about our national response to CV19 should be fairly debated at the proper time, in hindsight after-action. But those conclusions regarding those issues can’t be fairly assumed now, as the Demos and Leftmedia have done.
One of the physicians who has been a Patriot Post resource for years is a former Army doc and an exceptionally gifted medical analyst. He graduated from a highly esteemed medical school at age 20 and completed seven medical specialty fellowships.
He offered the following assessment on the prospects for CV19 treatment and vaccines: “Healthcare providers from around the world are collaborating as never before to improve treatment results. Anti-viral, antibiotic, inhaled medication, and connective-tissue-disease medications have all shown promise and the world’s medical community has embraced the challenge. We get daily updates from our Seattle, French, and Italian colleagues from the trenches on what is working and what is not (avoid nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs!). Outcomes are improving. We are utilizing this information to treat our sickest patients.”
Regarding hopes of a quick vaccine, he notes, “Vaccine is many months away and double-blinded treatment protocols are not being considered (who wants to be in the ‘no treatment’ group?). A vaccine requires a stable locus on the virus (no mutation that would delete the antigen), safety and efficacy data, as well as the ability to mass produce the vaccine. This process usually takes 2-5 years and very few of these ever make it to market. Approximately 87% of would-be vaccines never make it to human testing. We are attempting to greatly accelerate the process, but only so many corners can be cut if we are to have a safe and effective product. It’s worth mentioning that we’ve had the SARS virus around for over a decade and have yet to develop a vaccine for it. A daunting task, but with many brilliant minds, the human spirit, and a healthy dose of prayer, we shall overcome.”
As for the vaccine now being administered in Seattle, the original epicenter of CV19 in the U.S., he adds, “While the vaccine doses being administered there are being used under a ‘compassionate need’ basis, it will take time to know if that vaccine has any effect on prevention.”
In other words, successful treatments and vaccines are not likely to emerge soon.
Additionally, regarding the rise and decline of CV19, Nobel laureate and Stanford biophysicist Michael Levitt believes the virus spread will be much more manageable than current risk assessments trumpeted by the mass media.
According to Levitt, “What we need is to control the panic. … We’re going to be fine. The real situation is not nearly as terrible as they make it out to be.” His analysis indicates that CV19 in the U.S. will follow a similar pattern to that in Asia and will peak sooner than thought. Let’s pray that assessment is correct.
(For more on the efficacy of vaccines, visit this resource page.)
(Visit our comprehensive China Virus Pandemic response and recovery page, and see our related pages.
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