Victorian coronavirus restrictions tightening as cases continue to increase

Victorian coronavirus restrictions tightening as cases continue to increase

Victoria will bring back tougher coronavirus restrictions, limiting gatherings in homes to five people from Monday, in a bid to address a recent increase in case numbers.

Premier Daniel Andrews said today's case numbers were the highest they had been in two months, with 25 new cases identified overnight.

Of those, just one was a returned traveller in hotel quarantine, while 14 were linked to existing outbreaks, six were discovered in routine testing and four are under investigation.

It comes as the AFL confirmed Essendon player Conor McKenna tested positive for coronavirus on Friday night, forcing the postponement of the Bombers' game against Melbourne tomorrow.

Mr Andrews has also deferred plans to allow more patrons in restaurants, and flagged the possibility of even tougher lockdowns being introduced in the hardest hit areas over the coming days.

He said that according to the Government's experts the numbers were being driven by families having big get-togethers and not following the advice around distancing and hygiene.

"Since April … half of all of our new cases have come from family-to-family transmission," Mr Andrews said.

"I'm frustrated by it. I'm disappointed by it.

"Unless we can break this cycle … then we are going to see more and more of these cases."

Mr Andrews said there had been instances of people gathering in large numbers at the homes of family and friends, even though they had been told to self-isolate.

"We have even had people who had tested positive and have been told to go home and isolate and instead they have gone to work, instead they have gone and visited loved ones in large numbers," he said.

"It is pretty clear that behind closed doors when one family comes together in large numbers … they are not practicing social distancing."

The changes will come into place from 11:59pm on Sunday and will limit the number of visitors allowed in a home to five.

People will still be able to meet in groups of up to 10 people outdoors.

The Victorian Government will also delay planned changes to restrictions on businesses and community facilities.

Restaurants, pubs, auction halls, community centres, libraries, museums and places of worship will maintain their 20-person limits until at least July 12.

The Government had been set to increase patron limits inside those venues to 50 people from Monday but that has now been delayed by at least three weeks.

"Three weeks of course being the full lifecycle of this virus where we think that we get the best and clearest picture of exactly what's going on out in the community," Mr Andrews said.

Businesses that were set to open for the first time on Monday, including gyms, cinemas, theatres and TABs can still do so, but with a maximum of 20 people.

Community sport for children and non-contact competition for adults will proceed as planned.

Ski season and accommodation facilities with communal spaces will also open, but with increased screening and safeguards in place.


Hardship fund announced for workers without sick leave


Mr Andrews announced the Government would establish a Hardship Fund for people who cannot go to work because they have tested positive to coronavirus or are told to self-isolate because they are a close contact of someone who has.

They will be eligible for a $1,500 payment if they do not have access to paid leave.

"It is, I think, clear that there are some people in the community that perhaps don't have access to sick leave, for instance," Mr Andrews said.

"Their employment may well be tenuous.

"It is our view that we have to try and remove that barrier where people are, sadly, making the choice that public health is less important than the welfare and survival, in a financial sense, of their family.

"They're wrong to make that judgement but I can appreciate that that is a judgement that is being made."

Victoria's Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton said examples from overseas had shown "fatigue does set in" and people get "fed up" with restrictions.

He said the virus had not yet gotten away from authorities in Victoria, despite it being the fourth day in a row with a double digit rise in cases.

"We can turn it around," he said.

Professor Sutton said he had been in emergency meetings in the response to the recent increase in cases and the decision was made to act fast.

"We are absolutely at risk of a second peak," he said.

"But we can get on top of it and we must get on top of it because this virus doubles every week."

Seven of the new cases were linked to the family cluster at Keilor Downs which includes a teacher at Albanvale Primary School and three of the new cases were linked to the Stamford Plaza outbreak.

There was one case each at Lifeview Willow Wood aged care in Cranbourne, Royal Freemasons Springtime aged care in Sydenham, the H&M store in Northland, and the Coburg family outbreak.

Routine testing uncovered a teacher at Springvale Primary School in Caroline Springs and a student at Camberwell Grammar, meaning both schools will be closed for cleaning and contact tracing.


Victoria flags possible return to lockdowns in hard-hit suburbs

Mr Andrews said he would not rule out the possibility of hotspots — either suburbs or local government areas — becoming the subject of strict lockdowns.

"It may be the case in the days ahead ... where we have seen the data tells us a very clear story that there are extra cases and the highest number of cases, we may need to, for instance, reinstitute the stay at home except for the four reasons," he said.

"We all remember that time, it was deeply frustrating but it was very effective.

"We may need to go back to that setting in given geographical areas."

The four reasons included shopping for food and supplies, care and caregiving, exercise, and study or work if it could not be done from home.

The local government areas with the highest number of new coronavirus cases since June include include Hume (17), Brimbank (10), Casey (7) and Darebin, Moreland and Cardinia (all 6).

"I am not announcing any changes for those geographical areas right now but I cannot rule that out," he said.

Mr Andrews also said the reverse could happen in regional communities with no community transmission.

"We will — if and when it is safe — reopen those communities perhaps with a different set of rules," he said.

"We may well seek to open those communities up a little faster than would otherwise have been the case."

The Premier said the Government was waiting on more data to come through before making a decision on that, particularly with just one week left in the school term.

"We of course have the school holidays coming up and there will be a lot of movement around our state," he said.

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Common Drug Reduces Coronavirus Deaths, Scientists Report

Common Drug Reduces Coronavirus Deaths, Scientists Report

A steroid, dexamethasone, is the first drug shown to help save severely ill coronavirus patients, according to scientists in Britain.

In an unexpected sign of hope amid the expanding pandemic, scientists at the University of Oxford said on Tuesday that an inexpensive and commonly available drug reduced deaths in patients with severe Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus.

If the finding is borne out, the drug, a steroid called dexamethasone, would be the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients. Had doctors been using the drug to treat the sickest Covid-19 patients in Britain from the beginning of the pandemic, up to 5,000 deaths could have been prevented, the researchers estimated.

In severe cases, the virus directly attacks cells lining the patient’s airways and lungs. But the infection also can prompt an overwhelming immune reaction that is just as harmful. Three-quarters of hospitalized Covid-19 patients receive some form of oxygen.

The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth.

Until now, hospitals worldwide have had nothing to offer these desperate, dying patients, and the prospect of a lifesaving treatment close at hand — in almost every pharmacy — was met with something like elation by doctors.

“Assuming that when it goes through peer review it stands — and these are well-established researchers — it’s a huge breakthrough, a major breakthrough,” said Dr. Sam Parnia, a pulmonologist and associate professor of medicine at the Grossman School of Medicine at New York University. “I cannot emphasize how important this could be.”

But the report also comes quick on the heels of a series of blunders and retractions in the scientific literature, as scientists rush to publish research about the coronavirus. While hospitals in the United Kingdom were able to begin treating severely ill Covid-19 patients with dexamethasone on Tuesday, many experts in the United States demanded to see the data and the study itself, which have not yet been peer reviewed or published.

“It will be great news if dexamethasone, a cheap steroid, really does cut deaths by ⅓ in ventilated patients with COVID19,” Dr. Atul Gawande, the surgeon and author, wrote on Twitter, “but after all the retractions and walk backs, it is unacceptable to tout study results by press release without releasing the paper.”

There is no vaccine against the coronavirus, and the only treatment known to be effective, an antiviral drug called remdesivir, only shortens the time to recovery.

“Dexamethasone is the first drug to be shown to improve survival in Covid-19,” one of the trial’s chief investigators, Peter Horby, a professor of emerging infectious diseases at the University of Oxford, said in a statement. “The survival benefit is clear and large in those patients who are sick enough to require oxygen treatment.”

Dr. Horby added that dexamethasone should now become the “standard of care in these patients,” noting that it was inexpensive, was widely available and could be used immediately.

The drug was not studied in patients outside of the hospital, however, and was not beneficial to patients who were not on respiratory support.

Many steroids reduce inflammation in the body, and dexamethasone is among those that doctors have been trying in Covid-19 patients overwhelmed by so-called cytokine storms — uncontrolled immune responses so powerful they kill some patients.

Many doctors had feared the drug might actually exacerbate the infection by preventing the immune system from attacking the virus. Though Dr. Parnia had treated patients with steroids and seen improvement, “there had not been such a large trial comparing no steroids with steroids.”

Even without published results, Matt Hancock, Britain’s health secretary, said doctors in the country’s National Health Service were able to begin using the steroid as the standard treatment for hospitalized coronavirus patients on Tuesday afternoon. The drug costs less than $1 per day of treatment on a single patient.

The government started stockpiling dexamethasone several months ago based on signs that it could help patients, Mr. Hancock said, and now has 200,000 doses on hand.

The trial led by Dr. Horby was a randomized, controlled clinical trial, the gold standard for medical research. About 2,100 severely ill Covid-19 patients were given low doses of dexamethasone, orally or intravenously, once a day. Their outcomes were compared with 4,300 patients who had received the usual care.

The trial was stopped early, because the investigators felt that the benefit was obvious. But they said that the drug did not help moderately ill patients who were not receiving oxygen.

Corticosteroids like dexamethasone were used during outbreaks of SARS and MERS, which were also caused by coronaviruses. But those drugs were associated with worse outcomes, another reason for hesitation. An earlier, much smaller trial of Covid-19 patients with acute respiratory distress in Spain found that dexamethasone treatment may reduce the amount of time patients are on ventilators and may reduce deaths.

“What this is effectively doing is tamping down inflammatory responses in patients,” Stuart Neil, a professor of virology at King’s College London, said in an interview. “It’s almost certain this is affecting the body’s response against the virus, rather than inhibiting the virus itself.”

Dr. Stephen Griffin, an associate professor in virology at the University of Leeds, said that it would be important to study the use of dexamethasone in combination with antiviral treatments like remdesivir.

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How long can the coronavirus survive on surfaces?

How long can the coronavirus survive on surfaces?

     Several studies have attempted to estimate how long the COVID-19 virus remained infectious on inert surfaces, but the figures are more complex to understand than they first appear.

     Is there a risk of becoming infected by touching surfaces with hands that are or have been in contact with Covid-19 patients?

     This is possible, based on studies that have attempted to determine the duration of "survival" of Sars CoV-2 on inanimate surfaces.

     But even if the risk exists, these durations should not be taken literally and should be put into perspective with the way researchers are trying to measure them.

How long can the virus survive on surfaces and objects?

     It should be made clear at the outset that it is inappropriate to speak of the "survival" of the virus since the virus is not really "alive".

     "Rather, we are talking about maintaining infectivity, how long it remains infectious," says Astrid Vabret, head of the virology department at Caen University Hospital and coronavirus specialist.

     The stability of the SARS-CoV-2 virus (responsible for Covid-19 disease) depends on the type of surface considered, according to the two main scientific studies published to date on the subject.

     The first, published on February 6 in the Journal of Hospital Infection, tested the virus on eight different surfaces and compared it to other coronaviruses (such as those responsible for SARS 2003 or MERS 2012).

     Researchers have found viable strains of the virus up to five days after spraying steel, glass, or ceramics

     Results show that the virus can persist on these surfaces for between two hours and six days (less if the ambient temperature approaches 30°C).

     Researchers found viable strains of the virus up to five days after spraying steel, glass or ceramics, without being able to measure how much was found on each of these surfaces.

     The results were quite variable (two to six days) for plastic, while on latex and aluminum, a few hours were sufficient to kill all strains.

     A second study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine on March 17, tested the resistance of the virus on other materials, such as cardboard and copper, or in the air by aerosol spraying.

     The results show shorter persistence times than those published in previous studies, ranging from three hours (aerosols) to a maximum of three days (steel, plastic), with intermediate values (twenty-four hours for cardboard) for the same amount of virus sprayed.

     But the two studies agree on one point: plastic and steel are the surfaces where the virus has been stable for the longest time.

     A third publication, from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recently reported that the genetic material of the virus had been detected in the infected passenger cabins of the Diamond-Princess ship, where 3,700 people were quarantined in February until 17 days after they left.

     But it is not possible to infer that transmission from these contaminated surfaces occurred, the authors of the study said, calling for further investigation.

     As the material conditions (e.g. temperature, humidity) are not known, it is relatively difficult to assess the validity of such a duration, and any conclusion would be imprudent and hasty at best, or at worst totally false.


     "We can't even be sure that the virus we find can reinfect. It's far too vague," says Bruno Grandbastien, medical officer of health and president of the French Society of Hospital Hygiene.

     "You mustn't cling to a specific number, because it doesn't correspond to anything in life."

     What, then, should we think of the durations evoked in these two studies? These studies are important to give an idea, an order of magnitude of the time during which the virus remains infectious," replies Astrid Vabret.

     We shouldn't cling to a precise figure, because it doesn't correspond to anything in the living world.

     The interest of these studies is that the way of counting is the same throughout the duration of the experiment, the comparison between two surfaces remains valid. »

     "The doses are rather representative of a real situation since it is estimated that this order of magnitude will be found in nasal swabs," says Dr. Grandbastien.

     But the doctor points out that the duration of persistence in aerosols is probably longer than in reality. "We don't find aerosols as fine as that in reality, because this virus is transmitted via large droplets which, by gravity, will fall back more quickly. »

     In summary, depending on the surface, the SARS-CoV-2 virus can persist for approximately :

What are the risks of contamination?

     This is the central question, but it is also a question that is very difficult to answer. In their study, the researchers make it clear that the transmissibility of the virus to people who come into contact with infected surfaces has not been demonstrated due to a lack of data.

"The real problem is that we don't know the infective dose."


     The real problem is that we don't know the infecting dose," says virologist Astrid Vabret, "which is the amount of virus sufficient to generate an infection.

     But this changes the way you interpret how long the virus persists: if the infecting dose is low, it would mean that a surface remains infectious for much longer than if the infecting dose is high.

     "The transmission of a virus is a complex phenomenon that is very difficult to quantify. We don't know how many viruses it takes to generate an infection in contact with the mucous membrane.

     It's probably not the same for different people. You have an enormous diversity of everything: local defenses vary depending on the individual, as does the state of their mucous membranes. »

     A point confirmed by Bruno Grandbastien. "We have zero data on this, we just know that there is a gradient: the higher the viral load, the greater the risk of infection. But it's highly variable depending on the virus. »

Do we have to clean all the products we touch?

     This is a question many people ask themselves after receiving WhatsApp or Facebook messages recommending to "leave groceries in your car for 1.5 hours" and then "pass everything that may have been touched by others with diluted bleach".

     This recommendation is anxiety-provoking and excessive, according to Professor Vabret: "If you wash your hands regularly, and don't put them to your mouth, you eliminate what you could have picked up. »

     "We are not in a situation where we are asked to disinfect the food we eat, there is no risk of becoming infected through ingestion".

     This information is not at all scientifically supported," says Bruno Grandbastien. We are not in a situation where we are asked to disinfect the food we eat, there is no risk of becoming infected through ingestion.

     On the other hand, we can recommend washing both the products we have touched and our hands, which are basic hygiene rules that should be applied outside of any epidemic. »

     Leaving your shopping for an hour and a half in the car is therefore useless given the persistence of the virus on cardboard and plastic surfaces: it is above all recommended to wash your hands after shopping, as they are the main vector of transmission.

     Cleaning or even disinfecting work surfaces that we often come into contact with do not seem unreasonable either.


     For the most worried, even if the risk is "absolutely minimal" according to Anne Goffard, a virologist at the Lille University Hospital, interviewed by France Culture, cleaning cardboard or plastic packaging brought in from outside contributes theoretically to further minimize the risk; remembering all the same that the capacity of the virus present on surfaces to infect the organism has not been established at all.

     As for textiles, there is no scientific data on the ability of the virus to resist it. The virus is easily destroyed at temperatures as low as 30°C, according to Dr. Georgine Nanos, interviewed by HuffPost. It is, therefore, unnecessary to opt for washing programs at 60°C.

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Coronavirus: a Russian disinformation campaign would agitate the Web

Coronavirus: a Russian disinformation campaign would agitate the Web

     According to European diplomats, the Kremlin is trying to use the crisis to sow chaos and discord within Europe through rumors and misinformation.

     Are Russian trolls taking advantage of the pandemic to distill their information poison? According to the European Union, the answer is yes.

     According to a report of analysis carried out by its diplomatic staff, and recovered by Reuters, the Russian media would have set in motion a "major disinformation campaign" to aggravate the impact of the coronavirus, generate panic and sow mistrust in Western countries.

     According to the nine-page document, the campaign is spreading false information in English, Spanish, Italian, German and French.

     "The primary objective of the Kremlin's misinformation is to worsen the public health crisis in Western countries (...) in line with the Kremlin's broader strategy of trying to overthrow European societies," the authors wrote.

    They have documented more than 80 cases of misinformation since 22 January.

     This false information has been listed on the EuvsDisinfo.eu website, which is maintained by European diplomats.

     More than a hundred cases are currently listed. Many of the ideas conveyed are conspiratorial: SARS-CoV-2 is said to be a biological weapon of American or British origin, the epidemic was brought to Lithuania by an American soldier, the pharmaceutical industry is exaggerating the crisis to increase drug sales, Italy is exaggerating the crisis to get European subsidies, and so on.

     Other messages - more or less contradictory - seek only to generate fear.

     EUvsDisinfo.eu - Latest news on coronavirus Rumors

     It would soon be the end of the world, Pope Francis would be ill and about to die, the European Union would be unable to manage the crisis, the political institutions would be on the verge of collapse, the political leaders would take advantage of the coronavirus to establish a dictatorship, etc.

     For its part, the Russian government has obviously rejected these accusations outright.

     "The Kremlin's spokesman Dimitri Peskov told Reuters: "These are again unfounded allegations which, in the current situation, are probably the result of an anti-Russian obsession.

     Moreover, not all Western experts fully agree with the European Union's analysis.

     Questioned by Deutsche Welle, Ben Nimmo, a member of the Atlantic Council think-tank, thinks that there is no special campaign led by the Kremlin, but that this is simply the daily work of Russian trolls.

     A normal and natural kind of animosity. Which is not necessarily more reassuring.

Sources: Reuters, Deutsche Welle

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Coronavirus: Prince Charles tested positive for Covid-19, announces British royal family

Coronavirus: Prince Charles tested positive for Covid-19, announces British royal family

     Piscine Wpa / Getty Images

     Prince Charles tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday, March 25, 2020.

     The United Kingdom is in shock. In an official statement, the services of Harry and William's father reported that he is "showing mild symptoms" of a new coronavirus.

     The heir to the British crown was unable to pass the virus on to his 93-year-old mother, whom he has not seen since 12 March. Given the incubation period, he was not contagious at that time.

     At 71 years of age, Prince Charles "remains in good health", except for these symptoms, Clarence House assured in a statement relayed by the British media The Guardian.

     "In accordance with government measures and medical advice, the Prince and Duchess are isolating themselves at home in Scotland," the Clarence House statement said.

     Prince Charles arrived at his residence in Birkhall on Sunday. He was tested the next day.

     "It is not possible to know by whom the Prince contracted the virus, due to the high number of engagements he has carried out in the last few weeks," the statement continued.

     The tabloid The Mirror says that Camilla Parker-Bowles, the Duchess of Cornwall, tested "negative" for the coronavirus.

          Pool New / Reuters

     Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall attend the Commonwealth Reception at Marlborough House in London on March 9.

     Both spouses are confined to the same house but in "separate" apartments in Scotland.

Buckingham Palace declared the Queen herself to be in good health.

     "The Queen last saw the Prince of Wales briefly on the morning of March 12 and is following all appropriate advice concerning her well-being," a statement said.

     At least 8,000 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in the UK and 422 people have died.

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Spreading the message: Five steps to eliminate coronavirus

Spreading the message: Five steps to eliminate coronavirus

23 March 2020 Press release

     FIFA and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have joined forces to combat the coronavirus (Covid-19).

     The two entities are launching a new awareness campaign led by world-class footballers, calling on all people around the world to follow five key measures to stop the spread of the virus.

     The "Spread the Message to Stop Coronavirus" campaign aims to safeguard the health of all people in line with WHO recommendations and includes the following five key messages: wash your hands, cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, avoid touching your face, keep your distance and stay home when you feel unwell.

     "From the very beginning, FIFA and its President, Gianni Infantino, have been actively involved in spreading the message against this pandemic," said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO, at the virtual launch of the campaign at WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

     "FIFA is fighting the coronavirus through a series of campaigns and funding, and I am delighted that world football is helping WHO to eliminate the virus.

     I am confident that with this kind of support, we will win together. »

     "Teamwork is essential in the fight against coronavirus," said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

     "FIFA has joined forces with the WHO because health comes first.

     I call on the world football community to join us and support this campaign to spread this message more widely.

     Many of the world's great footballers have been keen to take part in this campaign and join forces to spread the message and eliminate Covid-19. »

Here is the list of twenty-eight players appearing in the video campaign, which will be published in 13 languages.


Sami Al-Jaber (KSA)       Alisson Becker (BRA)

Emre Belözoğlu (TUR)   Jared Borgetti (MEX)

Gianluigi Buffon (ITA)   Iker Casillas (ESP)

Sunil Chhetri (IND)         Youri Djorkaeff (FRA)

Han Duan (CHN)               Samuel Eto'o (RMC)

Radamel Falcao (COL)    Laura Georges (FRA)

Valeri Karpine (RUS)      Miroslav Klose (GER)

Philipp Lahm (GER)        Gary Lineker (ENG)

Carli Lloyd (USA)              Lionel Messi (ARG)

Mido (EGY)                          Michael Owen (ENG)

Park Ji-sung (KOR)         Carles Puyol (ESP)

Célia Šašić (GER)              Asako Takakura (JPN)

Yaya Touré (CIV)              Juan Sebastián Verón (ARG)

Sun Wen (CHN)                 Xavi Hernández (ESP)

     The video campaign, which will be published on the digital channels of FIFA and the players involved, is also being provided as individual localized files to FIFA's 211 member associations and media agencies - accompanied by a graphic toolkit - for social media distribution to get the message across.

wash your hands

     "It starts with the hands," says Alisson Becker, WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Health Promotion, the goalkeeper for Liverpool FC and Brazil, and winner of The Best - FIFA Goalkeeper of the Year 2019.

     "Please wash them frequently, with soap or a hydro-alcoholic solution. »

     Washing your hands frequently with soap and water - or preferably with a hydro-alcoholic solution - removes viruses that may be on your hands. It's simple, but also very important.

Elbow

     "With your elbows bent, please cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze," says Carli Lloyd, two-time winner of the Women's World Cup FIFA™ with the United States.

     "If you use a tissue, throw it away immediately after use and wash your hands. »

     The droplets spread the coronavirus. By adopting good respiratory hygiene, you protect those around you from viruses such as colds, flu or coronavirus.

Face

     "For the face, avoid touching the eyes, nose, and mouth. This can prevent the virus from entering your body," adds Barcelona and Argentina striker Lionel Messi, multiple FIFA Ballon d'Or winner and winner of The Best - FIFA Player of the Year 2019.

     Your hands are in contact with a lot of surfaces covered with viruses. Once your hands are infected, the virus quickly finds its way to your face, where it can enter your body and make you sick.

Distance

     "In terms of social interaction, please keep your distance," recommends Han Duan, who has represented China PR 188 times in an 11-year international career. "A distance of at least one meter should be kept from anyone who coughs or sneezes".

     By maintaining such a distance, you will avoid inhaling droplets from someone sneezing or coughing nearby.

Felt - know your symptoms

     "If you don't feel well, stay at home," concludes Samuel Eto'o, a former Barcelona striker with 114 caps for Cameroon.

     "Please follow all instructions issued by the local health authorities. »

     If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, see a doctor but call ahead.

     Stay informed - the local health authorities provide regular updates on the situation in your area. Follow their specific instructions and call ahead to allow them to redirect you to the nearest health facility.

     This will help protect you and prevent the spread of the virus and other infections.

     FIFA has also pledged USD 10 million to support the WHO solidarity fund for the fight against coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

Read also:Coronavirus: Side effects of chloroquine Researchers between hope and mistrust

Source: World Health Organization " WHO "

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Coronavirus: Side effects of chloroquine Researchers between hope and mistrust

Coronavirus: Side effects of chloroquine Researchers between hope and mistrust

     While research on a vaccine continues, chloroquine is showing promising results against coronavirus. The drug is currently undergoing urgent evaluation to obtain reliable data.

[Updated March 22, 2020]

What is the treatment for the coronavirus disease?

     Chloroquine, an anti-malarial drug, has been giving hopes of a "cure" for a few days and is now facing numerous studies to provide relevant scientific data against the coronavirus.

     Olivier Véran, French Minister of Solidarity and Health, explained in his press briefing on Saturday 21 March that the study by Professor Raoult, the initiator of the research, would be tested "on a larger scale": "I asked that Professor Raoult's study could be reproduced [...] in other hospitals, by other independent teams.

     I am following this extremely closely." The minister said he hoped to have results within a fortnight. These comments follow those of Jérôme Salomon, who said on Friday 20 March that France had requested "an emergency assessment" in order to "rapidly acquire reliable scientific knowledge on the effectiveness or otherwise of these molecules".

     It should also be noted that the French laboratory Sanofi undertook on Tuesday, March 17 to supply millions of doses of the antimalarial drug Plaquenil, which could potentially treat 300,000 patients.

     This study will join the European Discovery trial being conducted by the medical research institute as part of the multidisciplinary Reacting consortium.

     The government confirms that accelerated authorization for a large-scale randomized clinical trial supervised by Inserm will be granted this Tuesday.

     This vast research should involve around 800 French patients and a few university hospitals for the moment.

A promising study in Marseille

     In France, it all started with Professor Raoult, director of the IHU Mediterranean Infection in Marseille.

     For six days, he injected about 20 Covid-19 patients with a dose of 600mg/day of Plaquenil (the name of the drug marketed with a molecule derived from chloroquine).

     "It's spectacular, the average viral load with this virus is normally 20 days. [...] Patients who have not received Plaquenil are still 90% carriers of the virus after six days, while those who have received the treatment are 25% to be positive," explained the doctor on March 16, 2020.

     The IHU director combined chloroquine with an azythromicyne treatment "to avoid bacterial superinfections".

     If in France this study starts in Marseille, studies have already been conducted in China, Iran, South Korea, Saudi Arabia.

     In an interview with Marianne, the Professor expressed his annoyance: "Ignoring what the Chinese have said about chloroquine is delusional.

     They were the ones who had the patients to experiment, not us.

     " A team of pharmacologists from the University Hospital of Qingdao (Shandong Province - China) has recently made spectacularly enthusiastic announcements: "Chloroquine phosphate has been shown to have apparent efficacy and acceptable safety against Covid-19-associated pneumonia in multicenter clinical trials in China", they published.

     Dr. Raoult told Le Monde that there is no clinical barrier to the molecule being inserted into treatments.

     "In China, Iran, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia, hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are already part of therapeutic protocols, advised by experts, some of them world-renowned.

Use of chloroquine too risky right now?

     Proof of the government's caution, the extensive tests desired and authorized by Olivier Véran will be carried out with a team independent of Professor Raoult.

     In any case, opinion seems to be shared by a good number of health professionals: chloroquine should not be considered, for the time being, a miracle drug against the coronavirus.

Side effects of chloroquine

     It should also be borne in mind that chloroquine can cause serious side effects if overdosed or misused.

     Very negative reactions are feared in case of interactions with other drugs, especially for patients in intensive care units.

     The molecule would in particular cause in bad dosage: nausea, vomiting, immune system disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, liver disorders, and even hematological disorders.

     The lack of supervision of the first clinical trials is particularly criticized.

     "The development of the drug is supervised for the safety of the patient and public health. Short-circuiting it in this way is a return to the Middle Ages for the drug.

     This is irresponsible and serious," tweeted Antoine Flahault, director of the Institute of global health in Geneva.

     Faced with his detractors, Didier Raoult replied in Marianne: "Chloroquine is very well known. [...] Side effects on the eye never occur with prescriptions lasting around ten days like those we would have to deal with in the case of the coronavirus: they occur after five years, in 1% of patients.

     There may be contraindications to Cordarone [Note: heart medication]. But all this is very derisory compared to the positive effects that this drug could bring us," he argues.

     And the professor assures: "The real risk would rather be to test new molecules whose toxicity we don't know."

Trump already wants to put chloroquine on the market...

     The American President is clearly not taking the same precautions as those put forward by the French health authorities.

     On Thursday 19 March, Donald Trump assured that the health authorities had "approved" the use of chloroquine, which, according to him, "has shown very, very encouraging preliminary results".

     He added at a press conference: "We are going to be able to make this drug available almost immediately".

     However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has qualified the head of state's comments.

     "The President has asked us to take a closer look at this drug. We want to do this by setting up an extensive and pragmatic clinical trial," the FDA said, saying it would above all guarantee the marketing of "safe and effective products".

     This decision taken by the United States is the direct consequence of the study and the promising results of Professor Didier Raoult who confirmed it and who obviously welcomed this decision in his interview for Marianne: "I am happy on a personal level, but above all for the United States and the lives potentially saved".

Read Also:Spreading the message: Five steps to eliminate coronavirus

     The United States also learned about the tests very quickly thanks to living statements on Fox News by Gregory Rigano of Stanford Medical University.

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Coronavirus: After Netflix, YouTube will also reduce the quality of its streaming video to relieve the internet

Coronavirus: After Netflix, YouTube will also reduce the quality of its streaming video to relieve the internet

     Netflix and youtube have decided to voluntarily lower the quality of its video streams in Europe for a period of 30 days, by reducing the "bit rate", i.e. the amount of digital data sent per second (between 8 and 18 Mbit/s for HD for example).

     The aim is to drastically reduce the traffic generated by home-bound users.

     The tech giants are taking steps to prevent networks from being overloaded, while Internet use explodes during this period of containment, which concerns more and more countries.

     Netflix said on Thursday 19 March that it would reduce the quality of its video streaming in Europe for 30 days.

     This Friday, it's YouTube's turn to announce that its player will automatically switch to standard resolution when you watch a video, according to Reuters.

     This measure concerns the entire European Union as well as the United Kingdom, for a period of 30 days.

     The decision (and that of Netflix) comes after EU Commissioner Thierry Breton called on video streaming giants to reduce their bandwidth consumption in order to preserve the Internet.

     "In times of containment with COVID-19, teleworking and streaming are very useful, but the infrastructure can be put under severe strain," the former France Telecom CEO tweeted on Thursday, following a phone conversation with Netflix CEO Reed Hastings.

     "We estimate that this will reduce Netflix traffic on European networks by approximately 25% while ensuring good quality for our users," Netflix said in a release.

     "I warmly welcome the initiative that Google has taken to preserve the proper functioning of the Internet during the COVID-19 crisis," reacted this Friday Thierry Breton, quoted by Reuters.

     The measure does not seem, at the time of writing, by still applied. When it will be, it should still be possible to switch back to high definition if you wish, by clicking on the cogwheel at the bottom of the YouTube player, then on "quality".

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