1/ What was POTUS' lowest oxygen saturation in the past week? Why was he transferred to Walter Reed. WE STILL DON'T KNOW. Given there still hasn't been a transfer of power to VP Pence, President Trump owes the American people an explanation.
2/ It now appears that the president required supplemental oxygen prior to arrival at Walter Reed. (We're having to read between the lines based on Qs answered and not answered).
3/ POTUS was given remdesivir. *Assuming* evidence-/guideline-based use of remdesivir, this would indicate that the president has SEVERE COVID (i.e. oxygen saturation less than or equal to 94% on room air, requiring supplemental oxygen/ventilator/ECMO).
4/ But we know the president doesn't abide by evidence and guidelines, so it's hard to know for sure if that's what his receiving remdesivir means.
5/ Dr. Sean Conley, the president's personal doctor, ended the press conference when asked whether the president had received dexamethasone. Dexamethasone is indicated in severe/critical COVID, but not mild/moderate COVID.
6/ There are reasons NOT to give dexamethasone if COVID is not severe enough: high blood sugar, psychiatric side-effects (e.g. agitation, confusion), suppression of adrenal glands, risk of bacterial/fungal infection.
7/ The questions Dr. Conley is avoiding / refusing to answer (highest temperature, lowest oxygen saturation, requirements for supplemental oxygen, need for dexamethasone) would tell us something about the president's prognosis.
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1/ H5N1 bird flu candidate vaccine viruses have been identified:
(jump to 1:33)
🔹2 are "well-matched" to H5N1 infecting dairy cattle
🔹but how "well-matched" are they really? this conclusion is based on ferret dataastho.org/education/hpai…
2/ 🔹Candidate vaccine viruses are used to make antigen (i.e. the target you want the immune system to see) for vaccines.
🔹Adjuvant has also been stockpiled.
🔹Adjuvants help strengthen the immune response to antigen in vaccines.
3/
🔹100s of thousands of doses of candidate antigen + adjuvant have been manufactured for use in clinical studies.
🔹2 safety/immunogenicity studies are being conducted.
🔹@ASPRgov is working with @US_FDA & industry to figure out a regulatory pathway for the use of these doses.
1/ Stemming the spread of H5N1 bird flu
🔹The federal government is ramping up testing of dairy cows
🔹Cows will now have to be tested before being transferred to another state
🔹H5N1 viral fragments detected in grocery store milk
🔹The risk to humans remains low at this time
2/ Remember PCR tests from COVID?
They can be positive even after you’ve recovered because they’re picking up dead virus.
Some PCR tests on pasteurized milk from grocery stores have come back positive for bird flu... but that could just be dead virus.
3/ Pasteurization has worked for over a hundred years to protect consumers from bacteria and viruses.
There’s no reason to think pasteurization won’t also work to kill the bird flu virus, but scientists are confirming that with testing anyway.