Has Thailand found a cure for the Corona Virus?

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Gaybutton
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Has Thailand found a cure for the Corona Virus?

Post by Gaybutton »

I recall researchers in Thailand have made claims before that they have found cures for diseases, and those claims did not pan out. We'll see if this one does.
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Thai doctors say two drug groups help cure patient

Anti-flu, AIDS medications speed up recovery, say Rajavithi doctors

February 2, 2020

Thai doctors have declared the use of anti-flu and AIDS drugs a success in treating coronavirus patients after using them on a Chinese woman with severe symptoms.

Two doctors from Rajavithi Hospital in Bangkok — Dr Kriangsak Atipornwanich, an expert physician, and Assoc Prof Dr Subsai Kongsangdao, a specialist — said at a briefing in Bangkok that improvements were seen in the 71-year-old woman 48 hours after administering the two groups of medications.

The woman was admitted first to Hua Hin Hospital and then transferred to Rajavithi Hospital on Jan 29.

After finding she had severe symptoms, the doctors decided to use oseltamivir, an anti-flu drug used to treat the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS), as well as lopinavir and ritonavir, two AIDS drugs.

Dr Kriangsak acknowledged that the Chinese had already been using AIDS medications to treat the novel coronavirus.

"We checked related information and found MERS had been effectively treated by anti-flu drugs so we combined both groups of medications with effective results.

“After poor lab tests for 10 days, the test finally turned positive after 48 hours of administering the medications. The treatment, as well as the recovery, is fast,” he said.

They noted they had reported the discovery to a medical journal and would use the drugs on additional patients. The two groups of drugs are effective on patients with serious symptoms, they said.

Doctors from the Public Health Ministry also said at the briefing on Sunday the accumulated number of patients in Thailand stood at 19.

One was cured, bringing the total number of treated cases to eight. Thirty-eight more met the criteria for investigation, bringing the total under investigation to 382, they said.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... re-patient
Dodger
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Re: Has Thailand found a cure for the Corona Virus?

Post by Dodger »

According to recent articles on the subject, China used the very same anti-flu and AIDS medications to treat both SARS and MERS patients in the past, so the use of these medications to treat viruses in the Nova Coronavirus family is nothing new.

The Thai doctors at the hospital in Bangkok who used these medications to treat the 70 year old Chinese woman, and apparently several other patients, are reporting favorable results, although have said themselves that these medications cannot be considered a "cure" until further tests are performed.

One would assume that if the Chinese used these very same medications before to treat viruses in the Nova Coronavirus family, they have been trying them again. So far, from at least what I'm reading, there are no indications that the Chinese see these medications as being the solution to the problem.

Frankly, I don't see the value in the Thai hospital seeking publication of this until they have something conclusive to offer. There's enough confusion right now surrounding this virus, and people shooting from the hips trying to be stars is exactly what's not needed. I imagine there's already a photo op in the works with the doctors, hospital administrators, army generals, and members of the PM's cabinet, posing behind the 70 year old Chinese lady which their chests puffed out, at the same time as the poor woman, who's wearing an oxygen mask, is scribbling a note to hold up in front of the camera's saying:..."Don't listen to them, it still hurts".
Jun

Re: Has Thailand found a cure for the Corona Virus?

Post by Jun »

Dodger wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2020 5:01 pm I imagine there's already a photo op in the works with the doctors, hospital administrators, army generals, and members of the PM's cabinet, posing behind the 70 year old Chinese lady
I suspect publicity seeking has something to do with it.

However, I don't know what the Chinese situation is. Even if they have had considerable success with the same drugs, there could be very good reasons for low publicity. For example:
1 News of a "cure" might cause people to be less vigilant, where they need to be more careful.
2 Supply of the drugs may be limited, so if they are only to be allocated to the most needy or most powerful people, it's best not to tell everyone.
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Re: Has Thailand found a cure for the Corona Virus?

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Dodger wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2020 5:01 pm people shooting from the hips trying to be stars is exactly what's not needed. I imagine there's already a photo op in the works with the doctors, hospital administrators
On the other hand, aren't they taking a serious risk of humiliation if it turns out their "cure" doesn't work? It seems to me they wouldn't come forward with this unless they knew they stood much more chance of being identified as heroes rather than failures who spoke too soon.
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Re: Has Thailand found a cure for the Corona Virus?

Post by Dodger »

Gaybutton wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2020 7:12 pm
Dodger wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2020 5:01 pm people shooting from the hips trying to be stars is exactly what's not needed. I imagine there's already a photo op in the works with the doctors, hospital administrators
On the other hand, aren't they taking a serious risk of humiliation if it turns out their "cure" doesn't work? It seems to me they wouldn't come forward with this unless they knew they stood much more chance of being identified as heroes rather than failures who spoke too soon.
You could very well be right.

The doctors did say that this may not be the cure, which has to be respected.

I just can't help but have this cartoon image of Thais jumping in front of the camera, like they always do, thus the reason for the photo op humor.
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Re: Has Thailand found a cure for the Corona Virus?

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Dodger wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2020 7:34 pm I just can't help but have this cartoon image of Thais jumping in front of the camera
Whatever their motivations are for announcing this, let's hope they have actually found something that works.

They did announce the drug combination they used. If this works, I hope China can come up with enough of it to be able to prevent any more deaths.

I think China ought to also forbid eating these exotic foods. That's where this virus came from. I don't know how they could enforce it, but I hate to even try to imagine eating whatever creature will bring the next major disease. Again, I think it's only a question of time before that happens. And we better hope that when it does, it will be something that can be dealt with. If it is something easily transmittable and incurable, then what?

At least so far these diseases have appeared one at a time. Imagine if diseases such as HIV, bird flu, SARS, and the Corona virus all happened at the same time.
Jun

Re: Has Thailand found a cure for the Corona Virus?

Post by Jun »

Gaybutton wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2020 8:25 pm I think China ought to also forbid eating these exotic foods. That's where this virus came from. I don't know how they could enforce it, but I hate to even try to imagine eating whatever creature will bring the next major disease.
I thought the source was live animals in markets, not them being eaten ?

A ban on the sale of certain live animals from markets ought to be enforceable in a totalitarian state with lots of police and security cameras.
Just make sure they execute anyone taking bribes to turn a blind eye (which might not be too far removed from current policy).
Obviously they should implement such rules as fast as possible, whilst they might also benefit from public support.

Incidentally, the number of cases in China seems to be increasing by 20% per day at present.
Thailand seems to have gone from 14 to 19 in 6 days approximately, which works out at about 5% a day, compounded. A much lower rate, at present. There could be all sorts of explanations for that.
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Re: Has Thailand found a cure for the Corona Virus?

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Jun wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2020 8:54 pm I thought the source was live animals in markets, not them being eaten
Either way, it needs to be stopped - and not just in China. It needs to be stopped anywhere in the world. Let wild animals live their lives where they belong - in the wild. They don't need to be sold for food, pets, or anything else.
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Re: Has Thailand found a cure for the Corona Virus?

Post by Dodger »

Gaybutton wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2020 9:39 pm
Jun wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2020 8:54 pm I thought the source was live animals in markets, not them being eaten
Either way, it needs to be stopped - and not just in China. It needs to be stopped anywhere in the world. Let wild animals live their lives where they belong - in the wild. They don't need to be sold for food, pets, or anything else.
You would think anyone living in the modern world, especially with all the focus on healthy eating and food hygiene, would know that.

The Chinese greedily devour anything and everything that will supply the place of food. If it walks, crawls, swims, flies, or grows on the earth, they eat it. During my first business trip to Guangzhou I was taken to what was supposed to be a four star restaurant, only to see live monkeys in small bamboo cages being carted to some of the tables, where, with the use of a small steel spike, the patrons would smash the top of the monkey's heads open to expose the brains, which, according to the Chinese are a delicacy. That, along with the bat soup they were serving, took the award for the most disgusting scene I've ever been exposed to.

Their disgusting eating habits, coupled with the fact that most of the food they eat wouldn't be touched by a caveman, can certainly be the source of future viruses like the one the world is faced with now.

It wouldn't be so bad if they were a small tribe living up in some remote mountain somewhere, but they're not, they're the most populated country on earth which places everyone at risk. My remarks may sound like I'm stereotyping, or prejudice, but, believe me, I'm not. They eat like pigs, and devour things that even a pig wouldn't put in its mouth. That's just a reality.

The Chinese should be banned from entering other countries (all countries) because of this. The viruses they create should be confined to the Chinese mainland, and all international travel to China should be banned.
Jun

Re: Has Thailand found a cure for the Corona Virus?

Post by Jun »

Chinese case numbers up by almost 20% again today. Thai numbers unchanged again. So far. Strange, although I am not complaining.
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