Leo V. Warshauer, MD

05/06/2020

YOU KNOW WHEN YOUR WIFE TELLS YOU?...
So she says... "Quit yackin' at me about FB, just post whatever you want." (Paraphrased slightly for effect.)
Hold on. Ta Dah!
(See below)
In my pro-active defense, this is the best website to check real numbers globally and see just how much social distancing works... my wife said to say "BIG TIME!" It is amazing AND real (also her affects.)
It is really good though. Helps all of us on the ground really understand the threat that it is. STAY HOME!!!!!

United States Coronavirus update with statistics and graphs: total and new cases, deaths per day, mortality and recovery rates, current active cases, recoveries, trends and timeline.

04/25/2020

THIS IS WHAT WE'RE ALL ABOUT... THANK YOU TOO!
I don't know who made these for us. I'm guessing someone in our office neighborhood. If you're on FB and put these together, thank you for reminding us what it means to be kind and grateful for each other. And if you didn't, this is to thank you too for the things you do every day to support one another and make this situation a lesson in humanity.
Random act of kindness... pass it on.

04/23/2020

So, my wife says this is a good way to think about Covid-19 and how it spreads. I'm not sure from where she stole it, but thank you Ken McGrath for making an impression on her without nudity and to the betterment of our family.

"Glitter"... I'm holding my breath. Sort of...

04/23/2020

SOCIAL and ECONOMIC PRESSURE TO LIFT SOCIAL DISTANCING:
Stay focused and at home. This is a marathon, not a sprint.

People without employment are desperate to take care of their families and move past this threat. But unless you are willing to leave that family behind, keep in mind the dead do not earn money. No house or car can replace a father or a daughter, a mother or a son, a spouse or partner, a sibling, a parent... a friend... and each of us is one of those at least, at the very least.

If you need help ask.
If you can help give.
Reaching out works both ways.

We are ALL of us, in this together.

Dr. W

What is a safe distance when running, biking and walking during COVID-19 times? It is further than the typical 1–2 meter as prescribed in…

04/23/2020

SCIENTISTS AROUND THE GLOBE WORK TOGETHER:

Please remember... Men and women around the world who have dedicated their lives to Science, did it to better the planet and our lives, not make money.
The pursuit is knowledge - so that all of our children survive and take good care of their children, their children's children and beyond.

Check out what "science-types" are doing to help us survive this. So many pieces to this global puzzle.

The lungs are ground zero for COVID-19, but blood clots may play a surprisingly big role in severe illness

04/08/2020

CONVALESCENT PLASMA:
I hope you are all well and safe. I'm attaching this link to a program headed up by the Mayo Clinic and affiliated with several other powerhouses of research. As Convalescent Plasma transfusion (importing antibodies from recovered patients) seems to lessen the detrimental effects of Covid and/or shorten the acute course of it, the FDA has opened trials across the country.
Coordinating with local Red Cross facilities for patients who are critically ill, any patient could potentially receive a transfusion, not just those in a major cities hosting research facilities.
The catch would be management of logistics/registration/permissions/etc. quickly enough once a patient is deemed "critically ill." Patients are often transitioning from stable condition to complete organ failure within a matter 4 hours or so.
I recommend you take a look at the trial and its risks, decide if this would even be something you might consider for yourself or a loved one, and if yes... get a feel for the protocol. Anything you can do to help a provider do his or her best for you, may adjust outcomes if the system is overwhelmed.

Again...STAY HOME... if we can all do that, we can buy time until effective treatments are in place.

Be safe... Dr. W.

Learn about an FDA-sponsored, Mayo Clinic-led expanded access treatment protocol using donated convalescent plasma to treat hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

04/01/2020

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/31/health/us-coronavirus-updates-tuesday/index.html

The two top infectious disease experts on the White House coronavirus task force think social distancing measures appear to be helping but reminded Americans they are going to have a significant effect on how many people in the Unites States die.

03/31/2020

Conflicting information on Ibuprofen (Advil)... use Acetaminophen (Tylenol) instead unless you have a condition like Arthritis, for which you need it.

So... the French Health Minister issued a statement that anti-inflammatory medicines, a class of drugs called NSAIDs, can be detrimental to Covid patients. This was followed by WHO endorsing the opinion, and then retracting it. All of our health organizations continue to try to walk the fine line of being as proactive as possible to potentially save lives while also maintaining rigorous scientific standards of requiring real data to ensure efficacy and safety. Hence the walk-back on Ibuprofen.

That said, there is a hypothetical risk that NSAIDs might affect the way SARS-CoV-2 binds to human cells. Research in animals has shown that NSAIDs increase levels of a protein called ACE2 on the surface of cells. This is the same protein to which SARS-CoV-2 binds.

So bottom line... be prudent and use Acetaminophen (Tylenol) instead if not you're allergic and can tolerate it. For patients who need Ibuprofen, rest assured 1) there is no current evidence to suggest that it affects Covid outcomes, and 2) you would need to actually be Covid-positive for it to even theoretically apply.

Take good care and STAY HOME!
Dr. W

03/31/2020

Trial in China seems promising - using recovered patients' antibodies in plasma transfusion, a step towards vaccine.

"In a preliminary uncontrolled case series of 5 critically ill patients with laboratory-confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), published in JAMA, administration of convalescent plasma containing neutralising antibody was followed by improvement in their clinical status."

See article in "Journal of American Medical Association":

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2763983

03/31/2020

Genomic studies in the works. One of many fast-tracking approaches to find effective treatment.

Projects drawing on large biobanks and COVID-19 patients aim to find genetic differences that predict who will get seriously ill after an infection