Joint statement of the Minister of Health and the Ambassador of Israel in Cyprus

[Devil]

Joint statement of the Minister of Health of Cyprus, Mr Constantinos Ioannou, and the Ambassador of Israel in Cyprus, Mr Shmuel Revel

The close neighborly ties between Israel and Cyprus and the telephone conversations between the Heads of State opened the door to an important cooperation confronting the threat of the COVID-19 coronavirus. The successful partnership between the two countries in the health field, significant in normal times, is even more vital in this time of emergency.

An important first step is the exchange of treatment methods and protocols between the national corona centers in Israel and Cyprus –the Sheba Medical Center and the Famagusta General Hospital– as well as with Nicosia General Hospital Intensive Care Unit.

Today, through a joint effort and an Israeli logistical assistance, 5 tons of API Chloroquine were imported from India. Together with existing stocks, this joint effort will ensure that we will have at our disposal very important quantities of Chloroquine needed for patients in Cyprus and in Israel.

As we continue to face substantial challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic, we will continue to explore every possibility to further enhance the cooperation between our countries.

[Jimgward]

This is the malaria drug, that Donald Trump is pushing, despite only 1 minor trial in France, that most health experts have ridiculed.

[Devil]

When you are in the sea, drowning, even a plank of wood may appear welcome!

[Dominic]

I took that drug as an anti-malarial in the 90s. I stopped a few weeks later because of the psychotic nightmares it caused. Personally, I would rather take my chances with COVID-19, in the same way that I took my chances with malaria back then. But of course, your mileage may vary. Many people have taken the drug with no ill effects.

[Jimgward]

There is NO evidence it does any more than perhaps make people feel better for taking something. For some reason, Trump, Elon Musk and some others have been promoting this, even when told there is no evidence. Trump more or less said, if nothing else, it would be a Placebo (although he didn’t use that word - not in an infants vocabulary)

[Dominic]

from Scientific American.
_____

After the initial outbreak of MERS in 2012, scientists conducted random screens of thousands of approved drugs to identify one that might block MERS infection. Several drugs, including chloroquine, showed the ability to block coronaviruses from infecting cells in vitro. But these drugs were not extensively pursued because ultimately they did not show enough activity to be considered further.

When the new coronavirus appeared, many drugs that had shown some initial promise against the related coronaviruses MERS and SARS were at the top of the list as worthy of further evaluation as possible treatments.

So the science is real, and a number of labs around the world are now investigating these drugs and testing them in clinical trials in the U.S., France and China. But so far, there is no consensus about whether the drugs are safe and effective for treating COVID-19, as it is still very early in the testing process.

_____

The article goes on to say that you shouldn't take it as a cure until further tests have been completed. However, there clearly is SOME evidence that it might work, because otherwise there would be a consensus that it doesn't work.

[paulaf]

It is one of the drugs included in the WHO Solidarity trial, so it seems as it might be having positive effects if countries like Cyprus are buying in vast quantities.

[paulaf]

In Europe the same arm of the trial is called Recovery run by the University of Oxford, as of yesterday 1900 patients in 100 hospitals were enrolled on it in the UK. You can read more here:

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/03 ... treatments

http://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2020-03-23-fir ... treatments

https://www.recoverytrial.net/

They say first results are expected in May but there will be obviously knowledge in the industry before we MOP know. I've never read so much science information!