I probably wouldn’t be sharing this article, except for the fact Mr. Green, a Forum regular who often accuses me of blindness, hypocrisy and conspiracy theories predicted I would share something like it. I’m not sure it proves the criticism against me. I’m just happy to oblige a free wish.
The bonus is, the author shares my surname. That could be proof of something. More than that, we both know who Jon Rappoport is. That could be proof of something more!
Tidewater News and Opinion Forum 
We should all be so lucky if we become infected.
Regarding the Regeneron antibody cocktail. It is really just two antibodies that target different parts of the spike protein. The idea is that if you just use one, and there is a mutation in some of the virus that bypasses that target, then that mutation becomes the surviving strain. It is far less likely that a virus strain will bypass both.
For myself, I would prefer convalescent plasma which has scores of antibodies. But the Regeneron preparation is an effective antiviral measure.
The same goes for Remdesivir.
Like all antiviral measures, they are best used early as possible in the infection.
And like pretty much everything useful, the FDA requires the rest of us to wait until it is too late for them to be any good.
LikeLike
Apparently, it is experimental with only 240 some doses having been administered, but similar monoclonal antibody stuff has been around awhile, albeit I believe those may all be experimental too, but saw wide use in the Ebola outbreak, so the overall approach has been shown effective with a “safe” use record.
Without a Phase III study, safety is an issue, but first and foremost, he’s a 74-year old man with at least one comorbid condition, probably more than one, but like all things Trump, his health is a facade.
Personally, I would prefer that he receive just the HCQ or injected anally with disinfectant that he touted to be a miracle cure. So, rest assured, he’s in much better hands than his own.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The article is based on a fact not in evidence . . .
“WHY ARE THE WALTER REED DOCTORS TREATING TRUMP AS IF HE WERE IN DESPERATE STRAITS?”
Maybe he IS in desperate straits.
Their choice of treatments and hospitalization is evidence that Mr. Trump may be in far more trouble than the always dishonest White House is admitting. We already know that before walking a few feet to the helicopter he was given supplementary oxygen – pretty clear evidence that his lungs are under serious assault by the virus. Furthermore, there is reason to believe that he has been infected longer than is being admitted. It usually takes far longer to go from exposure to needing oxygen and hospitalization.
The lack of any mention of HCQ is interesting but, if he was not lying, Mr. Trump has already been taking it as a preventative measure. Was he doing so and it did no good? Or was he lying about that to bolster his HCQ boosterism?
LikeLiked by 1 person
RE: “The article is based on a fact not in evidence . . .”
Yes, it is. Hmmm…
LikeLike
Do I detect snark? Why?
The article is based on the fact that . . .”Trump is not in desperate straits.”
As I said, that is a “fact” not in evidence. The evidence points the other way – that his case is very serious. So, instead of trying to “murder” him, they are trying very hard to save him.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Something to consider, based on the progress of symptoms, it may be that he was exposed earlier than we thought. The respiratory difficulties usually come 5 to 7 days after infection.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good point.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, it would take Hope Hicks off the hook, but leave a mystery as to where he would have been exposed.
LikeLike
Before this gets too deep into conspiracy theory, a couple of things about COVID-19 disease.
There are 2 phases. The first is rapid multiplication of the virus sometimes countered by a generalized immune response. The 2nd is the more intense, directed immune response after the body starts producing antibodies and killer lymphocytes, controlled by cytokines and bradykinines released by damaged cells, It is that 2nd phase that can kill you.
The first phase is where antivirals are useful. Those include HCQ, convalescent plasma, monoclonal antibodies and cocktails, remdesivir and others. Regardless of how severe the 2nd phase is, antivirals must be used in the first phase. If you wait to see how bad phase 2 gets, you are too late.
Remdesiver is more targeted and probably more effective than HCQ, but it is $500 a dose and you need at least 10 doses, and it is not authorized for early treatment, But if you could get it, it would be a better choice than HCQ. Same for antibody cocktails. For you and me, the FDA would make your doctor wait until they were too late.
Once the 2nd phase begins, your body is clearing the virus on its own and antivirals would only be useful in someone immunocompromised. Treatment in that phase is anti inflammatory.
That includes corticosteriods and cytokine blockers.
HCQ is both a weak antiviral and an immune response moderator, making it useful in both phases, but less so than the more powerful targeted drugs you and I won’t get as there simply isn’t enough to go around for pre-clinical treatment for everyone.
hope that helps
LikeLike
RE: “Before this gets too deep into conspiracy theory,…”
Surely you have noticed that Roberts, Remdesiver, and Regeneron all begin with the letter R, just like Russia, Russia, Russia!
I’m told as well that the Regeneron cocktail is called a “Covfefe Double Dose.”
LikeLike
I did not know that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the shout out.
It is not ACCUSATION; it is OBSERVATION. And I stand by my observations as much as you stand by your conspiracy, hypocrisy, and blindness to facts that don’t feed YOUR narrative.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So Trump’s own doctor is trying to kill or seriously injure his patient? And the author only believes that Scott Atlas the non-epidemiologist recently added to the task force because he said all of the “right” things is the only one to save him?
This is rich satire at best. But apparently you believe it strongly enough to share it (and blame me for your actions. oooo Trumpy)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Politico’s article is full of ….it; stuff from the MAGA crowd.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/02/maga-world-blame-adulation-trump-covid-425624
LikeLiked by 1 person
“I think right now, a lot of Trump supporters are just stunned and they’re not getting much direction from the president right now,” said Lee Stranahan, a former White House reporter for the right-leaning Breitbart News and a radio host on the Russian-funded Sputnik News.”
“Send prayers and good thoughts, and talk about how vile the Democrats are.”
Sputnik News? Really? You can’t make this stuff up.
I find this kind of strange. Are Trump supporters like Jim Jones acolytes that are so mesmerized that they are now lost without incessant tweets from the regime leader?
So the new orders are “pray and insult”?
Biden has halted negative campaign spots. Now I suppose that doesn’t necessarily apply to the Citizens United folks in private PAC’s. But it is a gesture that we probably wouldn’t have seen were the situation reversed.
As an aside, your link relates that in MAGA world, Democrats are responsible since few of them test positive.
Gee, I wonder why? Cue the Rose Garden video and let that sink in for a bit.
Again I am reminded of the ancient Chinese curse: “May you live in interesting times.”
LikeLiked by 2 people
“Democrats are responsible since few of them test positive.”
Cite?
LikeLike
“Further afield, Trump’s most fervent supporters could hardly accept that Trump caught the disease in the first place, with some suggesting the Democrats — or perhaps the “deep state” — were somehow to blame.”
“Does anyone else find it odd that no prominent Democrats have had the virus but the list of Republicans goes on and on?” tweeted DeAnna Lorraine, a former congressional candidate who has backed baseless theories from the QAnon conspiracy movement, going on to blast masks as a Democrat-backed lie and questioning whether China had technically made an “assassination attempt” on the first family.”
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/02/maga-world-blame-adulation-trump-covid-425624
That people may believe this crap is either a paean to conspiracy mongers or ignorance. I vote for both.
The Rose Garden video kind of says it all about why Republicans are testing positive and Democrats are not.
Maybe the folks that set up the chairs wiped them with infected sputum and they were staffers held over from Obama. This was their day job, because at night they were making pizzas with the blood of children. 😇
LikeLiked by 2 people
There are two Presidential campaigns. One took the best advice from the scientific community very seriously and have been repeatedly mocked for it. The other campaign not only ignored the best advice from the scientific community, but also openly disparaged it.
One campaign is now continuing uninterrupted. The other is in total disarray. That pretty much says it all. Or all that anyone should need.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Well, all in all, as I say he’s in better hands than the nation is.
LikeLiked by 2 people
An interesting sidebar on Remdesivir.
It is not a new drug, it was developed in 2009 as a potential Hepatitis C treatment and was later repurposed with limited success for Ebola, SARS and MERS. Its risks and side effects are well known.
Like any antiviral, it would be best to use it as early as possible, but the FDA’s approval is for severely ill hospitalized patients when it is really past its best use.
Remdesivir is difficult to manufacture in quantity so there is not enough to use it on an outpatient basis for early treatment.
However, Gliead wanted to produce a nasal inhaled version for early, outpatient use, using a much smaller total dose since it went directly to the respiratory tissues. With that much smaller required dose, they could produce enough to go around.
The FDA ruled they would have to start over from scratch on the 11 year old drug on Phase 1 studies for safety because of the different method of use. Gilead has begun trials but will likely lose the race to the vaccine producers. It could have been available 3 months ago.
Just another example of the FDA stepping in to save you from the scourge of survival.
https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/gilead-kicks-off-clinical-trial-inhaled-remdesivir-for-less-severe-covid-19
LikeLike
There have been photos of Trump’s medical team (11 or 13 folks) posing while updates to his condition are stated to press.
What I found to be amazingly ironic is that the president is still trying to dismantle ACA in the middle of a pandemic with no replacement on the table. So for many, the odds of being able to afford care by one physician is either gone or under threat to be gone.
Now, I don’t have a huge problem with national leaders getting the best care the country can offer. However,Trump is the man most responsible for the pending legal battle to destroy what may be the only alternative to employment based health insurance that does not penalize pre-existing conditions. And with millions who have tested positive, pre-existing conditions next year and after are going to be a big deal.
If the case does come to SCOTUS and Barrett is on the bench, both of which seemed more likely until a few days ago, I hope she takes into consideration that ACA was passed by a majority in Congress as law. Unlike Roe V. Wade which was not and is the arguing point for conservatives regarding legislating from the bench.
I also hope that she can recognize that stripping healthcare from 10’s of millions during a health crisis is folly on a grand scale.
I know the textual reading of the Constitution may not abide by ACA for some odd reason or another, but there are cases in which reason has to prevail over what was written 230 years ago.
IMHO
LikeLiked by 1 person
What do you think the value of Obamacare is?
Unless one is covered by expanded Medicaid, which could have been done without destroying the private insurance industry, who has benefited from Obamacare?
In most of the country, the premiums plus deductibles and co-pays are not more affordable than before, and the inflexibility of the plans has driven many insurers out of the market. In more than half the country there is only a single insurer available. Competition has been destroyed.
So, what good is Obamacare to anyone?
LikeLike
Many get subsidies to make the insurance affordable.
What kind of insurance would be available to people who lost their jobs in COVID, then can’t afford to get any private insurance?
What about pre-existing conditions? Here is a problem with any private insurance, even your Libertarian package. If you get treated in Don’s plan for a serious problem, then you plan fizzles, gets too pricey or has lousy service. Fine, move on it is competitive, right?
Not so fast. Who will insure you if they can deny or price out pre-existing conditions?
And that is what we had before ACA. Prices were going through the roof with double digit annual increases. Denials, delays, rescissions and dropped coverage were the norm for both individuals and smaller businesses that did not self insure.
And nobody, I mean nobody, except Clinton in 1994, would touch healthcare. Then the crash came and people who were happy in nice jobs with healthcare had neither.
ACA was just a subsidy program for private insurance. And it was meant to be tweaked, improved and become the stepping stone to universal health insurance which could be any one of a myriad of models that did not necessarily mean single payer.
But conservatives just can’t abide by universal healthcare of any kind.
So here we are.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Even with the subsidies the deductibles and co-pays are unaffordable, and the subsidies were intended to be phased out. It was never intended to be viable past Obama’s term.
It was intended to destroy the private market and leave no alternative but a government plan.
And since you can only sign up for a new plan in October, if you lose your insurance and have a pre-exisitng condition you better hope it doesn’t kill you before October.
LikeLike
What is this “Obamacare” you speak of? Since January 21, 2017 we have had Trumpcare which, like everything else Trump has ever been responsible for, has been ruined by indifference and mismanagement.
“It was intended to destroy the private market and leave no alternative but a government plan.”
So you keep saying and the fact that there is no credible evidence for such a nonsensical statement never seem to slow you down. In fact, its clear purpose was to SAVE the private insurance model with long overdue support and regulation.
What WILL lead to no alternative but a government plan is Trump’s destruction of the ACA combined with his mismanagement of the economy and the pandemic. That process of destruction will be complete if he and his politicized Justices put the final nail in its coffin.
LikeLike
So, the ACA has now been revealed to be so bad that you want to credit it to Trump instead of Obama.
Nancy Pelosi said at the time it was passed it was only a step to the ‘government option.’
LikeLike
No, I do not want to, I have to. Trump has systematically undermined the ACA from day one. It is his baby now. And that is a continuation of the Republican policy to cause it to fail going back to the day it was enacted. Now, when the protections that the ACA offers for those with pre-existing conditions are more critical than ever, they are in SCOTUS trying to throw the whole thing out AGAIN.
Obama and Pelosi were under tremendous pressure from progressives in the Democratic Party to enact Medicare-for-all or at least a public option when they decided to try to SAVE the for-profit insurance model so she may well have said something along those lines. Such a comment does not negate the fact that the law is designed to SAVE for-profit insurance. And, if properly administered, it might have. Now, thanks to Trump, we are closer to Medicare-for-all than ever before.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So, Pelosi was lying to her progressive wing when she assured them that passing the ACA was just a step toward the public option.
If you remember, when the ACA was under consideration, I among many others warned that it was unsustainable and would collapse as the subsidies were phased out after Obama’s term ended.
And that is exactly what has happened. It was designed to destroy the existing system and then collapse.
LikeLike
Uh, no. It was designed to be sustainable. But some of the key elements of the design have been sabotaged by the Republicans.
Millions of people who were meant to be covered by Medicaid, thrown back into the pool of expense that has to be paid by someone else.
The individual mandate is – according to the Heritage Foundation’s original plan to save for-profit insurance – a vital part of the structure. Killed by Trump in the 2017 tax giveaway.
There are many other ways that the GOP and Trump have worked to undermine the ACA.
https://www.healthinsurance.org/blog/2019/07/26/12-ways-the-gop-sabotaged-obamacare/
If the Republicans really wanted to avoid a single payer system for some reason, they should have worked to strengthen the ACA. Dumb.
LikeLike
The ACA could not be propped up indefinitely. It should have been euthanized but that was blocked.
And again, the Medicaid expansion was only temporarily propped up by the Federal govt, than it would be dumped on the States.
LikeLike
Remember what our system was before ACA. Double digit annual increases, denials, rescissions, delays and pre-existing conditions penalties.
Unsustainable. And for a bonus, the Democrats were handed the worst economic downturn, nearly a total collapse, since 1929. No jobs, no income, no health insurance. For 10’s of millions unemployed.
Denigrate ACA all you want, it was the only plan, with all its flaws, that could get through the healthcare industry’s blockade.
Meanwhile the Republicans had a hatful of crap. Nothing. Nada.
And still don’t. We have been waiting for a replacement plan in 2 weeks for 4 years. 5 really.
LikeLiked by 2 people
“It was intended to destroy the private market”…
Considering the many folks FROM the private market were involved in drafting of the ACA, are you saying they were suicidal?
LikeLike
Frankly, your “arguments” are not worthy of the name. Now you say . . .
[The ACA] should have been euthanized but that was blocked.
Blocked by whom? John McCain, I suppose.
Trump and the Republicans ran on the PROMISE that they would eliminate the ACA and replace it with something MUCH better. In case you have forgotten, the Republicans had full control for the first two years of the Trump Presidency and were able, for example, to force through a massive tax cut for their billionaire buddies. They had the will to get THAT done, but not the will to fulfill their promises on healthcare. They NEVER even devised a better plan, much less put it to a vote. They STILL haven’t. Could that be because there is not a better plan that would both protect the people and preserve for-profit insurance? It appears so. Your plan – throw everyone to the wolves – would be political suicide for the party that openly pushed it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
…”you can only sign up for a new plan in October”
Not entirely accurate. Like any other insurance plan, if you have a life changing event, marriage, divorces, child born, etc., you can adjust your plan in conjunction with that.
LikeLike
Their started him on a steroid on Sunday. He’s got it bad.
LikeLiked by 1 person
He just deliberately exposed a car full of people for a 10 minute joyride. The steroids are working… on his brain.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I heard about that. WTF is wrong with that man?
He has the virus, so he can’t get it any worse, therefore screw others.
Just like when Trump was defending his rallies. He said I am far enough away from the crowds so I am safe.
The whole point was that the maskless, packed crowds that yell and scream are at risk, not him. That is until he was so ignorant that he caroused with supporters, GOP Congressmen, his staff and donors as if nothing was going on. Including letting Hope Hicks go to the fund raiser knowing she was sick.
The man is a friggin’s disaster as president. COVID is just the crowning achievement.
LikeLiked by 2 people