COVID19

Testing: We have both PCR and rapid Antigen tests.  

Vaccinations are the best defense against COVID19.  Vaccines turn potentially serious illness into a cold.  We offer Moderna. 

Immunity after infection: See Dr Marty Makary’s WSJ Editorial.  List of Research Studies on Immunity.

We can test for COVID19 antibodies to detect prior infection.  

Treatment: We treat each case depending on timing and symptoms and have several options: the best is early use of Regeneron (monoclonal antibodies).  We may use Budesonide and Dexamethasone, and home oxygen depending on timing and severity of symptoms.  Hydroxychloroquine, Azithromycin, and Ivermectin have little impact on newer variants like Delta.

Long-Haulers and Complications:  COVID19 can cause a variety of longer term complications, and we evaluate each person carefully to customize treatment to return to normal.

Vaccine Controversies:  There is a lot of misinformation. ZDoggMD.com has several excellent videos and Vaccine Details from CHOP.  In healthcare, the benefits  obviously outweigh remote risks.  There are rare side effects, but they do not cause sterilization, spread of spike proteins, or allow tracking (cell phones do that already.)  There are many discredited theories, antibody dependent enhancement or spike protein shedding, that use a little science to intentionally cause confusion and put people at risk.  There are no surges of COVID in vaccinated populations; COVID cases have dropped dramatically.  

Ivermectin is not a substitute for vaccines and evidence is strong against it – Summary of Analysis.  We see frequent treatment failure against the newer strains such as Delta, and people have died from delayed care.   

Research starting with SARS in 2002-3 has shown Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine competitively inhibit COVID19 from getting into our cells and further hinders viral replication (multiplying).  Hydroxychloroquine is one of the drugs that helps Zinc get into the cell.  The three work together by hindering COVID19 virus.  Newer strains of COVID19, however, are more adherent to ACE2 receptors and appear no longer effectively hindered by earlier drugs.  

This link provides a summary of current understanding of COVID19 – Features, Evaluation and Treatment of COVID19

Bradykinin hypothesis –  The virus attaches onto a receptor called ACE2 to get into our cells then hijack our proteins to reproduce itself.  ACE2 helps control our blood pressure and we have more as we age, which is why children are rarely ill.  Link below explains in more details the symptoms caused by dysregulation of ACE2 and Bradykinin secreting hyaluronic acid in lungs