In this No Spin Live Special Edition, experts discuss for a 3rd consecutive week the important data driven issues and concepts surrounding the coronavirus / COVID-19 crisis. Drs. Charles Randquist of Stockholm, Sweden, Tom Wiener of Houston, Texas, David Sieber of San Francisco, and William P. Adams Jr. of Dallas have a lively discussion on the CVD-19 topic. All of these physicians are also scientists and have proven track records in data analysis, education and publication.
Expert Firsthand Experience with COVID – 19
Dr. Charles Randquist from Stockholm, Sweden , details the progress with Swedish strategy which is been very different for most of the world not involving total lockdown and allowing businesses to stay open, and society to have a positive vibe. He details that Sweden has fared quite well with that selective isolation strategy while protecting the economy. Of particular interest. He also shares that he himself was afflicted with COVID – 19 and elected to begin himself on hydroxychloroquine and is now feeling very good and recovered after 9 days.
Healthcare System Capacity
Dr. Weiner, Randquist and Sieber discuss the fundamental principle of the total lockdown strategy which is to “flatten the curve” to prevent the healthcare system from becoming overwhelmed. The problem that the experts relate is that the COVID-19 modeling originally done has turned out not to be true, off by orders of magnitude, and the number of patients and number of intensive care requirements has been far less than projected. For this reason globally, all healthcare systems with the exception of northern Italy have been able to keep up with requirements, including those in the United States, which are relatively empty. The experts also discuss the other factor in this is the economy and the severe consequences and effects of a total lockdown strategy that will likely carry far more death and morbidity than will be seen with the COVID- virus.
It’s About Herd Immunity
Dr. Wiener again discusses the importance of herd immunity. The problem with lockdown strategies is that they actually decrease the degree of acquired immunity in any given region. These are lessons that we’ve learned many times before, including with the H1N1 flu and even the Spanish flu. All the experts agree that a more selective isolation strategy has many positive benefits including allowing natural herd immunity to build that protects the population from 2nd and 3rd waves of any virus. The experts stress that the answer is in the science and data and they urge policymakers to pay attention to the current science and data which will lead the way.
The experts also discuss how the different types of strategies not only affect the population medically, economically, but also socially where in Sweden the vibe of the populace is positive vs. many of the other areas of the world, including the United States, where people are still very guarded because they are being given misinformation by many media sources and social media sources. The solution to this is complex but the physician experts believe that a return and reentry for the majority of society would be welcomed but also well supported by the science and data.