Covid-19 Patients No Longer Need Tests to End Isolation
Under new guidelines from the C.D.C., recovering coronavirus patients should be free to resume normal activity after 10 days, if they have no fever or other symptoms.
Coronavirus testing delays of up to two weeks persist in parts of the country.Credit…Max Whittaker for The New York Times
Most Americans recovering from Covid-19 can come out of isolation without further testing to show they no longer carry the coronavirus, federal health officials said on Wednesday.
Instead, patients may be judged to have recovered if 10 days have passed since they first felt ill; they no longer have any symptoms, such as shortness of breath or diarrhea; and they have not had a fever for 24 hours without taking fever-reducing medicine.
The new recommendations are not rules but guidelines intended for patients, doctors and health policymakers. The revisions should help relieve the burden on the country’s testing system, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. (See link for article)
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**Comment**
Ha ha, ha…..yeah right.…Lyme/MSIDS patients know all about “guidelines” that rule the land like the Iron Curtain.
Tests for SARS-CoV-2 in South Korea Can’t Distinguish Virus from Viral Fragments
by TVR Staff
Published July 26, 2020
A team of South Korean infectious disease researchers has concluded there is no evidence that people can be reinfected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The researchers, led by Oh Myoung-don, MD, head of Seoul National University Hospital’s division of infectious diseases, believe that reports of patients who have recovered from COVID-19 and subsequently tested positive again for SARS-CoV-2 were not due to reinfection or reactivation but, rather, to testing errors.123456
According to Dr. Oh, the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests used to determine the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and help diagnose cases of COVID-19 cannot distinguish between the virus and harmless fragments of the virus.123456 Vaccine developer Seol Dai-wu of Chung-Ang University in Seoul, South Korea agrees.
“The RT-PCR machine itself cannot distinguish an infectious viral particle versus a non-infectious virus particle, as the test simply detects any viral component,” Seol said.2
As immunologist Beda Stadler, PhD, former director of the University Institute of Immunology at the Insel Hospital in Bern, Switzerland notes, people who recovered from COVID-19 can still test positive for SARS-CoV-2 because…
… the coronavirus test measures only a very tiny tiny piece of the genome of the virus, and if your immune cells have killed the virus, then you have debris, you have rotten pieces of the nucleic acids in your blood and everywhere, and the assay can pick up these rotten pieces and then it look like as if you’re infected. You’re not. You have won the fight, you’re immune. So [the test] cannot discriminate.7
In a recent case involving 260 people in South Korea who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 and recovered, tests detected fragments of the SARS-CoV-2 virus weeks after their recoveries. “The tests detected the ribonucleic acid of the dead virus,” Dr. Oh said.123456 He added:
PCR testing that amplifies genetics of the virus is used in Korea to test COVID-19, and relapse cases are due to technical limits of the PCR testing. The respiratory epithelial cell has a half-life of up to three months, and RNA virus in the cell can be detected with PCR testing one to two months after the elimination of the cell.1356
The findings by Dr. Oh and his research team have been confirmed by the Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). On May 18, 2020, the KCDC announced that it had studied 285 cases of patients who had recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection and later tested positive again for the virus. Despite the positive tests, the agency determined that the patients were not contagious because they did not actually have the virus—that the PCR tests has “falsely identified dead viral matter as active COVID-19 infection.”89
The new research from South Korea has led to new protocols in that country for handling cases involving people who recovered from COVID-19, completed a period of isolation and then retested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Now, in South Korea, there is no longer a requirement for people, who have recovered from COVID-19 and gone through isolation, to test negative for SARS-CoV-2 before going back to work or school.9
Rasnick’s advice for people who want to be tested for COVID-19.
“DON’T DO IT, I SAY, WHEN PEOPLE ASK ME,” HE REPLIES. “NO HEALTHY PERSON SHOULD BE TESTED. IT MEANS NOTHING BUT IT CAN DESTROY YOUR LIFE, MAKE YOU ABSOLUTELY MISERABLE.”
Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio Tests Positive, Then Negative, for Coronavirus
The governor said he felt confident in the results of a negative test that was taken hours after he tested positive while being screened to greet President Trump.
Gov. Mike DeWine tested negative for the coronavirus hours after a positive rapid-result test had prevented him from welcoming President Trump to Ohio on Thursday, a whiplash reversal that reflected the nation’s increasingly complex state of testing.
In a high-profile example of a new testing frontier, Mr. DeWine first received an antigen test, which allows for results in minutes, not days, but has been shown to be less accurate. The positive result came as a “big surprise,” said Mr. DeWine, a Republican, who had not been experiencing symptoms other than a headache.
Later on Thursday, he was tested using a more standard procedure known as polymerase chain reaction, or P.C.R., an accurate but time-intensive method that requires samples to be processed at a laboratory. His wife, Fran, and staff members also tested negative. (See link for article)
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**Comment**
And this is where testing remains…..
Important excerpt:
Public health experts say that widespread, rapid testing is necessary for quarantining and contact tracing to effectively control the virus.
This, not the virus, should frighten us.
They have been and will continue to use abysmal testing to take peoples’ freedoms away.
Are you infectious if you have a positive PCR test result for COVID-19?
August 5, 2020
Tom Jefferson, Carl Heneghan, Elizabeth Spencer, Jon Brassey
PCR detection of viruses is helpful so long as its accuracy can be understood: it offers the capacity to detect RNA in minute quantities, but whether that RNA represents infectious virus may not be clear.
During our Open Evidence Review of oral-fecal transmission of Covid-19, we noticed how few studies had attempted or reported culturing live SARS-CoV-2 virus from human samples.
This surprised us, as viral culture is regarded as a gold standard or reference test against which any diagnostic index test for viruses must be measured and calibrated, to understand the predictive properties of that test. In viral culture, viruses are injected in the laboratory cell lines to see if they cause cell damage and death, thus releasing a whole set of new viruses that can go on to infect other cells.
We, therefore, reviewed the evidence from studies reporting data on viral culture or isolation as well as reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), to understand more about how the PCR results reflect infectivity. (See link for article)
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**Comment**
In one of the best reviews I’ve read on PCR testing so far the authors point out the fly in the ointment: few studies have cultured live SARS-CoV-2 virus from human samples. This is a big deal. BIG. Without injecting live viruses into cells lines to determine infectivity, it’s all theoretical. And I’ll add one more to that: these viruses must be not only isolated but purified from all else. In the case of COVID, to my knowledge, this has not been done. According to David Crowe, all they have is pieces and parts they are labeling “virus.” This is an important distinction and quite fundamental. For a great read on this: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/03/16/does-the-coronavirus-exist/
Back to the paper on PCRtesting.…Viral cultures for COVID-19 infectivity assessment. Systematic review. Tom Jefferson, Elizabeth Spencer, Jon Brassey, Carl Heneghan medRxiv 2020.08.04.20167932; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.08.04.20167932
The authors reviewed 14 studies that they labeled of “moderate quality” due to being inadequately sized, lack of protocols, standardized methods and reporting and reporting bias. They hit on some interesting issues like time of testing in relation to symptom severity, viral shedding, etc. They also pointed out that time of testing is important because:
The lower the cycle threshold level the greater the amount of RNA (genetic material) there is in the sample. The higher the cycle number, the less RNA there is in the sample.
In other words, the test is picking up RNA material but the patient isn’t infected any more. The authors point out that this material can linger for weeks in the body.
The authors then sum it up by stating that the 14 studies provided limited data of variable quality of PCR results and are unlikely to predict viral culture from human samples. They state:
Insufficient attention may have been paid how PCR results relate to disease.The relation with infectiousness is unclear and more data are needed on this.
And the most important point:
If this is not understood, PCR results may lead to restrictions for large groups of people who do not present an infection risk.
Rasnick’s advice for people who want to be tested for COVID-19.
“DON’T DO IT, I SAY, WHEN PEOPLE ASK ME,” HE REPLIES. “NO HEALTHY PERSON SHOULD BE TESTED. IT MEANS NOTHING BUT IT CAN DESTROY YOUR LIFE, MAKE YOU ABSOLUTELY MISERABLE.”
Regular blood testing is an important way to keep track of your overall well-being. Getting tested at routine intervals can allow you to see how your body is changing over time and empower you to make informed decisions about your health.
Here are five blood tests you should consider getting every year.
Complete Thyroid Panel
Most physicians, including endocrinologists, will only check one or two thyroid markers: TSH and/or total T4. These tests do not give you a complete picture of your thyroid function. At HMG, there are 6 additional thyroid-related values that we routinely check for our patients: Free T4, Total T3, Free T3, Reverse T3, anti TPO Ab, and anti Thyroglobluin Ab. If any of these blood test values are not optimal, we take the steps to prevent or treat thyroid dysfunction or disease.
Essential Nutrients
Nutrients such as iron, vitamin D, vitamin B12, and magnesium are important for optimal bodily function, but they’re rarely checked at a routine primary care visit. Many people are deficient in these nutrients, so it’s imperative they are checked and supplements suggested when levels are not optimal.
Complete Metabolic Panel and Complete Blood Count
Unlike the other tests we run, the comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) and the complete blood count (CBC) are ordered when you see your primary care physician. These tests are essential to understanding electrolyte and hydration status, kidney function, liver function, and blood cell values. These values can also tell us if someone is fighting an acute or chronic infection.
Metabolic Markers
Metabolic markers such as Hemoglobin A1c, fasting glucose and insulin, and a lipid panel are essential to understanding how a person is processing macronutrients. Most primary care visits include a yearly basic lipid panel and glucose level – rarely will you receive a Hemoglobin A1c. These tests help determine whether there is an increased risk of heart disease from cholesterol levels or not. Many times people are told that they have high cholesterol levels when they are not actually a risk.
Inflammatory Markers
Inflammatory markers like hsCRP and homocysteine are rarely checked at a routine primary care visit. hsCRP is an inflammatory marker which can indicate general inflammatory status. An elevation can tell us there is inflammation happening in the body that should be addressed, whether it be from physical trauma, emotional stress, oxidative stress, environmental toxicity, allergy, sedentary lifestyle, or food sensitivities. Homocysteine is an amino acid that requires methylated-vitamin B12 and folate to be cleared. Elevations in this level can help us understand your stroke and heart disease risk, B vitamin status, ability to methylate, ability to detox, and make neurotransmitters.
Schoolyards and suburban parks are two environments where active tick surveillance may inform local management approaches. Even in a state such as New York with a robust active tick surveillance programme operated by the state Department of Health, these settings are not routinely covered. The goal of this study was to highlight the importance of active surveillance for tick-borne pathogens by describing their prevalence in ticks collected from schoolyards and suburban parks and to guide the use of integrated pest management in these settings. Tick dragging was performed in three regions of New York State: Long Island, the Lower Hudson Valley and the Capital Region. A total of 19 schoolyards and 32 parks were sampled. The location, habitat and weather at the time of tick collection were recorded. Ticks were speciated and tested for the presence of 17 pathogens with a novel application of nanoscale real-time PCR.
The causative agents of Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis and Powassan virus disease were all detected from Ixodes scapularis in various sites throughout the capital region and south-eastern counties of New York state.
The most common agent detected was Borrelia burgdorferi
coinfection rates were as high as 36%
This surveillance study also captured the first of the invasive Asian longhorned tick species,Haemaphysalis longicornis, in New York state (collected 2 June 2017).
Results from this study highlight the importance of collaborative efforts and data sharing for improvement of surveillance for tick-borne disease agents.
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**Comment**
This study doesn’t surprise me one bit. New York is a hot-zone and it only follows that parks and schoolyards would be prime tick locations. Here in Wisconsin, they’ve found ticks even in shortly cut grassy playing fields that school children use. They aren’t just in the shrubby and wooded areas commonly thought of.
Lastly, this study shows the importance of coinfection as 36% of ticks were infected with more than one pathogen. ‘Authorities’ have not dealt with this crucial issue that’s affecting many patients and the need for them to rethink and revise their ‘guidelines’ that they’ve left virtually untouched for over 40 years. Treatment is far more complex than they are admitting to: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/category/lyme-disease-treatment/
Madison Area Lyme Support Group 