Deaths from COVID-19 are dropping, but we probably can’t resume normal life until someone develops a vaccine. Experts say it will take at least 12 to 18 months.
Why so long?
Because to make sure a vaccine works, researchers must recruit lots of volunteers and wait for them to get sick.
First, they inject the volunteers. Half get the test vaccine; half get a placebo. Then, the test subjects resume their normal lives, and researchers watch to see who gets sick.
For that research to work, there must be enough of the coronavirus around for enough volunteers to get the coronavirus.
But now COVID-19 cases are declining. Researchers worry that there won’t be enough sick people to test it on.
Fortunately, there’s a way to speed testing up, if regulators allow it. It’s called a human challenge trial.
“‘Challenge’ means that you intentionally expose people to the coronavirus…’challenging’ them with the virus,” explains Carson Poltorack in my new video.
Poltorack is a member of One Day Sooner, a group of mostly healthy young people who volunteered to be infected with the coronavirus. So far, 24,000 people from 100 countries have volunteered. They are willing to risk their lives if it means the world get a vaccine sooner.
“It’s the right thing to do,” says Poltorack.
The idea of a challenge trial is not new. Such trials were used to find treatments for malaria, typhoid, dengue fever, and cholera. But there were treatments for those diseases. So far, we have no reliable treatment for COVID-19.
“People your age do die from COVID,” I say to Poltorack.
“Absolutely.” He responds. “I’m 23. The risk of somebody from 18 to 30 is about 3 in 10,000, the same as if you were to donate a kidney.”
Poltorack volunteered after reading a paper where bioethicist Nir Eyal argued that challenge trials would develop a vaccine sooner, without much added risk.
“We put people through risks in clinical trials all the time,” says Eyal.
Young people are more likely to take such risks. Some volunteer to fight wars. Fighting this pandemic, say One Day Sooner volunteers, is like that.
One recorded a video where she says it is “maybe the most important thing I will ever do.”
But some doctors say it shouldn’t be done.
“We need to wait,” says Dr. Jennifer Miller, bioethics professor at Yale Medical School.
She says a challenge trial may not save much time. “You have to develop the challenge virus strain…test it in animals…figure out the correct dose. That can take 6 to 18 months.”
Maybe. Virologist Stanley Plotkin, developer of the rubella vaccine, says it could take just two months.
I argue that the length of time shouldn’t matter. “If individuals want to experiment, shouldn’t it be their choice?” I ask Miller. “Why doesn’t the volunteer get to say, ‘I’m an adult. It’s my body, I get to make the decision!?'”
“We have moral limits to what you can do with your freedoms,” replies Miller. “We mandate that you wear helmets when you ride bicycles in some states. We say you have to wear a seatbelt for your protection…I’m not sure the added risks to the participants are justified.”
“That’s a decision that each individual informed volunteer can make for themselves,” says Poltorack, wisely.
I obviously agree. I asked Poltorack, “One month’s difference in the development of a vaccine could save a thousand lives?”
“No, probably far more than that,” he answers. “Probably in the range of tens to hundreds of thousands.”
Some bureaucracies have come around to the idea. Recently, the World Health Organization released a paper on challenge trials. Thirty-five members of Congress wrote the FDA asking it to consider a challenge trial.
We adults should be allowed to make our own decisions about what we do with our own bodies.
If some people want to get infected, let them!
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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTSPckv6u18?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]
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Y is the USA.EU and UK not bothered,about the COVID deaths in their part of the world ?
Could it be that they want it ? Who are the dead ? The dead are the pensioners, and the persons,who are fatally sick.dindooohindoo
The gainer in every combo,is the West – which makes one wonder,how the COVID magically mutated in its new avatar.
Posit No.1
Assuming that these dead persons in the West,had a residual life of 15 years, and we can assume that,by August,2020,there will be around 600000 dead in the West.
The pension to a pensioner,would not be less than 12,000 USD per annum, on an average,at the minimum.In addition, the medical and other social costs,on an aged pensioner,would be not less than another 8,000 USD per annum.
If they die,then on 6,00,000 people,if the West saves 20,000 USD per annum, you net USD 12 Billion,PER ANNUM – which will be around 200-300 billion for 15 years
One could argue that the US Fed just printed,the USD 12 Billion – but now it need not.The Youth in the west,had to work at high rates of tax and deductions – to finance the aged pension and health care benefits – which ultimately,led to outsourcing.
The scam would be shocking,if the dead,had no insurance ! That would be telling ! If 6,00,000 are dead,with insurance and an average insurance claim,of USD 1,00,000 – then you have a bomb – to wipe out the insurers.
If 10 million die – we are looking at net savings of USD 200 billion per annum and USD 3 Trillion over 15 years.This will also solve the health insurance problems in the US/EU,as the high claim insurers,will cease to exist – and thus lower the insurance costs,for the young,and the cost of labour in manufacturing.
if the aggregate savings on pensions and medical costs are USD 100,000 per annum,then on 10 million dead,we have a saving of ISD 1 trillion per annum,as a perpetual annuity (which is the minimum target – I suspect) – as the strategem ,is to kill people,with co-morbidities – and these are the people,who are a burden on the medical and pension infrastructure.
So the private LIFE insurers,take a 1 time HIT,in terms of claims paid out – and the state,gets a recurring benefit,in terms of pensions and health care costs – of which,some of the gains of the state,are passed back to the insurers,to offset the claim losses (and keep insurance rates low),and some of the gains to the state, are passed back to the residual young population,to reduce the rates of medical and life insurance.
Posit No.2
Large number of services and industries,in the west,will die out.That will release labour and reprice resources and rents – to drastically lower costs – and that will make,”Make in USA”,viable
How will the state finance the loss of tax revenue and GDP.Ultimately,the state will have to demonetise the deposits, in banks, of the westerners.Simple ! The USA will not be able to demonetise the PRC holdings of US T-bills – not even if the PRC sinks a US aircraft carrier in the South China Sea.
Posit No.3
All the nations who borrowed loans from PRC – will now force the PRC to do debt write offs.That will be a huge loss to the PRC,after the manufacturing shift from PRC to West.Post COVID,If 200 million people are unemployed in PRC – then you have Tiananmen – Part 2 – and then a PRC attack,on the Indian weasels, and US satellite states,like Taiwan.and new stooges like Vietnam.
Of Course,the PRC could also force the IMF,and the WB,to waive loans – but the harm to the PRC,will be done 1st.
Posit No.4
Trump postpones the US Polls,as people cannot stand in queues,and no electioneering,is possible – and he has the cure – and by September,the pensioners are dead – death rate and infections rates drops ….. who is the gainer ? If Trump is winning – Putin will stay calm – else,he might attack Eastern EU.If Trump is winning – then it will be the last chance for PRC to annex Taiwan and Vietnam – and make Trump lose face. But the odds of PRC action is medium.
Posit No.5
With massive unemployment in the West – the migrants will exit.Asians were made to clean toilets – that is their worth.They will exit.That will solve the migrants problem,rents and property rates will fall,labour will reprice,and the Westerners,will have to,start to work
The West has to take a BIG PICTURE view.South East Asia and Indian and Nepal ,are over populated,and there is no humanity there.There is no sentience,in the “so called humans”.They are robots – and 80% of them,have to die.Their time is over – they are obsolete, a dead weight,and a burden on earth.This will de-price the resources sector,lower demand,and solve the environment problem,forever.
Africans have been exploited,for at least ,2000 years – and they deserve,many more chances.
There are 3 simple steps
Are the “so-called humans” – having a “sentience” – to be assessed based on their “individual and collective actions”
If not,then they are “robots”
It is time to “terminate the robots”
It is the moral and ethical solution.They are redundant and obsolete,and there is no purpose served,by their existence.Nations in Asia,will not be able to feed or employ these worms,and that will cause strife.hate,violence, genocide,jingoism and the rise of right wing =,demagogic demonic dictators – and then, catacylysmic wars – which will ultimately,harm the West.Anywhich way,the robots will be purged – Virus is better than nukes – for the bots,and the environment.
The COVID antibodies,will ultimately reside in 7 billion people,and those,are the receptors,of the next,”terminal bio-weapon” wnich will hook on those humans, and then based on a mix of the DNA,Genes,latitudes and morbidities – terimate the robots.
It is all evolution.