Lostin76

There are tons of clinical trials ongoing right now for drugs and treatments and a bunch for this drug. It looks like a clinical trial in Sweden was halted early by the DSMB b/c of seizures and vision problems. Vision problems are a common side effect. I talked to one of our docs who just came off the ward. He's not too hopeful about chloroquine and says there are too many side effects including cardiovascular problems. He's a cardiologist and won't use it. I also don't think it's necessarily political. But I do think there are really desperate politicians searching for a silver bullet to get us out of this mess. I would love for a drug or treatment, any drug or treatment, to show promise and a quick cure/solution. I'm sure we all would. But in reality, I think it will probably be a menu of hard choices and difficult personal choices over many months until we come out of this.

This is probably not a good time to be listening to anyone who is not a doctor or a medical specialist. If the media (or politicians) are getting information straight from qualified medical professionals, then that's great. If not, then good to be skeptical.

Not on the ground thankfully, but I run a center that belongs to the School of Medicine for one of the big hospital systems here. We are one of the sites for the clinical trial for hydroxychloroquine, so our docs are using it as part of the trial. Hospitals are overcrowded, especially here in Brooklyn and also in Queens. Our hospital is doing a little better, b/c we were preparing early. But, there are not enough staff or PPE. One of my docs started today on the wards for two weeks and he told me that they get one N95 mask per week. Not cool. Not sure what personal docs locally are doing as far as prescribing. I'm sure there is some "off-label" prescribing happening, but the message here is "do not seek medical care of any kind unless it's a life threatening emergency." No doctor visits and no hospital visits, unless absolutely necessary. The EMS system is severely overtaxed. We are pretty used to hearing sirens at night on a regular basis, but now it's sirens almost constantly, day and night - especially at night though. Honestly, I think the decision to use hydroxychloroquine or not is far down the list of issues for those on the front line. We don't really know if it works, but hopefully this trial will help shed some light on it. I think @Drroogh is probably our local IU message board expert on how much to trust a drug at what point. My docs personally feel "why not try it" if someone is struggling. But, they are also not ready to tell others that they should use it. One thing I do know is that politicians (governors and prez) should keep the heck out of it. They are not helping things. Their job should be to keep their mouths shut, listen to the docs, and keep the supplies flowing to the front line.

I think you are actually much more of an expert in FDA research than I am. The research we do is mostly Quality Improvement (QI) and patient safety. I'm "around" clinical trial stuff in our department, but not as familiar with the ins and outs. My staff do have to deal with the IRB, but not really big clinical trial stuff. We do have a Rapid RCT Lab that has to register on the Clinical Trial website, but my division deals more with process changes over drugs/devices. So, I might be speaking from a position of relative ignorance. Would not be the first time. 😛

That's good. I'm sure the medical leaders have pushed them pretty hard to loosen it up a bit. This is not a time to oppose a treatment b/c a politician you don't like promotes it. It's all hands on deck time.

Agreed about the delays. That's why I am angry that our so many leaders (both federal and state level) chose to undermine the severity of this. Delays of 1 to 2 days are bad, but inaction on the order of 1-2 weeks or 1-2 months will really turn out to the be the disaster after all of this is over. Those two governors had better change their tune quickly - they could save countless people.

A faculty member in our department is co-leading a 2,000 patient clinical trial testing it. We are very seriously looking at it as a possible way to lessen the severity of symptoms. I don't think anyone here in NYC is against is b/c of politics, that would be idiotic. I think it's just a sense of the unknown interactions and an overabundance of caution. I would hope there isn't really anyone opposed to it, hopefully they are just unconvinced or too cautious. Who are these people? Everyone I know are all hoping that it can help. We wasted so much time as a nation and our leaders for the most part have failed us. It's time to try everything we can to lessen suffering, illness, and death.

The building we live in here in Brooklyn has 75 units. Our entire side of the top floor is empty. We are literally the only people left on our side of the building. Parking on the street is plentiful - that never happens - but they have already suspended alternate side parking weeks ago. It's very quiet here. We could have easily left the city any time to go wait out this disaster at our family home on the water in the eastern shore of Maryland. We talked seriously about it right as this thing was heating up. But we just couldn't leave the city. It's our home good and bad, and it just didn't feel right to abandon our home. I have mixed feelings about all of the people who have escaped NYC during this. On the one hand, I don't really blame them, but on the other hand I think it's kind of bullshit to take off when things get tough. NYC has survived 9/11 and Hurricane Sandy, we will also survive this. It might look different on the other side, but it will still be the best city in the world.

This is I picture it. Please don't ruin it for me.

Yep, especially basil. It bolts really quickly.

Yep, lots of conflicting info online and I had to learn with trial and error over a few years. Assuming your space gets lots of sun? Veggies and herbs like sun, the more the better.

Those will all do really well in smaller pots. I've always kept them one per pot, but they can be small. Rosemary btw does REALLY well and survives the winter. Basil and sage do pretty well too, but they don't seem to make it to the next year. I will add that it's incredibly satisfying to have all those fresh herbs standing by when my wife needs them for cooking. She gives me total latitude over everything else as far as planting if I can keep her supplied with fresh herbs for 9 months of the year.

Last year, I doubled up my pepper plants in a pretty large pot - think 12" to 15" pot and they still did very well. Definitely one tomato plant/cage per pot though. And you might think you can just put the cage in later when you need it, but it's best to put the cage on when you do the transplant to the pot. It's really hard to wrangle a big plant that suddenly needs to be caged. I learned that the hard way! Don't be dumb like me. 😛 I always leave an inch or two at the top of the pot when filling with soil. When you do your daily watering in the height of the summer, you don't want the soil overflowing. I just went to Lowes early this morning to get five big bags of potting soil - am ready for planting once all my stuff arrives! I did get an order of three hollyhock plants and a couple dahlia plants this week. Will transplant them tomorrow. I've got a ton of stuff coming next week and really looking forward to every thing going in.

Brooklyn Landlord Waives April Rent for Tenants

Funny story (or not funny I guess) - when this starting being kind of serious here in NYC and Italy was starting to be hit really heard, my wife and I were out in the West Village at a sidewalk cafe having drinks. We were kind of treating it as our last hurrah before hunkering down at home. There was a table pretty close to me and the guy was coughing. After a bit, my wife said "Are they speaking Italian?" I listened and realized yep, they were. I spent the rest of the time kind of leaning towards my wife and away from the Italian couple. 😳

It's crazy, isn't it? I work in healthcare research and actually run an innovations and delivery science center. This kind of "well, let's try it" trial is unprecedented, but we can all agree that we really don't have a choice if it's showing even a glimmer of promise.

A good friend of ours had left NYC to stay with her family right before all this started. She's now hospitalized in Atlanta with COVID-19 and they just started her on hydroxychloroquine regime. She's in her 30s and healthy, so hoping for the best.

Good thing you were just visiting. Probably pretty intense even then. My thoughts are with your wife who is on the front lines. Is she holding up okay?

This situation with first reponders is getting very bad. What's happening in Rikers is also pretty terrifying right now. All day and night it seems like nothing but sirens sometimes. It's much worse at night.

Subway and Bus Riders Face Crowded Conditions in NYC Neither my wife or I have had to ride the subway for two weeks now. Every day we tell ourselves out loud how lucky we are to be able to work remotely. So many people still have to report to work and the MTA has slashed service. Wait times are increased, so crowds then build up in the stations between trains. Full disclosure, these photos are not nearly as bad as our normal rush hour commutes, but there are still WAY too many people crowded onto subs. Yesterday, I watched a bus go by on a main artery near our house and it was packed, people standing. I know it sounds melodramatic, but for a moment it just looked like animals being led to the slaughter.

Well, luckily I don't have to mow my fourth floor terrace. If I did, it would take me about three minutes.

Picking melons was kind of awesome though for us. We got paid cash daily for showing up before dawn and working our asses off all day in the sun. Was hard, but good times in hindsight.

Didn't have to that, but detassled corn every summer. Didn't we all have to do that in IN? I thought that was a requirement.

Oh my god, my grandparents used to make me pick green beans EVERY summer. Wasn't allowed to sit inside and watch TV. Had to be out picking green beans, and then snapping them, and then helping with canning. Maybe that's why I only grow fun stuff like tomatoes, peppers, and flowers.