And now . . . Lambda?
Well, with the cooler temperatures, came a lot of rain, about 4” worth according to my rain gauge. And it was still raining this morning, so no coffee out on the patio. But on the plus we didn’t have to water anything.
We had planned to take Branson Scenic Railway train ride while we were there, but after a little checking we decided to skip it.
It seems that during December they only do the nighttime Polar Express Christmas train at 4:45pm and 6:30pm. So we would be trapped on a train full of kids wearing pajamas (and some parents too), hopped on free Hot Chocolate and Cookies, and on the way to pick up Santa Claus and bring him back from the North Pole.
Oh, and there will be Christmas Carolers and a Hobo, too.
As Jan said, “Oh Hell, NO!
So we can cross that off.
With the rain letting up, we headed out about 1pm to first have lunch at Los Ramirez once again. Pechuga Rellena and Beef Fajita Taco Salad.
Delicious!
Then it was on up the road to the big HEB on League City Pkwy for some things that our local HEB was out of. After that it was a stop by the office to pick up a couple of Amazon orders that came in, or were coming in. Since we got there and just waited in the parking lot, tracking the delivery on my phone, before the Prime van pulled in.
Next up before heading home was a quick stop at Kroger’s for a couple of prescriptions, for me this time. And once again Kroger’s Pharmacy Plan came through. The two prescriptions, that would have been $24 at WalMart/Sam’s, were a total of $6 at Kroger. One of them was on their ‘Free’ list, and the other one was only $6.
Nice!
In several past blogs I’ve mentioned Ivermectin, an anti-parasitical treatment that many studies have shown is very effective in treating WuFlu. Here’s an article from the Jerusalem Post.
Israeli scientist says COVID-19 could be treated for under $1/day
Prof. Eli Schwartz, founder of the Center for Travel Medicine and Tropical Disease at Sheba, conducted a randomized, controlled, double-blinded trial from May 15, 2020, through the end of January 2021 to evaluate the effectiveness of ivermectin in reducing viral shedding among non-hospitalized patients with mild to moderate COVID-19.
In Schwartz’s study, some 89 eligible volunteers over the age of 18 who were diagnosed with coronavirus and staying in state-run COVID-19 hotels were divided into two groups: 50% received ivermectin, and 50% received a placebo, according to their weight. They were given the pills for three days in a row, an hour before a meal.
The volunteers were tested using a standard nasopharyngeal swab PCR test with the goal of evaluating whether there was a reduction in viral load by the sixth day – the third day after termination of the treatment. They were swabbed every two days.
Nearly 72% of volunteers treated with ivermectin tested negative for the virus by day six. In contrast, only 50% of those who received the placebo tested negative.
“Our study shows first and foremost that ivermectin has antiviral activity,” Schwartz said. “It also shows that there is almost a 100% chance that a person will be noninfectious in four to six days, which could lead to shortening isolation time for these people. This could have a huge economic and social impact.”
And now even the Wall Street Journal is questioning why the FDA is not recommending Ivermectin.
And now we’ve got this from Cedars-Sinai Hospital
TB Vaccine Linked to Lower Risk of Contracting COVID-19
A widely used tuberculosis vaccine is associated with reduced likelihood of contracting COVID-19 (coronavirus), according to a new study by Cedars-Sinai. The findings raise the possibility that a vaccine already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration may help prevent coronavirus infections or reduce severity of the disease.
In the new study, published online Nov. 19 in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, investigators tested the blood of more than 6,000 healthcare workers in the Cedars-Sinai Health System for evidence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and also asked them about their medical and vaccination histories.
They found that workers who had received BCG vaccinations in the past—nearly 30% of those studied—were significantly less likely to test positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in their blood or to report having had infections with coronavirus or coronavirus-associated symptoms over the prior six months than those who had not received BCG. These effects were not related to whether workers had received meningococcal, pneumococcal or influenza vaccinations.
First we had WuFlu, then the Delta variant, the Colombian variant, the Indian variant, the Delta Plus variant, and now we’ve got the Lambda variant.
Lambda Variant of COVID-19 Might Be Resistant to Vaccines
Stay Safe Out There.
Thought For The Day:
Sometimes, the amount of self-control it takes to not say what’s on my mind is so immense, I need a nap afterword.
