Have a Plan

I’m not an expert. I’m not a scientist. But I am pretty good at gathering information and passing it along in a way that I hope is understandable. And I try to get my information from truthful, reliable sources, which is often very different from sources that never get censored. Mostly today I'll use information from government data sources and from doctors who are treating patients.

Here is some COVID-19 data, taken from what I hope are reliable data sources—worldwide, US, Texas, Harris County: 

As of August 16, 2021	Total Population	Total Immunizations	Total Cases	Total Deaths
Worldwide	7,886,704,175+	3,756,996,198	207,557,304	4,367,023
US	331,000,000+	169,304,497	36,741,697	621,876
Texas	29,145,505	13,111,970	2,813,831	53,100
Harris County	4,798,048	2, 186,864	454,009	5,151
My Zip Code	34885	19,079	3449	27

The data offers a look at progress toward herd immunity. It’s muddied up, because you get immunity from two sources: recovering from the illness or getting the “vaccines.” But the drive to get everyone vaccinated has not excluded those who already had immunity from their recovery. Also, total case data is a specific measure, based on official testing and reporting. Some areas add a measure called “probable cases.” In other words, you can’t use cases and deaths to measure fatality of the virus; it’s much lower, because of the additional cases not counted because they are not known. Nor can you add cases and immunizations and then divide by population to figure percentage of the population that is immunized. (If you could, though, Harris County would be at 55% of total population, including the under 12 who aren’t being vaccinated. My zip code would be at 65%.)

What we know, from data—and ongoing testing—is that immunity from recovery is relatively permanent. (There’s a good explanatory video from Dr. Mobeen Syed here.) And it extends to variants—on up and until the SARS-COV-2 virus becomes some other virus entirely. Variants of SARS-COV-2 are still SARS-COV-2. You will know when it becomes a different virus, because it will be called something new, like possibly SARS-COV-3. In the meantime, you’re covered.

Dr. Mobeen Syed discusses evidence that natural immunity to COVID-19 is long-lived.
screenshot from here

Are there breakthrough cases among the recovered? Yes. Some of them may relate to misdiagnosis during the first round—testing has been notoriously faulty—but there are still likely some real breakthrough cases among the recovered.

Among the fully vaccinated, according to data out of Israel, where a very high percentage of the population have been vaccinated and herd immunity was declared, breakthrough cases among the fully vaccinated are 6.72 times more common than among those with natural immunity. Over 50% of current cases are among the fully vaccinated. News from Iceland and other locations are seeing similar numbers.

For those who have been calling this recent wave the “pandemic of the unvaccinated,” CDC data says otherwise. In a Massachusetts analysis, for example, the CDC data shows that 74% of those who tested positive for Covid-19 had been fully-vaccinated.

Some say breakthrough cases are still rare (usually the same people who say vaccine injuries are rare, despite record numbers on the CDC VAERS site). My personal guess is that the Texas Democrats who ran away to Washington are probably typical: about 10% among the fully vaccinated contracted the illness. None were hospitalized. They all had mild cases, although there’s no guarantee of that outcome for all the vaccinated. It’s unclear in this case whether all were exposed. You don’t get the illness at all unless you’re exposed to it, which makes it difficult to gauge effectiveness.

While COVID-19 seems to be spreading in a “third wave” right now, that means more and more people are recovering and have lasting immunity. Add the somewhat marginal protection from those getting the vaccine, and it means herd immunity is nigh. Until another variant finds a way around that—the way the Spanish flu has become simply endemic, one of the ever-present risks we just get used to.

If you thought getting vaccinated meant overcoming this disease, that was never realistic. There are only two diseases ever eradicated by vaccine: smallpox (assuming it never escapes from a lab), and rinderpest, a disease in cattle. We haven’t even eradicated polio, let alone measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus….

And this mRNA “vaccine,” which isn’t actually a vaccine (see explanation here) by the traditional definition, is intended only to make a person somewhat less likely to contract the virus, and if contracted to be milder than it would have been. That is, if all goes well, without reaction.

If you’ve been pressuring your family, friends, and neighbors to get the vaccine—especially if you’ve been doing that regardless of their recovered status or risk of reaction to the shots—you’re not doing that for their health or yours; you’re likely doing it because you want everything to get back to normal, the way it was, which is understandable. And you’ve been willing to accommodate the powermongers who took away your freedoms in the hopes of making that happen. But that loss of freedom has very little to do with eradicating a disease and very much to do with tyrants asserting control over the populace.

For those of us who are trying to understand the situation and make wise decisions for ourselves, please do us the courtesy of trusting us to make the decision that is best for us. We could say, “My body; my choice,” to which you’ve been saying, “Not if you can spread it to grandma.” But, if I’m not ill, I can’t spread it to grandma or anyone else. And if I’ve managed not to spread it to a single person through three waves and counting, maybe I deserve to choose to keep doing what I’m doing.

It all comes down to this: there’s an ongoing risk of contracting SARS-COV-2, what we’ve been calling COVID-19. But there are ways to prevent it, or at least prepare for it. And since getting vaccinated cannot and will not eliminate the risk of contracting the illness and/or passing it along to others, no matter how many shots you’re willing to submit to, we really ought to be looking at how to treat it—which is information that has been available all along, and data and methods continue to grow.

So, here are some suggestions on how to be prepared.

 Have a Plan for before Infection—to Improve Your Immune System

·       Maintain or move toward appropriate weight.

o   Have a healthy diet; losing weight is stressful on the body, so consider that before doing a weight loss program during a pandemic. Emphasize healthful fresh foods high in nutrients.

·       Exercise regularly.

·       Get enough Vitamin D. (Dr. Ryan Cole talks about this here. Dr. Roger Seheult talks about this here.) 

o   20-30 minutes a day of sunshine—before putting on sunscreen.

o   Vitamin D supplement—4,000 IU daily is maximum without a doctor; but you may need 5,000-10,000 IU daily—get a blood test to identify your need.

o   Pretty much everyone needs to supplement Vitamin D in winter; no amount of sunlight will be adequate, especially northern areas. (Another discussion here.)

o   Vitamin D is fat soluble; it tends to hang out in fat cells where it is not easily accessible/useful. Overweight tends to coincide with low usable Vitamin D (unclear whether one causes the other). It appears supplementation can help.

o   Darker skin absorbs less Vitamin D from sunlight than lighter skin. Adjust according to your needs.

·       Get enough Zinc.

o   30-50 mg high quality zinc supplements daily.

·       Get enough Vitamin C.

o   1000 mg daily.

·       Find a doctor or treatment source that you know you can turn to for successful treatment options. (There are suggestions below, in the next section.)

·       Consider using low-dose (one pill a week or so) hydroxychloroquine or ivermectin prophylactically (as a preventative) for any crucial period of time (like before your child’s wedding, or some other time-sensitive event you don’t want to miss because of illness). You can probably do this safely for several months, or longer. But, still, since all medicines have side effects, less medicine is better when you have a choice.

·       You might want to add an oximeter to your first-aid kit; it can take a while to get one, so you’ll want to have it in hand before you need it. It’s for checking oxygen levels, to identify when you’re at a more serious stage of the illness.

 Have a Plan of Action in Case of Infection in the Household

·       Figure out how to isolate and sanitize yourself or a sick family member while still providing needed care for the sick.

·       Keep your food and supplies stocked up, so you don’t have to run to the store after you notice symptoms.

·       Contact your doctor-willing-to-treat and get tested.

o   If you don’t have such a doctor locally, try these online resources, which may even prescribe and ship medications:

§  FLCCC—Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (Physicians list here.)

§  AAPSonline—Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (Physicians list here.)

o   Start medications right away; early treatment is key. And some of the most effective treatments are appropriate mainly during the first stage of the virus.

§  If you’re young and in very good health, you might fight this off just fine without treatment. The Delta variant seems more likely than previous strains to affect younger ages, but it is not more virulent. However, if you’re unsure about fighting it off on your own, the medicines being used have a very long safety history and growing clinical evidence of efficacy.

·       Try some pre-antibiotic (i.e., from before 1928) nursing treatments to boost your immune system.

o   Hydrotherapy—this is a hot water bath for about 20 minutes, with a cold wrap around your neck to keep your head cool; followed by about 5 minutes of cold bath. Then rest. Do this 3-4 times a day. Avoid aspirin and other anti-fever medicines; at this stage, you’re trying to allow the fever (plus the fever-boosting baths) to work as your immune system is designed to do. (Dr. Roger Seheult discusses this here. There’s more on this website. The original 1923 book by Dr. J. H. Kellogg is available to read online here.)

o   Get sunshine, at least 20 minutes a day, but rest outside in sunlight when possible. This boosts Vitamin D.

o   Keep up the Vitamin C and Zinc as well as healthy diet, etc., that you were doing to prepare your immune system.

·       The likely early treatments might be hydroxychloroquine with zinc and azithromycin (all three); or ivermectin.

o   Dr. Peter McCullough and AAPSonline has a protocol and patient guide. 

o   FLCCC has a list of suggested protocols. 

o   Dr. Shankara Chetty has a protocol he has used in South Africa among the rural poor—with no hospitalizations or deaths. (He talks with Dr. Mobeen here.) 

o   Florida recently set up monoclonal antibody treatment centers. I’ve seen mixed comments on this treatment, but it is what Pres. Trump was given last October and seems to work quickly and prevents hospitalization.

Dr. Mobeen Syed talks with Dr. Shankara Chetty
screenshot from here

 

Have a Plan in Case Your Illness Worsens

·       Dr. Chetty suggests that on day 8 of the illness, some patients seem to move into a more difficult phase. He sees this as a histamine reaction. He treats with an antihistamine. He uses promethazine and/or montelukast, which is the generic of Singulair, an inexpensive and common prescription antihistamine. If needed, he may add a steroid.

·       Dr. Richard Bartlett in Texas, has a protocol for using nebulized budesonide. It’s a steroid that hasn’t suffered the antagonism that early treatments such as HCQ and ivermectin have. And he finds it useful at every stage—even hospitalized with severe breathing problems.

 

Have a Plan in Case of Hospitalization

·       Avoid hospitalization if you can. But if you do need a hospital, know that there are treatments. And you can ask for them. If they are legal, the hospital is supposed to accommodate you. So have a list of treatments you believe work. Budesonide, for example.

o   Carry a treatment plan from AAPSonline or FLCCC, or another doctor’s plan.

·       Some hospitals use remdesivir. There is some evidence of its effectiveness—very early, as in the first couple of days of symptoms. The way it works actually interferes with healing once the illness has progressed to a later stage. So, in the hospital, refuse remdesivir. (Read more here.)

·       Refuse—and make sure your family knows to refuse—any movement toward hospice—i.e., palliative care in expectation of death. Dr. Bartlett tells a story (in this panel discussion) of a woman who required her husband to promise her, when they took her to the hospital, not to give up, because her children needed her. The husband three times refused the hospital’s push to put her on hospice. When he finally learned to ask for budesonide, she immediately improved and was home to finish healing within a week.

Have a Plan in Case of Long COVID

·       Long COVID (sometimes called Long Haul COVID) means symptoms that remain well after the initial healing. These might include lung problems or heart problems, or an array of other symptoms brought on by the illness.

·       Long COVID can affect the young as well as the old. In fact, it often affects people who regularly exercise and eat healthy. If it is a histamine reaction, it is hard to predict who will be affected, just as it is hard to predict who will be affected by other common allergens.

·       One trigger for Long COVID appears to be exercise too soon. Dr. Syed Haider recommends waiting 4-6 weeks after healing before returning to exercise that raises the heart rate over 140 or so. It seems to be heart rate elevation that triggers the problem. (He discusses this in a video with Dr. Mobeen Syed.  )

·       Many Long COVID symptoms can be treated with the earlier drugs—ivermectin, followed by fluvoxamine (a serotonin reuptake inhibitor) some days later, for example. Budesonide, or possibly another similar steroid, seem to be bringing success, according to Dr. Bartlett. Or it can prevent Long COVID.

o   Dr. Mobeen Syed has developed a protocol for long COVID, in conjunction with FLCCC. 

·       Some vaccine injuries can be treated in the same ways as long COVID. If these are indeed an allergic reaction, as Long COVID appears to be, then treating for the reaction seems appropriate.

 

Have a Plan if You Face Repercussions for Not Getting the Shots

·       If society moves toward mandating the vaccines, there will be consequences. These might include hindering travel, entrance into certain spaces or gatherings, or other market privileges. While none of these pass the Nuremberg Code or the Constitution, freedoms are trampled nevertheless. Know that’s what you may be facing.

·       There are two legal defenses for refusing to get a mandated vaccine—if these shots become mandatory: health and religious belief.

o   There are valid health reasons. One is a previous vaccine reaction. A doctor seeing to your care may advise you not to get it, knowing your history. But don’t count on this. Doctors are pressured not to allow anyone to be exempted. And some are threatened with reprisals for making a no-vaccine recommendation.

o   Religious belief does not have to be based on the beliefs or statements of your religious affiliation. It is based on your personal religious beliefs. The most common objection to these vaccines—all three in the US, if I understand correctly—is that aborted fetal tissue is used in their production.

o   If you plan on using a legal defense, look ahead for good counsel. Robert Barnes provides a standard approach. (I wrote about it here. He has an “advice” letter on his locals.com site. There’s a good discussion with him here.)