Coronavirus

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June 12, 2020 Coronavirus

Dr. Henry Miller, M.S., M.D., and PRI's Senior Fellow with PRI, talks about the many missteps of the World Health Organization (WHO), including the recent confusion about the transmission of the coronavirus or COVID-19. Miller and Lars Larson also discuss funding for WHO, how doctors and researchers are selected, and problems with how the organization is run and funded. Lars Larson National Podcast · Lars Larson National Podcast 06-09-20...

June 8, 2020 Coronavirus

Our previous article described some of the bizarre speculations and conspiracy theories circulating about the COVID-19 pandemic—ranging from the more or less plausible, but unproven, to the absurd. Many of them, such as 5G networks supposedly spreading infections or the pandemic having been concocted to promote tyrannical, world governance, are easily dismissed, but are still being widely circulated on social media. What's more, it appears that much of the disinformation has arisen not just from domestic, garden-variety kooks and conspiracy theorists, but...

June 3, 2020 Blog, Coronavirus

Dr. Henry Miller joins the Lars Larson Show for his weekly update on the coronavirus pandemic and COVID-19. Larson and Dr. Miller look at the impact and potential threats of the spread of COVID-19 due to the unrest in cities around the United States and why PPE equipment and social distancing measures have fallen by the wayside. Lars Larson National Podcast · Lars Larson National Podcast 06-02-20...

June 2, 2020 Blog, Coronavirus

As the COVID-19 epidemic drags on with no end in sight, the U.S. economy in tatters, and “reopening” going haltingly, many observers have come to the realization that we might need to learn to “live with the virus”—meaning with ongoing new infections—until a vaccine is available. Thus, there is an understandable hunger for one, and some 95 vaccines to prevent COVID-19 are now in various stages of development. Some of the reports of progress on this front have been encouraging, and there is...

May 28, 2020 Coronavirus, Issues

By Henry I. Miller, M.S., M.D. and Andrew I. Fillat ‘Metadata” might sound like something that “Star Trek‘s” Spock would oversee, but it is real and increasingly familiar, as the result of stories about wiretaps and security. The easiest-to-understand example of it is information about the time, duration, originating number, and destination number of a phone call – but without any of the content (i.e. words spoken) of the call. Metadata might also indicate from its format that a field on a...

May 27, 2020 Coronavirus, Coronavirus Multimedia, Industry Trends, Infographics, Innovation, Radio

Listen to Dr. Henry Miller, PRI senior fellow in health studies, discuss the move by the WHO to pause hydroxychloroquine trials for Coronavirus treatment on the nationally-syndicated Lars Larson Show. TheLarsLarsonShow · Dr. Henry Miller - WHO pauses hydroxychloroquine trials for Coronavirus treatment...

May 27, 2020 Blog, Coronavirus, Policy Proposals

By Henry I. Miller, M.S., M.D. and Andrew I. Fillat Every day seems to bring some new, unexpected, unpleasant revelation about the SARS-CoV-2 and the illness it causes, COVID-19. The infection has a long, often asymptomatic incubation period, high transmissibility, the ability to infect many human tissues, and, frequently, rapid deterioration of the clinical course. Some curious aspects of the infection, such as long duration of symptoms, multi-organ involvement, blood clots, and patients’ ability to tolerate extremely low blood oxygen levels have...

May 26, 2020 Blog, Coronavirus, Policy Proposals

America is in a state of collective angst, one that hasn't been seen since perhaps the Second World War. Every crisis since then, whether it was war, the 9/11 attacks, flu pandemics, or financial meltdown, had left most Americans unaffected. But now, few are economically, medically, or emotionally untouched. The SARS-CoV-2 virus and the disease it causes, COVID-19, pose threats or extreme inconvenience of one sort or another to virtually everyone. In a crisis like this, driven by health (and the...

May 20, 2020 Coronavirus, Innovation

A COVID-19 Vaccine by January? Here’s Why It’s Possible But Not Likely By Christopher Curley The timeline to develop a safe, effective vaccine to fight a virus is typically counted in years — or even decades. But with the COVID-19 pandemic affecting millions around the world and killing hundreds of thousands of people, the race is on to produce a vaccine faster than ever before. President Donald Trump has said a vaccine could be available by January, which would be an unprecedented development cycle. But how realistic is that? Experts...

May 19, 2020 Coronavirus

As the COVID-19 epidemic drags on with no end in sight, the U.S. economy in tatters, and “reopening” going haltingly, many observers have come to the realization that we might need to learn to “live with the virus”—meaning with ongoing new infections—until a vaccine is available. Expecting a coronavirus vaccine in the near future may be the triumph of hope over experience. Thus, there is an understandable hunger for one, and some 95 vaccines to prevent COVID-19 are now in various stages...

May 18, 2020 Blog, Coronavirus

It is expected that any day now, the White House will release an executive order requiring certain drugs to be manufactured in the United States. It's part of a wider push by both the administration and Congress to force the federal government to buy more American-made goods and reduce reliance on countries like China. This push is misguided. The administration's "Buy America" agenda would derail our response to COVID-19 and could have long-lasting negative consequences for our economy. The best way to maintain efficient, high-quality production of drugs and other medical equipment is...

May 18, 2020 Blog, Coronavirus

On a recent episode of CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS," White House adviser and trade hawk Peter Navarro observed that the Chinese government had not been forthcoming from the get-go about the potential for COVID-19 to become a global pandemic. He postulated that the original spread of the virus could have been blocked and the pandemic contained completely – if China had really wanted that to happen. Navarro went on to suggest that the virus originated from a bioweapons lab, and...

May 12, 2020 Blog, Coronavirus

Perhaps not since the Second World War has there been so much fear, anxiety, misery, and grief in this country. Many people are finding some measure of comfort by turning inward and using what amounts to a biological trick. How many times have you heard someone say to a person who is angry and agitated, “Hey, take a few deep breaths and chill.” Well, it works, and the reason has a physiological explanation. As does the popularity of the “mindfulness” phenomenon, which...

May 11, 2020 Coronavirus, Issues, Price and Costs, Value

There they go again. In the midst of the race for an effective COVID-19 treatment the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) has performed an incomplete analysis of remdesivir in order to produce a cost estimate that is, by definition, precisely wrong. Remdesivir, produced by Gilead Sciences Inc., is an experimental antiviral medication that did not work as hoped to treat Hepatitis C, but is showing promise as a treatment for viruses such as SARS and COVID-19. If ICER’s analysis were...

May 11, 2020 Blog, Coronavirus

While many heroic doctors, nurses and other health care professionals are working long hours and risking their lives to treat COVID-19 patients, others have seen their workloads and hospital occupancy rates drop dramatically as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. This has created a financial crisis and endangered public health. At the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, public health officials urged hospitals to suspend non-essential medical procedures. U.S. hospitals canceled tens of thousands of elective surgeries and other procedures, and urged...

May 1, 2020 Blog, Coronavirus

By Andrew I. Fillat and Henry I. Miller The headline, of course, is an aphorism dating from 1862 that was popularized by the charming 1992 Tom Hanks film, “Forrest Gump.” Stupid may be an innate characteristic, but dumbness is certainly an opportunity available to all. It can be especially surprising and sometimes infuriating when a person not thought to be stupid does some really dumb things. Back in college at our fraternity, we had an “award” for pledges who said or did dumb...

April 30, 2020 Blog, Coronavirus

Forcing a restructuring of the current pharmaceutical supply chain is a terrible idea. Yet, as a recent Wall Street Journal editorial exemplifies, there is growing support for this ill-considered policy. And, these proposals are not simply mere academic musings. The Trump Administration may implement an Executive Order that would turn this idea into actual policy. Congress, not to be outdone, is also considering several proposals that would force federal agencies to purchase drugs and medical supplies exclusively from U.S. suppliers. If implemented, these “Buy...