This evening on Global News here they said that Merck, makers of Ivermectin, are apparently close to having a new pill that you can take daily that supposedly reduces the risk of covid infection by 50%. I know Merk was also working on something they said was having great effect in terms of heavily reducing transmission, so I'd guess it's probably the same thing. Can't help but wonder how close to Ivermectin it might be, just with another name.

Pfizer is also in stage 3 trials I believe of a similar oral treatment to significantly reduce the risk of covid infection.

I'm not sure about whether or not they'll be over the counter or will require prescription, but this should at least put to rest much of the vax vs anti vax controversy. Assuming of course that the vaxed sit back and wait for the legit anti vaxers to get their hands on it first. However based on how TP was handled, this gives me pause. Then again, it wouldn't surprise me to see 'anti oral' become a thing, because why not?

A few days ago I had the oddest symptoms of something. Cough, runny nose, raw sore throat, headache. Happened about 3 hours after returning home from town, where everyone is still masked up inside and nobody seemed obviously sick that I could notice. Either way, all symptoms were not only extremely weak, but each only lasted about 2-3 hours, one overlapping the next, and then nothing. Like a 12 hour cold I guess you could say. I'm going to guess it was likely a (close) strain to something I had prior and my immune system is just a touch weak due to the lack of spreading beyond covid.

Assuming covid fades away, though not completely, the flu and cold will simply replace it again, which will make the situation last longer yet. It's going to take a while for the most scared in society to become somewhat comfortable around anyone showing illness.

Ivermectin does reduce viral load in the lungs... at around 20 times the maximum safe dosage in adults. So I'd assume it's something else entirely unless they made a huge breakthrough and managed to somehow select the peptides with antiviral properties and found they lack the corresponding citotoxicity.

Regardless it will definitely require prescriptions, whether it is an antiviral or an antibody cocktail. These things can select for viral resistance if administered willy-nilly.

The unfortunate part is that "close to Ivermectin" is such a low bar when it comes to chemistry. Many drugs are "close to" one another in structure but that completely changes their efficacy. I'm sure that whatever Merck announces people will overlay it with ivermectin and say it's the same, just changed slightly to make it more expensive and to not "trigger the libs".

Ivermectin is a polyketide, so while there are many drugs that are similar-ish to it (including azithromycin!), I don't think any of them is even an antiviral. I just checked and Merck's is a nucleoside analogue, so far closer to a typical antiviral like remdesivir or acyclovir.

Though yeah, I can see that being widespread fake news given the company.

Thanks for the info, my organic chemistry game is pretty weak. When I looked up the structure it didn't seem like an obvious nucleoside/tide which is the only drug scaffold that I've read some into. Good to know that it should be obviously different to anyone even mildly informed. 

Well if Ivermectin is quite similar to azithromycin then odds are good it would be a no go for me. Almost everything like azithromycin doesn't play nice with me. Didn't plan on ever taking it anyway, but good to know what to perhaps expect in the future if I ever did consult my doctor about it if circumstances changed.

If that's the case then Mercks new pill shouldn't have to worry about false claims too much, or not for long anyway, assuming Pfizer gets its pill out around the same time. Problem with Ivermectin is you never hear, 'but what about these other drugs just like it that are available.' Anything out on it's own being singled out is much easier to dismiss since there's nothing being directly compared to it.

Same here, I have a bad cold and a sore throat right now. For the last year and a half, since the start of the pandemic, I didn't even get a minor cold - I don't think that's ever happened to me before.

Weekly update. Cases are slowly going down in most of the world, except Europe and Oceania that still see growth.


In total 2.93 million cases were reported last week (slightly down from 3.17 million) to a total of 237,974,271
Also another 51,714 more deaths were reported (down from 54,584) to a total of 4,856,813

The USA is trending down, Europe trending up

The continents

Europe reported 977K new cases (up from 863K) and 15,032 more deaths (up from 12,749)
Asia reported 894K new cases (down from 1.04 million) and 11,483 more deaths (down from 14,394)
North America reported 837K new cases (down from 956K) and 18,818 more deaths (slightly down from 18,929)
South America reported 156K new cases (down from 168K) and 4,292 more deaths (down from 4,920)
Africa reported 51.8K new cases (down from 105K) and 1,894 more deaths (down from 3,356)
Oceania reported 19.3K new cases (up from 17.0K) and 195 deaths (236 last week)

Corners of the world

USA reported 692K new cases (down from 774K) and 13,493 more deaths (slightly down from 13,691)
India reported 145K new cases (down from 166K) and 1,803 more deaths (slightly down from 1,915)
Brazil reported 105K new cases (down from 118K) and 3,201 more deaths (down from 3,594)
Iran reported 82.4K new cases (down from 92.7K) and 1,534 more deaths (down from 1,871)
Canada reported 26.2K new cases (down from 30.3K) and 265 deaths (301 last week)
Australia reported 15.4K new cases (up from 13.2K) and 96 deaths (101 last week)
South Korea reported 14.2K new cases (down from 18.6K) and 57 deaths (67 last week)
Japan reported 7,393 new cases (down from 13.9K) and 208 deaths (273 last week)
South Africa reported 6,374 new cases (down from 9,965) and 531 deaths (738 last week)

Europe in detail

Most are increasing again.

Global vaccination rate is now 34.66% (+0.98%)

Europe 53.12%
North America 48.04%
South America 43.14%
Asia 38.03%
Oceania 36.23%
Africa 4.62%

Got my second Pfizer shot today after eight weeks. The soreness appears to be coming back after a few hours. Otherwise just some mild malaise so far but unsure if due to the vaccine or just mid-week tiredness.

Edit - man the night was rough. A lot of malaise like a flu or a bad cold and my arm was on fucking fire. I didn't want to take an antipyretic since it could be that lowering the fever interferes with the immune response, but in the morning I had to look for an alternative analgesic.

Weekly update, cases are still going doing globally, Europe however is going up


In total 2.83 million new cases were reported last week (slightly down from 2.93 million) to a total of 240,803,184
Also another 47,288 more deaths were reported (down from 51,714) to a total of 4,904,101

Cases and deaths are declining in the USA, going up in Europe

The continents

Europe reported 1.10 million new cases (up from 977K) and 16,250 more deaths (up from 15,032)
Asia reported 826K new cases (down from 894K) and 10,683 more deaths (down from 11,483)
North America reported 719K new cases (down from 837K) and 15,417 more deaths (down from 18,818)
South America reported 121K new cases (down from 156K) and 3,207 more deaths (down from 4,292)
Africa reported 42.4K new cases (down from 51.8K) and 1,551 more deaths (down from 1,894)
Oceania reported 19.3K new cases (19.3K last week) and 180 deaths (195 last week)

Corners of the world

USA reported 603K new cases (down from 692K) and 11,403 more deaths (down from 13,493)
India reported 118K new cases (down from 145K) and 1,602 more deaths (down from 1,803)
Iran reported 81.9K new cases (slightly down from 82.4K) and 1,498 more deaths (slightly down from 1,534)
Brazil reported 76.7K new cases (down from 105.1K) and 2,234 more deaths (down from 3,201)
Canada reported 21.5K new cases (down from 26.2K) and 282 deaths (265 last week)
Australia reported 16.2K new cases (up from 15.4K) and 102 deaths (96 last week)
South Korea reported 11.4K new cases (down from 14.2K) and 72 deaths (57 last week)
South Africa reported 4,879 new cases (down from 6,374) and 326 deaths (531 last week)
Japan reported 4,566 new cases (down from 7,393) and 195 deaths (208 last week)

Europe in detail

It looks like only Norway isn't trending back up again.

Global vaccination rate is now 35.71% (+1.05%)

Europe 54.55% (+0.43%)
North America 49.09% (+1.05%)
South America 45.13% (+1.99%)
Oceania 40.49% (+4.26%)
Asia 39.25% (+1.22%)
Africa 4.98% (+0.36%)