Prednisone and Covid-19

Saturday I attended a Zoom meeting with the Sacramento ITP group, and they featured an interview with Dr. Bussel. I was able to ask him if being on prednisone increased my risk of getting the virus and, if I did get it, if the prednisone would be likely to make it worse. He said there is insufficient data to answer the first question, but people on high doses of prednisone apparently might suffer more from the virus once they contracted it. There was a little evidence that prednisone might help with inflammation caused by the virus, but that possible benefit didn't outweigh the danger. (I've been on 5 pg of pred plus my Promacta for a long time now. When the Pandemic eases a little, I will probably try to taper more.)

Karen, our meetings in Houston went to Zoom as well. But we don't have a doctor.

I've been busy studying Covid-19 while also trying to better understand the immune system. Let me relay a few things I have heard. My main source of info is Pod Casts from 'coronaviruscentral.net'. The guy explains things so a layman can understand them.

You probably already heard in the news that a recent study found that administering Dex helps ventilator outcomes. As I understand one key, the main key, for going on a ventilator is a cytokine storm. That the storm typically causes one's white blood cell count to go through the floor. I think it is then that Dex is administered. LOL, why did it take them so long to figure that one out?

There was a retrospective study on vitamin D. It indicated that those with low vitamin D have a significantly worse recovery rate - especially when one ends up on a ventilator. My brother, who is high risk because of diabetes and age, said that his doctor told him to take 5,000 IU daily. On a side note, I've been taking 10,000 IU since last November or so - as an ITP experiment. LOL, it did nothing. My doctor measured my vitamin D2 level as 70. Normal range as I recall is 25 to 100. I continue to take that much now because of the Covid threat and the retrospective study of it's benefits.

Good article explaining cytokine storm
www.mlo-online.com/continuing-education/article/21138224/covid19-and-cytokine-storm-syndrome

Mrs. B, the article was a little too technical for me to follow easily. Probably easy for a nurse! How are you during this Pandemic? I know that England is better behaved, in general, than we, so I hope things are tolerable there.

I'm fine thank you Karen
Leicester one of our cities has just gone back into Lockdown due to a spike in cases. It is a 20 minute train journey from where I live.
Our government knew about this 2 weeks ago and took no action until yesterday!!!