CENTRAL VIEW for Monday, May 4, 2020

Oxygen: To have or have not

For 30 years, we’ve lived at 8,500 feet above sea level. We’ve seen many flatlanders fall prey to Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). AMS symptoms are: fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, chest pain, confusion, bluish lips, and bluish fingernails.

Per the CDC, the symptoms of the Red Chinese Coronavirus are: "fever, cough, shortness of breath (gasping for air), chills, shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, loss of taste and smell, chest pain, confusion, and bluish lips or face."

Recall, there is currently no drug to "cure" the Red Chinese Coronavirus. Actually, there is no drug to cure any virus. Do not despair. What can and does happen is for the human body to withstand the terrible virus symptoms long enough for the human body to defeat the virus by developing its own anti-bodies to "cure" the disease.

Considering that the symptoms for the Red Chinese Coronavirus and Acute Mountain Sickness are an almost exact match, we don’t need Hercule Poirot to figure out that a lack of oxygen is the root cause of these dreadful symptoms.

So, which drugs reduce the severity of Red Chinese Coronavirus and Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) symptoms? For AMS, Diamox (acetazolamide) is often prescribed. Sometimes, the Mt. Everest Clinic uses Diamox to increase the depth and frequency of respiration. But Diomox does not address the root cause of the symptoms which is lack of oxygen in the blood.

Currently, Plaquenil (hydroxychloraquine or HCQ) with zinc sulfate is relieving the symptoms of the Red Chinese Coronavirus in hundreds, maybe thousands, of Coronavirus suffers. HCQ plus Zinc Sulfate restores the ability of the "memes" in the blood to carry oxygen to the organs. Especially, when used early-on. Again, HCQ Plus does not "cure" Conoravirus. By relieving the symptoms, HCQ Plus allows the body to use its own strength to survive the virus.

Gilead Sciences’ patented Remdesivir (INN) prevents the virus from replicating. That’s good. But INN does not improve oxygenation. The body still has to be strong enough to fight off the virus. Meanwhile, a Red Chinese company, BrightGene, is trying to usurp Gilead’s patent.

So, why isn’t there much media support for the use of Diamox and HCQ which are now readily available generics and whose multi-dose prescriptions sell at Walmart for only $27.36 and $31.59, respectively? Answer: Big Pharma would rather invent and patent a brand-new drug so big bucks can be made during the 20-year life of the patent. Big Pharma buys tons of advertising. Get the connection?

The Red Chinese Coronavirus is wildly contagious. But, unlike the flu, it is rarely fatal. The various flu viruses the U.S. experienced during the Obama years killed far more Americans. According to the CDC, during the Obama years, the flu death rate averaged 14.6- percent, totaling 242,000 American deaths. Even so, the nation was not shut down.

Because so many deaths are recorded as due to Coronavirus when the deaths are actually caused by underlying health conditions, the Red Chinese Coronavirus fatality rate is unclear. But is probably only 0.14-percent.

Meanwhile, let’s continue the extra precautions for our retired seniors, put the rest of America back to work, and make the Red Chinese pay for all the damage they have caused.

©2020. William Hamilton.

William Hamilton is a laureate of the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame, the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame, the Nebraska Aviation Hall of Fame, the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame, and the Oklahoma University Army ROTC Wall of Fame. Dr. Hamilton’s latest book: Formula for Failure in Vietnam: The Folly of Limited Warfare can be ordered toll free at: (800) 253-2187 Or, go to Amazon.com.

Dr. Hamilton can be contacted at:

Email: william@central-view.com