TORONTO – Canadian scientists say blood thinners appear to prevent some COVID-19 patients with moderate illness from deteriorating further, offering a “massive” advance in treatment they expect will ease suffering and lesson strain on hospital ICUs.
University Health Network scientist Ewan Goligher said Friday that blood thinners could soon be part of standard care after the interim results of global trials showed Heparin reduced the probability of requiring life support by about a third.
The news comes on the heels of promising early data for another COVID-19 drug targeting seniors, as health systems across the country wrestle with the impact of a recent surge in cases and long-term care homes battle devastating outbreaks.
Considering how many people around the world end up in intensive care because of COVID-19, Goligher said this finding is “massive.”
“They’re very, very ill, they’re often in the ICU for a long time. It’s a devastating life event,” Goligher, a critical care physician at Toronto General Hospital, said of the patients he sees.
“Even if they do survive, it means immense suffering, and to prevent people from becoming critically ill is huge.”
Interim results of clinical trials spanning five continents in more than 300 hospitals suggest full-dose blood thinners could significantly reduce the number of severe cases that are now straining health-care systems.
The study involved more than 1,300 moderately ill patients admitted to hospital, including hundreds of people admitted to hospitals across Canada.
Researchers found the full dose was more effective than the lower dose typically administered to prevent blood clots in hospitalized patients.
Goligher, co-chair of the therapeutic anticoagulation domain of the trial, said he expected patients at his downtown hospital would be on routine blood thinners “imminently,” and “fully expected” hospitals around the world would, too.
“Before people change their practice they’re going to want to see the full paper published so we’re working very hard now to write up the results and get them published in a high impact journal,” he said.
“One of the exciting things about this treatment is that Heparin is already cheap, widely available, and available in low and middle-income countries, as well as countries like Canada and the United States. So this is a cheap therapy that can make a significant impact on outcomes for patients.”
Goligher said researchers still needs to look into other questions surrounding blood thinners, such as whether to continue treatment if a moderately ill patient develops severe COVID-19, and whether adding an antiplatelet agent would help.
Doctors noticed early in the pandemic that COVID-19 patients suffered an increased rate of blood clots and inflammation. This led to complications including lung failure, heart attack and stroke.
Back in December, investigators found that giving full-dose blood thinners to critically ill ICU patients did not help, and was actually harmful.
However, Goligher noted there have been other drugs that appear to ease mortality in severe cases, expecting more trials to release promising data soon.
Goligher was heartened by the news that blood thinners could soon ease a devastating winter surge of infections.
“I personally find the thought that this treatment will prevent (patients) from getting to this state incredibly gratifying. It’s even better than if it was an effective treatment for severe COVID-19, to be able to prevent people from becoming severe is huge.”
The trials are supported by international funding organizations including the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the NIH National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute in the United States, the National Institute for Health Research in the United Kingdom, and the National Health and Medical Research Council in Australia.
“},{“ID”:238951,”post_author”:”627″,”post_date”:”2021-01-23 05:00:00″,”post_date_gmt”:”2021-01-23 12:00:00″,”post_content”:”MONTREAL u2014 Fear that Quebecers will catch a new variant of COVID-19 on vacation is what’s driving demands by the Quebec premier for Ottawa to ban non-essential flights to the country.rnrnPremier Francois Legault repeated once again this week that his government believes it was vacationing Quebecers during spring break in 2020 who brought the virus home, allowing it to spread earlier and more widely in the province than elsewhere in Canada.rnrnLegal experts say a ban on non-essential travel would violate the mobility rights guaranteed in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which states, “Every citizen of Canada has the right to enter, remain in and leave Canada.” The question, experts say, is whether a ban can be justified.rnrn”The Constitution is very clear that Canadians have the right to enter and leave Canada,” Johanne Poirier, a McGill University law professor who specializes in Canadian federalism, said in a recent interview. But like other rights, she said, it can be limited u2014 if the limitation is justified, reasonable and proportionate.rnrnAnd given the worldwide pandemic, the courts might offer the government more flexibility, she said.rnrn”These would not be cases where the courts would be extremely taxing or demanding on the government,” she said. “But the government would still have to justify it, because there’s no doubt that there’s a violation of rights.”rnrnPrime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday his government is considering new measures that would “significantly impede” Canadians’ ability to return to the country. Forcing returning travellers to quarantine in a hotel u2014 at their expense and under police surveillance u2014 is also on the table, he said.rnrnTrudeau said earlier in the week he wouldn’t close the border to Canadians because the Constitution protects their right to enter the country. The prime minister, however, has restricted access to the country to foreigners since the start of the pandemic.rnrnMichael Bryant, head of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, said forcing people to quarantine at a government-supervised location would be justified if the state has data showing current health orders around travel aren’t working. But Bryant said in a recent interview he hasn’t seen evidence the rules are failing. “I don’t think that they have that data.”rnrnCanadians who return from abroad are required to isolate at home for two weeks and violators risk heavy fines and jail time.rnrnA September ruling in Newfoundland and Labrador offers an idea of how the courts would interpret the legality of travel bans, Poirier said. A judge in that province affirmed the government’s ban on interprovincial travel to limit the spread of COVID-19, despite arguments the order violated charter rights.rnrn”I think the courts would be very reluctant in the short term to stand in the way of a government that wanted to ban travel,” she said.rnrnAs of Thursday, there were five cases in Quebec of the new COVID-19 variant that was first detected in the U.K. Four of those cases u2014 detected in December u2014 were related to travel to that country. Officials have said the source of the fifth case remains unknown.rnrnBryant said he doesn’t believe fears of new COVID-19 variants justify added restrictions on mobility rights, especially if more proportionate responses u2014 such as increased testing of people arriving in the country u2014 are available.rnrnMeanwhile, data from the federal government indicates travellers are being exposed to COVID-19 as they fly back to the country. Since Jan. 6, passengers on 164 international flights arriving in Canada have been exposed COVID-19 while flying, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. Thirty-two of those flights have been to Montreal and one to Quebec City.rnrnBut Montreal-based airline Air Transat said travel has been associated with relatively few cases of COVID-19.rnrn”And yet, even with travel accounting for only one per cent of COVID-19 cases, there has been an enormous amount of attention dedicated to it over the last few weeks,” Air Transat spokeswoman Debbie Cabana wrote in an email.rnrn”Perhaps part of that attention should be redirected to the factors that contribute to 99 per cent of COVID-19 infections.”rnrnIf the government wants to ban travel, Cabana said, it should ban it u2014 and give airlines financial support. “You cannot ask a company fighting for survival to continue to operate while taking away its customers.”rnrnThis report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 23, 2021.rnrnu2014u2014u2014rnrnThis story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.rnrnrnrnJacob Serebrin, The Canadian Pressrnrn“,”post_title”:”Non-essential travel ban would violate Constitution but courts might allow it: expert”,”post_excerpt”:””,”post_status”:”publish”,”comment_status”:”closed”,”ping_status”:”closed”,”post_password”:””,”post_name”:”non-essential-travel-ban-would-violate-constitution-but-courts-might-allow-it-expert”,”to_ping”:””,”pinged”:””,”post_modified”:”2021-01-23 05:00:00″,”post_modified_gmt”:”2021-01-23 12:00:00″,”post_content_filtered”:””,”post_parent”:0,”guid”:”https://www.660citynews.com/?p=3128504″,”menu_order”:0,”post_type”:”post”,”post_mime_type”:””,”comment_count”:”0″,”filter”:”raw”,”permalink”:”https://montreal.citynews.ca/2021/01/23/non-essential-travel-ban-would-violate-constitution-but-courts-might-allow-it-expert/”,”post_title_shortened”:”Non-essential travel ban would violate Constitution but courts …”,”post_thumbnail”:”
“},{“ID”:238943,”post_author”:”805″,”post_date”:”2021-01-23 08:16:10″,”post_date_gmt”:”2021-01-23 13:16:10″,”post_content”:”Larry King, the suspenders-sporting everyman whose broadcast interviews with world leaders, movie stars and ordinary Joes helped define American conversation for a half-century, died Saturday. He was 87.rnrnKing died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, Ora Media, the studio and network he co-founded, tweeted. No cause of death was given, but CNN had earlier reported he was hospitalized with COVID-19.rnrnA longtime nationally syndicated radio host, from 1985 through 2010 he was a nightly fixture on CNN, where he won many honours, including two Peabody awards.rnrnWith his celebrity interviews, political debates and topical discussions, King wasn’t just an enduring on-air personality. He also set himself apart with the curiosity be brought to every interview, whether questioning the assault victim known as the u201cCentral Park Joggeru201d or billionaire industrialist Ross Perot, who in 1992 rocked the presidential contest by announcing his candidacy on King’s show.rnrnIn its early years, u201cLarry King Liveu201d was based in Washington, D.C., which gave the show an air of gravitas. Likewise King. He was the plainspoken go-between through whom Beltway bigwigs could reach their public, and they did, earning the show prestige as a place where things happened, where news was made.rnrnKing conducted an estimated 50,000 on-air interviews. In 1995 he presided over a Middle East peace summit with PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat, King Hussein of Jordan and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. He welcomed everyone from the Dalai Lama to Elizabeth Taylor, from Mikhail Gorbachev to Barack Obama, Bill Gates to Lady Gaga.rnrnEspecially after he relocated to Los Angeles, his shows were frequently in the thick of breaking celebrity news, including Paris Hilton talking about her stint in jail in 2007 and Michael Jackson’s friends and family members talking about his death in 2009.rnrnKing boasted of never over-preparing for an interview. His nonconfrontational style relaxed his guests and made him readily relatable to his audience.rnrnu201cI don’t pretend to know it all,u201d he said in a 1995 Associated Press interview. u201cNot, `What about Geneva or Cuba?’ I ask, `Mr. President, what don’t you like about this job?’ Or `What’s the biggest mistake you made?’ That’s fascinating.u201drnrnAt a time when CNN, as the lone player in cable news, was deemed politically neutral, and King was the essence of its middle-of-the-road stance, political figures and people at the centre of controversies would seek out his show.rnrnAnd he was known for getting guests who were notoriously elusive. Frank Sinatra, who rarely gave interviews and often lashed out at reporters, spoke to King in 1988 in what would be the singer’s last major TV appearance. Sinatra was an old friend of King’s and acted accordingly.rnrnu201cWhy are you here?u201d King asks. Sinatra responds, u201cBecause you asked me to come and I hadn’t seen you in a long time to begin with, I thought we ought to get together and chat, just talk about a lot of things.u201drnrnKing had never met Marlon Brando, who was even tougher to get and tougher to interview, when the acting giant asked to appear on King’s show in 1994. The two hit it off so famously they ended their 90-minute talk with a song and an on-the-mouth kiss, an image that was all over media in subsequent weeks.rnrnAfter a gala week marking his 25th anniversary in June 2010, King abruptly announced he was retiring from his show, telling viewers, u201cIt’s time to hang up my nightly suspenders.u201d Named as his successor in the time slot: British journalist and TV personality Piers Morgan.rnrnBy King’s departure that December, suspicion had grown that he had waited a little too long to hang up those suspenders. Once the leader in cable TV news, he ranked third in his time slot with less than half the nightly audience his peak year, 1998, when u201cLarry King Liveu201d drew 1.64 million viewers.rnrnHis wide-eyed, regular-guy approach to interviewing by then felt dated in an era of edgy, pushy or loaded questioning by other hosts.rnrnMeanwhile, occasional flubs had made him seem out of touch, or worse. A prime example from 2007 found King asking Jerry Seinfeld if he had voluntarily left his sitcom or been cancelled by his network, NBC.rnrnu201cI was the No. 1 show in television, Larry,u201d replied Seinfeld with a flabbergasted look. u201cDo you know who I am?u201drnrnAlways a workaholic, King would be back doing specials for CNN within a few months of performing his nightly duties.rnrnHe found a new sort of celebrity as a plain-spoken natural on Twitter when the platform emerged, winning over more than 2 million followers who simultaneously mocked and loved him for his esoteric style.rnrnu201cI’ve never been in a canoe. #Itsmy2cents,u201d he said in a typical tweet in 2015.rnrnHis Twitter account was essentially a revival of a USA Today column he wrote for two decades full of one-off, disjointed thoughts. Norm Macdonald delivered a parody version of the column when he played King on u201cSaturday Night Live,u201d with deadpan lines like, u201cThe more I think about it, the more I appreciate the equator.u201drnrnKing was constantly parodied, often through old-age jokes on late-night talk shows from hosts including David Letterman and Conan O’Brien, often appearing with the latter to get in on the roasting himself.rnrnKing came by his voracious but no-frills manner honestly.rnrnHe was born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger in 1933, a son of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe who ran a bar and grill in Brooklyn. But after his father’s death when Larry was a boy, he faced a troubled, sometimes destitute youth.rnrnA fan of such radio stars as Arthur Godfrey and comedians Bob & Ray, King on reaching adulthood set his sights on a broadcasting career. With word that Miami was a good place to break in, he headed south in 1957 and landed a job sweeping floors at a tiny AM station. When a deejay abruptly quit, King was put on the air u2013 and was handed his new surname by the station manager, who thought Zeiger u201ctoo Jewish.u201drnrnA year later he moved to a larger station, where his duties were expanded from the usual patter to serving as host of a daily interview show that aired from a local restaurant. He quickly proved equally adept at talking to the waitresses, and the celebrities who began dropping by.rnrnBy the early 1960s King had gone to yet a larger Miami station, scored a newspaper column and become a local celebrity himself.rnrnAt the same time, he fell victim to living large.rnrnu201cIt was important to me to come across as a `big man,u201d’ he wrote in his autobiography, which meant u201cI made a lot of money and spread it around lavishly.u201drnrnHe accumulated debts and his first broken marriages (he was married eight times to seven women). He gambled, borrowed wildly and failed to pay his taxes. He also became involved with a shady financier in a scheme to bankroll an investigation of President Kennedy’s assassination. But when King skimmed some of the cash to pay his overdue taxes, his partner sued him for grand larceny in 1971. The charges were dropped, but King’s reputation appeared ruined.rnrnKing lost his radio show and, for several years, struggled to find work. But by 1975 the scandal had largely blown over and a Miami station gave him another chance. Regaining his local popularity, King was signed in 1978 to host radio’s first nationwide call-in show.rnrnOriginating from Washington on the Mutual network, u201cThe Larry King Showu201d was eventually heard on more than 300 stations and made King a national phenomenon.rnrnA few years later, CNN founder Ted Turner offered King a slot on his young network. u201cLarry King Liveu201d debuted on June 1, 1985, and became CNN’s highest-rated program. King’s beginning salary of $100,000 a year eventually grew to more than $7 million.rnrnA three-packs-a-day cigarette habit led to a heart attack in 1987, but King’s quintuple-bypass surgery didn’t slow him down.rnrnMeanwhile, he continued to prove that, in his words, u201cI’m not good at marriage, but I’m a great boyfriend.u201drnrnHe was just 18 when he married high school girlfriend Freda Miller, in 1952. The marriage lasted less than a year. In subsequent decades he would marry Annette Kay, Alene Akins (twice), Mickey Sutfin, Sharon Lepore and Julie Alexander.rnrnIn 1997, he wed Shawn Southwick, a country singer and actress 26 years his junior. They would file for divorce in 2010, rescind the filing, then file for divorce again in 2019.rnrnThe couple had two sons, King’s fourth and fifth kids, Chance Armstrong, born in 1999, and Cannon Edward, born in 2000. In 2020, King lost his two eldest children, Andy King and Chaia King, who died of unrelated health problems within weeks of each other.rnrnHe had many other medical issues in recent decades, including more heart attacks and diagnoses of type 2 diabetes and lung cancer.rnrnEarly in 2021, CNN reported that King was hospitalized for more than a week with COVID-19.rnrnThrough his setbacks he continued to work into his late 80s, taking on online talk shows and infomercials as his appearances on CNN grew fewer.rnrnu201cWork,u201d King once said. u201cIt’s the easiest thing I do.u201drnrnu2013u2013u2013rnrnFormer AP Television Writer Frazier Moore contributed biographical material to this report.rnrn “,”post_title”:”Larry King, broadcasting giant for a half-century, dies at 87″,”post_excerpt”:””,”post_status”:”publish”,”comment_status”:”closed”,”ping_status”:”closed”,”post_password”:””,”post_name”:”veteran-talk-show-host-larry-king-dies-at-87″,”to_ping”:””,”pinged”:””,”post_modified”:”2021-01-23 09:06:47″,”post_modified_gmt”:”2021-01-23 14:06:47″,”post_content_filtered”:””,”post_parent”:0,”guid”:”https://toronto.citynews.ca/?p=2378537″,”menu_order”:0,”post_type”:”post”,”post_mime_type”:””,”comment_count”:”0″,”filter”:”raw”,”permalink”:”https://montreal.citynews.ca/2021/01/23/veteran-talk-show-host-larry-king-dies-at-87/”,”post_title_shortened”:”Larry King, broadcasting giant for a half-century, dies at 87″,”post_thumbnail”:”
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