Dear Residents:
Recognizing that the Covid crisis has reached a point where there are substantial questions beyond its rise and impact, Village resident and immunologist Dr. Marc Sicklick has prepared a review of the various treatments available as well as other relevant observations. We trust you find the following informative and, as always, thank Dr. Sicklick for his insights and concerns. Please stay well and safe.
Alex H. Edelman
Mayor
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Marc J. Sicklick, M.D.
October 29, 2020
What treatment modalities are available now? Why is covid less likely to kill and cause hospitalization today than it was in March and April? Why am I a semi-optimistic pessimist?
This is not about masks, social distancing, shut downs, lockdowns, zoom, quarantine, isolation, personal choice, government mandates, or anything else that has been talked to death and that we are all tired of hearing. Everyone knows what should be done and either chooses to do what’s appropriate or chooses not to.
This is a brief review of treatments at a time when our LOCAL area is having an increase in cases and the projections show a very significant increase through the fall.
1. Ventilators
For respiratory distress, this was treatment #1 for sick COVID victims early in the epidemic. Our knowledge of this new disease pathophysiology was relatively primitive 6-8 months ago, New York State was approaching 1000 deaths/day by early April, hospitals were overwhelmed, morgues were overwhelmed, the governor was screaming for tens of thousands of ventilators, and between the desire to keep people alive and the extreme mental pressure placed on doctors by the daily State press conferences demanding more ventilators, these were used almost universally for breathing difficulties or low oxygen readings. This was, to a degree, reflex rather than reflection.
Another problem was that many of those who were managing patients on ventilators were doctors from other fields who, after a brief period of instruction, had to become the experts. They had no choice and volunteered to step into the breach. They were not all anesthesiologists and pulmonologists with expert knowledge of the disease and the machines. Although their intentions were the best, the outcomes weren’t always. There were just too many patients for the number of available experts. The hospitals were overwhelmed. Talk to medical personnel who were there on the front lines. This is happening today in other states.
As the pandemic grows because people have increased covid fatigue, anger, and indoor life, the hospitals will again become overwhelmed. There aren’t enough experts to manage cases so we will revert to having suboptimal care with doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel thrown into the breach because there isn’t another option. This will lead to more aggressive care modalities because it takes an expert to NOT do something. It takes a lot of knowledge and self assurance to NOT place a patient with respiratory distress on a ventilator with indications that can lead the decision either way. It takes years of experience.
We know that not all respiratory disease needs this modality, and many are better off without artificial ventilation. Ventilators can damage the lung tissue, do not always address the real pathophysiology (the active disease process), and extubating patients (removing them from ventilators) is not always easy.
There are other ways to give oxygen that are less invasive and less dangerous. Flow oxygen, CPAP and other modalities are used much more readily now. Also, low oxygen readings are not all due to a primary lung problem.
Ventilators do and will continue to save lives. Many patients really need them and have no option, but having alternative treatments when medically indicated will also save lives.
2. Blood thinners
Not all organ involvement is because of the virus directly attacking the organ. Sometimes blood clots form and damage the organs. Blood thinners are now used, when indicated, to try to decrease damage from clots. This, too, lowers the morbidity and mortality rates.
3. Anti-white blood cell medications
We’ve all heard of the term “cytokine storm”. This is an over response of the immune system that clogs blood vessels and can damage organs and cause respiratory distress. The use of anti-white blood cell medications has also cut mortality and morbidity.
4. Anti-viral medications
These attack the ability of the virus to take over.
5. Anti-viral antibodies
There are two ways to make antibodies. One is called “active immunity”. Someone encounters an infection or gets a vaccine and their immune system responds. The other response is “passive immunity”. Antibodies against the infection are either taken from someone who already had the infection or are produced synthetically, and these can be administered to fight the infection. This form of immunity is short lived but helps during the acute phase. In a simplistic way, these can be thought of as a sponge that sops up virus.
Not all anti-COVID antibodies (noting that there are many different antibodies made in response to the infection) are equally beneficial and protective. As we learn which are the most critical and as we are able to use them, outcomes will improve.
6. Vaccines
The hope is that one of the many types of vaccines will provide immunity, or at least weaken the disease in the immunized. This is what attracts all the headlines. This seems to drive the Dow Jones up and down on a daily basis. Vaccines are not here now, may be here in a few months (I hope for the mid-spring. Others whom I respect have told me that I am overly optimistic and that they expect mid-summer), or may never be here. After release, it will take time (6 months to a year) until enough people are vaccinated for it to create sufficient herd immunity to have a significant impact.
The recent news of a few people getting COVID for a second time could point to vaccine problems. On the other hand, perhaps natural disease may not be as protective as a good vaccine. Perhaps vaccines will elicit the more important antibodies. Time will tell.
7. Lockdowns
Closing schools and putting children on the streets or in friends’ houses as opposed to keeping them in a controlled school setting, following health rules, makes little sense to me.
Shutting businesses and stores and causing tremendous financial and emotional damage while social gatherings continue to be the largest source of spread also makes little sense to me.
Hopefully, lockdowns will be reserved for cases that are absolutely necessary, which should mean places not adhering to CDC and Board of Health rules and with critical numbers of cases in that area.
The overall fatality rate currently seems to be well under where it was in the spring. This is due to these newer and fine tuned approaches, a shift in the age of those being infected towards a younger and presumably otherwise healthier population, and the deaths in the spring of those who were most vulnerable (the elderly, the very infirm, and these unfortunate people who were exposed in nursing homes rather than being protected from exposure.). This does not mean that the symptoms won’t be severe in some younger people. Some may be left with chronic debilitation and damage. Some may die. We need to minimize this to the best of our ability.
The models still project New York State to peak at about 200 deaths/day in the mid to late fall. We have about 10/day now and we had close to 1000 in April.
As we saw from newspaper articles about President Trump’s illness, he was given oxygen as needed without a ventilator, steroids for the anti-cytokine storm effect, anti-viral medication, and antibodies. His course seems to have been much better than I would have expected for a 74 year old, overweight patient. I do not think he would have had the same recovery 6 months ago.
Hopefully, even without a vaccine, the improved care will help reduce the damage. A vaccine, if successful, will be a bonus on top of the new and developing care modalities.
My last statement is that people should not neglect other medical problems. Screening for colon disease, heart disease, blood pressure issues, getting usual immunizations, and a good physical exam are necessary and if not done will cause deaths from non- COVID reasons.
Sincerely yours,
Marc J. Sicklick, M.D.
Thank you, Dr. Sicklick!
A genuine, caring, compassionate doctor!
Rare nowadays! Thank you Doctor Sicklick and the best of health to you!
Thank you dr for the well worded update.
Are you aware that there were doctors who picked up right away that ventilators were killing people…10000/ day doesnt take too long to realize you nees to change course…those doctors, like Kyle- Cidel at the ICU in Maimonides came forward to speak out and challenge ventilator use…theyw were censored from social media. ..are you following the information suppression and censorship that has overridden science nowadays? I urge you to look up questioningcovid.com where front line physicians stepped forward to provide testimony…the widespread silencing of mainstream physicians who attempted to stop deadly ventilator use back in april is a good sign that there are agendas to covid…this is not about saving lives…this is about a New World Order. As a health care provider, it seems unreasonable to suppress informed debate about a new virus…Bill Gates collusion with big tech companies… his donation to the World Health Organization…connect the dots and follow the dollar….He is a lead investor in vaccinations…
This letter does not address some of the biggest issues surrounding covid that are being bypassed in mainstream media.
1. Why were doctors who spoke up questioning the overuse of ventilators taken down from YouTube and other major platforms?
2. Why did the govt restrict doctors’ prescribing authority and disallow physicians from practicing to the full extent of their license and use their clinical judgement. When in the history of medicine has this ever occured? Dr. SIMONE GOLD , an ER physician who treated thousands of Covid patients and is also an attorney is bringing a class action lawsuit for the restricting of life saving care that the Democrat states prevented doctors from utilizing. Follow her on social media…she is quite informed about the corruption and agenda.
3. Have you explained why Dr. Zolenko was shut down from practicing when almost nobody in his community died of covid?
4. Are you aware that the covid vaccine is an mRNA vaccine and will alter you DNA?
5. Are you aware that Bill Gates has a goal to digitalize society and increase vaccination- his personal investments? He is in charge of google…youtube….where doctors’testimony was taken down…
6. I recommend that you explain the aforementioned questions . Good science is open to new paradigms, is inquiry driven, and based on good evidence. Follow Dr. Simone Gold on social media and her group of physicians who are exposing how the interests of a powerful few have prevented available help to save people’s lives.
The covid vaccine will cause immune enhanced response phenomenon. Initially people may be immune but should they contract covid afterward they will have an unusaul and potentially lethal immune response. The vaccine is not being tested appropriately. Vaccine companies cannot be sued. 3.9 billion dollars have been reimbursed in this country for vaccine injury.
Current children get double what people were given on 1990. 75 vaccines on the schedule. NOT AN ACCIDENT ALL THE CHILDHOOD ECZEMA ALLERGIES AUTOIMMUNE AND BEHAVIOR ISSUES. we have BOMBARDED and assaulted children’s immune systems. Vaccines contain Aluminum, a neurotoxin. Polysorbate80, formaldehyde, aborted fetal cells, casein, thimerosal, and stabilizers, preservatives, and adjuvants. Please look up the ingredients before you inject it in your child’s body. If you wouldn’t swallow it dont inject it in an infant. Ask your pediatrician how much money he gets reimbursed by insurance for every vaccine he administers. Would it be sustainable for him to run his practice without those reimbursements. If you postpone vaccines until your child is 3-4 then you can cut back tremendously on the number that will be required. Fewer doses are required if administered at an older age. If you draw titers- antibidies- you can go to school without all the 2, 3, 4 doses of you can prove immunity through antibodies after one dose. Google NYS dept of health school immunization requirements. Read the chart carefully. Demand that your doctor read it so that he gives the minimum required if you do the older child catch up schedule. Do you truly think Hep B , a sexually transmitted infection, should be injected into newborns? Was it injected into you when you were born?!?! It cam out in the 1990s. Covid should wake people up that we are in a broken system. Watch the documentary Vaxxed. It will share with you the information you deserve to know before your child becomes an American statistic with allergies or eczema or asthma or neurodevelopmental delays or behavior issues. No I wont take the covid vaccine unless Bill Gates does too. Have you heard him speka about his concerns of overpopulation? His goals of population control? Wake up! How can such a man be trusted blindly?
For poster YA: Some of these questions are good, while others demonstrate a lack of knowledge. #4 mRNA copies a section of DNA in the nucleus and then takes the copy out of the nucleus and to the ribosome where a protein specific to that DNA section is produced. It does not “alter your DNA”. #5 “Are you aware that Bill Gates has a goal to digitalize society”. Society is already digitalized and has been at an increasingly rapid rate for some time. Don’t need Mr. Gates for that. Welcome to the new millennium. Also, others are in charge of Google and YouTube and are dong their own job of suppression of free speech. Can’t blame Bill Gates for everything. Fortunately Google is being sued by quite a few states.
For Poster NP: This is the typical anti-vax stance. As one who grew up in the time of measles and polio, I saw the difference vaccines made. Might suggest you go to a cemetery and look at the number of children’s graves from pre-vaccine times and correlate the dates with epidemics. Compare to the rare number of children’s graves you see today.
Have you wondered why scarlet fever has disappeared despite there being no vaccine for it? Why do you attribute the decline of polio to the vaccine when it disappeared the same time scarlet fever did yet there is no vaccine for scarlet fever…
Bill Gates is not the only one involved in the agenda of covid. George Soros and Rockefeller are also implicated.
The head of YouTube’s stated in an interview that anything that goes against the Workd Health Org will be censored.
Currently Gates is the organization’s primary funder. Go to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foubdation website to follow their donations…
Fox news exposed the Bill Gatespiece with the attempt to vaccinate and social control. Covid will bring the world a huge leap forward toward increased digitalization and surveillance/control. Tucker Carlson with Fox is onto it.
Currently, I recommend that you take a look at Japan’s vaccine schedule and ours and compare their infant mortality rate to ours….
Do A LOT of research before injecting a for profit pharmaceutical into yourself or others. Don8bither researching on google. Remember there is censorship. Watch the documentary Vaxxed or buy a book like The Vaccine Friendly Plan.
Ironically the pediatricians who dont take insurance in NY all consider vaccination unsafe. Only pediatricians who can profit from the corresponding insurance codes for vaccines, consider them safe…if you cant list the ingredients in a product then you have no business having an opinion on its safety profile. Two more vaccines have just been added to the schedule… We have exchanged innocuous childhood viruses like chicken pox for irreversible autoimmune disorders and neurodevelopmental damage. Anyone in their 70s today got measles…it is extremely rare that a healthy child has a bad outcome from it much like chicken pox is extremely rare to cause problems in a healthy child. Adults adults got measles should have been immune from childhood had there not been a vaccine. Instead they were vaccinated as a child, lost their immunity and got measles ina stage in life that is unnatural to get it and more dangerous…
Keep your eyes open for your child because no one will do it for you.
I think this physician’s letter spreads weaponized informatio n and is inaccurate. Has he been aware that yes, doctors figured ou in April that ventilator use is deadly in most situations. With 1000 deaths per day it doesnt take so long to figure it out, if you’re a thinking physician. And there are plenty of thinking , intelligent physicians. Links of their testimony were aggressively being removed as soon they were posted. The only reason we have any medical advances is that one person throught differently. When you silence a physician who is attempting to challenge a poorly performing treatment like ventilator use, then you are shutting science down. How does the author to this letter explain that doctors were shut down? That schools are being digitalized? That John Hopkins University ( beneficiary of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) came out with quantum dot tattooing for vaccines. Are you okay with a nanochip injected into you that can be read with a smart phone? Read the John Hopkins paper on it to learn what is in the making. Rober F Kennedy Jr on Twitter has plenty to say about it and about Bill Gates.
They will market this new covid vaccine with shortages i.e. only at risk people and high priority people can get it first. That is a marketing strategy.
Have you heard Cuomo’s interview that he doesn’t trust the vaccine so he will create his own group of physicians to approve its safety for New Yorkers ? You trust Cuomo’s safety committee of doctors when NY had the worst outcomes in the entire world for Covid?
Start thinking and stop trusting blindly. Your body is not for profit. Your health matters.
Get informed. Follow Robert F Kennedy Jr. On Twitter. He is a good place to start.
I’ll take the vaccine when I see Mr. Gates take it and Mr. Rockefeller…until then I’ll stay away from people who want to use their resources toward population control. Hello people! An mRNA vaccine will add a strand to your DNA! Are you happy to participate in the transhumanism experiment? I am not. I’ll wait for Gates to take it before I do…
Agreed. The vaccine will be added to the already enormous current schedule.
At the minimum parents should be asking for titers/ antibodies drawn. This way if their child is immune to hep B, DTAP etc after one does the child doesnt get a second and third round of it. Especially if you wait till your child is slightly older than it is highly likely your child is immune after one does. Protect your child from the extremely long and ever growing list of vaccines in a simple way with blood work for antibodies. The DOH accepts it for school. No excuse that this isn’t standard of care. Why are kids being injected when almost all of them achieve immunity with fewer doses. Isn’t that what blood work/ antibody testing should be for?
But docs earn more for each vaccine . That is why they dont virher with or encourage antibody testing. Be your kids advocate. You’re the parent.
I would sooner move to Japan than inject my kid with another vaccine. My kids who are vaccinated are different kids than my ones who aren’t.
Dr. Sicklick, do you mind naming the ingredients in the covid vaccine before you recommend it? Thanks!
Remember most people who don’t vaccinate are ex- vaxxers. They used to trust until they learned the hard way.
Dear Dr. SICKlick,
Thank you for pointing out that school closures are not an appropriate health measure. If something doesnt make sense then do some digging. Perhaps it should serve as a red flag that things are going on that should not be. More is happening from covid than meets the eye. I recommend following Dr. Simone Gold or Zolenko and getting some more answers. They have first hand experience as front line covid doctors who faced the corruption. They did the digging for you. For as long as you recommended vaccines without doing any thorough research about it and I dont mean google which is controlled by big pharma investors like Gates…for as long as you recommend vaccines your name will delightfully be SICKlick. Dont make people sicker. Please do some research into who is behind the vaccination industry….
We the people are not sheeple. Please have a doctor or anyone who is informed to post updates about covid. Not this kind of letter telling us that ” they didnt realize ventilators were killing people” and ” the vaccine will help u”. We can get this kind of news in the fake news mainstream outlets. Something more on the mark more informed and more sophist icated please
Dr Sicklick you mean well but I recommend that you become more informed many people have uncovered the truth behind covid at this point. This letter doesnt reflect that you have done any answer searching. As you point out many of the covid policies dont make sense. That has driven many people toward inquiry. We have more of the behind the scenes drivers of policy and their agendas.
I recommend doing this kind of proper research before just pointing out again this kind of information. Too many people are informed already. This kind of letter and information cant cut it anymore .. some of the posts give excellent places to start. The Corbett show is another great resource. Bitchute is uncensored so many if the links had to posted there after removal from google connected platforms like YouTube.
If anyone wants posts to some of the censored doctors and their testimony feel free to email me at my NYU address [email protected]
Patients and doctors have been sending me a number of excellent links and I will gladly forward if you are interested to hear another perspective on what is going on. Doesnt mean everything is to be believed just because it got censored but certainly there is a lot of valuable evidence that is being suppressed.
You know, I never knew a lot of the info being posted in the comments and was reading carefully until posters started calling the doctor Sick Lick… Really? So NOT normal of any adult and against the TORAH. Literally hamalbin pnei chaveiro barabim (online). You might not want your olam haba but others do. You lose all credibility bc you come across as an immature bored teenager. i don’t know why such comments are allowed to go through but I’m done.