“We would not recommend it based on the fact that there has never been a randomized control study with enough patients enrolled to say anything,” he said.

In response to a question about the use of hydroxychloroquine within UAB hospital, Goepfert replied, “I cannot say that nobody received it, but it was rare – if at all.”

Goepfert’s takeaway from the recent hydroxychloroquine study published in The Lancet, a respected science journal, was that hydroxychloroquine has “no benefit or harm” when used to treat hospitalized coronavirus patients.

He further said that the study “certainly reinforces” UAB having never recommended hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19.

Public awareness of hydroxychloroquine has grown in past months due to repeated mentions by President Donald Trump. Though in most appearances touting the drug Trump has prefaced his comments with a version of “I’m not a doctor,” the president has also repeatedly championed the idea hydroxychloroquine could have a big impact.

The drug, primarily used to treat malaria before the coronavirus pandemic, was given an emergency use authorization by the FDA on March 29, enabling it to be legally used as a coronavirus treatment.

Trump took a regimen of hydroxychloroquine in recent days.

Though some small anecdotes of success appeared on television news, especially during early April, scientific data has not born out the president’s optimistic outlook for hydroxychloroquine when used for hospitalized patients.

The article published in Lancet Friday was a retrospective study tracking 96,032 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 across six continents with the largest group being from North America.

“We were unable to confirm a benefit of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine, when used alone or with a macrolide, on in-hospital outcomes for COVID-19,” reads the study’s topline interpretation.

Several mainstream media outlets ran pieces claiming the Lancet study proved hydroxychloroquine increases the risk of death during a COVID-19 hospitalization.

USA Today ran an article with the headline “Coronavirus patients who took hydroxychloroquine had higher risk of death, study shows.”

The Lancet study does say hospitalized coronavirus cases treated with hydroxychloroquine show “a greater hazard for in-hospital death.”

However, other writing in the Lancet study urged caution not demonstrated by the excitable pieces that circulated widely on Friday.

Part of the Lancet study’s discussion section reads, “The association of decreased survival with hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine treatment regimens should be interpreted cautiously. Due to the observational study design, we cannot exclude the possibility of unmeasured confounding factors.”

Put simply, the kind of study performed by Lancet leaves open the possibility that other unknowable factors caused some or all of the link between hydroxychloroquine and higher COVID-19 death rates.

Dr. Goepfert chose not to endorse the idea that hydroxychloroquine lowered survival odds for coronavirus patients when commenting on the Lancet study.

He told Yellowhammer, “[L]arge retrospective studies like the one in the Lancet and another from the VA showed no benefit or harm” for patients treated with the much-discussed drug.

Yellowhammer News asked the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) whether the new study results had changed their guidance on hydroxychloroquine.

Dr. Karen Landers, MD, Assistant Alabama State Health Officer, referred Yellowhammer to hydroxychloroquine guidelines the department initially issued in the first week of May. She said that guidance is still in place.

The guidance, directly imported from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), says only hospitalized patients are recommended recipients of hydroxychloroquine outside of clinical trials.

The ADPH by way of FDA guidance also notes that “hydroxychloroquine has significant and serious side effects, such as QT prolongation and hypoglycemia. Cases of life-threatening cardiomyopathy have been reported with its use, as have ventricular arrhythmias, torsades de pointes, irreversible retinal damage and critical issues with blood glucose.”

Alabama’s hydroxychloroquine news is not all negative.

Dr. Turner Overton, MD, also of UAB’s Division of Infectious Diseases is helping conduct a new hydroxychloroquine trial.

In remarks to Yellowhammer, Overton noted that nearly every piece of published data on hydroxychloroquine’s effectiveness has exclusively involved patients whose COVID-19 cases had developed to the point that hospitalization was required.

He told Yellowhammer that the new study on which he is working will test Hydroxychloroquine “early in the course of COVID-19 disease to determine whether hospitalization and severe disease can be prevented.”

RELATED: Fauci: Drug discovered, tested at UAB ‘will be the standard of care’ for coronavirus patients

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@yellowhammernews.com or on Twitter @HenryThornton95

Eaton cautions pool-goers to worry less about coronavirus spreading through water, but rather, focus more on practicing proper physical distancing and hygiene tips when near the water.

“When kids play in the water at a pool, they are often very close to one another, playing on the same ladders and rafts and grabbing the same pool noodles. That’s what worries me — transmission due to close proximity and not properly sanitizing common items found in a pool setting.”

As a way to beat the crowds, she encourages pool visitors to go at off hours — right when the pool opens or toward the end of the day when there are not lines and group gatherings. If there are large pockets of people congregating and socializing, it is not the best time to let your family attend.

“I know that my children want nothing more than to cool off in the pool during the heat of the day; but realistically, that is the most crowded time to visit the pool,” Eaton said. “If we can visit during less popular days or hours, I think that will be the best way for us to continue to enjoy fun family time together while also being responsible and mindful of minimizing any spread of the virus.”

Another tip Eaton shared is to decrease opportunities to touch items and surfaces that do not belong to you. Whether that is using the restroom before you visit the pool, sanitizing the pool chair you may use, or not sharing sunscreen or pool toys, these measures can help make a difference and keep your family safe.

While Eaton stresses that practicing social distancing and being mindful of the virus is important, she does not want a family’s fear of the virus to stop scheduled activities, specifically swim lessons. Water safety should still be a priority for parents. It may mean reorganizing swim lessons to be in a smaller or more private group. Eaton emphasizes that it is still critical that children receive proper swim training and instruction through classes that are often taught during the summer months.

As some families visit a community pool, others will be visiting the lake or beach. Eaton is not as worried about transmission of COVID-19 through either of those types of water — primarily due to the capacity and size of the water body — but reinforces visitors to practice the same physical distancing, hand hygiene and wearing a mask when not swimming, similar to when visiting any public place.

“At the end of the day, it’s important to still make memories and enjoy time with our families this summer. We can still accomplish that, but just in a way that keeps the health and safety of ourselves and others top of mind.”

(Courtesy of UAB)

“We are extremely excited about how far we have come,” said Judy Haner, Marine Program Director for TNCA. “Our contractors have been really dynamic. They’ve figured out how to do parts of this project in concert instead of in sequence, so we’ve been able to get this thing really rolling. The contractors have had as much fun on this project as we have.”

Repairs and preservation of Bayou la Batre’s Lightning Point continue from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

Bayou La Batre is called “Alabama’s Seafood Capital,” and a large reason is the shrimping industry. Hundreds of boats hit the water each season to catch the tasty crustaceans, favored by chefs all over the country. But major events, such as the BP oil spill and Hurricane Katrina, damaged the shoreline and affected shrimping in the area.

“The goal is to help restore the lost coastal habitats that once benefitted the people that rely on these natural resources,” said Mary Kate Brown, Coastal Projects manager for The Nature Conservancy. “The people of Bayou La Batre are connected to their coast and frequent the current area by birdwatching, scenic viewing, kayaking, boating, fishing, taking a lunch break; this is their community’s front porch and the gateway to the bayou.”
The Nature Conservancy broke ground on the restoration project in April 2019 after securing support from public agencies and private organizations, including the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and Alabama Power. In addition to the breakwaters and jetties, the project will create 40 acres of coastal habitats ranging from marshes, tidal creeks, scrub-shrubs and shell hash beaches that support a wide range of fish, shellfish and birds. Brown says many birds and other wildlife are closely watching construction crews.

“Birds have taken to the breakwaters as an oasis, especially the least terns, and this is perfect timing as nesting season is here,” Brown said. “We also have seen ibis, oyster catchers, black skimmers, avocets, dunlins, whimbrels, and more foraging and utilizing the new habitats and fill areas.”

Other improvements planned for Lightning Point include walking paths, a lookout point, an ADA fishing platform and a low-impact parking lot employing green infrastructure techniques, such as pervious pavers, bioretention cells and bioswales to aid in stormwater management.

“It is amazing at what is happening at Lightning Point,” Haner said. “We are actually transforming this community along with the site. It’s really exciting and every time we’re down here, we get to talk with the community and see how excited they are.”

Crews will complete the construction work towards the end of this summer, but the new plants in the marsh and scrub-shrub habitats will need another three to four years to establish and grow to reach appropriate density.

“Once construction is complete, we will be annually monitoring both structural and biological integrity of the Lightning Point restoration project for five years,” Brown said. “We will go out and and measure how the plants are thriving, and we will collect elevation and shoreline position data across the new coastal habitats to make sure the breakwaters are doing its job of protecting the community of Bayou La Batre.”

(Courtesy of Alabama NewsCenter)

“What we have been able to do just makes you feel good – there is just no other way to say it.”

The APC teamed with Alabama Power’s Technology Applications Center and the UAB School of Engineering to kick off the mission in late March.

For the APC, it began with two 3-D polymer printers redeployed to employee Jody Beck’s residence, where he worked with his wife, Sadie, to produce plastic headbands for the face shields. At first, the printers were running 24/7.

Workers at Alabama Power’s Technology Applications Center (TAC) also produced headbands and laser cut plastic shields for the medical masks. UAB helped with additional 3-D printing and final assembly.

In addition to 3-D printing headbands, the project evolved when the TAC started using its cutting capabilities to cut the headbands from acrylic. This allowed the production of more than 100 headbands a day, according to Scott Bishop, the TAC’s team leader.

Also, Alabama Power’s Print Shop started cutting the shield materials to allow the team to provide the medical workers with a complete face shield. To date, the TAC has produced more than 1,000 headbands, and the Print Shop has produced over 9,200 face shields, Bishop said.

NEW PARTNERS

The initial goals were modest, but after word got out about the effort, new partners jumped on board, and the campaign began to expand.

Hill said several retirees with 3-D printers joined the effort, as did the 9-year-old daughter of an UAB professor who owned a printer. Teachers at Briarwood Christian, Hoover and Thompson high schools got permission to use their printers. An anonymous donor gave 4,500 disposable face shields.

The game changed when workers at Mercedes-Benz’s Alabama assembly plant became involved, Hill said. Initially, the 3-D printers at the automaker’s sprawling facility were deployed but soon other manufacturing capabilities were also brought to bear.

“We had been 3-D printing the headbands, but they started cutting them out of acrylic using their water jet cutters,” Hill said. “We went from making one headband every two and a half hours to making 14 every hour. That increased our output tremendously.

“I can’t say enough about the support we received from Mercedes,” he added.

Thank you #MercedesBenzUSI for helping us with this project! Together we have delivered 405+ face shields to 7 locations including @dchsystem , Crimson Urgent Care, Northport Urgent Care and @Smiledesigncare #COVID19 #3DPrinted #faceshields pic.twitter.com/CknKZvAwhP

— AL Productivity Center (@APC_UofA) April 8, 2020

MAKING AN IMPACT

Hill said other companies also lined up to help.

ALG Labels + Graphics in Birmingham and FASTSIGNS, a printing company in Tuscaloosa, both donated face shield material. Pell City’s IPAK Alabama, a packaging supplier to Honda’s Alabama plant, provided foam bands that fit on the headband.

In a related effort, the CUBE, the 3-D printing lab operating UA’s College of Engineering, produced and delivered more than 1,700 protective face shields to health care facilities in West Alabama, Hill said. (More than $18,000 has been donated to this effort through an ongoing crowdfunding campaign.)

The broad support has allowed the APC to shift its 3-D printers to a new focus – producing ear relief straps for the plastic headbands on the protective face shields, which can become uncomfortable after lengthy wearing. These “ear savers” have also been given to workers at grocery stores and dental clinics who wear masks all day, Hill said.

“When all is said and done, this is really about keeping our first responders safe. If you keep just one of those people safe, it’s worth all the effort,” he said.

Greg Canfield, Secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce, said the effort illustrates how the state’s education and business communities can seamlessly align to make an impact in the fight against COVID-19.

“This collaborative effort, like others across the state, is not only producing results but also revealing the Alabama can-do spirit of innovation that helps us meet the most difficult of challenges,” Secretary Canfield said.

(Courtesy of Made in Alabama)

“I’m not in the medical profession,” he said. “That’s not my area, my forte — but it seems to me there’s enough resources out there, at least immediately right now. You need to be diligent, be prepared for the future. You know, when we talk about this COVID-19, and there’s certainly some concern, but the heightened concern I think is for what I’m fastly approaching — the age of 65. And so, 65 or older, and if you have one of those five, six or seven underlying health conditions, then you need to take it certainly seriously. And everybody should.”

“But I think by the State Health [Officer]’s own numbers, there were a total of 23 out of 528 deaths as of yesterday that did not have one of the underlying health conditions,” Barfoot added. “And there were no deaths … under age 50 that did not also have underlying health conditions. So when you start to dig into the numbers — 528 deaths out of 13,000 confirmed COVID cases, if my math is correct that is about 99.6% of the individuals who have been in confirmed COVID testing have not perished — and not deceased, are still with us. And that’s of the ones that we know. Obviously, there are asymptomatic folks out there that we haven’t tested, and we don’t know if they actually have it. So, again, there is cause for some concern, and people should take appropriate measures that they deem necessary. But widespread panic is not in order, in my opinion. And I think it is absolutely killing our economy — small businesses around the state.”

@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and the University of South Alabama, the editor of Breitbart TV, a columnist for Mobile’s Lagniappe Weekly and host of Huntsville’s “The Jeff Poor Show” from 2-5 p.m. on WVNN.