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The Spanish have reported an improvement to the HCQ treatment. Their "standard of care" includes HCQ. In a new study, 76 patients with Covid-19 were treated: 26 with "standard of care" and 50 with "standard of care" + a high dose Vitamin D analog (calcifediol ). For the group receiving calcifediol, only 1 (of 50) had to go to the ICU, and none died. For the group not receiving calcifediol, 13 (of 26) went to the ICU and 2 died.

“Association between low levels of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and increased risk of developing several immune-related diseases and disorders, including psoriasis, type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, tuberculosis, sepsis, respiratory infection, and COVID-19, has been observed. Although it is still debatable what level of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D is optimal, it is advisable to increase vitamin D intake and have sensible sunlight exposure to maintain serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D at least 30 ng/mL (75 nmol/L), and preferably at 40–60 ng/mL (100–150 nmol/L) to achieve the optimal overall health benefits of vitamin D." … “ To maintain these blood levels, a person would...

A preliminary study has found tentative evidence suggesting low levels of vitamin D may make it more likely an individual will die after contracting coronavirus.

President-elect Donald Trump lashed out at the media Wednesday over the sustained focus on Democratic rival Hillary Clinton’s popular-vote lead on Election Day, firing off a string of tweets reminding America that he campaigned specifically to “win the Electoral College.” ... Trump, though, said Wednesday he would have campaigned “differently” if the United States chose presidents based on the popular vote only.

The U.S. Border Patrol says over $3 million has been seized after it was found on Tuesday inside two cars in Escondido, California. ... The cash was being smuggled from the U.S. into Mexico.

Crews from the U.S. and New Zealand were trying Thursday to rescue a damaged fishing boat with 27 people aboard that remains stuck in ice near Antarctica.

(CNSNews.com) – Lake Superior hasn’t completely frozen over in two decades. But an expert on Great Lakes ice says there’s a “very high likelihood” that the three-quadrillion-gallon lake will soon be totally covered with ice thanks to this winter’s record-breaking cold. The ice cover on the largest freshwater lake in the world hit a 20-year record of 91 percent on Feb. 5, 1994. ...

(Reuters) - Eleven people died, more than a thousand were injured and tens of thousands lost power when the worst snowstorm in decades hit Tokyo and areas around the Japanese capital before heading north to blanket the tsunami-hit Pacific coast.

Yves Sauve and his team at University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry discovered laboratory models fed DHA did not accumulate a toxic molecule at the back of the eyes. The toxin normally builds up in the retina with age and causes vision loss, Sauve said.

You would be forgiven for thinking these stunning vistas lay deep in the heart of Antarctica. But they are, in fact, what has become of the European landscape as temperatures plummet to nearly -40C - the coldest snap in decades. Rivers, lakes, beaches and even seas have been iced over by a Siberian freeze, creating some incredible sights, but also more tales of tragedy. ... But in southern Kosovo, nine people were killed when an avalanche hit the village of Restelica, officials said on Sunday, adding to more than 500 killed in snow and bitter cold across the Continent in...

As the European cold front is about to enter its third week, the Danube River and Black Sea have frozen over in many countries, with La Repubblica reporting that 420 have died across Europe. ... The Black Sea waters around the Ukrainian port city of Odessa were completely frozen for the first time since 1977, and Ukrainian ports will remain closed until at least Feb. 15. Russia's Novorossiysk port, usually an ice-free port all year round, was closed for two days last week because of ice. In the Romanian Black Sea port of Constanța, the waters were frozen for up...

The U.S. manufacturing sector slowed sharply in May, according to data released Wednesday by the Institute for Supply Management.

Appropriate Attacks on the Press? Calling Fox News "a wing of the Republican Party," the Obama administration is escalating its war of words against the news organization, and in recent weeks, the White House has begun using its taxpayer-funded blog to directly attack what it called "Fox lies."

Certificate of need bill to start journey By Travis Fain TELEGRAPH STAFF WRITER ATLANTA - Gov. Sonny Perdue waded deep into one of the most contentious issues of this General Assembly session Thursday - what to do about the state's certificate of need program, which governs hospital expansions. Perdue is backing a bill that would reform the process and ease requirements for surgery centers looking to offer one or a few specific types of surgery as opposed to a full range of procedures available from a hospital. Most legislators said Thursday that they haven't yet read House Bill 568, some...