Vinay Prasad

Because remember, there's a lot of activity we do, particularly in primary care, that actually is low value.

And I think this is an opportunity to separate out these two issues right now.

And I'm going to hark back because listeners to this programme will remember I talked about health screening earlier.

There's no evidence that reduces admissions or mortality in largely well people.

This is the time to get our act together and separate out these two issues.

You've got to keep saying it again and again and then it'll get through.

But this is the time to take the evidence.

Interestingly, it's worth noting in conditions like influenza, risk of deep vein thrombosis goes up.

In fact, with all of the respiratory infections, you're more at risk of a stroke, you're more at risk of a DVT.

So the first thing is to say, actually, you're likely to be more at risk with COVID of thrombosis.

with other conditions.

So once you understand that, the question is, are you more likely and is that one of the severe causes, the serious causes of death that actually could prevent?

That's a really interesting question.

This is one of the important trials that I would be looking at in hospitalised severe patients.

And interestingly, with a colleague of mine, Tom Jefferson, we posted a systematic review that had been withdrawn 20 years ago on treatments for the common cold, which, as everybody will know, one of the causes of the common cold is coronavirus.

And actually, going back 30 or 40 years ago, one of the interesting treatments people were looking at was dipyridamol.

And that actually has an effect.

It has an effect on platelets and we use it in people with stroke.

So I think there's a real mechanism argument for looking at treatments that actually may affect your circulatory system and actually putting them in trials.

Oh, okay.