Promising Treatments for COVID-19

Promising Treatments for COVID-19

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The National Institutes of Health conducted a study using the oral drug Tempol in an experiment of cell cultures with live viruses and found that it can reduce COVID-19 infections by targeting an enzyme from the virus which needs to make copies of itself inside the body.

Diana Bianchi, MD, director of the NIH’s National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, said in a news release "An oral drug that prevents SARS-CoV-2 from replicating would be an important tool for reducing the severity of the disease." She goes on further to say there is an urgent need for more effective accessible treatments.

The NIH said it will conduct more preliminary studies on Tempol and plans to study the drug in a clinical study of COVID-19.

Further research by Dr. Liji Thomas on Hydroxychloroquine + Azithromycin therapy found that a higher dose improved survival by nearly 200% in ventilated COVID patients. Treatment options have been limited in the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Results of the findings indicate that immunomodulatory drugs such as azithromycin (AZM) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) seemed to be undermined by results of large interventional trials. 

A study posted to the MedRxiv (not peer-reviewed*) suggests that such disappointment may have been both premature and unwarranted, based on a re-analysis of over 250 patients on invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) during the first two months of the pandemic.

Using computational modeling, the use of weight-adjusted HCQ and AZM appears to be associated with a more than 100% increase in survival, without a clear correlation with ECG abnormalities.

The takeaway is that treatments and vaccines are making a difference with the COVID-19 outbreak.

There are a total of 15 worst outbreaks in history. For centuries people have had to learn how to adapt and protect themselves from them.

  1. 1633-1634: Smallpox from European settlers
  2. 1793: Yellow fever from the Caribbean
  3. 1832-1866: Cholera in three waves
  4. 1858: Scarlet fever also came in waves
  5. 1906-1907: “Typhoid Mary”
  6. 1918: H1N1 flu
  7. 1921-1925: Diphtheria epidemic
  8. 1916-1955: The peak of polio
  9. 1957: H2N2 flu
  10. 1981-1991: Second measles outbreak
  11. 1993: Contaminated water in Milwaukee
  12. 2009: H1N1 flu
  13. 2010, 2014: Whooping cough
  14. 1980s to present: HIV and AIDS
  15. 2020: COVID-19

Stay updated

Education

Educating yourself about current disease outbreaks can help you understand what precautions you should take in order to keep you and your family safe and healthy.

Take the time to search for ongoing epidemics by visiting CDC’s current list of outbreak sources, especially if you’re traveling.

Protect yourself and your family

The good news is that most outbreaks listed here are rare and, in some cases, preventable. Make sure your family is up to date on their vaccinations before traveling.