[imagesource: CureVac]

When a highly contagious and unpredictable virus like COVID-19 starts to spread, it’s difficult to get ahead of it.

When it comes to the common flu, doctors will tell you that while they can’t treat the virus, they can treat the symptoms, before they send you home with some Panado, vitamin C, and something to clear out your sinuses.

But COVID-19 isn’t as predictable as the common flu. Despite months of trying to treat patients, new symptoms and after-effects have come to light, certain people display no symptoms at all, and it has a tendency to affect some worse than others.

At the same time, doctors, researchers, and scientists are working around the clock to find the most effective treatments for the virus, and they’ve made progress.

These are the treatments that have shown some success so far, according to The Guardian.

1. Dexamethasone

Dexamethasone has been touted as a breakthrough drug in terms of treating critically ill COVID-19 patients. It is produced and readily available in South Africa, where doctors started using it to treat the virus.

A clinical trial in the UK showed the corticosteroid medication was highly effective, reducing the number of deaths by one-third for COVID-19 patients on ventilators, and cutting mortality by around 20% in patients requiring oxygen.

The drug is only effective on those patients requiring ventilator support in hospital, and those who need non-invasive ventilation and does not work in an outpatient setting.

2. Convalescent blood plasma

This is plasma that contains antibodies to the virus. It is collected from those who have recovered from COVID-19.

However, most experts are still saying that there is insufficient evidence from trials to definitively prove that it is effective on all patients. COVID-19 survivors in the UK are being encouraged to donate plasma for further trials.

3. Remdesivir

In America, India, and Singapore, this drug has been authorised for emergency use in patients, while in the European Union, Australia, and Japan, it has been approved for use on those suffering severe symptoms of the disease.

It is expensive, and was originally used to treat hepatitis C, but was ineffective.

As for COVID-19, it seems to shorten the time spent in hospital from roughly 15 to 11 days, but there is no evidence as to whether it reduces deaths.

4. Tocilizumab

The virus can cause inflammation throughout the body. This is why dexamethasone, an anti-inflammatory agent, has shown great promise in treating it. It also causes inflammation of the central nervous system, which scientists have found can lead to neurological disorders that outlast the infection.

Because of this, medical researchers are looking into a number of anti-inflammatory treatments, to see if they can help, including Tocilizumab.

Tocilizumab is an antibody that is usually used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and is given by injection to block the inflammatory protein IL-6.

A number of COVID-19 patients were given the drug in Italy when the virus was rampaging through the country in March and it appeared to help, with fewer needing ventilator support.

5. Blood pressure pills

People on medication for high blood pressure have been advised to stay on it if they contract the virus.

A paper from the University of East Anglia found that the risk of severe illness and/or death in those with high blood pressure was significantly lower if they were taking the medication.

6. Inhaled interferon beta

A study at Southampton University suggests that using an inhaler that contains interferon beta, commonly used to treat multiple sclerosis, can assist in the treatment of the coronavirus.

The trial behind the results involved 101 patients at nine hospitals who were given the drug. Those using it were more likely to recover and left the hospital sooner.

While this is promising, larger trials are needed to confirm the results, and none of the above treatments should be used without a healthcare professional administering them.

As the months roll on, and the studies grow, we should have a more concrete idea of how to effectively treat the virus.

[source:guardian]