Fortunately, today we have several treatments available for Covid-19, and WHO provisions have also changed over time.
Here’s everything you need to know about the current situation of Covid-19 infections and variants and what therapies are considered effective in addition to vaccines.
After the whole world was faced with thebiggest health emergency everwe are now faced with one endemic situation, although we must not let our guard down. The covid infections and triggered by variants continue to create considerable inconveniencethough thankfully the disease no longer looks as deadly as it does in 2020.
Recently own the WHO has also revised the procedures relating to the vaccination campaign. After a large part of the population has joined, now the vaccine is no longer mandatory but recommended, and only for the most fragile categories. In practice too to children and young people, to whom vaccination was highly recommended until recently, now it is no longer considered so urgent by the WHO and vaccine therapies they remain indicated only for subjects with high risk, immunosuppression, HIV or concomitant pathologies.
The covid infections they still remain from treat properlyin order to avoid complications and severe forms. Here’s what we have available today.
Covid-19, here are all the drugs and treatments available
We have long since learned that Covid gives respiratory tract infections and is transmitted from person to person, just like the flu. Symptoms of the disease have become “mild” with variants of the parent strain, and currently include:
- fever, cough, sore throat and/or headache, general weakness, bone and/or muscle pain, loss of appetite, sometimes loss of sense of smell or taste.
Practically today Sars-Cov-2 gives the same symptoms as a trivial flubut it must be remembered that even this viral disease can lead to complications like them pneumonia and therefore it should never be underestimated.
The Pharmacological therapies available at the moment, therefore, are chosen on the basis of various factors: the patient’s age and general health conditions; whether it is at risk or not; the severity of the symptoms. In fact, in some cases, Covid manifests itself in a way asymptomaticand therefore a subject may have encountered the virus several times even without realizing it.
What therapies against Covid are indicated in case of mild symptoms
Once it was diagnosed with Covid infectionthe subject must of course ask your doctor for advice on the most suitable therapy; generally, if the symptoms are mild, rest and stay at home until they are all gone. The medicines used can range between:
- Antipyretics-Painkillers-Anti-inflammatories (ibuprofen or paracetamol are the most frequently indicated) which fight inflammation and soothe pain; remember that the Paracetamol has an antipyretic and pain-relieving but not anti-inflammatory action, while theIbuprofen it acts against inflammation and consequently can lower fever and soothe pain;
- your doctor will most likely also advise you to drink liquids not to fall into dehydration given by fever, to adopt aadequate nutrition But say not fully enticed (to avoid thromboembolic episodes).
A study initially not taken into consideration and then rehabilitated by the scientific community has shown that the timely intake of anti-inflammatories such as Ibuprofen, Celecoxib or Nimesulide can also reduce the risk of the severe form of Covid. Obviously, even in this case it is always necessary to ask the attending physician, who will decide the most suitable procedure based on the patient’s clinical situation.
The drugs indicated in the medium-severe forms of the disease
If the sick subject presents more important symptoms but treatable even without hospitalization hospitalthe doctor may choose to administer some of the antivirals indicated for treatment against Covid. It can happen, for example, for elderly patients, or with a risk factor including obesity, smoking, immunodeficiency or other ongoing pathologies. The most used drugs I am:
- remdesivir,
- nirmatrelvir/ritonavir
- molnupiravir.
Although some of these drugs may be readily available, your doctor should always prescribe them because they are not free from possible side effects, and can interact with other drugs and/or substances. Furthermore, the therapy must be started within a few days of ascertaining the Covid infection.
Monoclonal antibodies
In addition to the therapies indicated above, the administration of monoclonal antibodies has proved effective in some cases. It’s about proteins designed to bind to the Spike protein (the one that allows the virus to multiply) and reduce its infectious capacity. One of them is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline and is the Sotrovimab (Xevudy).
According to data from EMA (the European Medicines Agency), “sotrovimab can be used to treat confirmed COVID-19 in adult and adolescent patients (from 12 years of age and weighing at least 40 kg), who do not require supplemental oxygen therapy but who are at risk of progressing to the severe form of the disease”. Treatment is done via intravenous drip and is generally thought to be safe.
All other drugs that are used in particular cases
Il Covid it is a disease that can trigger effects of various types, depending on the starting health condition of the subject. So there is never a specific path that is good for everyone. Indeed one of the recommendations is to do not use antibiotics because being Covid a viral infection it doesn’t need this type of treatment.
But the attending physician can decide to prescribe them, above all in the case of patients at high risk or with pre-existing chronic conditions. In some cases, the therapy may also consist of drugs based on Cortisonealso accompanied by prophylaxis with Heparins: this happens for example in the patients with reduced mobilityand the purpose is to avoid thromboembolic events.
Finally, we also find the Baricitinib between drug treatments also proposed by AIFA for those patients”hospitalized adults with severe COVID-19, on high-flow oxygen therapy or in mechanical ventilation non-invasive, and/or with elevated levels of indices of systemic inflammation”; these medicines are found only at the hospital level.
(the information in this article is for informational purposes only and concerns scientific studies or publications in medical journals. Therefore, they do not replace the consultation of a doctor or specialist, and should not be considered for formulating treatments or diagnoses)