First drug found to save lives in covid-19 patients
A widely available drug called dexamethasone reduces the risk of dying from covid-19 by a third for patients on ventilators and by a fifth for those receiving oxygen, according to preliminary results from a randomised clinical trial in the UK. Dexamethasone is a steroid that is used to reduce inflammation in various conditions, including skin diseases, allergies and asthma. It is one of a range of drugs being tested as a covid-19 treatment as part of the RECOVERY trial, which has enrolled more than 11,500 patients across 175 NHS hospitals. Dexamethasone is the first drug anywhere in the world that’s been found to reduce mortality from covid-19.
In the trial, 2104 covid-19 patients were randomly selected to receive dexamethasone and 4321 received standard care. The preliminary results suggest that treatment with dexamethasone could save one life for every eight patients receiving ventilation, and one for every 25 requiring oxygen. Researchers suggest the drug could have saved up to 5000 lives in the UK if it had been used to treat patients from the start of the pandemic, the BBC reports. Dexamethasone should only be taken if prescribed by a doctor.
Other coronavirus news
27 new coronavirus cases were confirmed in China’s capital Beijing today, bringing the total in the past five days to more than 100 in what is the city’s first major coronavirus outbreak since April. Chinese authorities are restricting travel out of the city and have imposed additional lockdowns in some residential areas. More than 30,000 restaurants in Beijing have been disinfected and Chen Bei, deputy secretary-general of the Beijing municipal government, told journalists today that kindergartens, primary schools and high schools will shut from tomorrow.
Public Health England says racism and structural disadvantage need to be considered more in investigations of why black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) groups are disproportionately at risk of covid-19. Their latest report, published today, highlights several potentially contributing factors that weren’t accounted for in their earlier review published at the start of June. These factors include historic racism and poorer experiences of healthcare, which the report says could make BAME individuals less likely to seek care when needed, as well as occupational risks or pre-existing health conditions. The new report recommends collecting more data on ethnicity, particularly on death certificates.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday revoked its emergency approval of the anti-malarial drugs hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine for treating covid-19. The drugs haven’t been shown to be effective against covid-19 and some studies have linked their use to heart complications in covid-19 patients. US president Donald Trump, who previously said he was taking the drug, criticised the FDA decision yesterday, telling journalists “I took it and I felt good about taking it. I don’t know if it had any impact, but it certainly didn’t hurt me.”
New Zealand’s has confirmed its first new coronavirus cases in 24 days: two people who travelled there from the UK, under special permission to visit a terminally ill relative. New Zealand today suspended compassionate exemptions to their quarantine rules as a result. Last week New Zealand’s prime minister Jacinda Ardern declared the country coronavirus-free and almost all domestic restrictions were lifted.
Coronavirus deaths
Matthew Rowett
The worldwide death toll has passed 437,000. The number of confirmed cases is more than 8 million, according to the map and dashboard from Johns Hopkins University, though the true number of cases will be much higher.
Global cases pass 8 million: The coronavirus’s spread continues as the world approaches the grim threshold of half a million confirmed deaths, with 437,000 reported as of 16 June. However, researchers warn that this is still only the start of the pandemic.
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