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Coronavirus: It’s not all bad

May 03, 2020 Dr Zulfikar Bux, Features / Columnists

By Dr Zulfikar Bux
Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine

Over the past weeks, I have been trying my best to update you on the Covid-19 infection, and it has been mostly bad news thus far. There have been some recent developments in the medical world that has given me some form of hope that we may be able to win this sooner than predicted. Today, I will share with you some updated evidence that is encouraging and may be turning the tide against this virus.
Is Hydroxychloroquine/Chloroquine working or not?
Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are similar and I will use hydroxychloroquine to represent both drugs in our discussion. There have been studies that has shown evidence for and against the effectiveness of this drug against the Covid-19 infection. In my opinion, this is one of the best pharmacological options available against this infection currently. So far, it is thought that the virus enters our cells via two routes. Hydroxychloroquine is said to block the major of these routes thereby preventing the virus from entering our cells where it can multiply and cause destruction. Therefore, for it to be effective, it has to be used early in the infection. The many studies that have proven its effectiveness, used it early in the infection while those that didn’t, used it later in the infection when the virus had already gotten the upper hand. Based on the studies, we have to use hydroxychloroquine within the first 5 days of the infection if we want to see its effectiveness against the coronavirus.
Exciting news about Remdisivir?
You may have heard the exciting announcement of the encouraging effects of this drug against the virus. Studies are showing that while Remdisivir did not significantly decrease the death rates, it did shorten the duration of the illness by 31 percent by blocking the virus from multiplying. Now that they have found an antiviral that is effective against the virus, there are possibilities of creating more effective antivirals using the same composition of remdisivir and building from that.
The Solidarity trial by WHO
The World Health Organization has recently embarked on a solidarity trial against coronavirus. It is recruiting hospitals in many countries in the world to trial four different drugs against the virus and determine which may be effective. These drugs (including hydroxychloroquine and remdisivir) have all shown encouraging results but there hasn’t been a large trial to validate their results. Guyana has indicated its willingness to participate in the trial and we may see an effective treatment plan coming out of this trial against the Coronavirus.
A Vaccine earlier than thought?
In one of my previous articles, I made mentioned of evidence pointing to having an effective vaccine against the Covid-19 infection being about a year to 18 months away. Over the past week, the Oxford Institute announced that they may have an effective vaccine developed by September of this year and can have large supplies by year end. This vaccine is still in human trials but they are so optimistic that they have begun making one million vials already. If this vaccine is proven to be successful, we may be able to control the Covid-19 pandemic within a year or so.
Can Vitamin C and Zinc help?
The combination of Vitamin C and Zinc has been proven to be effective against viral infection long before the coronavirus. They boost your body’s response to viral infection and help prevent them from getting into our cells and spreading. I highly recommend that you use foods or supplements that contain both Vitamin C and Zinc to have your body prepared to fight the virus in the event that you are infected. Foods rich in Vitamin C include:
• Guava
• Oranges/tangerine
• Cherries
• Peppers
• Pineapple
Foods rich in zinc include:
• Guava
• Banana
• Avocado
• Ground beef
• Beans
While there are many mythical treatments and remedies being circulated on social media, these are the best options that we have based on the scientific evidence we have thus far. Many other studies are being developed to test other non-conventional options, such as nicotine patch, on the virus. I will try to update you as credible evidence comes out. In the meantime, be responsible and do not try everything you see on social media, consult with a doctor first. At this time, your best bet still remains in staying at home, wearing a mask if you have to go out, and practicing good hygiene.

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