Updates On COVID-19: Treatments In Testing

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www.voicesofyouth.org/blog/diary-generation

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As of May 21, 2020, every human is living the same story. That is, staying indoors and staying safe. Everyone is aware of Covid-19 and its past, but no one knows precisely when this pandemic will come to an end. As of now, there are more than 4.6 million cases, and counting, worldwide. Every day, scientists worldwide are working extremely hard, trying to find a vaccine or viable treatment for COVID-19. Some treatments/medicines that are in use right now include monoclonal antibodies, blood plasma transfers, stem cells, and immune suppressants. Some are treating the virus using medication that is utilized to treat other illnesses. At the same time, some continue looking for a new vaccination.

Some antivirals that are in use include Kaletra, Favipiravir, and Arbidol. As of May 8, 2020, three medications received emergency use authorization (EUA) from the FDA. These are the chloroquine* and hydroxychloroquine**, the antiviral Remdesivir***, and a drug used to sedate people on a ventilator. It can take at least a year to develop a vaccine, and, several more, for the vaccine to enter the market. Once a vaccination has been made, it trains the body to understand, shield, and attack a virus when encountered. Antivirals, however, are likely to be developed and approved faster than a vaccine. As of May 11, 2020, 8 vaccines were going through the clinical trials of safety. Potential vaccines have to pass the following four phases. In phase I, the drug is assigned to a small number of healthy people and also those affected. Phase I is conducted to identify any possible side effects and to find the most effective dosage of the drug. During phase II, the drug is presented to hundreds of those affected to see if it works and to look for further side effects that were not caught during the primary testing. Phase III is similar to phase II; however, along with the several hundreds of people, a similar amount of people take a placebo. This phase is the longest, and can last up to 4 years and gives the best evidence about the drug. During the last phase, phase IV, drugs that are certified undergo continuous monitoring to ensure there are no other side effects. As the threats and dangers of Covid-19 continue, we encourage everyone to stay home and stay safe. Go only outside when necessary. Things may not ever be the same again, but we should all persist and support everyone who is working hard. Remember that it is a lot easier to let go of going to the pool for a year than letting go of a loved one because you took a risk and went to a pool.

Stay Safe & Stay Home!

We will have another article coming out next Wednesday, which will cover more information regarding COVID-19 and will provide another update on the situation.

Important Term(s) Key:

*Chloroquine (Aralen): A drug that is used to treat several forms of malaria including Amebiasis that has spread outside the intestines.

**Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil): A drug that is used to treat several forms of malaria including SLE and Rheumatoid Arthritis.

***Remdesivir: Anti-viral medication created by the biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences to treat Ebola.