Currently, there are no known home remedies capable of removing the new coronavirus from the body and, therefore, treatment is only done with certain measures and medications capable of alleviating symptoms of COVID-19.
Milder cases, with symptoms similar to those of common influenza, can be treated at home with rest, hydration and use of painkillers and painkillers, while more severe cases resulting from more severe symptoms and complications such as pneumonia, should be treated by hospitalization, several times in an intensive care unit, to mainly ensure proper oxygen administration and follow-up of vital signs.
- However.
- Certain types of drugs are being studied in clinical trials to identify a substance capable of removing the virus from the human body and facilitating healing.
Medications approved for the treatment of coronavirus by health organizations are those capable of relieving symptoms of infection, such as:
These drugs should only be used for medical purposes and are also approved for the treatment of the new coronavirus, but they are not capable of eliminating the virus from the body, being used only to relieve symptoms and improve the comfort of the infected person.
In addition to medications that help relieve symptoms, several countries such as the United States, China, Japan, and Italy are developing patient studies to try to identify a drug capable of removing the virus from the body.
Medications in the study should not be used without the advice of a doctor or as a means to prevent infections, which could cause various side effects and endanger them in life.
The main types of drugs being studied for the new coronavirus are
It is a broad spectrum antiviral drug that has been developed to treat the Ebola outbreak, but there are currently many positive results compared to other substances; However, due to its extensive action against the virus, it is being studied to determine if it exists is an opportunity to present better results in the removal of the new coronavirus.
Early laboratory studies with this drug, both in the United States [1][2] and in China [3], have shown promising effects, as support may have prevented replication and multiplication of the new coronavirus.
However, before it can be recommended as a form of treatment, this drug must go through several human studies to determine its effectiveness and safety, so at the moment there are about 6 studies that are underway with a high number of patients infected with COVID-19, both in the United States and in Europe and Japan; However, the results will not be published until early April, there is no evidence at this time that Remdesivir can be used safely to remove the new coronavirus in humans.
Updated April 29, 2020
According to a survey conducted by Gilead Sciences [8], in the United States, the use of Remdesivir in patients with COVID-19 appears to have the same results over a treatment period of 5 to 10 days, and in both cases, patients are the output data in approximately 14 days and the incidence of side effects is also low. This study does not indicate the effectiveness of the drug in eliminating the new coronavirus and, as a result, further studies are still underway.
A US study of 237 patients with severe COVID-19 effects [15] reported that those treated with coVID-19 reported faster recovery compared to patients in the control group, with 10 days compared to the 14 days presented by the placebo group.
Updated July 26, 2020
According to a study by Boston University School of Public Health [26], it leaves treatment time for patients admitted to the intensive care unit.
Dexamethasone is a type of corticosteroid widely used in patients with chronic breathing problems, such as asthma, but can also be used in other inflammatory problems, such as arthritis or inflammation of the skin. This drug has been shown to be a way to reduce symptoms of COVID-19, which can help reduce inflammation in the body.
According to a study in the United Kingdom [18], dexamethasone appears to be the first proven drug to significantly reduce the mortality rate of critically ill patients with COVID-19. According to the results of the study, this drug was able to reduce the mortality rate up to 28 days after infection with the new coronavirus, especially in people who need mechanical ventilation or oxygen administration.
It is important to remember that dexamethasone does not remove coronavirus from the body, it only helps relieve symptoms and avoid more serious complications.
Updated July 17, 2020
According to a scientific survey conducted in the United Kingdom [24], treatment with dexamethasone for 10 consecutive days appears to decrease the mortality rate in patients with a very severe infection with the new coronavirus and who require a ventilator. The mortality rate appears to be increasing from 41. 4% to 29. 3%. Among the other patients, the effect of dexamethasone treatment did not show such relevant results.
Hydroxychloroquine, as well as chloroquine, are the substances used in the treatment of patients with malaria, lupus and some other specific health problems, but show no evidence of efficacy against the new coronavirus.
However, according to a study conducted in France [4] and China [5], patients with COVID-19 who took hydroxychloroquine under medical supervision showed a marked reduction in viral load, making it easy to recover from coronavirus infection. were identified as unperspersed. In addition, the study was conducted in only 20 patients, which is a very small number to verify the safety and efficacy of the drug for the general population.
Therefore, WHO does not recommend the use of this medicine to treat the new coronavirus, but more controlled studies with patients are needed to determine whether hydroxychloroquine can be used to cure COVID-19 and whether there is safe use. this context. Learn more about using hydroxychloroquine to treat coronavirus.
Updated April 4, 2020
One of the studies conducted with the combined use of hydroxychloroquine with the antibiotic azithromycin [9] in France showed promising results in a group of 80 patients with moderate symptoms of COVID-19. In this group, a marked decrease in the viral load of the new coronavirus was identified in the body after approximately 8 days of treatment, less than the 3-week period presented by people who did not undergo any specific treatment.
In this survey, of the 80 patients studied, only one person died, who had been admitted to the hospital at a very advanced stage of infection, which may have made treatment difficult.
These results continue to support the theory that the use of hydroxychloroquine may be a safe way to treat COVID-19 infection, particularly in cases of mild to moderate symptoms, as well as reducing the risk of disease transmission. It is necessary to wait for the results of other studies carried out with the drug to obtain results with a larger population sample.
Updated May 22, 2020
According to a US study of 811 patients [13], the use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, associated with non-azithromycin, does not seem to have any beneficial effect in the treatment before COVID-19, it even seems to double the mortality table. increase the risk of heart problems, especially arrhythmias and atrial fibrillation.
It is currently the largest study of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, due to the results presented in relation to what has been said about these drugs, poor studies are needed.
Updated May 25, 2020
The World Health Organization (WHO) has temporarily suspended research on hydroxychloroquine, which coordinates in several countries, the suspension should be maintained until the safety of the medicine is assessed.
Updated June 4, 2020:
The journal Lancet recovered the publication of the study of 811 patients who demonstrated that the use of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine in all beneficial effects for the treatment of COVID-19, due to the difficulty of accessing the data presented in the study.
Updated June 15, 2020
The FDA, which is the main drug regulator in the United States, has withdrawn emergency permit for the use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine in the treatment of COVID-19 [17], justifying that there is a high risk in the use of these drugs. and what is the treatment potential of the new apparently low coronavirus.
Updated July 23, 2020:
According to a Brazilian study [27] which works together between the Albert Einstein, HCor, Sorio-Libans, Moinhos de Vento, Oswaldo Cruz and Portuguese Beneficiary hospitals, the use of hydroxychloroquine, associated with azithromycin, does not seem effective. Mild to moderate patients infected with the new coronavirus.
Mefloquine is a drug indicated for the prevention and treatment of malaria in people who intend to travel to endemic areas. According to studies in China and Italy [6], a treatment regimen is being studied in Russia, where mefloquine is combined with other drugs to prove its effectiveness in controlling COVID-19 disease, but there are still no conclusive results.
Therefore, the use of mefloquine to treat infection with the new coronavirus is not recommended as more studies are needed to demonstrate its efficacy and safety.
ivermectin is an anthelmintic indicated for the treatment of parasitic infestations, which causes problems such as onchocercosis, elephantiasis, pediculosis (lice), ascaridiosis (intestinal roundness), scabies, intestinal strongiloidosis and which has recently shown very positive results of removal of coronavirus in vitro.
A study in Australia examined ivermectin in in vitro cell cultures and found that iVERmectin could eliminate SARS-CoV-2 within 48 hours [7]. However, if human clinical trials are needed to verify their efficacy in vivo, as well as therapeutic doses and drug safety, they should occur within 6 to 9 months.
Updated July 10, 2020
A study conducted by the Institute of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Sao Paulo [23] shows that ivermectin, although it is able to remove the virus from infected cells in the laboratory, also causes the death of these cells, which may indicate that this drug may not be the best solution to treat coronavirus.
Tocilizumab is a drug that reduces the immune system and is therefore commonly used to treat patients with rheumatoid arthritis, reduce immune response, reduce inflammation and relieve symptoms.
This drug is under study to help treat COVID-19, especially in the most advanced stages of infection, when the immune system produces a lot of inflammatory substances that can damage the clinical condition.
According to a study conducted in China [10] in 15 patients infected with COVID-19, the use of tocilizumab was found to be more effective than the use of corticosteroids, which are the drugs that are generally used to control inflammation caused by the immune response.
There, if bad studies are needed to understand the best dosage, determine the treatment regimen and find out what possible side effects they are.
Updated April 29, 2020
According to a new study conducted in China among 21 patients infected with COVID [14], treatment with tocilizumab appears to be able to reduce symptoms of infection after administration of the drug, reducing the risk, relieving the sensation of tightness in the chest and improving oxygen levels.
This study was conducted in patients with severe symptoms of infection and suggests that tocilizumab treatment should begin as soon as possible when the patient transitions from moderate to severe infection with the new coronavirus.
Updated July 11, 2020
A new survey conducted by the University of Michigan in the United States [28] concludes that the use of tocilizumab in COVID-19 patients appears to reduce the mortality rate in patients experiencing mechanical ventilation, although the risk of more infections appears to increase.
Practical plasma is a type of biological treatment, in which a blood sample is taken from the person infected by the coronavirus and recovered, this blood sample goes through certain centrifugation processes to separate plasma from red blood cells, which contain antibodies to the disease. Plasma is then injected into the sick person to help the immune system fight the virus.
This type of therapy has been successfully used to treat other viral infections, such as H1N1, MERS and even SARS, which are caused by a COVID-19-like coronavirus.
The use of convalescence plasma is not yet approved, but is being studied primarily in China, to understand the necessary dose, the safety of treatment and whether it is actually able to effectively eliminate the new type of coronavirus.
Avifavir is a drug produced in Russia as an active ingredient and support for favipiravir, which, according to the Russian Direct Investment Fund (DRIF) [21], is able to treat the new coronavirus infection, even in COVID treatment and prevention protocols. -19 in Russia.
According to studies, at 10 days, the use of Avifavir in the event caused new side effects and, at 4 days, 65% of treated patients tested negative for COVID-19.
It has been closed, there are no proven natural remedies to eliminate coronavirus and help cure COVID-19, however, WHO recognizes that the Artemisia annua plant could help with treatment [11], especially in places where access to medicines is more difficult and the plant is used in traditional medicine, as is the case in various parts of Africa.
Artemisia annua plants are traditionally used in Africa to help treat malaria and therefore WHO recognizes that studies are needed to understand whether the plant can also be used in the treatment of COVID-19. Some synthetic malaria drugs have also shown positive results.
In addition, it is important to remember that the use of the plant has not been confirmed against COVID-19 and that more research is needed.
Learn more about this disease in the video below: