Our social media feeds are filled with news about the coronavirus and most of it is quite doom and gloom. So we thought we would share some good news – a Coronavirus cure is coming, well, fingers crossed anyway!
Queensland researchers have said they found a way to treat the novel coronavirus. Here’s what we know about it so far:
1. The treatment uses two different drugs
Both of these drugs are already registered and available in Australia. What this means is that we already have access to the potential cure and that we know it’s safe.
One of the two medications is a newer HIV drug, the other is an anti-malaria drug called Chloroquine which is rarely used and kept “on the shelf” now due to resistance to malaria.
The drugs would be given orally as tablets.
2. It’s been successful so far
The University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research director Professor David Paterson told news.com.au they have seen the two drugs wipe out the virus in test tubes.
One of the potential coronavirus cures has been given to some of the first people to test positive for COVID-19 in Australia and resulted in a “disappearance of the virus”.
“It’s a potentially effective treatment. Patients would end up with no viable coronavirus in their system at all after the end of therapy.” – Prof Paterson, infectious disease physician at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital,
3. A bigger trial is coming
Prof. Paterson said he hopes to have patients enrolled in a nationwide trial by the end of March. The goal is to discover if one of the treatments works better than the other or if the combination of the two drugs is the best plan forward.
“What we want to do at the moment is a large clinical trial across Australia, looking at 50 hospitals, and what we’re going to compare is one drug, versus another drug, versus the combination of the two drugs,” Prof Paterson said.
What this means for the public is that, although the virus still has the potential to infect millions, treatment is available.
Prof Paterson said patients would be asked to participate “as soon as they’re admitted” to hospital with the aim of beginning treatment “very early on in their illness”.
“We know it’s coming now.” Now, it’s all about finding the best way to stop it from spreading and treating it as quickly as possible.
So a Coronavirus cure is potentially not as far away as we’d feared.
10 easy ways to stop the spread of COVID-19:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
- If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitiser that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Put distance between yourself and other people if COVID-19 is spreading in your community. This is especially important for people who are at higher risk of getting very sick.
- Stay home if you are sick.
- Stay home if you have travelled by airplane or cruise ship recently or if you have been in contact with someone who has been sick.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze or use the inside of your elbow.
- Throw used tissues in a lined bin.
- Clean AND disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily. This includes tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, and sinks.
- If surfaces are dirty, clean them: Use detergent or soap and water prior to disinfection.
1 Comment
We need a vaccine to prevent the spread of the disease. Unfortunately I is going to take months to process according to a couple of Medical Professionals I have spoken to.
Unfortunately Australia didn’t close its borders quickly enough.
The flu vaccine isn’t available until some time in April. We have already had quite a few cases of flu. We don’t hear the numbers.