Treatment COVID-19

COVID-19 Treatment

Today’s topic will focus on treatment options for COVID-19. As people are anxious to return to work and resume pre-COVID-19 socialization, scientists are working to find effective treatments. Science takes time, and there are methods and strategies to develop an effective treatment that does not subject you to expense and risk. Scientists play an essential role during this time of testing and discovery, focusing on evidence-based solutions to protect the public. There are more than 500 clinical trials for potential COVID-19 treatments. The FDA is working on a Coronavirus Treatment Acceleration Program to expedite therapies for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).

There are NO FDA-approved medication treatments at this time. Insurance will not cover experimental or clinical trials. You may need urgent or external appeals to get these covered by your insurance plan.

The following are some of the EUA treatments for clinical use:

• Convalescent plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients. The convalescent plasma that contains antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) is not a new treatment. It was studied during other respiratory outbreaks that is referenced in the issue of JAMA. For those who qualify for a donation, you can search for FDA-registered blood establishments

• Blood Purification Device

• Hyperimmune Globulin

• Chloroquine phosphate and hydroxychloroquine sulfate

• Remdesivir

A complete list of clinical trials for treatment, please refer to ClinicalTrials.gov. Unfortunately, there are fraudulent offers claiming cures and treatments for COVID-19. The FDA gives daily updates and issues a warning letter to those offering unapproved products.

So, when is this all going to end? Experts in the field don’t have an answer to that question but believe a vaccine will be what puts a definitive end to the virus. A vaccine requires large-scale testing and clinical trials to determine if it is effective. More than 60 vaccines are in testing, worldwide, and one is in a clinical trial in the United States. Recent news of the serology antibody tests (tests to determine if you have had the virus with or without symptoms) may also ease up tensions of returning to normalcy. The scientists are hoping the antibody tests will show that you are immune to the virus and unlikely to pass it on to others. There are questions about the effectiveness of these tests as more testing is needed. In the short-term social distancing, hand washing, cleaning and disinfecting your home are the best defenses to acquiring the virus.