As the coronavirus rages around the world, scientists are working to develop treatments for the virus. Our healthcare system is being overwhelmed, and unless we slow the spread it’ll soon fall apart completely. That is why it is so important to research treatments so that we do not overwhelm the healthcare system with too many patients. Also due to the fact that there is no treatment currently available, people are extremely fearful and has driven panic around the globe. This is why it is so important to have treatment available, so that people stop panicking and the world can calm down again.
One current treatment being used is plasma from recovered coronavirus patients. The plasma contains antibodies against the coronavirus, but will only last for a very short amount of time. This is a type of passive immunity, by transferring antibodies from a recovered patient to a sick one. However, since the patient does not produce their own antibodies, they can still get reinfected which could be a huge problem. I understand that we want to treat people as quickly as possible, but if there is no immunity to the coronavirus then we just prolong the problem even further.
Another treatment that is being looked at is the immunosuppressant tocilizumab which was used on a patient in China who had myeloma. This patient had atypical Covid-19 symptoms, with no cough or fever and had severe pneumonia. They gave him antiviral and corticosteroid therapies did not work. His levels of IL-6 were extremely high which was contributing to continued inflammation in his body, leading to possibly a cytokine storm. Thus, they gave him an immunosuppressant to decrease the IL-6 levels and 10 days later was discharged from the hospital. However, this was only one patient with pre-existing conditions, so who knows if this drug actually works to help get rid of coronavirus. Hopefully as time passes we can figure out a drug that works directly to combat Covid-19 so that our healthcare system does not entirely collapse.
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