HEALTH RUMOURS FALSE: SHAH
The experimental treatments target different steps in the coronavirus replication cycle
NEWDELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah on Saturday cited rumours about his health and said he is well and not suffering from any disease. He said some people have spread these rumours through social media and many have even tweeted praying for his death.
“The country is currently fightepidemic... in ga global and a si keep busy being the home minister, I did not pay attention to all of this. When this came to my notice late at night, I thought all these people should enjoy their imaginary thoughts. So I did not give any clarification,” he tweeted.
SOLIDARITY TRIAL: Together at war with coronavirus
Solidarity trial is a multi-country clinical trial started by the World Health Organization (WHO) to find an effective treatment for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). The trial will compare four experimental therapies against standards of care to assess their effectiveness against Covid-19. Multi-country trials will help rapidly identify whether any of the drugs prevent severe disease or death.
Other drugs may be added, based on emerging evidence.
POSSIBLE TREATMENT Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine
The anti-malarial drugs work by decreasing the acidity in endosomes, which are compartments inside cells that some viruses co-opt to enter cells and cause infection. Though the cell doorway for Sars-cov-2 is its spike protein, anti-malarials have shown to have some affect against the virus in cell culture.
Ritonavir/lopinavir
This combination antiviral drug was designed to specifically inhibit an HIV protease, which is an enzyme that plays an important role in the assembly of new viruses. The combination also inhibits the protease of coronaviruses, but has shown mixed results when tested in Sars and Mers patients
Ritonavir/lopinavir and interferon-beta
Also being tested are the two antivirals combined with interferon-beta, which are used to treat multiple sclerosis and chronic hepatitis-c virus infection. Interferon-beta is an immune system messenger that regulates inflammation in the body and can be used to cripple viruses
Remdesivir
The antiviral remdesivir shuts down viral replication by inhibiting a key viral enzyme, the Rna-dependent RNA polymerase.
The failed Ebola drug received emergency-use authorisation in the United States last week, based on early clinical data that shows it helps Covid-19 patients recover faster.