COVID-19 death rates SLASHED by 1/3? A UK trial shows how
With all of the clinical trials that have been launched in the fight against COVID-19…
We still don’t have a vaccine…and we still don’t have a cure.
But researchers across the pond might’ve found something to give us some hope for SURVIVING the coronavirus pandemic.
In fact, some say it could be a major breakthrough in the medical world.
According to preliminary data from a groundbreaking trial that’s still ongoing, they’ve finally found a drug that REDUCES death rates in COVID-19 patients…
And so far, it’s the ONLY ONE found to do so.
Believe it or not, it’s one that’s been around for 50 years!
Here’s how some docs have helped incredibly sick patients BEAT the odds.
A fighting chance
Some experts now believe that a cheap, widely available steroid drug could help give hospitalized COVID-19 patients a better fighting chance.
It’s called dexamethasone – and it’s already commonly used for inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, asthma, and some skin issues.
In brand-new research to come out of Oxford University in the UK… involving THOUSANDS of coronavirus patients…
The drug SLASHED death rates by nearly A THIRD among the most severely ill.
I’m talking about patients who could no longer breathe on their own… and needed supplemental oxygen or a ventilator.
This is particularly good news because hospital staff has generally considered ventilating COVID-19 patients a “last resort” – one that had an initial death rate of more than 80%.
Although mortality rates linked to ventilation have since improved, no one wants to die hooked up to a machine, with tubes down their throat.
And now, fewer patients with severe cases of COVID-19 may have to.
Based on findings to come out of this “gold standard” clinical trial, treatment with dexamethasone could possibly prevent 1 death among every 8 coronavirus patients on a ventilator.
In the quest to develop a drug treatment for COVID-19, NOTHING else has improved survival.
That is, until now.
The theory is that the anti-inflammatory drug could help patients RIDE OUT an uncontrolled immune response to the virus…
Especially that potentially deadly “cytokine storm” you may have heard about.
Scientists believe that this influx of inflammation can OVERWHELM some patients – and that’s what can KILL them.
The British aren’t wasting any time. Docs over there are now using dexamethasone as STANDARD treatment for the severely ill infected with the novel coronavirus.
In this country, the NIH recommends using this steroid drug in COVID-19 patients under mechanical ventilation.
The agency does NOT recommend it for people who DON’T require supplemental oxygen…
And that’s not JUST because this latest study found NO benefit from treatment with the steroid among COVID-19 patients who did not require respiratory support.
Corticosteroids like dexamethasone have been linked to serious adverse events — even in “low-risk” patients, like young people and those without comorbidities.
And according to the latest research out of Taiwan, it might take as little as 3 days of treatment to increase the risk.
I’m talking about DEVASTATING complications, like sepsis and heart failure.
Not to mention GI bleeding, which is even more common.
That’s why you should NEVER buy this drug to take at home on your own – NOT as a “preventative” measure, and not even to treat a diagnosed case of COVID-19.
If you do become infected with COVID-19, discuss all of your treatment options with your doc – and do it BEFORE you need respiratory support.
If your care team treats you with dexamethasone, don’t worry – it won’t break the bank.
At less than $1 per day… and a recommended course of no more than 10 days… the cost should NEVER be an obstacle to getting potentially lifesaving care.
To getting out of this pandemic alive,
Melissa Young
