South Africa will look at the use of the drug, dexamethasone, as a means of the treatment for severe Covid-19 cases in the country.<\/p>\n
Minister of Health Dr Zweli Mkhize said in a statement early on Wednesday morning (17 June), that the drug had seen a successful trial<\/a> <\/strong>in the UK.<\/p>\n Dexamethasone is a steroid that has been used since the 1960s to reduce inflammation in a range of conditions, including inflammatory disorders and certain cancers.<\/p>\n It has been listed on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines since 1977 in multiple formulations and is currently off-patent and affordably available in most countries.<\/p>\n For patients on ventilators, the treatment was shown to reduce mortality by about one third, and for patients requiring only oxygen, mortality was cut by about one fifth.<\/p>\n While the full findings of the trial are still required, South Africa’s Ministerial Advisory Committee (MAC) said that use of the drug may be considered for patients with a confirmed diagnosis of Covid-19 who are being mechanically ventilated.<\/p>\n While it noted that the effect of the drug is not as effective for patients who are not mechanically ventilated, the MAC also advised that the drug be used on patients who require general oxygen support.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the first treatment to be shown to reduce mortality in patients with COVID-19 requiring oxygen or ventilator support,\u201d said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is great news and I congratulate the Government of the UK, the University of Oxford, and the many hospitals and patients in the UK who have contributed to this lifesaving scientific breakthrough.\u201d<\/p>\n As of today, the cumulative number of confirmed #COVID19<\/a> cases is 76 334, the total number of deaths is 1625 and recoveries to date are 42 063. Also included is the MAC advisory pertaining to the clinical applications of the use of Dexamethasone. pic.twitter.com\/MVDhNeOsLU<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Dr Zweli Mkhize (@DrZweliMkhize) June 16, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n