What You Need to Know About COVID-19 Treatments
How health providers help their patients protect, prevent, or treat COVID-19 has evolved from the early days of the pandemic. The world went from knowing nothing about the SARS-CoV-2 virus to better understanding how it infects and attacks the body. Because public health and medical experts better understand COVID-19, they can administer effective treatments to people with COVID-19.
What Health Experts Know
The processes that drive the SARS-CoV-2 virus are essential to knowing why early treatment of COVID-19 is critical. Researchers believe two fundamental processes drive pathogenesis (disease development). First, the early stage of COVID-19 is mainly caused by the replication of SARS-CoV-2. As COVID-19 progresses, SARS-CoV-2 may be driven by a dysregulated immune/inflammatory response. With this knowledge, health experts recommend that people with symptoms of COVID-19 seek treatment immediately.
COVID-19 Spectrum
Public health and medical experts have created a guideline outlining the clinical spectrum of COVID-19. The stages are:
- Asymptomatic
- Presymptomatic
- Mild
- Moderate
- Severe
- Critical
The National Institute of Health (NIH) has provided treatment information your doctor can follow based on the degree of your infection. The NIH’s guidelines span from those who aren’t hospitalized to those who are.
Information You Need to Know
If you test positive for COVID-19, there are treatments available that can decrease your risk of hospitalization or death. People in high-risk groups (older than 50, unvaccinated, with heart disease, weakened immune systems, or chronic lung disease) are more likely to become seriously ill. If you fall into one of those categories, like everyone, you should contact your doctor immediately. Why? Treatment must start within days of the first symptoms because the medications used are most effective in the early days.
Treating COVID-19
To receive effective, safe, and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended treatment for COVID-19, you must have a prescription from your doctor, a state-licensed pharmacist, or a Test to Treat program. Your doctor, or one of the mentioned professionals, will know which treatment is best for you.
Non-hospitalized Patient Treatments
Doctors most often prescribe two types of antiviral treatments to treat COVID-19: oral and IV.
Oral Treatment
Nirmatrelvir with Ritonavir (Paxlovid). Adults and children 12 and above (who weigh at least 88 pounds) can safely take this treatment orally. However, time is of the essence. You must begin taking this treatment within five days of the first symptoms.
Molnupiravir (Lagevrio). Molnupiravir is limited to adults. However, Molnupiravir is prescribed only if another treatment isn’t available or won’t work for you.
Once you are prescribed one of these treatments, you will take them at home two times a day for five days.
IV Treatment
The FDA approved using Veklury (remdesivir) in 2020 to treat COVID-19. It is the first drug the agency approved to treat symptoms of COVID-19 in adults and pediatric patients. Before issuing its statement and approval of Veklury, the agency reviewed three different clinical trials.
You should seek treatment as soon as possible but can be prescribed Veklury within seven days of the first symptoms of COVID-19.
Convalescent Plasma
Convalescent plasma is a treatment option for those diagnosed with COVID-19 and are immunocompromised or are receiving immunosuppressive treatment. People who have recovered from COVID-19 have antibodies in their blood. These antibodies help immunocompromised patients diagnosed with COVID-19. So, those who had COVID-19 can donate plasma to others to treat the virus.
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COVID-19 Treatments for Those Hospitalized
If you are admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with COVID-19, doctors will base your treatment on the severity of your symptoms.
Those admitted to the hospital for reasons other than COVID-19 may receive treatments recommended for non-hospitalized patients. For example, patients without an indication for therapeutic anticoagulation may receive heparin.
- Patients who are hospitalized but aren’t on oxygen may receive heparin; the use of dexamethasone and systemic corticosteroids is not recommended. Those who are at a high risk of their infection becoming severe may receive remdesivir.
- If a patient is hospitalized and on conventional oxygen, they may be given remdesivir or a combination of dexamethasone plus remdesivir.
- Patients whose oxygen needs increase may be given PO baricitinib or IV tocilizumab. (PO means by mouth.)
- Once a patient requires heated and humidified high-flow nasal (HFNC) oxygen or requires mechanical ventilation (MV) or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), their treatment can include dexamethasone and PO baricitinib or dexamethasone with IV tocilizumab
Doctors may determine other treatments are needed if the above medications aren’t accessible.
Prevention Tips
If you’re at risk of contracting COVID-19, you should take precautions such as wearing a mask and getting vaccinated. While vaccines are effective preventative and protection measures against becoming infected with COVID-19, there remains a chance of getting the virus. Staying current on vaccine recommendations and treatments are effective ways to help yourself. Another way to stay protected is to talk with your doctor about what you can do to protect yourself. Public health agencies are also equipped to answer your questions. You can also check the CDC’s COVID-19 website.
Christina Sisti, DPS, MPH, MS is a bioethicist and health care policy advocate. She works to create awareness and improve health care policy for those with long-term health issues