“Dexamethasone is a generic anti-inflammatory steroid that’s FDA-approved to treat a whole lot of different ailments, including osteoarthritis, asthma, and dermatitis,” reports Naomi Lopez, director of healthcare policy at the Goldwater Institute.
A study done in the UK found that for patients who required oxygen, like those on ventilators, this treatment reduced deaths by about one-third.
“That is by far the most promising treatment for COVID-19 that we have seen to date,” says Lopez. “The great news is that this is already approved; it’s already legal for physicians to prescribe this to their patients. It’s being made by several manufacturers at the moment, and it’s very affordable.”
Lopez acknowledges that more studies will be done, and researchers will be looking at higher doses and/or application of this treatment at different stages of COVID-19.
“But given the fact that we are in a public health emergency and there are FDA-approved treatments for COVID-19, I do think we will see this Dexamethasone being rolled out and used as a first-line therapy in many hospital studies in the very near future,” Lopez submits.
Here’s how the gov’t really feels
Meanwhile, a registered nurse argues that recent mass demonstrations prove government officials aren’t that concerned about COVID-19.
“Around the country, there have been thousands of people protesting, some in smaller groups, some in larger,” notes Twila Brase, president and co-founder of Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom. “Houston was 60,000 people, Brooklyn was 15,000 people – they’re all congregating together [and] officials haven’t really come out and said this is going to cause a disaster with COVID-19 and there’s going to be dire circumstances.
“Instead, they have said things like [what’s happening here] is a higher priority [and] that the protests are necessary.”
In contrast, Brase points out that people have been told to stay at home, avoid going to church, and or shut down their businesses to combat the spread of COVID-19. Some people who criticized lockdowns or protested were even accused of being in favor of “killing grandma.”
“I think what that really says is other than it being a clear distinction – politically, probably – is that the government is not that afraid of COVID-19,” Brase offers. “If you’re really thinking that when people get together that it’s going to kill someone, then you do the very same thing with one protest that you do with another protest.”
Read related commentary by Twila Brase:
Protests prove the government isn’t afraid to reopen society
Editor’s note: Comments from Twila Brase added after story was originally posted.
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