MEDICAL FRONT

A global survey found that anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine was the most highly-rated treatment against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This new survey completed by Sermo on March 27, 2020, reported 6,227 physicians in 30 countries found that 37 percent of those treating COVID-19 patients rated hydroxychloroquine as the “most effective therapy” from a list of 15 options. Also, the survey of 6,227 doctors found that the most commonly prescribed treatments are 56% analgesics, 41% Azithromycin, and 33% Hydroxychloroquine.

MoA—A person rarely gets infected by just one virus particle. They come in millions attached to tiny droplets. We do not know yet how the dose of the novel coronavirus that infects a person affects the intensity of the disease. But we do know from other viruses that the dose matters. People who catch a higher dose of viruses will usually have a more intense disease. A mask can lower the virus load the wearer may receive. One can improvise a mask from simple household objects.

ALICE McCARTHY—According to the World Health Organization, older people and people with preexisting medical conditions appear to be more vulnerable to becoming severely ill with COVID-19.

“Elderly individuals have a different immune system than healthy middle-aged adults and often do not respond as robustly to immunization, so a one-size vaccine does not fit all,” said Ofer Levy, professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and director of the PVP.