South Africa is at the entranceway of the twilight zone as the coronavirus (Covid-19) daily infection numbers begin to soar and it seems the only solution is turning to dexamethasone.
This is all consequent to the rushed reopening of the economy, a crucial decision President Cyril Ramaphosa and his National Command Council (NCC) had to take to treat two birds with one syringe.
Sure, it will be a long time before we see any notable gains in the economy. However, we have skirted a financial catastrophe with the easing of restrictions in Level 3.
This, though, has come with dire consequences as we saw from Tuesday’s statistics. For the first time since Covid-19 broke out in March, South Africa recorded 2 810 infections.
Covid-19 latest infection and death toll statistics
So far, more than 1 172 513 tests have been conducted and from the 76 334 confirmed cases, 1 625 patients have died.
A shimmer of light at the end of the tunnel can be drawn from the fact that there have been 42 063 recoveries, meaning that in reality, there are currently 32 646 active Covid-19 cases.
It is also important to note that Covid-19’s death rate in South Africa is still tinkering at a very low 2.13%. In essence, for every 100 patients, it is likely that 0.0213 will die from the virus.
A new intervention steroid on the horizon
The global virology community has been hard at work conducting trials in search of a vaccine — or better yet — a cure for Covid-19.
While a vaccine is not expected for at least two years, the World Health Organisation has reported great progress in a therapeutic trial for Covid-19 management.
Clinical trials from the United Kingdom (UK) showed positive signs for dexamethasone as a possible solution in reducing Covid-19 mortality.
Dexamethasone, or corticosteroids, is a steroid that has been around since the 1970s. It has been listed on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines since 1977 and it’s widely used for its anti-inflammatory properties.
A Covid-19 breakthrough? – What is dexamethasone?
Dexamethasone is used to treat allergic reactions, asthma, certain cancers and inflammatory disorders. A breakthrough in the UK’s Randomised Evaluation of COVid-19 thERapy (RECOVERY) trial could see this steroid introduced as a possible intervention method to prevent deaths.
According to a statement published by South Africa’s Ministerial Advisory Committee (MAC), dexamethasone reduced deaths by one-third in patients who were under ventilation, and by one-fifth in patients on oxygen support.
“A total of 2 104 patients were randomised to receive dexamethasone 6mg once per day for 10 days and were compared with 4 321 patients randomised to usual care alone.
“Among the patients who received usual care alone, 28-day mortality was highest in those who required ventilation (41%), intermediate in those patients who required oxygen only (25%), and lowest among those who did not require any respiratory intervention (13%),” MAC wrote.
Will South Africa be using this steroid on patients?
In reaction to this, Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize noted with excitement how promising this breakthrough is in combating Covid-19.
“We are very pleased that MAC has issued an advisory pertaining to the clinical applications of these breaking study results,” he said.
The application of dexamethasone in South Africa has yet to be confirmed.
