Ministry: Don’t hoard covid19 steroid treatment

Ministry of Health officials are advising citizens not to hoard dexamethasone, a steroid drug declared by UK researchers as a treatment proven to reduce covid19 deaths by up to 30 per cent in severely ill hospitalised covid19 patients.

The recent study was done on 2,104 patients in England and after researchers announced their findings the British government immediately authorised the use of the drug across the UK for the virus.

In the Ministry of Health’s virtual media conference on Wednesday, Dr Antony Parkinson, acting director of health at the North West Regional Health Authority, said the drug could cause harm or even worsen covid19 symptoms if taken prematurely.

The drug should only be administered by trained medical professionals responsible for treating covid19 patients at the Couva and Caura Hospitals.

UK researchers, on Tuesday, brought evidence showing dexamethasone could improve covid19 cases. The study was done where 2,104 patients were treated with the steroid and then compared their improvement to 4,321 patients who received regular care. The drug was given orally or through IV for ten days. After four weeks it had reduced deaths by 35 per cent in patients on ventilators or needing supplemental oxygen.

Parkinson said the treatment had already been considered by many scientists around the world, including doctors in TT, as a potential drug to reduce the mortality rate due to covid19.

He explained when someone contracts the virus, it begins to multiply and causes the body to attack itself and the immune system leading to damages to internal organs and ultimately death. Dexamethasone, once administered while the virus is highly active, prevents the body from fighting itself so that the immune system can focus on fighting the virus. If the drug is taken too early the body will be unable to fight the virus.

“Timing is essential,” Parkinson said, which means the steroids must be given when the patients area entering intensive care.

“This happens when the patient reaches ICU or high dependency unit. Now there is a war where the body doesn’t know what to shoot at– it’ll be shooting both at the virus and the lungs.

He said the steroid reduced the mortality of patients on ventilators by 30 per cent and by 20 per cent for those needing oxygen.

“I know it sounds small. Keep in mind it’s not a cure but you have a good chance of surviving the virus.”

Dexamethasone is cheap, available in TT and commonly used in anaesthetics in small dosages. Parkinson said severe covid19 patients would be treated with the drug in TT.

“We in TT have been using the steroids before and we have found some benefits. England has shown ‘let’s use the dexamethasone. It’s cheaper and available. Do not go and hoard steroids and start taking them.”

During the first wave of the virus, TT had six patients in ICU with 16 people in the high dependency unit.

Minister of health Terrence Deyalsingh asked citizens not to take the drug hoping it will protect them from contracting the virus.

“If you take is inadvisedly it affects your immune system and opens you to other viruses.”