RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The World Health Organization (W.H.O.) Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced yesterday, June 29th – the date preceding the 6-month mark of the first reports of cases of acute pneumonia that would uncover the novel coronavirus – that the organization has upgraded its response to the pandemic. According to Guebreyesus, five new guidelines will direct the decisions and recommendations passed on to all countries from now on.
“Six months ago, none of us could have imagined how our world, and our lives, would be plunged into such uncertainty by this new virus. In these six months, the W.H.O. and our partners have worked tirelessly to help all countries respond to this new virus,” he said.
The guidelines announced by the doctor are community empowerment, suppressing transmission, saving lives, expediting research, and political leadership. According to Ghebreyesus, the guidelines are the result of joint efforts by researchers, physicians, and experts to “distill evolving science to generate knowledge”.
During the introduction of the new guidelines, the Director-General mentioned a specific drug, Dexamethasone, when referring to saving lives. The WHO had previously commented on the drug’s effects in severe Covid-19 cases. According to initial studies, corticosteroids reduced deaths by up to 30 percent in patients who developed the most aggressive symptom of Covid-19, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). “Providing oxygen and Dexamethasone for people with a severe case of the disease and in critical condition saves lives,” he argued.
Dexamethasone has been used since the 1960s and is prescribed to reduce the body’s inflammatory response in autoimmune diseases. The drug is also used to treat certain types of cancer, such as lupus. Dexamethasone has no active patent and is a low-cost drug that is widely available in many countries.
The W.H.O. head again alerted that there are still many vulnerable people and that there are still many places that have not been affected by the presence of the virus, which allows a further escalation in contagion. “Some countries are experiencing a surge of cases during the reopening of economies and societies, but the harsh reality is [that] we are not even close to the end. Despite the progress of many countries, globally the pandemic is accelerating. We are all together and we will remain together throughout this long journey.”
Source: Agência Brasil