Drug reduces risk of death for COVID-19 patients
Tocilizumab, an intravenous anti-inflammatory drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, has been found to reduce the risk of death for patients hospitalised with severe COVID-19.
According to a study released on Thursday, the drug is also said to reduce the length of stay in the hospital.
The preliminary results came from the Recovery trial at the University of Oxford, which has been studying various potential treatments for COVID-19 since March 2020.
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Peter Horby, joint chief investigator for the Recovery trial, said previous trials of tocilizumab had shown “mixed results, and it was unclear which patients might benefit from the treatment.”
“We now know that the benefits of tocilizumab extend to all COVID patients with low oxygen levels and significant inflammation. The double impact of dexamethasone plus tocilizumab is impressive and very welcome,” Horby added.
No crowds at the Australian Open
Victoria, Australia’s second-most populous state, will undergo a five-day lockdown to prevent a cluster of 13 UK variant of COVID-19 cases from spreading further.
A fresh COVID-19 cluster linked to a quarantined hotel in Melbourne, the capital of Victoria, reached 13 cases as of Thursday midnight and authorities have imposed a lockdown to limit the spread.
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101-year-old Nigerian woman survives COVID-19
Victor Adetiloye, chief medical director of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital (OAUTH), said on Thursday that a woman, aged 101, survived COVID-19 after receiving treatment.
Adetiloye said the woman was taken to a private hospital in Ile-Ife after she developed cough, fever and breathlessness but had to be referred to OAUTH when she tested positive for COVID-19.
The doctor said the woman was discharged after 12 days of admission and that she has tested negative for the virus.
San Francisco wants schools reopened
The US city of San Francisco has taken a dramatic step in an effort to get children back into public schools amid the pandemic.
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The city on Thursday filed an emergency court order to force its public schools to reopen for in-person learning.
The city said it is “unconscionable and unlawful” to ask schools to remain close, adding that it had violated children’s constitutional rights.
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COVID-19 IN NIGERIA
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