ANOTHER COVID-19 Update

Hello again! This week we’re going to look on the more optimistic side of this horrible outbreak that is basically going to cause an apocalypse (minus the zombies (maybe??)) if it isn’t under control soon– at least the media is telling us all that. Anywho, we’re going to see how on top of things scientists are with dealing with this virus. They have already begun working on a way to treat the Corona Virus. Of course it’s all still in the works, but maybe that apocalypse won’t have to happen after all. There are several different methods that scientists are using to approach COVID-19, and they could be promising.

One of the first types of treatment that we will discuss is IFNα. I picked this one as what to talk about first because it is what we are currently discussing in class and so I can better explain it than some of the others. An interferon (IFN) is a type of Cytokine, which is one of the types of immune cells that we have in our body. IFNα is an antiviral that helps regulate the immune system. This is a broad-spectrum type treatment and has been successful in treating SARS, which is a different disease caused by a coronavirus. This treatment, to me, seems like a valid option because it is simply inhaled a few times a day, for generally less than 10 days. That can be a fast rate of treatment. Of course, since it is broad-spectrum there is a likelihood that the virus won’t respond due to resistance or variations.

Another type of treatment can be PEP (pre/post exposure prophylaxis). This treatment is different mainly because it can be used prior to exposure to the pathogen, which could be a considerable prevention method. This is another broad-spectrum method that has been used to treat other viruses, so again, it may not always be effective against this virus. I think it’s pretty cool how this one works, though. The drug works to prevent the virus from leaving an infected individual in respiratory droplets. Now, we know that this is not necessarily the only way that they virus spreads, but if we were to combine this treatment and do multi drug therapy with other antiviral medications, we could have a real breakthrough in treatment and preventative measures. I hope this information might make you feel a little better, knowing that treatment is coming and this horrible disease may become slightly less horrible.