PATIENTS suffering from severe cases of Covid-19 in the
country have started receiving dexamethasone, a drug which United Kingdom
scientists found to be effective in reducing deaths of patients on ventilators
and those receiving oxygen.
The drug which is available in Zimbabwe has been used to
treat inflammation, asthma, certain forms of arthritis; skin, blood, kidney,
eye, thyroid, and intestinal disorders since the 1960s.
Researchers at Oxford University announced on June 16 that
dexamethasone reduces deaths in one-third of patients on ventilators and
one-fifth of those who require oxygen, a major breakthrough in the fight
against the virus.
The UK government then directed that it should be
administered immediately on patients.
The drug can be taken either orally or through an injection
and it is readily locally available in pharmacies around the country.
Local pharmacies charge a minimum of US$2 for the drug up
to US$20 depending on the dosage. Health and Child Care Deputy Minister Dr John
Mangwiro yesterday said the drug has always been in stock and medical
practitioners know how to administer it.
He said it was now being given to Covid-19 patients but
could not readily say when exactly it started to be used in the fight against
the virus or the number of patients treated so far.
“We do have stocks of dexamethasone as we have always used
it as an anti-inflammatory drug. Coronavirus or Covid-19 is a metabolic disease
which needs anti-inflammatory drugs so Dexamethasone is appropriate and we have
it here,” said Dr Mangwiro.
He said the drug is not be given to everyone who tests Covid-19
positive as most of those do not need medication.
“We cannot say we are dishing it out every day because
drugs need to be used when relevant and when necessary if patients have correct
symptoms, we don’t just dish to everyone. We know when to use it and how to use
it appropriately so those who need it will be given,” said the deputy minister.
According to Dr Mangwiro, 80 to 85 percent of people who
have tested positive recover on their own, hence there is no need for
medication in such cases.
“Covid-19 causes inflammation in the body depending on
where it goes; be it the lungs, kidneys or it can even cause heart attacks. So,
dexamethasone slows down that inflammation that is how it helps people recover
from the global pandemic,” said Dr Mangwiro.
As of Tuesday, seven people have died of Covid-19 in Zimbabwe
and 591 cases have been reported since the first case was reported on March 20.
The use of dexamethasone which has long been on the market
follows the recent decision to test Covid-19 using the GeneXpert device, a
machine that was widely deployed about a decade ago to rapidly detect
tuberculosis, including multi-drug resistant strains.
According to experts, there are some 23 000 GeneXpert
devices worldwide, including an estimated 7 000-10 000 instruments scattered
across Africa, Latin America and South-East Asia. The machine can process nose
swab samples in 45 minutes and perform up to 96 tests in 24 hours. Chronicle
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