New Delhi: Revised guidelines have been issued regarding the drugs being used in the treatment of Coronavirus infection. It states that doctors should avoid giving steroids to Covid-19 patients. Along with this, a warning has also been given about the excessive consumption of drugs. Recently, the government’s task force chief on Kovid expressed grief over the excessive use of drugs during the second wave of infection.
The revised guidelines state that drugs such as steroids if used excessively, prematurely, or for an extended period of time, increase the risk of other infections such as mucormycosis or ‘black fungus’. It has been said in the guidelines that if the cough is more than two or three weeks, then patients should get tested for TB and other problems.
According to the revised guidelines, upper respiratory tract symptoms without difficulty in breathing or hypoxia are classified as mild illnesses. In this, it has been advised to take home isolation and care. Also, mild patients of Covid going through difficulty in breathing, high fever, or severe cough for more than 5 days should contact the doctor.
Patients who have shortness of breath and oxygen saturation varying frequently between 90-93 percent can be admitted. In these patients, the disease is considered to be moderate and they should be given oxygen support. That whose breathing rate is more than 30 per minute, there is difficulty in breathing or the oxygen saturation is 90 percent or less, will be considered as a serious case and such patients need to be admitted to the ICU. These require respiratory support.
The revised guidelines allow emergency or ‘off label’ use of Remdesivar in patients with mild to severe symptoms. It can only be used on patients who have not complained of ‘renal’ or ‘hepatic dysfunction’ within 10 days of having any symptoms. It cautions that this medicine should not be used on patients who are not taking oxygen artificially or are at home.
As per the revised guidelines, tocilizumab is prescribed for emergency use or ‘off-label’ use to the patient who is severely affected by the disease and typically between 24 and 48 hours after the severity of the disease or hospitalization in the Intensive Care Center (ICU).
