Bill Harvey: Orange crush

This week we start a regular Covid-19 column. In the first feature (page 18), I mention the current various treatments being looked at, along with a first mention of personal protection. I hope to expand on these topics over the coming weeks, as things develop, and to include as much as I can from contributions you may wish to send in.

Of the myriad misinformation currently doing the rounds, the availability of treatments has to be a hot topic. And not just from Russian troll sites. Just last week, our orange friend Trump announced he would ‘retaliate’ if India turned down his request to release stocks of a drug that he has called a ‘game-changer’ in the fight against Covid-19. This came a day after Narendra Modi banned the export of hydroxychloroquine, a drug manufactured in India in large quantities, a legacy of malaria treatment programmes. Trials of the drug, usually in combination, are under way and show some promise, but the severe, often blinding, adverse effects readers all know about can only be balanced by robust anti-virus data. This takes time, and as a useful paper in a recent JAMA journal points out, the ebola experience showed that most of the short-term trialled treatments proved ineffective. Speedy response – yes. Kneejerk response – no.