Corona infection has remained a serious health risk globally for more than four years. According to Worldometer Corona updates, till now more than 70 crore people across the world have become victims of this infectious disease. More than 70 lakh people have died due to the infection and its serious risks.

Health experts have been warning people about the risk of serious diseases due to Corona. Researchers say that people with comorbidities and the elderly may be at higher risk of serious disease and the complications caused by it.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, research has been done on effective treatments to reduce the risks of corona. In this sequence, in a recent study, scientists have claimed that the use of a medicine in case of infection can reduce the risk of developing serious disease and hospitalization. In the US, this medicine is being used for people aged 12 years and older.

Medicine to prevent hospitalization
According to a recent study report, patients using Paxlovid drug had an 84% lower risk of hospitalization due to COVID-19. This drug is being used in the United States for people over the age of 12 who are at risk for infection.

A research report published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy has claimed the effectiveness of this drug. Scientists say that if the doctors treating the infected people feel that the disease is taking a serious form, then including this medicine in the treatment can help in reducing the danger.

What did the study find?
The study authors examined the health records of nearly 45,000 patients who tested positive for COVID-19 from January to August 2022. The average age of the patients included in the study was 47, with 62% being white and 24% black. 51 percent of people had received two or more doses of the vaccine before the start of the study.

Of the study participants, 201 were admitted to hospital within 28 days of their test being positive.

The risk of serious diseases can be reduced by up to 90 percent.
During the research, about 5,000 people in the study group were given Paxlovid. The University of Minnesota reported that patients who received paxolovid during treatment had a lower risk of hospitalization.

The authors of the study said this research was conducted when Omicron was the predominant corona variant worldwide. This drug reduced the risk of hospitalization in case of severe disease among infected people by 85-90 percent. These results suggest that paxolovid may help reduce the severity of infection.

What is the advice of experts?
Health experts say Omicron and its other sub-variants were active during the period when this drug was studied. The infectivity rate of Omicron variants has been high, but due to this, the risk of serious diseases has been seen to be less. Research remains to be done on how effective this drug can be on serious disease-causing variants like Delta and others.

Researchers have advised that these medicines should be used only on the advice of doctors treating COVID-19 patients. Do not use these on your own or without a prescription. At present, the risk of serious diseases due to Corona is seen only in those people who either suffer from comorbidities or who have not been vaccinated.
​(PC: iStock)