Coronavirus has been causing serious health risks globally for more than three years. In the last few months, fewer new cases of infection have been recorded worldwide, although the concern of scientists has increased after the new EU.1.1 variant came to the fore in some states of America last week.

Not much has been understood about this variant, but health experts say that it is a sub-variant of Omicron's XBB.1.5. The team of scientists has also issued a warning not to make the mistake of taking Corona lightly even now, the virus is constantly mutating and there is a danger of serious risks from new variants coming from it.

Studies are still going on regarding the prevention and treatment of Covid-19. In recent research regarding this, scientists found that antidepressant drugs given to depression patients can be beneficial in Covid infection. Its benefits have been seen in blocking corona infection. Let's understand this.

SSRI drugs may be effective in Covid-19
Research published in BMC Medicine suggests that certain types of serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) drugs may be effective in preventing the transmission of COVID-19 and the risk of severe disease in the body. For this, an attempt was made to understand the risk of infection among more than 5,600 psychiatric patients in the United Kingdom from April to December 2020. It was found that these drugs can be effective in blocking Covid-19. This means that patients with Covid-19 can get benefit from these drugs.

Lower risk of infection seen in antidepressants
Researchers at the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) reported that mental health patients who had been taking SSRI medications for the past 90 days had a nearly 40% lower risk of developing COVID-19 infection.

The research showed that nearly 28 percent of patients who tested negative for COVID-19 had taken at least one antidepressant medication within the past 90 days.

How effective are antidepressant drugs on COVID-19?
Some chemical compounds found in SSRI drugs, including fluvoxamine (Luvox) and fluoxetine (Prozac), were also studied by different groups during the pandemic for their effects, the CIDRAP researchers noted. Mixed results were seen about protection or treatment from the coronavirus.

It has been found in this study that these drugs may block the risks of Covid-19. This can also provide benefits in reducing the risks of corona infection.

What is the conclusion of the study?
In the study's conclusion, the researchers reported that there are indications of a potential clinical benefit of SSRIs on COVID-19 infection. In a press release, Oleg Glebov, lead author of the research and professor at King's College London, said that inexpensive and readily available drugs such as antidepressants could help stop the spread of COVID-19. But we need more research to prove its effectiveness.

These medicines should also be considered in the series of effective treatments for corona.

(PC: Freepik)