5 Latest Developments in COVID-19 Research and Treatment

Let's take a look at some of the latest developments in COVID-19 research and treatment announced this month (December 2021).

Written By: Longjam Dineshwori | Updated: December 24, 2021, 11:20 AM

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5 Latest Developments in COVID-19 Research and Treatment — What's New In COVID-19 Treatment

The first known case of COVID-19 was reported in November 2019 in Wuhan, China. Since then, the contagious disease has killed more than five million people worldwide (5,364,996 Covid-related deaths recorded by WHO till December 22). The Omicron variant, which is possibly the most contagious variant of the virus so far, has posed a new challenge before the world. The new variant, which was first detected in southern Africa, has spread to more than 75 countries around the world. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, scientists around the world have been working relentlessly to understand the novel coronavirus and find ways to deal with it. Thanks to them, today we have several drugs and vaccines to fight the deadly disease. Let’s take a look at some of the latest developments in COVID-19 research and treatment announced this month (December 2021):

5 Latest Developments in COVID-19 Research and Treatment — US Provide Free Antiviral Pills To People Who Test Positive For Covid-19

US Provide Free Antiviral Pills To People Who Test Positive For Covid-19 , US To Launch 'Test To Treat' Programme, Americans Can Get Covid-19 Test At Local Pharmaciesantiviral Paxlovid Also Read - 5 health tests beyond blood sugar and cholesterol that could detect hidden diseases early

5 Latest Developments in COVID-19 Research and Treatment — Oxford-AstraZeneca Starts Work On Omicron Vaccine

As Omicron variant spreads globally, Oxford university and AstraZeneca have started work on a vaccine that specifically targets the highly mutated strain of coronavirus. Other major drug makers including Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson and Johnson, and AstraZeneca had also announced their plans to adapt their vaccines to fight the new, highly contagious strain.

5 Latest Developments in COVID-19 Research and Treatment — New Covid-19 Test Provides Results Within 20 Mins

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5 Latest Developments in COVID-19 Research and Treatment — NZ Approves Medicine That Can Both Prevent And Treat Covid-19

This week, New Zealand approved a new Covid-19 drug called Ronapreve, which can both prevent and treat the disease. However, the nation’s medicine regulator noted that the monoclonal antibody drug is not a substitute for vaccination and its effectiveness against the Omicron variant is yet to be demonstrated. Ronapreve is approved for the treatment of Covid-19 for people who are at increased risk of progressing to severe disease, and for preventing Covid-19 for people who have a medical condition that makes them unlikely to be protected by vaccination, it said.

5 Latest Developments in COVID-19 Research and Treatment — Moderna Covid-19 Booster Shot Appears Effective Against Omicron

Citing their preliminary data, American biotechnology company Moderna recently announced that its Covid-19 booster shot appears to be effective against the Omicron variant. A 50-microgram booster dose increased neutralising antibody levels against Omicron about 37-fold compared to pre-boost levels, and a 100-microgram booster dose increased neutralising antibody levels about 83-fold, the company stated. Also Read - 6 signs prolonged sitting in an air-conditioned room is damaging your skin