In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) initiated the Solidarity trial to assess the treatment effects of some promising drugs: an experimental drug called remdesivir; anti-malarial drugs chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine; two anti-HIV drugs, lopinavir/ritonavir; and interferon-beta. [485] [486] More than 300 active clinical trials are underway as of April 2020. [68]

BBC News Covid inquiry: The UK pandemic in numbers - BBC News

Jiang S, Xia S, Ying T, Lu L (May 2020). "A novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) causing pneumonia-associated respiratory syndrome". Cellular & Molecular Immunology. 17 (5): 554. doi: 10.1038/s41423-020-0372-4. PMC 7091741. PMID 32024976.

What to do if you have tested positive

In community and healthcare settings, the use of face masks is intended as source control to limit transmission of the virus and for personal protection to prevent infection. [218] Properly worn masks both limit the respiratory droplets and aerosols spread by infected individuals and help protect healthy individuals from infection. [219] [220]

England Summary | Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the UK

The effect of the virus on ACE2 cell surfaces leads to leukocytic infiltration, increased blood vessel permeability, alveolar wall permeability, as well as decreased secretion of lung surfactants. These effects cause the majority of the respiratory symptoms. However, the aggravation of local inflammation causes a cytokine storm eventually leading to a systemic inflammatory response syndrome. [153] Cascella M, Rajnik M, Cuomo A, Dulebohn SC, Di Napoli R (2020). "Features, Evaluation and Treatment Coronavirus (COVID-19)". StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing. PMID 32150360 . Retrieved 18 March 2020. Lindner D, Fitzek A, Bräuninger H, Aleshcheva G, Edler C, Meissner K, etal. (November 2020). "Association of Cardiac Infection With SARS-CoV-2 in Confirmed COVID-19 Autopsy Cases". JAMA Cardiology. 5 (11): 1281–1285. doi: 10.1001/jamacardio.2020.3551. PMC 7385672. PMID 32730555. Islam MA (November 2020). "Prevalence of Headache in Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 14,275 Patients". Frontiers in Neurology. 11: 562634. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2020.562634. PMC 7728918. PMID 33329305. One common symptom, loss of smell, results from infection of the support cells of the olfactory epithelium, with subsequent damage to the olfactory neurons. [120] The involvement of both the central and peripheral nervous system in COVID‑19 has been reported in many medical publications. [121] It is clear that many people with COVID-19 exhibit neurological or mental health issues. The virus is not detected in the central nervous system (CNS) of the majority of COVID-19 patients with neurological issues. However, SARS-CoV-2 has been detected at low levels in the brains of those who have died from COVID‑19, but these results need to be confirmed. [122] While virus has been detected in cerebrospinal fluid of autopsies, the exact mechanism by which it invades the CNS remains unclear and may first involve invasion of peripheral nerves given the low levels of ACE2 in the brain. [123] [124] [125] The virus may also enter the bloodstream from the lungs and cross the blood–brain barrier to gain access to the CNS, possibly within an infected white blood cell. [122] Tropism and multiple organ injuries in SARS-CoV-2 infection

Self care

Long B, Brady WJ, Koyfman A, Gottlieb M (July 2020). "Cardiovascular complications in COVID-19". The American Journal of Emergency Medicine. 38 (7): 1504–1507. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2020.04.048. PMC 7165109. PMID 32317203. The CDC states that avoiding crowded indoor spaces reduces the risk of COVID-19 infection. [227] When indoors, increasing the rate of air change, decreasing recirculation of air and increasing the use of outdoor air can reduce transmission. [227] [228] The WHO recommends ventilation and air filtration in public spaces to help clear out infectious aerosols. [229] [230] [231] Communicable Diseases Network Australia. "Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) - CDNA Guidelines for Public Health Units". Version 4.4. Australian Government Department of Health . Retrieved 17 May 2021. Covid-19". Oxford English Dictionary (Onlineed.). Oxford University Press. April 2020 . Retrieved 15 April 2020. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.) Gover AR, Harper SB, Langton L (July 2020). "Anti-Asian Hate Crime During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Exploring the Reproduction of Inequality". American Journal of Criminal Justice. 45 (4): 647–667. doi: 10.1007/s12103-020-09545-1. PMC 7364747. PMID 32837171.

COVID-19: New variant spreading across UK - Sky News COVID-19: New variant spreading across UK - Sky News

Although several medications have been approved in different countries as of April 2022, not all countries have these medications. Patients with mild to moderate symptoms who are in the risk groups can take nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (marketed as Paxlovid) or remdesivir, either of which reduces the risk of serious illness or hospitalization. [259] In the US, the Biden Administration COVID-19 action plan includes the Test to Treat initiative, where people can go to a pharmacy, take a COVID test, and immediately receive free Paxlovid if they test positive. [260]

Chabot AB, Huntwork MP (September 2021). "Turmeric as a Possible Treatment for COVID-19-Induced Anosmia and Ageusia". Cureus. 13 (9): e17829. doi: 10.7759/cureus.17829. PMC 8502749. PMID 34660038. Most people recover from the acute phase of the disease. However, some people continue to experience a range of effects, such as fatigue, for months, even after recovery. [53] This is the result of a condition called long COVID, which can be described as a range of persistent symptoms that continue for weeks or months at a time. [54] Long-term damage to organs has also been observed after the onset of COVID-19. Multi-year studies are underway to further investigate the potential long-term effects of the disease. [55]

COVID-19 - Wikipedia

Neurologic manifestations include seizure, stroke, encephalitis, and Guillain–Barré syndrome (which includes loss of motor functions). [69] [70] Following the infection, children may develop paediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome, which has symptoms similar to Kawasaki disease, which can be fatal. [71] [72] In very rare cases, acute encephalopathy can occur, and it can be considered in those who have been diagnosed with COVID‑19 and have an altered mental status. [73]

What to do if you have symptoms of COVID-19

Italy had its first confirmed cases on 31 January 2020, two tourists from China. [442] Italy overtook China as the country with the most deaths on 19 March 2020. [443] By 26 March the United States had overtaken China and Italy with the highest number of confirmed cases in the world. [444] Research on coronavirus genomes indicates the majority of COVID-19 cases in New York came from European travellers, rather than directly from China or any other Asian country. [445] Retesting of prior samples found a person in France who had the virus on 27 December 2019, [446] [447] and a person in the United States who died from the disease on 6 February 2020. [448] Some early studies suggest 10% to 20% of people with COVID‑19 will experience symptoms lasting longer than a month. [284] [285] A majority of those who were admitted to hospital with severe disease report long-term problems including fatigue and shortness of breath. [286] On 30 October 2020, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom warned that "to a significant number of people, the COVID virus poses a range of serious long-term effects." He has described the vast spectrum of COVID‑19 symptoms that fluctuate over time as "really concerning". They range from fatigue, a cough and shortness of breath, to inflammation and injury of major organs–including the lungs and heart, and also neurological and psychologic effects. Symptoms often overlap and can affect any system in the body. Infected people have reported cyclical bouts of fatigue, headaches, months of complete exhaustion, mood swings, and other symptoms. Tedros therefore concluded that a strategy of achieving herd immunity by infection, rather than vaccination, is "morally unconscionable and unfeasible". [287]