Can anybody tell me how the "COVID-19 Antivirals Taskforce" announced this week gov.uk/government/new… relates to the "The COVID-19 Therapeutics Taskforce" which has I think existed since early 2020? gov.uk/government/gro…
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1/8
Is this just yet another example of the government announcing something it's already done as something new, to make us think they are doing more than they actually are?
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2/8
(They usually do this with money, announcing "new" spending which, when you look at the small print, isn't new at all.)
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3/8
In any case, why focus on antivirals?
By the time people get to hospital, their disease is caused by the immune system's overreaction, not by persistent virus. What they need is drugs to control the excess immune response.
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By the time people get to hospital, their disease is caused by the immune system's overreaction, not by persistent virus. What they need is drugs to control the excess immune response.
4/8
Antivirals, if they have a place, will be in postexposure prophylaxis (PEP)- treating vulnerable people who haven't been or can't be protected by vaccination, and who have [probably] been exposed to a case.
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5/8
Most antivirals work best if they are given very early in disease. With flu, they work well given before the onset of symptoms, as PEP. They are less effective once symptoms have started; and the later they are given the less effective they become.
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6/8
If antivirals were to be used more widely for Covid-19 - what would be the indications? If you await a test result it might be too late (and tests lack sensitivity anyway).
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7/8
It is unlikely we will be using antivirals widely any time soon.
So this announcement looks to me like another distraction. Wishful thinking at best; or just another dead cat.
8/8
So this announcement looks to me like another distraction. Wishful thinking at best; or just another dead cat.
8/8
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