# New therapies for Covid **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [November 16, 2020, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-therapies-for-covid/925668 "2020-11-16T05:55:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-therapies-for-covid/925668/1 "2020-11-16T05:55:33Z")
I’ve seen references that the medical community has developed better therapies for Covid over the past half year, so the survival rate is better. What are the new therapies that they’ve developed? One I’ve heard about is having the patient lie on their stomach instead of their back. Why does that help? ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-therapies-for-covid/925668/2 "2020-11-16T14:50:21Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > One I’ve heard about is having the patient lie on their stomach instead of their back. Why does that help? Gravity augments chest cavity expansion so more air(oxygen) is taken in. Better aeration (and oxygenation). ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-therapies-for-covid/925668/3 "2020-11-16T14:57:17Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > One I’ve heard about is having the patient lie on their stomach instead of their back. Why does that help? It’s called [proning](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proning). Sometimes it helps to have the patient sit up or lie on one side. These techniques reduce the need to put patients on ventilators. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-therapies-for-covid/925668/4 "2020-11-16T15:12:48Z")
Thanks for the link. Interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-therapies-for-covid/925668/5 "2020-11-16T15:28:06Z")
I’d heard of this as well. As an asthmatic, who cannot lie flat at all during a bad flare, it’s very counterintuitive - but in this case I’d have to assume the doctors know what they’re doing. There are even special beds that rotate 360 degrees along the long axis, though they aren’t common. Other treatments that have increasing evidence of efficacy: - Dexamethasone (a somewhat longer-acting corticosteroid, versus prednisone which is my Very Good Friend when I have an asthma flare) - I believe Trump had this - Remdesivir (antiviral) As well as other more experimental treaments. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-therapies-for-covid/925668/6 "2020-11-16T22:05:30Z")
One other is the use of monoclonal antibodies. Trump got that. I single treatment would be expected to cost in the neighborhood of $100,000. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2020, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-therapies-for-covid/925668/7 "2020-11-17T15:04:23Z")
There’s always a wiki page for it. In this case there are several - this is probably the most germane, and it links to several others, including old and new drugs under investigation. > **[Treatment and management of COVID-19](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Management_of_COVID-19)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > 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. In the US, the Biden Administration COVID-19 action plan includes the Test to Treat initiative, where people c... j ---
**Author:** ![Retzbu\_Tox](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/retzbu_tox/32/11829_2.png) [@Retzbu\_Tox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Retzbu_Tox)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2020, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-therapies-for-covid/925668/8 "2020-11-17T16:21:34Z")
One other thing I have seen is that the SSRI anti-depressant fluvoxamine may also be helpful. In addition to its anti-depressant effect, articles say: “unlike other SSRIs, fluvoxamine has a strong interaction with a protein called the sigma-1 receptor, which helps regulate the body’s inflammatory response.” [https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2020-11-12/an-antidepressant-might-help-prevent-severe-covid-19](https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2020-11-12/an-antidepressant-might-help-prevent-severe-covid-19) Since many people have problems with depression during the time they have COVID-19, I suppose an antidepressant they might consider should be one that also helps with the physical symptoms, too. [https://frontiersmag.wustl.edu/2020/10/04/the-comorbidity-of-major-depressive-disorder-with-covid-19-in-populations/](https://frontiersmag.wustl.edu/2020/10/04/the-comorbidity-of-major-depressive-disorder-with-covid-19-in-populations/) ---
**Author:** ![Retzbu\_Tox](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/retzbu_tox/32/11829_2.png) [@Retzbu\_Tox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Retzbu_Tox)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2020, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-therapies-for-covid/925668/9 "2020-11-17T16:38:54Z")
As a lesser alternative to a ventilator, some hospitals have tried using CPAP machines (used mostly by people with sleep apnea) with mixed results. It can be helpful for patients with short hospital stays, but makes things worse for patients with longer hospitalizations, and because they typically release the patient’s exhalations into the room, the air blowing out of the mask’s vent carries virus particles which can infect others. (Two links below.) > **[CPAP management of COVID-19 respiratory failure: a first quantitative...](https://bmjopenrespres.bmj.com/content/7/1/e000692)** > > Objective To evaluate the role of continuous positive air pressure (CPAP) in the management of respiratory failure associated with COVID-19 infection. Early clinical management with limited use of CPAP (3% of patients) was compared with a later... [https://medical.mit.edu/covid-19-updates/2020/06/could-cpap-machines-help-covid-19-patients](https://medical.mit.edu/covid-19-updates/2020/06/could-cpap-machines-help-covid-19-patients) ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2020, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-therapies-for-covid/925668/10 "2020-11-17T17:14:43Z")
I’m not sure if this is useful, but this kills COVID in saliva: > **[Covid: Mouthwash 'can kill virus in lab in 30 seconds'](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-54971650)** > > Cardiff scientists say using mouthwash may become part of a daily routine to prevent coronavirus. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2020, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-therapies-for-covid/925668/11 "2020-11-29T21:55:23Z")
> [@Retzbu\_Tox](#): > > . It can be helpful for patients with short hospital stays, but makes things worse for patients with longer hospitalizations, and because they typically release the patient’s exhalations into the room, the air blowing out of the mask’s vent carries virus particles which can infect others. (Two links below.) The CPAP machine is independent of the mask used so it’s just a matter of using a [filtered mask.](https://news.yale.edu/2020/04/20/sleep-apnea-devices-need-filter-use-covid-19-yale-doctor-warns). ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2020, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-therapies-for-covid/925668/12 "2020-11-29T22:07:27Z")
I would add that the mask itself has to be integral to the filter. My CPAP mask is designed to leak at the junction of the hose connection. So adding a filter requires a tight sealing mask that vents back through a filter. Like any system in place, it can’t just be thrown in a box and stored for emergencies. These things have a life span so they would have to be either easily scalable or a stockpile that is rotated or replaced periodically.