How is COVID-19 treated?

How is COVID-19 treated?

Current ways to manage COVID-19 include using the same support care (e.g., rest, fluids, fever control) and preventive measures used to treat other coronaviruses such as a cold.

At the moment, there is no cure for COVID-19. Scientists are currently developing a vaccine, which has begun being tested in a limited number of people. There are several stages to vaccine testing in humans, each of which takes many months to complete. Scientists first make sure the vaccine is safe, then determine the most effective dose before manufacturing can begin. Typical vaccine development time is 12 to 18 months, but scientists (all working around the world) are hopeful that this time frame will be shortened.

There are no drugs specifically approved to treat COVID-19. Some drugs already approved in the U.S. for other medical conditions are beginning to be given – as a trial – to patients infected with COVID-19. These drugs include hydroxycholoroquine (approved to treat malaria, lupus and arthritis) chloroquine (approved to treat malaria) and the antibiotic azithromycin. The FDA recently granted an emergency use authorization for the investigational antiviral, remdesivir, for hospitalized patients with severe disease. The drug has been shown to shorten the recovery time in some patients.