In addition to vaccines, there are also more and more corona drugs that are supposed to protect against the course of serious illnesses. Studies show that they are effective – but also impractical. How helpful are they in fighting the virus?
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The fourth corona wave, it came with an announcement. Experts had repeatedly and emphatically warned against her. Even more steeply than last year, the curve of the number of infections shoots upwards, the intensive care units are full again. The calculation is simple: the more viruses there are, the more people become infected. This applies above all to the unvaccinated, but not only. The number of breakthroughs in vaccination is also increasing. Because no vaccination protection protects 100 percent. In addition, it is now known that vaccination protection wears off over time. In addition to the corona vaccines, Covid-19 drugs should also help this autumn and winter. But how good are they?
Covid 19 disease can be divided into two phases. In phase one, the viral load increases. At this early stage, the infected person can be contagious without feeling any symptoms. During this time, an antivirus can ensure that the virus is stopped at an early stage and the increase in the viral load can be reduced. Antiviral drugs are supposed to prevent viruses from entering the body’s cells and thus also preventing them from multiplying there.
In the second phase of the disease, the infected person is really sick, the virus has already done a lot of damage. The immune system works against it. If the outcome is severe, the immune system may fire against the virus so vehemently that this has a harmful effect. Therefore, drugs that are used in this phase of the disease have the task of dampening the body’s immune response.