Humanity has not experienced such a pandemic for a century. COVID-19 is drawing the attention of scientists around the world like no other challenge has done before. At lightning speed, new technologies and potential medical treatments are being developed to combat and defeat the coronavirus. Here is where we are.
Researchers around the world share information about COVID-19 far beyond their laboratories and beyond the borders of their countries. They have indeed identified and shared hundreds of sequences of the genome of the SARSCoV-2 virus. More than 200 clinical trials have already been launched in ten countries to find effective medical treatments. In Quebec, the creation of the COVID Quebec Network, with 150 research and innovation projects launched in recent weeks, reflects the atmosphere worthy of an anthill that reigns in laboratories.
At the forefront of the fight against COVID-19, our best scientists are participating in research that could save countless lives.
In the worst cases, people with COVID-19 have severe lung problems. To keep them alive, the oxygen supply must be constant. Many companies, including some in the aeronautics and automotive industries, are challenged to design an efficient and easy-to-manufacture respirator.
In order to improve the safety of healthcare workers, automated respirators will also need to be developed. Such a device would control the patient’s oxygen supply by itself, which would avoid human intervention and minimize the risk of contagion.
In Quebec and the rest of Canada, many companies from all sectors seek to meet the needs of the health care system. We are working tirelessly to create prototypes of artificial respirators that could soon be entirely produced in Quebec. In Montreal, the Robotic Haply firm and the CAE flight simulator manufacturer offered them to Health Canada.
In order to offer a protective barrier to healthcare personnel who treat infected patients in intensive care, the company Usitech Précision has created an arch. World-unique visors, covering the entire face, are produced using 3D printers by Panthera Dental, a Quebec company.
Robots are deployed in hospitals and public places to help disinfect. Several are equipped with a powerful bulb emitting ultraviolet radiation which destroys microbes from a distance. Robots with a stethoscope and microphone allow doctors to perform remote assessments.
Drones will soon be able to detect (at a distance of 5 to 10 m) the temperature, heart rate, respiratory problems as well as sneezing and coughing in people who walk outside.
To accelerate the development of treatments, researchers are using the power of computers and artificial intelligence. Here’s what scientists are working on.
Antibodies: this is the most promising treatment in the short term. Antibodies are large molecules produced by some of our immune cells. When a threat like a virus is detected, our antibodies lead the charge.
When a person recovers from an infection, they have a lot of antibodies that used to fight the virus in their blood. At this time, it’s possible to collect blood plasma from survivors and infuse antibodies into other patients for treatment.
Existing drugs: a large number of drugs have been created in recent decades. Some may prove to be effective in the fight against the coronavirus! Dozens have already been identified. Now we need to check which are the most effective and safe to help people with COVID-19.
The life-saving vaccine: there are dozens of vaccine candidates under study. Ideally, there will be an effective vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 within 18 months. The traditional vaccine contains a version of the virus to be fought. By injecting it into the body, it prepares the immune system to recognize the parasite and attack it. We are also looking to develop a new type of RNA messenger vaccine. It is made with extracts from the genetic sequence of the coronavirus. This vaccine has the potential to guide antibodies produced by the immune system to quickly attack the crown of the coronavirus which allows it to invade healthy cells.
Some well-known drugs may treat COVID-19. Researchers use pieces of the coronavirus to find them. Already, around thirty potential candidates have been identified. Chloroquine, a drug against malaria, is one of them.
Clinical trials, in combination with other drugs are underway. Viagra is tested in both sexes because it could help fight inflammation in the lungs affected by COVID-19. Other forms of treatment being studied include anti-tuberculosis drugs, vitamin C infusions, interferon drugs, monoclonal antibodies, antivirals, stem cells, etc.
It will take a few months to check which are the most effective and safe to help patients.
-As nearly 25% of people infected with coronavirus are asymptomatic, more and more experts say that it is probably advantageous to cover your face in public. This is in particular what the mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio, recommended to these fellow citizens as well as the French state.
-Did you know that, for the mask N95, N indicates that it is not resistant to oil and 95 specifies that this type of mask prevents 95% of particles with 0.3 micron in diameter from passing? And that any supply of N95 medical masks should be reserved for medical personnel?
-You can make your own mask at home. There are many tutorials on the web to get there. You can also cover your nose and mouth with a simple cloth, which should be at least the thickness of a t-shirt. No mask makes you invincible against coronavirus. You should wash your hands often and avoid touching your face at all times.
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