On Friday the World Health Organization updated its chart for COVID treatment recommendations, adding two treatments that were once approved for usage to the list of ones it does not recommend. This change was made due to their lack of protection against omicron and its latest subvariants.
What’s new? The two newest treatments the WHO says to avoid are sotrovimab and casirivimab-imdevimab.
- Even though they were previously recommended, WHO has reevaluated and updated their guidelines, strongly recommending that people with COVID do not use sotrovimab and casirivimab-imdevimab, citing their inefficiency to fight omicron.
- Even though usage of the two treatments is advised against in the U.S., European medical providers still recommend them, according to Reuters.
What treatments are recommended? For mild cases of COVID, the WHO recommends the usage of nirmatrelvir and ritonavir, an oral treatment that can be prescribed by a doctor.
- For more serious cases of COVID, WHO has recommended any of these three treatments: corticosteroids, IL-6 receptor blockers or baricitinib. However, these treatments are usually only administered in a hospital, or under a doctor’s supervision.
Other treatments to avoid: In total, the WHO strongly recommends against the use of six COVID treatments, aside from the aforementioned ones.
- Treatments strongly advised against are convalescent plasma, colchicine, hydroxychloroquine, and lopinavir-ritonavir.
When to seek further COVID treatment: For the most part, healthy individuals should recover from COVID within short periods of time, with no significant health complications.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have listed emergency warning signs, COVID symptoms that could signify an individual may need to seek emergency treatment.
Symptoms include:
- Trouble breathing.
- New confusion.
- Pain or pressure in the chest.
- Inability to stay awake.
- Pale skin, lips, or nail beds.