By Praphorn Praphornkul

   

BANGKOK (NNT) - The National Health Security Office (NHSO) has set up a system to deliver favipiravir, an antiviral drug, to COVID-19 patients who are waiting to begin home isolation.

 

NHSO Deputy Secretary-General, Dr. Jakkrit Ngowsiri, said today that the delivery of favipiravir to patients who are waiting to be in home isolation, is incorporated with the NHSO’s 1330 hotline service. Previously, the condition of some patients deteriorated from green level to yellow level before receiving the antiviral drug. With more patients waiting for hospital beds, their condition had worsened because they waited too long.

 

Furthermore, there are procedures to follow before they can be placed in home isolation or community isolation. Once patients call the NHSO’s 1330 hotline, then press 14, or register at the NHSO’s website (https://www.nhso.go.th) or NHSO’s LINE account (@nhso), officials will match them with a service unit.

 

Due to the high number of COVID-19 cases, assistance may not be delivered promptly. The hotline staff will call them back within 48 hours to check their latest condition and whether they are being cared for. The NHSO will deliver favipiravir via the Government Savings Bank’s (GSB) riders.

 

Hotline staff will then call the patients to confirm if favipiravir is delivered and inquire about their condition after taking the drug. According to the NHSO, the condition of 70 percent of patients improves, since their symptoms are not severe. The demand for hospital beds will be lower, and they will be available for severely ill patients. However, there are some issues, such as patients providing inaccurate home addresses, which can delay the drug delivery.

 

The Department of Medical Services’ criteria for COVID-19 patients to receive favipiravir are people who are over 60 years old and people with any of the seven chronic diseases, excluding pregnant patients, as the drug may have an adverse effect on an unborn child. The dosage of favipiravir will be according to the patients’ body weight. Favipiravir will not be administered to patients who are still taking green chiretta. People are advised not to buy favipiravir online and administer the drug themselves.

 

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$15 drug gets COVID patients off oxygen support in under week – study

 

Fourteen out of 15 severe COVID-19 patients who were treated in an investigator-initiated interventional open-label clinical study of the drug TriCor (fenofibrate) didn’t require oxygen support within a week of treatment and were released from the hospital, according to the results of a new Hebrew University of Jerusalem study.

Fenofibrate is an FDA-approved oral medication. The results were published on Researchsquare.com and are currently under peer review.

 

To read the full article:

https://www.jpost.com/health-science/15-treatment-gets-covid-patients-off-ventilators-in-under-a-week-study-677479

1 hour ago, webfact said:

The National Health Security Office (NHSO) has set up a system to deliver favipiravir, an antiviral drug, to COVID-19 patients who are waiting to begin home isolation.

So, they will then have people who are confirmed to be infected, waiting to begin home isolation??? What are they doing during that time? Walking around and infecting the rest of the population?

Every time I see this offered for Covid I cannot help think of Forsythia (from the film Contagion)