you have to interview a doctor, who is engaged in a social work in the corona pandemic.
Answers
Answer:
Since the early Spring of this year, clinical laboratories have been experiencing supply shortages related to COVID-19 testing, including COVID-19 test kits, reagents and/or machines. But now, shortages are also affecting diagnostic testing for infections other than SARS-CoV-2. Laboratories are reporting shortages of all types of supplies, including culture and transport media, swabs, pipettes, pipette tips and collection tubes, to name a few. These limitations are hindering diagnostic testing for a variety of non-COVID-19-related diseases including, but not limited to, sexually transmitted infections, pneumonia, cystic fibrosis, urinary tract infections, gastroenteritis and surgical site infections. The impact of such supply shortages could be catastrophic and lead to inadequacies in patient treatment and care, ineffective infectious diseases management and increases in antibacterial resistance, if something does not change soon.
The American Society for Microbiology or ASM is committed to helping address these supply chain issues. In partnership with the Association for Supply Chain Management, ASM has developed an online platform to monitor shortages and demand for COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 testing supplies in real-time. ASM intends to illuminate the problem and facilitate solutions to ongoing, unprecedented and ever-changing shortages by collecting and making this data publicly available. It is ASM's goal that this initiative will help make critical changes to the United States testing strategy for COVID-19 and other infectious diseases moving forward.
What does EUA mean?
In the United States, tests for SARS-CoV-2 have what's called an EUA. EUA stands for Emergency Use Authorization. Under section 564 of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic or FD&C Act, in times of emergency (like the current COVID-19 pandemic), when there are no adequate, approved and available alternatives, the FDA Commissioner may allow the use of unapproved medical products or authorize unapproved uses of approved medical products to diagnose, treat or prevent serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions caused by chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear threats.
EUAs are based on the best available evidence at the time and remain in effect until the emergency ends, or new evidence causes the authorization to be withdrawn. EUAs are not the same as FDA clearance or approval.
When SARS-CoV-2 emerged in late 2019, we didn't have any diagnostic tests or treatment options at our disposal. EUAs have now been issued for a number of diagnostic tests, and even candidate drugs for the treatment of COVID-19. We are continuing to learn about SARS-CoV-2 testing. As of today, June 30, 2020, there are 94 individual EUAs for molecular diagnostic tests and 24 individual EUAs for antibody tests for SARS-CoV-2. Not all tests are equivalent. The FDA has removed some tests from the market due to poor performance, and recent evidence has caused the EUA for hydroxychloroquine to be withdrawn. EUAs do not guarantee the safety or efficacy of a particular product and are not long-term solutions.
What is the most effective treatment available for COVID-19 right now?
Supportive care, including oxygen supplementation and intubation and mechanical ventilation, if needed, are important treatments for severe COVID-19 infection.
There is currently no specific FDA approved treatment for COVID-19, with many candidate drugs being pushed through clinical trials.
A repurposed injected antiviral drug, remdesivir, has received EUA for COVID-19 treatment. Remdesivir targets the machinery SARS-CoV-2 uses to replicate itself inside of our cells.
EIDD-2801 is another antiviral drug being evaluated for SARS-CoV-2, but unlike remdesivir, is administered by mouth. It's an investigational drug; clinical trials to evaluate its efficacy are ongoing.
Dexamethasone is a corticosteroid used to treat a variety of inflammatory conditions. Data from a large, multicenter, randomized, open-label trial in the United Kingdom has indicated that dexamethasone reduces mortality of COVID-19 in patients who require supplemental oxygen. These results, while encouraging, are preliminary and unpublished.
Convalescent plasma, plasma harvested from people previously infected with COVID-19, is also under study.
Because so many clinical trials are ongoing and new data is emerging on a regular basis, recommendations for treatment are regularly updated.
What is the most promising vaccine in development right now? se similar symptoms.
If you think you have symptoms of COVID-19, call your healthcare provider for advice, and stay put. You don't want to infect anyone else. If you're severely ill or have emergency warning signs, seek care immediately. Examples of emergency warning signs include very severe difficulty breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion or unexplained drowsiness, blue lips or face.