COVID-19 comes 40 years after aids – Any lesson?

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Abstract

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has hit health-care systems and societies in an unprecedented manner. In 1981, the first cases of AIDS were reported and wide diagnostic testing helped to characterize high-risk groups and the global burden of the epidemic. With Coronavirus Disease (COVID)-19, everything has happened too fast and both cases and fatalities are huge but still uncertain in most places. Diagnostic testing of active and past SARS-CoV-2 infections needs to expand rapidly, ideally using rapid tests. COVID-19 deaths are highly concentrated in the elderly population, with a large proportion of fatalities being “with” rather than “by” SARS-CoV-2 infection. They are often the result of inadequate health care due to overwhelming demands. To date, there is no specific therapy for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Several antivirals are being tested clinically, including remdesivir, at this time the most promising. For others such as lopinavir/ritonavir, neither sig-nificant virological nor clinical benefit has been shown. Given the characteristic pulmonary cytokine storm underlying the pathogenic mechanism of severe COVID-19 pneumonia and acute respiratory distress, anti-inflammatory agents are being investigated. The benefit of corticosteroids, hydroxychloroquine, etc., is limited. Monoclonal antibodies targeting different pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as tocilizumab, an anti-interleukin 6 agent, are being tried with encouraging results. Ultimately a protective vaccine will be the best response for controlling the COVID-19 pandemic. (AIDS Rev. (ahead of print)).

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Soriano, V., Barreiro, P., Ramos, J. M., Eirós, J. M., & de Mendoza, C. (2020). COVID-19 comes 40 years after aids – Any lesson? AIDS Reviews, 22(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.7771/1481-4374.3699

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