COVID-19

COVID-19 Roundup: 21 Existing Drugs, Respiratory Droplets

Physics of Respiratory Droplets1,2

In a new study, researchers used collision rate theory to evaluate and predict the spread of respiratory droplets in various conditions. They found that these droplets can travel between 8 and 13 feet depending on the weather, without accounting for wind, suggesting that without masks, 6 feet of social distancing may not be enough.

“If you’re in a colder, humid climate, droplets from a sneeze or cough are going to last longer and spread farther than if you’re in a hot dry climate, where they’ll get evaporated faster. We incorporated these parameters into our model of infection spread; they aren’t included in existing models as far as we can tell,” the researchers said in a press release.

COVID-19 Effects Beyond the Lungs3

A new review published in Nature Medicine details the known effects of COVID-19 on organ systems other than the lungs. The review was written by researcher-clinicians from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Columbia University Irving Medical Center and was based upon their own experiences as well as a review of recently published scientific literature. It includes sections on renal, hematologic, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary, endocrinologic, neurologic, and dermatologic manifestations.

21 Existing Drugs4

In a study published in Nature, researchers examined approximately 12,000 clinical-stage or FDA-approved small molecules in an effort to find any that could be repurposed for the treatment of COVID-19. Overall, they identified 100 molecules, including 21 currently existing drugs that can inhibit the replication of SARS-CoV-2, 13 of which were shown in previous clinical trials to be effective at doses likely to be safe for patients with COVID-19. Two of the drugs, astemizole and clofazimine, are already FDA-approved for the treatment of allergies and leprosy, respectively. Four drugs were shown to work synergistically with remdesivir.

In-ICU Mortality Rates

A recent analysis found that rates of in-ICU mortality among patients with COVID-19 decreased significantly over the course of the pandemic, from nearly 60% at the end of March 2020 to roughly 42% at the end of May.

Read more about the study here.  

—Michael Potts

References:

  1. Chaudhuri S, Basu S, Kabi P, et al. Modeling the role of respiratory droplets in Covid-19 type pandemics. Published online June 30, 2020. Phys Fluids. doi:10.1063/5.0015984
  2. New model connects respiratory droplet physics with spread of COVID-19. News release. San Diego, CA: UC San Diego; July 20, 2020. http://jacobsschool.ucsd.edu/news/news_releases/release.sfe?id=3087
  3. Gupta A, Madhavan MV, Landry DW, et al. Extrapulmonary manifestations of COVID-19. Nature Med. 26(7):1017-1032. doi:10.1038/s41591-020-0968-3
  4. Riva L, yuan S, Chanda SK, et al. Discovery of SARS-CoV-2 antiviral drugs through large-scale compound repurposing. Published online July 24, 2020. Nature. doi:10.1038/s41586-020-2577-1