Several non-vaccine treatments exist, with varying degrees of effectiveness.
Getting your COVID-19 vaccine is one of the best ways you can protect yourself against falling seriously ill with the novel coronavirus and dying from it. Not everyone is vaccinated, however. In addition, a small slice of the population is vaccinated against the virus but still is falling sick with it because this is possible. So, what other treatment options exist to help you fight off COVID-19? Here’s a look.
Why you can still get the coronavirus even if you’ve been vaccinated
So, let’s start off with a bit of clarification. The coronavirus vaccine is supposed to protect you, right? That’s what real vaccines do: they keep you from falling sick. Why can you still get the coronavirus if you’ve been fully vaccinated, then?
The coronavirus vaccines aren’t foolproof. You could argue that these vaccines are still in their infancy and we have a lot to learn about the virus and how it works. This being said, the vaccines have been studied extensively, in line with regular vaccine development protocols, and have been proven to be safe for the vast majority of people to take.
Related: Top 5 Tips for Coronavirus Winter 2021-2022
Part of the problem lies in the fact that the virus causing COVID-19 is similar to a bad cold virus, with a deadly twist. Cold viruses mutate so much that, as with the seasonal flu shot, it’s difficult to create a vaccine that will completely protect all people from falling sick with the virus. So, some people are fully vaccinated and still fall sick. And this is why newly formulated booster shots that are altered to match the new mutations are necessary. But if you are vaccinated and fall sick, most often your case is moderate or mild. If you had not been vaccinated, your case of COVID could be much worse, or even deadly.
It’s a fact that rates of death from COVID-19 have dropped considerably along with rising vaccination rates all across the world. So, this is great. Vaccines save lives.
The vaccine helps prevent you from dying
So, how does it work? The power of the coronavirus vaccines lies not in preventing everyone from catching the virus. Case rates are still high. Their power lies in their ability to save the lives of the vast majority of people who get vaccinated but who might still fall sick with COVID-19.
Coronavirus vaccines work by triggering your body to produce antibodies against COVID-19 without falling sick with the real disease. In this way, being vaccinated primes your body. It’s like a training run.
Vaccination makes your immune system better able to recognize and fight off COVID-19 should you come across it and become infected. For the vast majority of people, once you’re vaccinated, you have a small army ready to fight off COVID-19, if you catch the virus. This is the benefit the vaccines provide.
So, do you want your country, (or body), to have a basic army inside it if and when COVID hits, or no army at all? Vaccination is basic military protection for your body against COVID-19. Arm yourself and be ready.
About the antiviral drug Veklury (remdesivir)
Now, on to addition treatments for COVID-19. One of these is a drug called Veklury. Veklury is the brand name for the drug remdesivir, which is a general antiviral medication invented by the biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences. If you have a serious case of COVID-19 and you’re hospitalized, you can get this drug. It’s administered through an intravenous transfusion, and it’s only authorized for emergency use in the US. Veklury is a viral RNA polymerase inhibitor that works by interfering with the production of the virus’ genetic material, stopping it from multiplying. If it works faster than the virus in your body, it can potentially help your body fight off COVID-19 and survive.
About monoclonal antibody treatments
Another drug treatment being used in severe cases of COVID-19 is monoclonal antibody drugs. These are used to fight off multiple diseases including cancer. This treatment is made from laboratory-produced molecules specifically engineered to serve as “fake” or “substitute” antibodies that can boost and imitate your own immune system in fighting off disease. These fake antibodies can work to help your body fight COVID-19 but they don’t come without their side effects. These can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, flu-like symptoms, low blood pressure, and allergic reactions.
There are many additional drugs presently approved for emergency use in the US to treat COVID-19. These can be viewed on the FDA’s website. The sheer scope of this list provides insight into what doctors, and severely sick individuals, are really dealing with. Some treatments are drugs used to maintain sedation via continuous infusion, others are used when a patient requires oxygen and mechanical ventilation, and others still help in additional ways.
COVID-19 is a new force of nature for us humans, and it can be deadly. Doctors and scientists are doing all they can to help people stay alive. That’s the truth. Get vaccinated. Keep your hands clean. Tell others if you’re sick and stay home. Stay safe.
photo credits: Halfpoint/Shutterstock.com
