Bahrain ‘probing new treatments’

BAHRAIN is exploring new treatment methods alongside international experts to fight the spread of Covid-19, it was highlighted.

National Taskforce for Combating Coronavirus (Covid-19) Monitoring Committee head Lieutenant Colonel Dr Manaf Al Qahtani revealed that Bahrain was working closely with the World Health Organisation (WHO) on experimental trials for potential treatments including Remdesivir.

He was speaking yesterday during a webinar hosted by Bahrain and featured international experts combating the coronavirus, where he explained that Bahrain has already started plasma therapy on four patients after receiving blood donations.

Lt Col Dr Al Qahtani said there was optimism regarding the process which involves taking antibody-rich plasma from recovered coronavirus patients and injecting it into people who have severe cases of the disease.

“We have seen cases in which discharged Covid-19 patients, who were fully treated, returning and we are working on gene sequencing to determine whether it is just reinfection or different strains,” explained Lt Col Dr Al Qahtani during the webinar.

“Since February 13, and three weeks before the first case was discovered, we were ready and over a nine-week journey we have been testing, tracing and treating people as we expanded our health capacity.

“We started with three locations and now we have nine locations with 2,600 beds, along with a 500-bed ICU.

“We launched a 130-bed ventilator ICU in seven days at the BDF Hospital car park, and another for 60 ICU in Sitra.

Source: http://www.gdnonline.com/Details/821091/Bahrain-‘probing-new-treatments’