Boris on at 5pm tonight

[Fruityfriday]

This has just come up on my news feed. Hope it's good news

@CuriousaboutSamphire

They have them already, have had them for a while - the unpronounceable anti virals like dexamethasone

He announced a task force to see if they could be ready, tested, passed for use by autumn. They would be for those who can't have the vaccine, wouldn't offer the same coverage, could be used as a booster, that sort of thing.

He was quite upbeat, newspaper headlines are a bit ott. GPonline and others have a more measured version.

You're right, there are already many anti-viral drugs available, however Dexamethasone is a corticosteroid.

@Fruityfriday why do they need an excuse ? They have been saying for weeks that at present they see no reason to delay
If they do it will be with good reason, do you really think they want to keep propping up firms and the economy shrinking .
I don't know why people keep saying things like this

@ all bookworm1632 you mean like when Trump said the vaccines will be ready for the end of the year 2020.

@Fruityfriday

Anyone think this will be excuse they want to slow down the road map ?

They probably will do if the India varient takes hold. I imagine Leicester where I live will be locked down for another year or two !

Excuse? Or change to the plans due to change in circumstance?

Given the this is a wholly new experience with new variants and symptons, surely you would rather that they deviate if necessary rather than stick regidly to a plan??!

Same - why does anyone think that they want to lock down longer then they have to?

Same - why does anyone think that they want to lock down longer then they have to?

Because some people are irrational and others love bashing the government at any opportunity.

Things are going well. Much better than in Europe in terms of Covid.

My guess is it's not necessarily traditional antivirals. It could be immunosuppressants and anti inflammatories.

We know inflammation is a key issue with covid. Dexamethasone works with covid patients as an anti inflammatory. As does the inhaled steroid, budesonide, which was approved by the NHS last week for home treatment (on a case by case basis).

THE RECOVERY trial, investigating various potential treatments, has been going on for a while now. Hopefully there's been some promising results.

Would just like to clarify that there have been scientists working on the antivirals in the UK since last February, this isn't BJ's fantastic accomplishment, it's ours.

@Tealightsandd

My guess is it's not necessarily traditional antivirals. It could be immunosuppressants and anti inflammatories.

We know inflammation is a key issue with covid. Dexamethasone works with covid patients as an anti inflammatory. As does the inhaled steroid, budesonide, which was approved by the NHS last week for home treatment (on a case by case basis).

THE RECOVERY trial, investigating various potential treatments, has been going on for a while now. Hopefully there's been some promising results.

The one I've been on has been an anti-viral, very promising trial results too.

That's interesting @babbaloushka I didn't realise. Sounds like good news!

You're right, there are already many anti-viral drugs available, however Dexamethasone is a corticosteroid. As I said, I C+P'd the name from a Chris Whitty speech. Any error in designating the type of drug it is is mine, but it was mentioned. The Task Force is called Anti Viral!

I think some peole have got the wrong end of the stick about what the Task Force is. It is not for a replacement for the vaccine. It is to find drgs that ameliorate Covid and can be taken at home! Treatments, not preventative medicines.

www.gov.uk/government/news/government-launches-covid-19-antivirals-taskforce-to-roll-out-innovative-home-treatments-this-autumn