As the world races to develop a Covid-19 vaccine, doctors are increasingly turning their attention to alternative treatments.
The latest research suggests that the flu jab may be able to prime the immune system to attack invading coronavirus cells, potentially reducing the risk of death by more than a third.
The flu jab is among a slew of medicines that have been repurposed for coronavirus:
Flu jab
Two studies - in Italy and in Brazil - found that those who had received the jab were less likely to die from coronavirus.
In the Milan University study, researchers examined hospital admissions and deaths in areas with high flu vaccine uptake and areas where few people got the jab.
They found the coronavirus death toll was about 150 per 100,000 of the population in areas where fewer than 30 per cent were immunised against the flu.
The Brazil study tracked more than 90,000 Covid patients and found mortality rates were up to 35 per cent lower among those who received a flu jab, compared with those who didn’t.
BCG vaccine against TB
Researchers believe the tuberculosis vaccine could help boost immunity to Covid-19.
Thousands of people around the world are being recruited for trials to investigate whether the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccine could help fight the disease until a tailored jab is found.
The TB vaccine has previously been shown to reduce susceptibility to a range of diseases caused by viruses.
Experimental Regeneron treatment
Donald Trump was provided a dose of drug maker Regeneron’s experimental antibody treatment.
Still in clinical trials, the new antiviral antibody cocktail works by binding to a protein on the surface of the virus.
It is meant to stop the virus from attaching to cells and replicating, while still allowing the immune system to fight back.
Remdesivir
The antiviral drug was originally developed to treat hepatitis C but was recently used in the recent Ebola outbreak.
It works by attacking the virus once it’s already inside the body.
Considered an effective treatment, the drug is a “broad-spectrum” antiviral and it works against a range of viruses.
Dexamethasone
The steroid reduces inflammation by mimicking anti-inflammatory hormones produced by the body.
Coronavirus infection triggers inflammation as the body tries to fight it off, but sometimes the immune system goes into overdrive and it's this reaction that can prove fatal.
Hydroxychloroquine
The malaria medication was touted by Mr Trump as a Covid-19 treatment but health authorities were quick to dismiss the medication as ineffective.
US Food and Drug Administration cautioned against using the drug to treat coronavirus patients, following reports of "serious heart rhythm problems" and other health issues.
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A young girl films a presentation while wearing a mask, The Sevens, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
A bin is provided for the safe disposal of mask and gloves, The Sevens, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
A man sanitises a cricket ball, The Sevens, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
A lady sanitises her hands while watching a cricket match, The Sevens, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
A worker disinfects a movie theatre before its reopening to the public in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, following an easing of restrictions imposed by the authorities in a bid to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus. AFP -
A young Palestinian, wearing a protective mask due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, rides his donkey-cart on the coastal road in Gaza City. AFP -
Palestinians wearing a protective masks amid the COVID-19 pandemic attend a rally to protest the reduction of the food basket provided by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Gaza City. AFP -
People wear face masks as they walk next to the Galata Bridge near Eminonu local bazaar, in Istanbul, Turkey. Turkish authorities have now allowed the reopening of restaurants, cafes, parks and beaches, as well as lifting the ban on inter-city travel, as the country eases the restrictions it had imposed in a bid to stem the spread of the ongoing pandemic of the COVID-19 disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. EPA -
People wear face masks as they walk in front of the Yeni Mosque near Eminonu local bazaar, in Istanbul, Turkey. Turkish authorities have now allowed the reopening of restaurants, cafes, parks and beaches, as well as lifting the ban on inter-city travel, as the country eases the restrictions it had imposed in a bid to stem the spread of the ongoing pandemic of the COVID-19 disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. EPA
