WHO Chief urges rapid production of ‘dexamethasone’ for coronavirus patients

World Health Organization Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has called for a rapid increase in production of Dexamethasone, a cheap steroid which has been shown to reduce deaths in critically ill Coronavirus patients. He said the demand had already surged after a British trial of the drug was publicised, but he was confident production could be ramped up.

Mr. Tedros said, although the data are still preliminary, the recent finding that the steroid Dexamethasone has life-saving potential for critically ill COVID-19 patients gave us a much-needed reason to celebrate.

Some 2,000 patients were given the drug by researchers led by a team from Oxford University and it reduced deaths by 35 per cent among the most sickly, according to findings.