COVID-19: UpdateItalian COVID-19 Deaths Pass China's Total; Cases Surge in Europe
With reports of 427 more deaths reported yesterday, Italy’s fatality count has now passed China’s, as case numbers continued to surge across much of Europe and the disease makes inroads on other continents, including Africa and the Americas. In other key developments, China yesterday had no new locally acquired cases, though it did report several imported infections, and a research team from China reported disappointing early findings for a widely available HIV drug combo (lopinavir-ritonavir) for treating hospitalized patients.
With reports of 427 more deaths reported yesterday, Italy’s fatality count has now passed China’s, as case numbers continued to surge across much of Europe and the disease makes inroads on other continents, including Africa and the Americas.
In other key developments, China yesterday had no new locally acquired cases, though it did report several imported infections, and a research team from China reported disappointing early findings for a widely available HIV drug combo (lopinavir-ritonavir) for treating hospitalized patients.
Combo Drug Disappoints
The trial by the Chinese researchers, published yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine, included 199 patients with confirmed COVID-19 infections, 99 in the treatment group and 100 who received standard care. They saw no difference in clinical improvement between the groups, and mortality at 28 days was similar for both. Gastrointestinal symptoms were more common in the treatment group, in whom treatment was stopped early for 13 due to adverse events.
They said though they saw no benefit for hospitalized patients, future trials are needed to see if it improves outcomes in severely ill patients.
Two experts who weighed in on the findings in a related commentary said though the findings were disappointing, the slightly lower death rate in the treatment group was intriguing. However, they added that the drug didn’t seem to impact viral shedding.
The drug combo is one of four treatments that will be tested in a large international trial announced yesterday by the World Health Organization.
In other developments in China, the National Health Commission yesterday reported 34 cases, none of which were local cases from Hubei or any other province. All were imported cases from Beijing, Guangdong province, Shanghai, Heilongjiang province, and Zhejiang province.
Italy yesterday reported 5,322 new cases, lifting its overall total to 41,035, which is half of China’s massive total, according to the health ministry’s latest report. The 427 added deaths raise its overall fatality number to 3,405, which tops China’s latest total of 3,245.
According to media reports, Italy’s prime minister Giuseppe Conti announced that lockdown measures, which took effect on Mar 12, will be extended past the Mar 25 ending date. School closures and a ban on fan attendance at sporting events extend until Apr 3.
Conti said he hopes disease activity will peak in a few days, but he warned that some restrictions will likely remain in place even after the worst is over.
