CHASING THE CURE

The Covid ward at Delhi’s Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital has seen a number of recommended drugs enter and exit their registers. Back in March, doctors here were handing out anti-HIV medication to their patients before the highly-debated hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) entered the scene, which was followed by a variety of steroids and antibiotics, and then, finally, convalescent plasma. After six months of trial and error, doctors say they are both hopeful and sceptical. “The number of recoveries, as compared to deaths, is up and we aren’t getting as many serious cases as we were at the onset of the pandemic,” says Dr Suresh Kumar, director, LNJP Hospital. “But we still do not have a guaranteed Covid treatment. We try various combinations based on individual symptoms.”

With a total of 477 drugs being tested for their efficacy against Covid in India alone, doctors feel it is now time to slow down in the search for a miracle cure. “Scientific trials take time and thoroughness. There are hundreds of small