What can be expected in terms of the future regarding definitive responses to the pandemic, which also involves the presentation of vaccines?
Continuing concerns over Covid-19 raise curiosity about effective treatments and the potential for a vaccine as a preventative. The need to find quick, effective solutions is clear: As of May 11, there have been more than 4 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 worldwide, and, sadly, nearly 280,000 deaths around the globe.
But the reality is that locating definitive treatments and promising vaccines is moving slowly. Some medical sources report more than 460 clinical trials of treatments for coronavirus worldwide. To better understand what’s happening and what the prospects are, the Adventist South American News Agency (ASN) spoke with Doctor Haroldo Rojas, director of the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Sanatorio Adventista del Plata (Adventist Sanitarium of Rio Plate), located in Entre Ríos, Argentina.
ASN: What is the safest and most reliable treatment for Covid-19 today?
Dr. Rojas: This virus is showing us it is more complex than it initially appeared. So far, there is no pharmacological treatment that has demonstrated high efficacy. There are many conflicting reports of each of the new trials being conducted with the new “magic bullet” appearing as promising candidates.
According to a report published in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, on April 13, 2020, no pharmacological treatment has proven to be effective. Each country offers its therapeutic recommendations to patients infected with Covid-19. However, patients must sign a consent form stating that they agree to receive the drugs off label (when a drug is used with an indication different from the label).
As medical professionals, we must be willing to accept, also, non-pharmacological strategies that stimulate our immune system. From a vegetable-based diet, through hydrotherapy treatments and a good rest, which are part of the eight natural remedies, given by God. Using them now is a great opportunity in a pandemic time whether we are infected or not.
ASN: In your assessment, what is the real picture in terms of vaccines?
Dr. Rojas: The emergence of an effective vaccine against coronavirus, according to the report of several researchers, is unlikely to appear until the end of 2020 or the beginning of 2021. Again, there are promising newspaper articles on the subject. But, as the well-known adage goes, “between saying and doing, there is a long way.”
ASN: What is your knowledge about the possibilities of pandemics like this becoming more common in the coming years, including the possibility of people being reinfected with the same type of virus once they have contracted the disease?
Dr. Rojas: The possibility that pandemics such as that of the Sars-Cov2 coronavirus and similar pestilences will be more frequent and global in the coming years is real. These evils are not produced in laboratories, nor by malicious people who want to profit from the cost of thousands of lives.
They are the consequence of disobedience to God's commandments in relation to health reform in relation to taking care of our bodies and the environment by not taking care of our planet as we should.
The possibility of relapse with the same disease due to the lack of persistence of protective antibodies over time makes this pandemic scenario even more difficult. In South Korea, there are hundreds of confirmed cases that have occurred with Covid-19. (Editor’s note: Other media reports indicate such reinfections are not taking place. The question remains unsettled.)
Therefore, in the face of this uncertain future, I believe it is a good opportunity to seek God with a humble and contrite heart to repent of our conscious sins, to be humble in accepting His directives and ask for courage to fulfill them.
This article was originally published on the South American Division’s Portuguese news site