The Ministry of Public Health on Sunday said they discovered medical treatment that rendered the new strain of coronavirus impotent in 48 hours.
The breakthrough discovery was made in the case of a 70-year-old Chinese woman who was admitted to a hospital in Thailand for pneumonia and excessive fluid in the lungs caused by the coronavirus, according to the ministry.
The unnamed woman had repeatedly tested positive for coronavirus for 10 days before doctors administered her with a combination of anti-HIV and flu treatment medication, Rajavithi Hospital lung physician Kriangsak Atipornwanich said at a news conference.
The patient then tested negative just 48 hours later, Kriangsak said, adding that the lab result was cross-examined and confirmed by Chulalongkorn Hospital and the Department of Medical Sciences.
The anti-HIV medicines used in the treatment were a cocktail of Ritonavir and Lopinavir, while the flu medication was identified as Oseltamivir.
Department director Somsak Akkslip said the finding will be shared with the international medical community.
He also warned that the method may not work in every case. Somsak said at least one patient under the government’s care responded negatively to doses of Oseltamivir, and physicians will continue to rely on the conventional treatment, which has also proven successful.
“But if the patient is under serious condition, we will adopt Rajavithi Hospital’s medication formula as an option of our treatment,” Somsak said. “We will continue to collect the data.”
