Dilemma of antiviral treatment in coronavirus 2019

Abstract

There are four classes of Coronaviruses designated as alpha, beta, gamma and delta. CoV-2 attacks the lower respiratory system to cause severe pneumonia, but it may also affect other organs leading to multiple organ failure. The choice for antiviral treatment for CoV-2 depends on the timing and the severity of the case. Although there is no antiviral designed specifically for treating corona virus, several agents are tried such as hydroxychloroquine, Remdesivir, Lopinavir/Ritonavir, and Favipiravir. The mechanism of each drug is diacussed in detail below. In addition, ivermectin has started to emerge as a new candidate therapeutic against SARS-CoV-2/ COVID-19.

Keywords

• antiviral
• covid-19
• treatment