Ivermectin warnings, a new COVID-19 antiviral, a changing threshold for care: These are the WHO’s updated treatment guidelines – CTV
Nov. 10, 2023
The World Health Organization (WHO) has updated its guidelines(opens in a new tab) for the treatment of COVID-19 patients, including categories of hospitalization risk to help doctors tailor treatment, and recommendations surrounding a new antiviral designed specifically to tackle the disease.
The new guidelines released Thursday evening include detailed recommendations for different drugs based on whether patients with non-severe cases of COVID-19 have a low, moderate or high risk for hospitalization.
The guidelines also adjust hospitalization risk thresholds, which could also make it easier for people with non-severe COVID-19 to get access to medication to treat their infection.
The threshold for considering whether a drug is worth prescribing to a patient with a mild case has been lowered from a six per cent reduction in hospitalization to a 1.5 per cent reduction.
The guidelines also go over drugs the WHO does not recommend, including new warnings for ivermectin.
