Partly True: If used early enough, anti-inflammatories can treat COVID-19.

By: Alice Franklin
January 10 2022

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most people can recover from COVID-19 at home. However, if the disease is severe, hospital admission may be required. Once in the hospital, a COVID-19 patient may receive medicines such as dexamethasone and other corticosteroids. These are anti-inflammatory drugs. In an interview with the far-right media outlet The Epoch Times, Dr. Robert Malone claimed that, if used early enough, anti-inflammatories can treat COVID-19. He stated that COVID-19 is the hyperinflammatory response to the virus SARS-CoV-19. "The disease is really our reaction to the virus," he told the Epoch Times. "The good news is that we have this rich library of anti-inflammatory drugs that appear to be quite useful against keeping people out of the hospital, if it’s used early enough, or treating them once they’re in the hospital." This is partly true. Anti-inflammatories are indeed used to treat COVID-19 in hospital settings. However, they cannot always alleviate COVID-19 symptoms by themselves. It is also not always advisable for patients to take anti-inflammatories at home. There is also no healthcare authority that recommends taking anti-inflammatories to prevent COVID-19. As the NHS has reported, the Commission on Human Medicines has now confirmed there is no clear evidence that using ibuprofen makes COVID-19 worse, but people with COVID-19 at home should try paracetamol over ibuprofen (an anti-inflammatory) as it is safer for people with stomach problems and other pre-existing conditions. The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19, including symptoms, prevention, and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organization or your national healthcare authority.