21 medical assocs. issue covid treatment alert

TWENTY-ONE  presidents  of Panama’s medical warn that the drugs hydroxychloroquine, ivermectin, and the chemical chlorine dioxide are not effective treatments for  covid-19 and,  have “dangerous side effects.”

In a “letter to the Panamanian population”, they said that so far the new coronavirus does not have a specific treatment in any of its stages. “Corticosteroids are only useful in the management of this disease within hospitals when they are administered together with oxygen,” they said.

In the statement, the presidents of Panamanian medical associations expressed that a complete and healthy diet can improve the immune system against any contagion. “However, currently it has not been shown that certain foods, supplements or specific diets can prevent or reduce the risk of infection in healthy people,”.

The presidents of the medical associations pointed out that it is important to maintain physical activity through the means available at home to maintain good physical and mental health and thus strengthen the immune system.

They also expressed that doctors are committed to caring for the population, “but it is our duty to let them know that we currently have serious patients with medical ventilation in emergency rooms and in hospital wards and that sometimes we do not have oxygen, sedatives or medications necessary to treat the disease and its complications ”.

“A patient with a moderate illness will spend an average of 14 days in the hospital and a patient with serious illness will stay for a minimum of three weeks and even months,” they emphasized that many times the availability of a bed – only occurs because another Panamanian dies.

Finally, they pointed out that the good news is that scientists around the world have developed vaccines that have proven to be safe and effective in preventing the disease.