A recent investigation found that nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid) treatment reduced the risk of dying from COVID-19 by 79% among at-risk patients aged ≥ 65 years; it also decreased hospitalizations by 73%. Data are less clear among patients aged 40-64 years. An Israeli study revealed that neither the rate of hospitalization nor the risk for death due to COVID-19 was significantly lower, whereas others suggest that there may be benefit. Also, the survival and hospitalization benefits extend to those who have not had vaccination against COVID-19. Finally, a recent meta-analysis determined that COVID-19 patients receive no significant benefit from convalescent plasma therapy.
Researchers examined information from electronic medical records provided by Clalit Health Services, a healthcare organization that covers about 52% of the total population of Israel and almost two thirds of older adults in that country. More than 30,000 COVID-19 patients in Israel were treated with nirmatrelvir/ritonavir. The team evaluated hospitalization and death data for at-risk COVID-19 patients aged ≥ 40 years between January 9, 2022, and March 31, 2022, when the Omicron variant was the dominant strain.
Learn more about nirmatrelvir/ritonavir.
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Cite this: Michael Stuart Bronze. Rapid Review Quiz: COVID-19 Updates - Medscape - Sep 28, 2022.
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