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Coronavirus Watch: Cheap, widely available drug may 'save lives'

Jay Cannon   | Paste BN

Researchers say they have the first evidence of a drug that improves chances of surviving COVID-19.

A study showed a steroid called dexamethasone reduced deaths by up to one third in severely ill hospitalized patients – and the drug is both cheap and widely available.

It's Tuesday, and this is Coronavirus Watch from the Paste BN Network. Here's the biggest news of the day, as of 2 p.m. ET. 

  • Get to know dexamethasone: A study conducted in England showed the steroid reduced deaths by 35% in patients who needed breathing machines and by 20% in those needing only supplemental oxygen. “Dexamethasone is inexpensive, on the shelf and can be used immediately to save lives worldwide,” said Peter Horby of the University of Oxford, one of the study's leaders.
  • Daily coronavirus cases are on the rise in dozens of states, including Florida, which saw a record 2,700 new cases reported in one day. Meanwhile, the state's former top data scientist is updating a website that shows more reported infections than she said the state allowed her to report as an employee. 
  • As virus outbreaks hit U.S. meat processing plants in April, industry leaders sounded alarms and President Trump threw them a lifeline. But Americans were never at risk of a severe meat shortage, a Paste BN investigation found.
  • More than 2.1 million coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the U.S., and 116,000 have died, per data from Johns Hopkins University. Here's where to track daily confirmed cases in your state. Globally, more than 8 million have been infected and 438,000 have died.

Stay connected and discuss the latest news with others in our Coronavirus Watch Facebook group. 

Keep submitting coronavirus questions here and one of our reporters will get back to you with an answer. 

Finally, thanks again for subscribing to the Coronavirus Watch newsletter. We appreciate you trusting the Paste BN Network when the need for clear information is at a premium.

– Jay Cannon, Paste BN Network and Wires Editor, @JayTCannon

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