Dexamethasone is only for critically ill COVID-19 patients, warns Dr Zafar Mirza

Pakistan has multiple producers of Dexamethasone.

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services Dr Zafar Mirza has Wednesday warned that Dexamethasone, which showed positive results in UK, is only for critically ill COVID-19 patients, Dunya News reported.

The SAPM tweeted, “Positive results from UK on use of Dexamethasonein critical patients welcomed by WHO as a 1st treatment to be shown to reduce mortality in patients with COVID-19 requiring Oxygen or ventilator support. Expert Committee in Pakistan to consider inclusion.”

<318> Positive results from UK on use of Dexamethaone in critical patients welcomed by WHO as a 1st treatment to be shown to reduce mortality in patients with COVID-19 requiring Oxygen or ventilator support. Expert Committee in to consider inclusion. https://t.co/3RbVQrWdPp

— Zafar Mirza (@zfrmrza) June 17, 2020

Dr Zafar Mirza further added, “It is an old & cheap anti-inflammatory medicine (steroid) & we have multiple producers in Pakistan.”

It is an old & cheap anti-inflammatory medicine (steroid) & we have multiple producers in .

— Zafar Mirza (@zfrmrza) June 17, 2020

“It is ONLY FOR critically ill COVID-19 patients ie those on oxygen and ventilators; the medicine MUST NOT be used by mild to moderate patients; self-medication is strictly prohibited and can be dangerous as the medicine has many side-effects,” he concluded. 

PLEASE NOTE: It is ONLY FOR critically ill COVID-19 patients ie those on oxygen and ventilators; the medicine MUST NOT be used by mild to moderate patients; self-medication is strictly prohibited and can be dangerous as the medicine has many side-effects.

— Zafar Mirza (@zfrmrza) June 17, 2020