Tufts doc on how long COVID-19 patients receive Remdesivir

Dr. Helen Boucher, chief of the division of geographic medicine and infectious diseases at Tufts Medical Center, answers the latest COVID-19 questions.

EMILY: PRESIDENT TRUMP’S DOCTORRELEASED AN UPDATE EARLIER TODAYSAYING HE’S DOING WELL, ISN’TSHOWING ANY SYMPTOMS, AND HISOXYGEN SATURATION LEVELS,SOMETHING THAT TYPICALLY DROPSIN COVID PATIENTS, IS NEARPERFECT.BACK WITH US TONIGHT IS DR.HELEN BOUCHER, CHIEF OF THEDIVISION OF GEOGRAPHIC MEDICINEAND INFECTIOUS DISEASES AT TUFTSMEDICAL CENTER.THANKS FOR BEING HERE AGAIN.DR. BOUCHER: THANK YOU.EMILY: IT’S BEEN FOUR DAYS SINCEHE FIRST EXHIBITED NOTABLESYMPTOMS.IS THIS COMPARABLE TO WHATYOU’VE SEEN IN A PATIENT OFSIMILAR AGE, SIMILAR SITUATION?DR. BOUCHER: NO TWO PATIENTS AREEXACTLY THE SAME.AND THE DISEASE CAN GET WORSEAROUND THE SECOND WEEK, DAYEIGHT, DAY NINE.SO IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO KEEPA CLOSE EYE ON THE SYMPTOMS ANDON HOW HE IS DOING, JUST LIKEEVERY PATIENT WITH COVID-19.EMILY: ABSOLUTELY.WE KNOW HE IS TAKING REMDESIVIRAND A COURSE OF THE STEROIDDEXAMETHASONE.HOW LONG DO THESE TREATMENTS, USUALLY LAST, AND DO WE KNOWHOW IMPORTANT THE TIMING OF THEMIS WITH SYMPTOMS IN A COVIDPATIENT?DR. BOUCHER: THESE MEDICINESWERE STUCK, HERE FOR USE FORFIVE DAYS IN MOST PATIENTS,STEROIDS FOR USE AS LONG ASOXYGEN NUMBERS ARE LOW.THIS IS A REASONABLE DURATION,AND HOPEFULLY WILL BE ADEQUATE.THAT IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT TOKEEP AN EYE ON HIM.THIS DISEASE OUTLINE BEEN WITHUS FOR EIGHT OR NINE MONTHS.EMILY: RIGHT, SO MUCH WE ARESTILL LEARNING.WHEN IT COMES TO THESETREATMENTS ARE THESE RELATIVELY, AVAILABLE FOR THE AVERAGEPATIENT?ARE THEY COSTLY?DR. BOUCHER: DEXAMETHASONE ISVERY CHEAP, ABOUT ONE DOLLAR ADAY.AND REMDESIVIR IS ABOUT 520DOLLARS A DAY.THEY ARE REASONABLY ACCESSIBLEAND AVAILABLE ACROSS THE COUNTRYAND MOST PATIENTS SHOULD HAVEACCESS TO THEM, THANKFULLY.EMILY: I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUTTHIS.THIS MORNING, THE PRESIDENT SENTA TWEET COMPARING COVID-19 TOTHE FLU, SAYING "YOU JUST HAVETO LEARN TO LIVE WITH IT."HOW SIMILAR OR DIFFERENT ARECOVID-19 AND THE FLU?DR. BOUCHER: THEY ARE DIFFERENT.90% OF US HAVE NOT BEEN EXPOSEDTO COVID." IT DOESN’T DISCRIMINATE ON WHOWE ARE AWARE WE ARE.SECONDLY, MORTALITY IS VERYDIFFERENT.WE KNOW THAT WITH INFLUENZA,35,000 AMERICANS DIE EVERY YEARFROM INFLUENZA.WITH COVID-19, OVER 200 10,000AMERICANS HAVE DIED IN EIGHTMONTHS.THESE ARE VERY DIFFERENTDISEASES EMILY: V