GENEVA (Reuters) – The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday issued fresh clinical advice for the treatment of COVID-19 patients, including those who show persistent symptoms after recovery, and also said they recommend using low-dose anticoagulants to to prevent blood clots.
‘The latest clues are that COVID-19 patients should use pulse oximetry at home, which measures oxygen levels, so you can identify if something is deteriorating at home and that it is better to take care in the hospital. WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris told a news conference in Geneva.
The WHO has advised clinicians to place patients in an awake position in front of them, indicating that it improves oxygen flow, she said.
‘We also recommend that low-dose anticoagulants be used to prevent blood clots from forming in blood vessels. We suggest using lower doses rather than higher doses, as higher doses may lead to other problems, ‘Harris said.
She added that a team of independent experts led by the WHO, currently in the central Chinese city of Wuhan where the first human cases were detected in December 2019, will leave the quarantine in the next two days to work with Chinese researchers. about the virus origin.
She declined to comment on reports of delays in the introduction of vaccines in the European Union. She said she had no specific data, and the WTO’s priority was for health workers in all countries to be vaccinated in the first 100 days of the year.
AstraZeneca, which developed its shot with Oxford University, told the EU on Friday that it could not meet the agreed supply targets until the end of March.
Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay and Emma Farge