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Coronavirus death toll rose by 213 on Monday and the case rate also appears to be heading in the wrong direction. At a press briefing yesterday Health Secretary Hancock acknowledged this dispiriting state of affairs, suggesting that the current lockdown measures may have to stay in place until the infection rate comes down. However, “we absolutely hope to be able to replace the national lockdown with a tiered system similar to the one we had before,” he said.
The situation is hardly a cause for optimism but wider developments suggests the world is winning the fight against the viral disease.
It was announced yesterday that a vaccine developed by Moderna boasts nearly 95 percent protection against COVID-19 – the viral disease caused by the latest coronavirus.
This comes in the wake of a promising vaccine developed by Pfizer that results suggest provide a 90 percent effectiveness against COVID-19 symptoms.
A new study should also provide some succour. Mouthwash can eradicate coronavirus within 30 seconds of being exposed to it in a laboratory, a scientific study has found.
The preliminary result comes ahead of a clinical trial into whether using over-the-counter mouthwash has the potential to reduce the levels of COVID-19 in a patient’s saliva.
The Cardiff University report said that mouthwashes containing at least 0.07 percent cetypyridinium chloride (CPC) showed “promising signs” of being able to combat the virus.
The report – The Virucidal Efficacy of Oral Rinse Components Against SARS-CoV-2 In Vitro – is yet to be peer reviewed but supports another study published last week that found CPC-based mouthwashes are effective in reducing COVID’s viral load.
The latest test was carried out by scientists at the university’s laboratory and mimicked the conditions of a person’s naso/oropharynx passage using mouthwash brands including Dentyl.
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A clinical trial will next examine how effective mouthwash is in reducing the viral load in the saliva of COVID-19 patients at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, with its results due to be published in the first part of 2021.
Dentyl is the only UK mouthwash brand to take part in the 12-week clinical trial, which is led by Professor David Thomas from Cardiff University and titled: “The measurement of mouthwash anti-viral activity against COVID-19”.
Dr Thomas told the PA news agency: “Whilst these mouthwashes very effectively eradicate the virus in the laboratory, we need to see if they work in patients and this is the point of our ongoing clinical study.
“It is important to point out the study won’t give us any direct evidence on viral transmission between patients, that would require a different type of study on a much larger scale.
“The ongoing clinical study will, however, show us how long any effects last, following a single administration of the mouthwash in patients with COVID-19.”
He added: “Although this in-vitro study is very encouraging and is a positive step, more clinical research is now clearly needed.
“We need to understand if the effect of over-the-counter mouthwashes on the COVID-19 virus achieved in the laboratory can be reproduced in patients, and we look forward to completing our clinical trial in early 2021.”
Dr Nick Claydon, a specialist periodontologist who was not involved in the study, said he believed the research was “very valuable”.
He said: “If these positive results are reflected in Cardiff University’s clinical trial, CPC-based mouthwashes such as Dentyl used in the in-vitro study could become an important addition to people’s routine, together with hand washing, physical distancing and wearing masks, both now and in the future.”
What are the symptoms of COVID-19 and how should I respond?
According to the NHS, the main symptoms of coronavirus are:
- A high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
- A new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or three or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
- A loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you’ve noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal.
“If you have any of the main symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19), get a test as soon as possible,” says the NHS.
It adds: “You and anyone you live with should stay at home and not have visitors until you get your test result – only leave your home to have a test.”
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