Russia expands list of drugs for coronavirus treatment

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russia on Thursday expanded the list of drugs recommended to treat the coronavirus infection in adults.

In addition to antimalarial drug Mefloquine and anti-AIDS Lopinavir/ritonavir, found effective against coronavirus earlier, the Health Ministry has added in the list Hydroxychloroquine and Chloroquine, Azithromycin, Nadroparin, Tocilizumab, recombinant interferon alpha and recombinant interferon beta-1b.

Meanwhile, the doctors in Moscow carried out plasma transfusion from the recovered patients, containing antibodies against COVID-19, to seven patients in hope the antibodies will defeat the virus.

Russia recorded 1,459 new cases of the coronavirus on Thursday, a new daily high, taking the total number to more than 10,000.

The death toll stands at 76 after 13 new fatalities – also the highest daily count to date – were reported in the past 24 hours.

Since appearing in China in December, the virus has spread to at least 184 countries and regions, according to figures compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

More than 1.5 million cases have been reported worldwide, with nearly 90,000 deaths, and over 340,000 recoveries.