Despite that the number of Europeans being diagnosed with the virus continues to surge, the amount of people dying from the disease is rising at a much slower pace, which is seen as a positive sign.
According to a recent report in the Financial Times, there are several reasons the virus now seems to be less lethal than during its first outbreak in March. Health care workers believe one of the key reasons more patients are walking out of hospitals is because doctors and nurses are learning effective treatments that were unknown at the virus’ outset.
“People have learned many little tricks which, when added together, make a big difference over time,” Peter Openshaw, Professor of Experimental Medicine at Imperial College in London, told the FT.
Doctors have been employing steroids like dexamethasone, which have been effective in reducing inflammation and preventing an overreaction of the body’s immune system (called a cytokine storm), according to the New Scientist. The report said cells from the immune system are produced to attack the virus in the lungs, but the body can produce too much of an immune response, which could result in hyperinflammation and could also lead to death.
The FT reported the number of patients requiring hospitalizations in Europe has also risen at a slower rate. The report said some scientists have speculated the virus could be mutating into a less virulent infection. There is also a possibility that those becoming infected may be receiving lower doses of the virus due to social distancing and mask-wearing.
Reuters reported on Saturday that Europe diagnosed 200,000 daily infections last week, which broke a record. Europe has seen 250,000 deaths and about eight million confirmed cases.
New York University released a study last week that seemed to support the Financial Times’ analysis. Researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine reported they suspected that health care advancements have played a role in stabilizing the numbers.
“Our findings suggest that while COVID-19 remains a terrible disease, our efforts to improve treatment are probably working,” says study lead author Dr. Leora Horwitz, Associate Professor in the Department of Population Health at NYU Langone Health. “Even in the absence of a silver-bullet treatment or vaccine, we are protecting more of our patients through a host of small changes,” says Dr. Horwitz, who is also Director of the Center for Healthcare Innovation and Delivery Science at NYU Langone.
The study reported that “a younger, healthier group of people were getting infected and were arriving at the hospital with less severe symptoms than those infected in the spring.”
