Coronavirus ICU patient with Down syndrome makes miracle recovery after getting new wonder drug
A seriously-ill coronavirus patient with Down syndrome beat the potentially deadly illness with the help of a newly-approved treatment drug. Maria Hernandez, from Isaaquah, Washington, rallied after being given anti-viral drug Remdesivir, which was officially approved as an emergency Covid-19 treatment earlier this week.
Maria was rushed to hospital on April 5 after her mom Michel Dill found her laying on their bathroom floor struggling to breathe with lips that had turned purple. Her condition rapidly worsened, and she was moved to intensive care. Michel and her husband Mark – who both also tested positive for Covid-19 – were barred from seeing their stricken daughter.
Maria failed to respond to another treatment – anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine – with Michel fearing the worst when doctors calling to say her daughter was a perfect patient to try Remdesivir, which was then still in its testing phase.
Michel told Fox12: ‘(The doctor) was excited because they were just approving a new trial, and that my daughter was the perfect candidate to be part of that trial.
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‘It worked perfectly for her. (In) less than 24 hours, she started improving.’ Maria continued to rally, and spent a further eight days in hospital before being allowed back home on April 13. She has now made a full recovery from the illness, with her mom also clearing the virus without major health complications.
While having Down syndrome does not automatically put coronavirus patients at higher risk of complications, they are more likely to have other underlying conditions that increase the risk of potentially-serious complications.
White House immunologist Dr Anthony Fauci said worldwide trials showed Remdesivir sped up recovery time for Covid-19 patients from an average of 15 days to an average of 11 days. Coronavirus patients given the Gilead treatment are also slightly less likely to die.
The drug, originally manufactured as a potential Ebola treatment, is not a cure, and cannot prevent a person from contracting coronavirus, with efforts continuing to try and find a vaccine that can immunize against it.
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