Dexamethasone reduced deaths by one-third in ventilated patients and one-fifth in other patients who only received oxygen.

Results of the RECOVERY trial have shown that dexamethasone decreased COVID-19 deaths by one-third in severely ill patients.

Results of the RECOVERY trial have shown that dexamethasone decreased COVID-19 deaths by one-third in severely ill patients.In a recovery trial that was launched in March 2020, Oxford University scientists randomly allocated dexamethasone to a total of 2104 patients who were hospitalized due to Covid-19. During this trial, 2104 patients were administered with 6 mg dexamethasone once in a day for ten days, and the results were compared with 4321 patients who received standard care for coronavirus infection. In the trial, the drug showed that it cut deaths by about one-third in patients who were on ventilators.

The effect of dexamethasone was most striking among critically ill patients on ventilators. Those who were receiving oxygen therapy but were not on ventilators also saw improvement; their risk of dying was reduced by 20%. Though, the steroid had no effect on people with less severe cases of COVID-19, as in those not receiving oxygen or ventilation. The World Health Organization has recognized the trial and its first-of-its-kind results.

The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19 including symptoms, prevention and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organisation or your national healthcare authority.