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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (May 27, 2020)
18 Wednesday, May 27, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Worship... The Nugget Newspaper Crossword By Jacqueline E. Mathews, Tribune News Service PHOTO BY CONRAD WEILER Chapel in the Pines in Camp Sherman hosted Sunday services last weekend with the congregation scattered among pews and out onto the deck to observe physical distancing protocols. Virtually all in attendance wore masks. — Last Week’s Puzzle Solved — OHA to distribute Remdesivir to hospitals Oregon has received its first shipments of Remdesivir, an experimental drug that has been used to treat patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19. On May 12 and May 15, Oregon received allotments of the drug, which has not been formally approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but is being used under a feder- ally issued Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). The EUA allows health professionals to use the drug to treat some severely ill COVID-19 patients who meet clinical criteria. Remdesivir was developed by Gilead Sciences Inc. and has been tested in patients with various diseases, such as Ebola, Middle East respira- tory syndrome (MERS) and severe acute respiratory syn- drome (SARS). According to Gilead9s website, <it is not known if Remdesivir is safe and effective for the treatment of COVID-19.= Preliminary clinical test- ing by the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease shows that some patients treated with the drug experienced faster recoveries. <The Oregon Health Authority is committed to distributing Oregon9s allot- ment of Remdesivir to Oregon hospitals for the treat- ment of patients with severe COVID-19 in accordance with the FDA9s Emergency Use Authorization,= said Dr. Dana Hargunani, chief medical officer. <Because of the experimental nature of the drug, shared decision- making between patients and providers is paramount, and informed consent must be obtained prior to its use.= Preliminary results, released in April, showed that individuals with advanced lung disease who received the drug recovered 31 per- cent faster than patients who did not. The study included 1,063 patients. Differences in the mortality rate were not statistically significant. Full study results have not been published. Providence St. Vincent and Providence Portland medical centers have been approved for clinical trials of the drug. More than 30 patients have been tested. <Clinical observation by providers across the board has been that overall clinical improvement and in particu- lar fever resolution, is sped up by the drug9s administration. It has varied by the stage of the patients9 degree of illness at time of presentation. Those findings were confirmed in the recent preliminary data release by Gilead last week 4 patients were able to discharge four to five days sooner with drug therapy.= said Dr. Tobias Pusch, an infectious disease physician at Providence. The allotments received by OHA included enough Remdesivir for 80 patients to receive a 10-day treatment course. As of May 16, this is enough to treat all currently hospitalized COVID-19 patients who meet eligibil- ity criteria. OHA anticipates additional allotments in the future, although the amount and timing are not known. The drug will be distrib- uted to hospitals immediately upon notification of an eli- gible patient and under speci- fied terms of the EUA. This Week’s Crossword Sponsors When the going gets tough, even the tough call us. Banr Enterprises, llc Consult | Construct | Complete Earthwork • Utilities • Grading • Rock Walls • Snow Removal Residential and Commercial Contractor CCB: 165122 www.banr.net | 541-549-6977 Greg Wieland L.Ac. Practicing since 1989 352 E. Hood Ave., Ste. E Sisters Acupuncture Center 541-549-1523