(CNN) – Thailand has just discharged the sixth patient affected by coronavirus [Bangkok Post] making it the most successful country to cure the virus to date. Australia, Hong Kong, and China are making significant progress in producing vaccines, but Thailand has been able to cure coronavirus with unorthodox methods.
Rajavithi Hospital in Bangkok created a new mixture of medicine by combining the anti-flu medication oseltamivir and HIV medicines lopinavir and ritonavir.
The mixture was used to treat six patients so far in Thailand, the second most affected country from the coronavirus outside of China, just behind Japan.
Japan reported 20 confirmed cases of coronavirus [The Japan Times] and official data showed Japan is one of the most popular tourist destinations for residents in areas heavily affected by coronavirus such as Wuhan.
Efforts From Thailand Is Key In Preventing Bigger Coronavirus Outbreak
Researchers at Hong Kong University (HKU) have reportedly found a vaccine for coronavirus [SCMP]. However, it may take a year to be shipped out following rigorous testing.
Various tests have to be carried out on animals and eventually to real cases of coronavirus before it can be applied at a wider capacity.
According to a study released by the team of professor Gabriel Leung at HKU, the coronavirus outbreak is set to double in 6.4 days [[The Lancet Journal].
If the outbreak reaches its peak at April or May as anticipated by Leung’s team, it could potentially result in more than 100,000 confirmed cases based on the current rate of expansion.
If the unorthodox methods of Thailand’s Rajavithi Hospital are working and the unique mixture of medicine is proving to efficient, it could be a breakthrough in better containing coronavirus.
Thailand is an unlikely place for such a cure to emerge from because over the past two weeks, the three countries that were able to replicate coronavirus for lab testing were Australia, China, and Hong Kong.
The success of Thailand indicates that with extreme cases of pandemic and medical emergencies, unconventional methods can become efficient.