[ti:WHO ‘Welcomes’ Results of COVID-19 Drug Trial] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]The World Health Organization (WHO) says it welcomes early results [00:04.64]of a human trial of the drug dexamethasone to treat COVID-19 disease. [00:12.44]Researchers in Britain announced Tuesday that their study shows [00:17.36]dexamethasone cut death rates by around a third [00:21.44]among patients with the most severe cases of COVID-19. [00:28.00]Dexamethasone has been in use since the 1960s [00:32.48]to reduce swelling caused by diseases such as arthritis. [00:39.12]"This is the first treatment to be shown to reduce mortality [00:43.84]in patients with COVID-19 requiring oxygen or ventilator support," [00:49.64]WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement on Tuesday. [00:58.04]The United Nations health agency also said it was looking forward [01:03.48]to the full findings of the British trial. [01:08.00]The WHO said the additional information [01:11.56]could lead it to change its COVID-19 treatment guidelines. [01:17.88]The University of Oxford is leading the study. [01:22.28]It compared the results of treatment given to 2,104 patients who took the drug [01:29.20]and 4,321 who received only usual care. [01:36.48]After four weeks, deaths dropped by 35 percent [01:41.08]in dexamethasone-treated patients who required ventilators. [01:46.84]The patient group that needed oxygen but not ventilators [01:51.00]showed a 20 percent drop in death rate after treatment with the drug. [01:57.40]The incomplete results showed dexamethasone [02:00.76]did not help patients who had less severe cases of COVID-19. [02:07.28]The researchers said the findings suggest doctors should use the drug immediately [02:13.60]as usual treatment for severely sick patients. [02:19.00]British Prime Minster Boris Johnson called the study a "major breakthrough." [02:25.84]His government immediately approved the use of dexamethasone [02:30.28]for coronavirus patients in Britain. [02:34.12]South Korea's top health official, however, [02:37.40]expressed concern about the use of the medicine for COVID-19 patients. [02:43.32]She argued that some experts believe that the drug [02:47.28]can weaken the body's natural defense system and produce undesirable changes. [02:54.80]Other scientists are also calling for more detailed information about the study. [03:02.04]Dr. Kathryn Hibbert is director of the medical intensive care division [03:06.76]at the Harvard University-linked Massachusetts General Hospital. [03:12.40]She said, "We have been burned before, not just during the coronavirus pandemic [03:18.44]but even pre-COVID, with exciting results [03:21.68]that when we have access to the data are not as convincing." [03:27.40]Earlier in June, two respected medical publications, [03:31.68]Lancet and the New England Journal of Medicine, [03:34.68]withdrew published studies about experimental COVID-19 treatments. [03:41.68]The data in both were said to be incorrect. [03:46.72]However, the top American infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, [03:52.60]praised the incomplete trial findings on dexamethasone, [03:57.04]as a substantial improvement in available treatments. [04:02.12]The good news comes as coronavirus infections [04:05.56]have again increased in China and some areas in the United States. [04:12.16]On Wednesday, officials in Beijing increased the city's emergency warning [04:17.96]to just under the highest level. [04:21.80]Officials canceled more than 60 percent of flights to Beijing, suspended its reopening plan, [04:29.36]closed schools and strengthened social distancing measures. [04:35.84]The United States has recorded more than 2.1 million cases of COVID-19 [04:41.68]and 117,000 deaths from the disease. [04:46.64]Both numbers are the highest of any country where the disease has spread. [04:53.32]As New York and California experience a decrease in COVID-19 cases, [04:59.56]other states including Arizona, Texas and Florida [05:04.52]are reporting daily increases of new coronavirus infections. [05:10.76]Texas Governor Gregg Abbott said of the situation: [05:14.36]"It does raise concerns, but there is no reason right now to be alarmed." [05:20.84]Abbott noted that the increase might come from Texans [05:24.64]that do not use face coverings [05:27.16]or employ social distancing measures. [05:30.80]I'm Jonathan Evans. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM