Mehrin Karim

World Health Organization approved two new Covid-19 treatments, adding to the arsenal of tools, including vaccines, to prevent severe illness and death from the virus.The announcement comes as Omicron cases flood hospitals worldwide, with the WHO predicting that half of Europe will be infected by March.In their recommendation published in the British medical journal the BMJ, WHO experts stated that using the arthritis drug baricitinib in conjunction with corticosteroids to treat severe or critical Covid patients resulted in improved survival rates and a reduction in the need for ventilators.Experts also recommended Sotrovimab, a synthetic antibody treatment, for people with non-serious Covid who are at high risk of hospitalization, such as the elderly, people with immunodeficiencies, or people with chronic diseases such as diabetes. According to an AFP ,the coronavirus has killed at least 5,540,918 people worldwide since the outbreak in China in December 2019.China suspended dozens of international flights in response to a global surge in Omicron cases, while Shanghai restricted tourist activity in an effort to prevent rise in local Covid-19 infections. Meanwhile, British researchers said that while young children are more likely to be hospitalized than older children, the cases are mild, and the overall picture is reassuring.