The Drug You Have At Home That Can Prevent You From Infection

The news comes from Israel: taking low doses of aspirin —75 mg— could reduce the risk of coronavirus infection. A study carried out by researchers at the Bar-Ilan University, in Israel, claims that those who take this drug reduce by 29% the risk of contracting cardiovascular diseases; which would be directly related to the risk of COVID-19 infection. The article, published in the FEBS Journal, is based on the analysis of data from 10,477 people who had taken the coronavirus test during the first wave in Israel, that is, from February 1, 2020, to June 30, 2020.

In this time interval, the researchers were able to observe that the proportion of patients treated with aspirin was ostensibly lower among people with coronavirus than among those who had not been infected. And from this relationship a conclusion was drawn: aspirin could reduce the risk of coronavirus infection.

A preliminary observation

Is this an optimistic observation? Yes, but it is also very preliminary. In fact, the same report from Bar-Ilan University stresses that no firm conclusions can yet be drawn from the study, although they are hopeful that it could go much further.  "This observation of the possible beneficial effect of low-doses of aspirin on COVID-19 infection is preliminary but seems very promising," they explain.

Extreme caution with COVID-19

But the truth is that the evidence on the effect of aspirin on coronavirus is very remote. The authorities state that if you have been in contact with a person who has contracted coronavirus, you should do the following:

- Call your reference health care professional or a COVID-19 hotline to find out where and when you can get tested.
- If you cannot get tested, you should not leave the house for 14 days.
- While you are in quarantine, do not go to work, school, or public places. Ask someone to bring supplies for you.
- You should keep at least 1 meter away from other people, including family members; constant hand washing and regular ventilation of your room is also important.
- Wear a surgical mask  to protect others, also in case you need to seek medical attention.
- Be  psychologically well and stay active.

[This is a translation of the original article "Mira en tus armarios: El producto que tienes en casa y puede evitar que te contagies" published in espanadiario.net]