Coronavirus Patient Recovers After Being Treated With HIV Drug | 22 Words

The coronavirus has brought the entire world to a standstill.

It has been spreading at an alarming rate since it was first discovered in China, and thousands of people all around the world have now died from the deadly virus.

But amidst the panic and chaos, one patient who was infected with the virus has now fully recovered after been given a HIV drug.

Keep scrolling to find out more...

We are currently in the midst of a medical crisis.

via: Getty Images

 Originating from the Chinese city of Wuhan, a deadly virus known as the coronavirus has been rapidly spreading across the globe.

But what exactly is the coronavirus?

via: Getty Images

 Reuters gave a short guide to what it is exactly... "Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that get their name from what they look like under a microscope - they are spherical and their surfaces are covered with "crown"-like spikes."

So far, the symptoms have proven to be deadly.

via: Getty

 "Coronavirus infections have a wide range of symptoms, including fever, coughing, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. Severe cases can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and death."

A lot of people have now died from the virus...

via: Getty Images

 It has been confirmed by Worldometer that 3,310 people have now died globally, with the majority being in mainland China. A further 96,947 have been found to carry the virus and be infected.

Things are only getting worse...

via: Getty Images

 The virus continues to rapidly spread, and traces of the disease have already been discovered and confirmed in many other countries including here in America, the U.K, Italy, Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, and Japan.

The United Nations have declared a global emergency.

via: Getty Images

 The World Health Organization declared an emergency in January and called on all countries to take urgent measures to contain the respiratory disease.

And everyone has been asking the same thing...

via: Getty

 What is it that's causing this deadly virus?

There are many theories...

But it is widely believed that the sale of meat from wild animals is the prime cause of the coronavirus.

Bats are believed to be one of the main culprits...

via: Getty

 Strains of the virus have been discovered in bats in the past and, with them being a delicacy in some areas of China, they are believed to be one of the primary causes.

But regardless of where it comes from, the virus can be spread quickly and easily...

via: Getty

 And the World Health Organization has warned that it can be spread by simply coughing, kissing or making contact with saliva.

Scientists have been working tirelessly in a bid to find a vaccine...

via: Getty Images

 But despite generous donations made to the cause, they have so far had no luck.

People all around the world are panicking.

via: Getty Images

 It's a dire situation.

And many are going to extreme lengths to protect themselves.

via: Getty Images

 People have been spotted donning face masks and various other items of clothing and materials in airports in a desperate bid to avoid the virus.

And last month, the panic peaked when the head of Wuhan Hospital, the city known for being at the center of the crisis, tragically died.

He is the first hospital director to die from contracting the deadly virus.

His death was confirmed by People's Daily, the official newspaper of China's Communist Party.

This is utterly devastating news.

Because the virus continues to spread across the globe like wildfire...

via: Getty

 And it's showing no signs of slowing down.

As stated earlier, the coronavirus has infected numerous different countries now...

via: Getty

 And the United States is now one of them.

The number of cases here in America is rising...

via: Getty

 So far, eighty-eight people have been confirmed to have been infected with the virus, and 2 have reportedly died.

And the disease is only expected to continue spreading...

via: Getty

 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday that it expects the coronavirus to spread in the United States and has asked Americans to prepare for when the virus hits, not if, CNN reported.

Preparations are underway...

via: Getty

 And hospitals across the country are bracing themselves for an influx of infected patients.

And for San Francisco, conditions have been deemed as too dire...

via: Getty

 As they have become the first U.S. city to declare an official state of emergency... Despite not having any confirmed cases of the virus.

Declaring an emergency will enable the county to stock up on medical supplies and facilities...

via: Getty

 And will allow nurses and doctors to prepare for a possible influx of patients.

And the first case of the virus was officially confirmed in New York last week...

via: Getty

 Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo confirmed New York State’s first case of the coronavirus on Sunday, saying that a woman contracted the virus while visiting Iran, and is now back in the city isolated in her home.

It's safe to say that the pressure is most certainly building on researchers...

via: Getty Images

 And their tireless work to find a cure has now been going on for months.

There has been little success...

via: Getty Images

 Until now.

A reliable treatment has been discovered...

via: Getty Images

 Reports have just come in that a patient who was infected with the virus has been successfully treated in Spain.

The sixty-two-year-old man has been completely cleared of the virus, apparently...

via: Getty Images

 Miguel Angel Benitez - who became the country's first case last month - is said to have made a full recovery at the Virgen del Rocio Hospital in Seville.

Miguel was treated with the antiretroviral drug lopinavir-ritonavir, sold under the brand name Kaletra...

via: Getty Images

 And this drug has been used to successfully treat HIV patients for over a decade now.

They come in a tablet form...

via: Getty Images

And the tablets, known as protease inhibitor drugs, work by preventing the virus from multiplying in the blood - the coronavirus becomes deadly when it is allowed to rapidly multiply in the lungs, kill off cells and cause pneumonia.

Of course, medics tried other drugs on Miguel during his treatment...

via: Getty Images

 He was also injected with beta interferons, proteins that stop reduce inflammation and are used to treat MS sufferers.

Experts have found similarities between the coronavirus strains and HIV....

via: Getty Images

Head of infectious diseases at Madrid’s Ramon y Cajal Hospital, Santiago Moreno, said the coronavirus was "very similar to HIV."

He added, "This enzyme is essential for the virus to replicate. The combination of lopinavir and ritonavir inhibits and blocks HIV. The results that we have so far regarding its use against coronaviruses are encouraging."

However, caution has been urged following Miguel's recovery...

via: Getty Images

 Spanish scientists have said that just because the drug successfully treated Miguel, doesn't mean it will treat others.

Further updates are expected...

via: Getty Images

 So make sure to stay posted.