AIIMS begins research to treat Covid-19 through radiation therapy

All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has started a research to reduce the effect of pneumonia in coronavirus Covid-19 patient through radiation therapy. This will help in the treatment of corona patients.

Dr. DN Sharma, head of the Radiation Oncology Department of AIIMS and Principal Investigator of this research project, said that two corona patients on oxygen support were given radiation therapy on Saturday. Dr. Sharma said that both these corona patients are over 50 years of age. These corona patients were previously being given oxygen support, but now oxygen support has been lifted.

He said that high dose of radiation therapy is usually given for the treatment of cancer, but these corona patients were given low dose radiation therapy. Dr. Sharma said that there was no negative effect of radiation therapy on these corona patients. According to Dr. Sharma, when antibiotics were not available, radiation therapy was used in the treatment of pneumonia until the 1940s. He informed that under the pilot project and 8 corona patients will be treated with radiation therapy. The results that follow will be analyzed.