To date, there is no specific medicine recommended to prevent or treat the new coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.

However, those infected with the virus should receive appropriate care to relieve and treat symptoms, and those with severe illness should receive optimized supportive care. Some specific treatments are under investigation and would be started under medical supervision and care.

到目前为止，还没有特别推荐的药物来预防或治疗这种新型冠状病毒，也被称为COVID-19。

然而，那些感染病毒的人应该接受适当的治疗以缓解和治疗症状，而那些患有严重疾病的人应该得到最佳的支持性治疗。一些具体的治疗正在研究中，并将在医疗监督和护理下展開。

No, antibiotics do not work against viruses, but they work on bacteria.

COVID-19 is a virus and, therefore, antibiotics should not be used as a means of prevention or treatment. However, if you are hospitalized for the COVID-19, you may receive antibiotics because a concurrent bacterial infection is possible whilst having COVID-19.

不，抗生素对病毒无效，但对细菌有效。

COVID-19是一种病毒，因此，不应将抗生素用作预防或治疗手段。然而，如果你因为COVID-19而住院，你可能会接受抗生素治疗，因为同时感染细菌是可能的。

Vaccines against certain pneumonias, such as influenza, pneumococcal vaccine and Haemophilus influenza type B (Hib) vaccine, do not provide protection against the new coronavirus. However, these vaccines are important especially if you have some medical conditions that would make you vulnerable to these infections (e.g. elderly, immunocompromised patients, or some patients with certain lung or heart conditions). We are glad that some of these vaccines are covered by MOH’s National Adult Immunisation Schedule (NAIS), and you can discuss with your primary care doctor to learn more.

Find out more on how to maintain good personal hygiene and keeping our environment clean!

The Take-Home Points:

Antimalarials like chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are currently being studied for their effectiveness and safety when used to treat COVID-19. While Chloroquine may be purchased from a licenced pharmacist in Singapore for the prevention of malaria, we do not recommend self-medication for treatment of COVID-19 without proper medical assessment and evaluation. If you suspect that you could have COVID-19 infection or experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, seek medical attention immediately.

关键点:

抗疟疾药（如氯喹和羟基氯喹chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine）目前正用於治疗COVID-19时有效性和安全性的研究。虽然可以从本国药剤师那里购买氯喹来预防疟疾，但我们並不建议您在没有适当医生检验的情况下自行用药治疗COVID-19。如果您怀疑自己可能感染了COVID-19或出现了相关症状，请立即就医。

There is currently no specific study published that addresses this specific question. 

However, there is a wealth of data from various studies on washing with soap (with or without antibacterial agents) on other microbes to suggest that the act of washing with soap and water is an effective measure to reduce contamination and aid infection prevention strategies to stay well.

Of notable mention, one study evaluated the efficacy of soap and water versus alcohol-based hand-rub preparations against live H1N1 influenza virus on the hands of human volunteers. It found that both methods were highly effective in reducing influenza A virus on human hands. In the study, the soap used was with a non-medicated liquid soap (pH-balanced, with emollient and moisturiser, but not containing sodium lauryl sulfate, instead contains other surfactants), which was found to be effective in reducing viral load from the hands after washing for 40 seconds.

Using soap to wash hands is more effective than using water alone, and is postulated because the surfactants in soap lift soil and microbes from skin, and people tend to scrub hands more thoroughly when using soap, which further removes germs.

Thus from the above information, it would be expected that use of such cleansers should still work, esp. for selective individuals with eczema or sensitive dry hands, where frequent hand-washing may increase existing irritation and compromise the skin barrier. The WHO 20-second hand washing technique should be used regardless of the type of soap for effective cleaning.

For a comprehensive guide on how to order your medications from home through the various institutions, you may click the link below.

Guide on how to order your medications from home

Mandarin Version

Acknowledgements:

PSS Public Education Chapter;

Victoria Chor Jia Min

An exclusive supplementary bulletin on what goes behind the scene in the pharmacies that are at the forefront in the COVID-19 Pandemic. Kudos to our pharmacists and pharmacy technicians working tirelessly to ensure that everything is still business as usual for our patients and fellow healthcare workers.

Take home message

Supplements work best if a person has a specific deficiency or need. If you are unsure whether you require a supplement, always speak to your doctor or pharmacist.

Currently there are no supplements that have been proven to treat or prevent COVID-19 infections. In this article, we will discuss some commonly used supplements that are marketed to have immune boosting effects and their presumed effects on common respiratory infections (eg common cold, influenza and pneumonia).

1 – Vitamin C

Several clip-on devices have been marketed to have protective effects against viruses and bacteria. They claim to release chlorine dioxide and reach concentrations around 0.017 ppm (parts per million)  to create a protective barrier for the user, although the exact mechanism of this release is not specified.

We are pleased to announce that at the 118th Annual General Meeting of the Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore (PSS) held on 23rd March 2024 (Saturday), the following office bearers were elected for the term 2024/2025.