The six WYAAT trusts are amongst more than 130 NHS hospital trusts in the UK taking part in the national RECOVERY trial to find a cure for Covid-19.

The University of Oxford's ground-breaking study, which is the world’s largest randomised clinical trial of potential coronavirus treatments, is now well underway in the UK and is being supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

To date, a total of 389 participants from across WYAAT have been recruited to take part in the trial.

A number of treatments are currently being tested on randomised patients:

• Lopinavir-Ritonavir, commonly used to treat HIV;
• Dexamethasone, a type of steroid use in a range of conditions to reduce inflammation; and
• Hydroxychloroquine, a treatment for malaria.

The drug Dexamethasone has already been found to significantly reduce the risk of death from coronavirus for seriously ill patients who are being treated with a ventilator or are on oxygen. It is now recommended it is used across the country as standard care for high risk hospitalised patients with the virus. The drug however does not appear to help people with milder symptoms of coronavirus who do not need help with their breathing, and so trials will continue to find a suitable drug for these patients.