Treat COVID-19 Patients With Regadenoson

More than 17 million people have been infected and more than 677K lives have been lost since the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, there is neither an effective treatment nor is there a vaccination for this deadly virus. The moderate to severe COVID-19 patients suffer acute lung injury and need oxygen therapy, and even ventilators, to help them breathe. When a person gets a viral infection, certain body cells (inflammatory/immune cells) get activated and release a wide range of small molecules, also known as cytokines, to help combat the virus. But it is possible for the body to overreact to the virus and release an overabundance of cytokines, forming what is known as a "cytokine storm". When a cytokine storm is formed, these cytokines cause more damage to their own cells than to the invading COVID-19 that they're trying to fight. Recently, doctors and research scientists are becoming increasingly convinced that, in some cases, this is likely what is happening in the moderate to severe COVID-19 patients. The cytokine storm may be contributing to respiratory failure, which is the leading cause of mortality for severe COVID-19 patients. Therefore, being able to control the formation of cytokine storms will also help alleviate the symptoms and aid in the recovery of severe COVID-19 patients.