The COVID Advisor

A company is recalling hand sanitizer and aloe gel across the United States because it contains a highly poisonous substance that can pose a serious risk for consumers, according to a notice published on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) website . The recall affects 40 lots of Aruba Aloe Hand Sanitizer Gel Alcohol 80 percent and Aruba Aloe Alcoholada Gel because they contain substantial amounts of methanol, the FDA-backed notice said. It offered a risk statement saying that “substantial methanol exposure” can lead to a range of serious health issues such as death, coma, seizures, permanent blindness, permanent nervous system damage, blurred vision, vomiting, nausea, and other symptoms. “All persons using these products on their hands are at risk,” said the notice, but it especially issued caution for “young children who accidently ingest these products and adolescents, and adults who drink these products as an alcohol (ethanol) substitute are most at risk for methanol poiso...

Do nasal sprays actually work against COVID-19? There has been quite a lot of activities in the COVID nasal spray space. Below, we look at some of the best nasal sprays for COVID-19 and summaries of the rationale and evidence for each category. Do note that some of them are available as an over-the-counter medication but some are still under clinical trial stage. Best Nasal Sprays for COVID-19 There are lots of great nasal sprays out there, and this list is by no means complete. We’ve included nasal sprays with proven anti-COVID-19 ingredient, you can buy over the counter or online. 1. Povidone   Iodine Nasal Spray   and COVID-19 Povidone iodine (PVP-I) is an antiseptic that has been used for over 150 years. The antiseptic has immediate virucidal effects against COVID-19 virus. Do we have any evidence that povidone iodine is effective against COVID-19? ...

Hospitalized COVID-19 patients who took spirulina had a lower risk of death than those who did not, according to the results of a randomized controlled trial recently published in Frontiers in Immunology. Study participants took spirulina for six days. No deaths were recorded in the spirulina group, while 15 percent of those who only received standard treatment died. “The overall results of the present study showed that a six-day course of Spirulina platensis plus the standard treatment of COVID-19 was superior in the recovery of patients compared to standard treatment alone,” the authors wrote. The study was conducted at two Iranian hospitals, where 189 patients were randomized to take 15.2 grams of spirulina capsules alongside standard COVID-19 treatment or only receive standard treatment. Previous research showed that this dosage of spirulina would provide potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects. In both the experimental and control groups, half of the patients were in t...