Vademecum for the treatment of people with COVID-19. Edition 2.0, 13 March 2020

Abstract

The spread of COVID-19 epidemic in Italy, and particularly in Lombardy determined the need to standardize the therapeutic approach in order to offer the same indications for all hospitals in Lombardy. However, no specific drug has been previously approved for the COVID-19 treatment. The Lombardy Section of the Italian Society of Infectious and Tropical Diseases provided this «vademecum» with the aim to explore the current evidence about the drugs likely to be efficacious in the treatment of COVID-19. Moreover, a multidisciplinary group including critical care specialists has been created in order to provide indications about supporting measures and the use of steroids. A new grading scale has been proposed to help patients' stratification according to the severity of the respiratory conditions. Lastly, a collaborating group with immunologists and rheumatologists has been built with the aim of providing some guidance about the use of tocilizumab, a promising option for the treatment of the hyperinflammatory state occurring in most patients affected by COVID-19.