Is the recent small study combining azithromycin with hydroxychloroquine in treating coronavirus COVID-19 accurate in reflecting significant clinical benefit due to both anti-inflammatory and antiviral replication activities? Will this be a valuable adjunct in reducing the impact of the pandemic?

There will be benefits from using these medications, and that is reflected in the study. There needs to be a large-scale clinical trial done to better define the efficacy, particularly with respect to clinical severity and the factors caused by aging and pre‑existing conditions. But there are benefits from these agents, and anything of value is a help under these conditions. Anything that will shift severity to a lesser degree will preserve life, reduce long-term tissue damage, and give people hope. It will free up hospital beds that much sooner, and reduce the need for intensive care and respirator support, and that will be a blessing as well in areas where the epidemic is raging and medical help severely overburdened.