Control of COVID-19

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Martin L. Nelwan, PhD
Nelwan Institution for Human Resource Development
Department of Animal Science – Other

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Jl. A. Yani No. 24, Palu 94111, INDONESIA
E-mail: mlnelwan2@gmail.com

Abstract

Objectives: In this study, the author reports the progress in a study of COVID-19 focused on

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SARS-CoV-2, diagnosis of COVID-19, prevention and treatment of COVID-19 as objectives of

this study.

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Study design: Prevention and treatment of COVID-19 via diagnosis, vaccines, Curcuma longa

and drugs as remdesivir.

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Methods: The author searched Google, ScienceDirect, and the PubMed Database at National
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Center for Biotechnology (NCBI) for articles on COVID-19. Articles consisted of unrestrictive

open access, non-commercial open access, and in English. Other relevant publications were also

included.
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Results: SARS-CoV-2 causes COVID-19. This disease has spread all over the world. Diagnosis
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tools of COVID-19 can include such as nanopore sequencing and real time quantitative (qRT-

PCR). Vaccines can include such as Moderna and Pfizer products. Current promising drugs of

COVID-19 are Curcuma longa (turmeric) and remdesivir. Curcuma longa alone may prevent
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COVID-19. Other drugs may be chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine, dexamethasone, and

lopinavir/ritonavir. For treatment, Curcuma longa can be taken along with remdesivir or other
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drugs such as dexamethasone.

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This preprint research paper has not been peer reviewed. Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3748111
 Conclusions: COVID-19 is caused by SARS-CoV-2. To detect this disease, RT-PCR, for

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instance, can be used. Vaccines are such as Pfizer product. Drugs of COVID-19 include

Curcuma longa, remdesivir, and dexamethasone.

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Keywords: COVID-19, hydroxychloquine, remdesivir, turmeric, SARS-CoV-2, vaccines

Introduction

Abbreviation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronovirus 2 is SARS-CoV-2. It

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causes coronovirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). China detected SARS-CoV-2 in December 2019

in Wuhan; China.1 This disease has infected as many as 65,870,030 million people and caused

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1,523,583 million people deaths within a year.2

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Several diagnosis tools are available for detecting SARS-CoV-2. These include reverse-

transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)3,4 and reverse transcription loop-mediated

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isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP).3,5 In settings where diagnostic tools are unavailable, rapid

antigen detecting tests may facilitate earlier diagnosis and required action.4

Vaccines of COVID-19 are under development. These vaccine candidates include

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inactivated, live-attenuated, viral-vectored replicating and non-replicating, protein- and peptide-

based, and nucleic acid approaches.6 The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has
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approved for emergency use of Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines in the United State.7,8

The WHO has approved Pfizer BioNTech vaccine for emergency use. Plant extracts, such as
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Curcuma longa (turmeric), can help protect people from COVID-19.9 In Indonesia, National

Food and Drug Agency has approved vaccines of Moderna, Pfizer BioNTECH, and Sinovac for
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emergency uses in this country.

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This preprint research paper has not been peer reviewed. Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3748111
 Drugs of COVID-19 are also under development. These include such as remdesivir,

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chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine, dexamethasone, azithromicyn, and doxycycline.10,11

Remdesivir has finished for clinical trial. It reduces clinical recovery time.12

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In this study, the author reports the progress in a study of COVID-19 that focused on

SARS-CoV-2, diagnosis of COVI-19, Curcuma longa for protection and treatment of COVID-

19, and vaccines of COVID-19 as objectives of this study.

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Methods

The author searched Google, ScienceDirect, and the PubMed Database at National Center

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for Biotechnology (NCBI) for articles on COVID-19. Articles included unrestricted free open

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access, free open access articles for non-commercial, articles with permissions if required, and in

English. Publication dates of these articles were unrestricted. Keywords used for searches of
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articles included such as genetic of SARS-Cov-2, transmission, Curcuma longa and COVID-19,

and drugs for COVID-19.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2

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Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes COVID-19.3,5 It

belongs to the subfamily Orthocoronavirinae, in the family Coronaviridae, 6 group 2

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betacoronavirus.6,13 Several types of coronaviruses can infect humans. These include alpha

coronaviruses such as human coronavirus 229E and human coronavirus NL63, and
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betacoronaviruses such as human coronavirus-OC43, human coronavirus HKU1, SARS-CoV-1,

and human betacoronavirus 2c England-Qatar/2012.14,15

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The SARS-CoV-2 genome sequence shares about 79-82% sequence identity with SARS-

CoV and shares about 50% identity with MERS-CoV.6,1316 The spike gene of SARS-CoV-2 is
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extremely variable from SARS-CoV. It shares less than 75% nucleotide identity. Viral replicas

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 proteins form the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, nsp12 derived from ORF1b. Then, replicate

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components reorganize the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) into double-membrane vehicles

(DMVs). Double-membrane vehicles assist viral replication of genomic and sub genomic RNAs

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(sgRNA). Sub genomic RNAs are translated into accessory and viral structural proteins. Either

accessory or viral structural proteins assist formation of virus particle.13

The human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 is the common receptor SARS-CoV,

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SARS-CoV-2, and NL63. However, NL63 receptor-binding domain (RBD) has a construction

radically dissimilar from those of SARS-CoV and CoV-2. The receptor-binding domain of

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SARS-CoV-2 binds extra powerfully to the ACE2 receptor than that of SARS-CoV. Strong

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binding of SARS-CoV-2 to ACE2 receptor is a vital cause for the higher infection rate in SARS-

CoV-2 than MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV.1

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Transmission of COVID-19

Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is primarily through contact, potential route of fecal oral

and respiratory droplets. Reproductive number (RO) of SARS-CoV-2 is about 2.3 to 5.7, while
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SARS-CoV is about 3. This virus replication results in mild viremia. The maximum propagation

distance of aerosols containing SARS-CoV-2 virion is 4 meters from patients with COVID-19.
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Severe acute respiratory syndrome CoV-2 aerosols remained infectious in the tissue culture

experiments, and the infectivity decreased slightly during a three-hour observation period. The
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SARS_CoV-2 also exists in stool samples. The fecal oral routes of SARS-CoV-2 occur only on

very few patients and still need further investigations.17

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The clinical characteristic of COVID-19 can be very heterogeneous with a wide spectrum

of severity, including diseases that result in death. Asymptomatic individuals can transmit
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SARS-CoV-2 infection. Individuals more than 65 years old, individuals of all ages whose serious

This preprint research paper has not been peer reviewed. Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3748111
 underlying medical conditions, and those who are immunocompromised, have higher risk of

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serious illness and troubles of COVID-19. Death is higher in male patients who are older than

female patients.6

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The highly pathogenic SARS-CoV-2 infection causes severe ‘flu’ like symptoms. It can

progress to acute respiratory distress (ARDS), pneumonia, renal failure, and death.13 The most

common symptoms are fever, cough, and dyspnea,13,18,19 which include 83%, 82% and 31% of

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patients with COVID-19, respectively. The incubation period is about five to six days. Children

and young adults are at risk.13

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The adult group with SARS-Cov-2 infection consists of asymptomatic/pre-symptomatic,

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mild, moderate, severe, and critical. Asymptomatic/pre-symptomatic has no symptoms consistent

with COVID-19. Mild patients have a variety of signs and symptoms. These can include cough,
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diarrhea, fever, headache, loss of taste and smell, malaise, muscle pain, nausea, sore throat, and

vomiting. Moderate patients show evidence of lower respiratory during clinical assessment or

imaging and have saturation of oxygen (SpO2) ≥ 94% in room air at sea level. Severe patients
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have SpO2 ≤ 94% on room air at sea level. Finally, critical illness has respiratory failure, septic

shock, and/or multiple organ dysfunctions. Patients with co-morbidities are at higher risk of
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developing severe COVID-19. Co-morbidity can include patients 65 years or older, have

cardiovascular disease, chronic lung disease, diabetes, cancer, obesity, or chronic kidney disease,
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and are receiving immunosuppressive therapy. These patients should be closely monitored until

clinical recovery is achieved.12

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Diagnosis

Rapid and initial diagnosis of COVID-19 is the focus of treatment and control. Molecular
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tests are the basis for confirmation of COVID-19. Serological tests for SARS-CoV-2, which are

This preprint research paper has not been peer reviewed. Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3748111
 available, play a key role in recognizing the epidemiology of the virus and in recognizing

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populations at higher risk for infection. Point-of-care tests are accurate, low cost and non-

specific device requirements, portable, and rapid. These tests provide terrific help for disease

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diagnosis and detection.17

Detection techniques of SARS-CoV-2

Sequencing

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Compared with other sequencing platforms, the nanopore-sequencing technology has a

longer read length and performs direct RNA sequencing. The instrument in nanopore sequencing

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is compact. It has certain advantages in pathogen detection. For example, MinION nanopore

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sequencing could detect a variety respiratory viruses including SARS-CoV-2 within six to ten

hours (Table 1). However, the current sequencing platforms are difficult to achieve inexpensive
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and fast detection. It has not been extensively used in the prevention and control of this

epidemic.19

Droplet digital PCR

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Among the various partitioning methods, such as microwell plates and oil emulsion,

ddPCR is the method most extensively used with commercially available systems. Droplet
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digital PCR has a higher sensitivity than conventional PCR5 or qRT-PCR.17. That makes it

possible for detecting very low viral loads. For example, when pharyngeal swab samples from
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patients with COVID-19 were compared, ddPCR detected viral DNA in 64.2% of RT-PCR

negative samples.5 In addition, ddPCR is more expensive than qPCR for each test performed
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using dedicated instruments and consumables.14 This instrument identifies low level of SARS-

CoV-2 RNA. It has all the keys characteristics that would let its use to enhance and quicken
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COVID-19 diagnosis in clinical samples.21

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 Real-time quantification RT-PCR

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World Health Organization recommends a real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR)

protocols to detect SARS-CoV-2 for the confirmation test. The target genes for detecting SARS-

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CoV-2 are dissimilar in China (ORF1ab and N genes), France (RdRP1 and RdRP2 targets),

Germany (RdRP, E and N genes), Japan (pancorona and multiple targets, spike protein), United

States (N1, N2, N3 genes), and Thailand (ORF1b, N genes). The Centers for Disease Control and

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Prevention (CDC) established a RT-PCR panel for specific detection SARS-CoV-2 and universal

detection SARS-like beta-CoVs. Three sets of primers were used for detecting the N gene. One

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set of primers/probes was universally for detecting all beta-CoVs. The other two were specific

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for detecting SARS-CoV-2. All three targets must be positive for confirmation of COVID-19.

Charite, Germany developed two nucleic acid tests for detecting RdRP and E genes of SARS-
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CoV-2, SARS-CoV, and bat-like beta-CoVs. Both tests, which are positive, could enter the next

step of the test; these are the SARS-CoV-2 specific RT-PCR test and RdRP gene.17

The CRISPR technique

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Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR/Cas) systems offer a

new way to amplify analytical signal with precision down to single-nucleotide variants.
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Generally, these assays use the enzyme Cas12a (CRISPR-associated protein 12a) or Cas13a

(CRIPRS-associated protein 13a). This exploits the collateral cleavage of single-stranded DNA
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(Cas12a) or RNA (Cas13a) by these nucleases. In one method, termed SHERLOCK (specific

high-sensitivity enzyme reporter unlocking), target RNA is first amplified via reverse
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transcription recombinant polymerase amplification (RT-RPA) and the amplified DNAs is

transcribed to the target DNA. CRISPR RNA (crRNA)-Cas13a complex then binds and cleaves
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the target RNA. The complex to provide a fluorescent signal also cleaves non-target RNA probes

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 conjugated with a fluorescent dye (F) and quencher (Q) pair. Likewise, the DETECTR (DNA

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endonuclease-targeted CRISPR trans reporter) method uses the crRNA-Css12a complex to

recognize amplified DNA targets. Binding of the crRNA-Cas12a complex to the target DNA

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induces indiscriminate cleavage of the non-target FO-DNA reporter.5

The SHERLOCK technology based on Cas13 and RPA amplification was used for the

detection of SARS-CoV-2.5,17,21 This method designed a nucleic acid test strip specifically

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targeting the spike gene and ORFlab gene of SARS-CoV-2. It could achieve the detection of

SARS-Cov-2 within 1 hour, and the sensitivity was 10 to 100 copies /μL. Except, a strategy

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based on test strips that coupled Cas12 with RT-LAMP to establish a visual detection method for

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SARS-CoV-2 has been reported recently. As low as 10 copies/μL of extract RNA could be

detected within 45 minutes by the reported method.5,19

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Kumar et al.21 concluded that CRISPR-based diagnosis is point-of-care use, precise,

rapid, and simple. This tool is inexpensive in resource poor setting. It is easy to use and portable

for the diagnosis of COVID-19. The CRISPR/Cas technology as DETECTR and AIOD-CRISPR
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can be of great help for large-scale screening of affected populations. These techniques can assist

in routine surveillance and limit the spread of the virus in the community.21
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Enzyme-linked immunosorbet assay

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is a laboratory-based test with high

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sensitivity and throughput. It typically uses a multi-well plate coated with viral proteins. The

analytical sensitivity is down to picomolar (pM) ranges, and the typical assay time is two to five
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hours.5

Prevention
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This preprint research paper has not been peer reviewed. Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3748111
 Three ways are important for preventing COVID-19 (Figure 1). These include use of

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vaccines and plant extracts, Curcuma longa. The other one, which is important for preventing

this disease, includes cover mouth and nose in public with a mask, keep a distance from others,

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and wash hand often.

Vaccines

Vaccines have important a role for preventing COVID-19. The immune response to

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SARS-CoV-2 has not been completely typified. Under such conditions, predictable

computational algorithms may confirm as beneficial tools for detection of immunogenic T-cell

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and B-cell epitopes that can quicken the rational design of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine formulations.

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However, computer-based algorithms fail to recognize up to 20% of peptides presented by HLA

In addition, current vaccines have little safety data and the efficacy in preventing
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severe disease are unclear. Peer-reviewed publication should resolve these issues.20

Vaccine development is typically a lengthy process. Often it takes multiple candidates

before one is proven safe and effective. Several standard platforms, such as inactivated vaccines,
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live-attenuated vaccines, and protein subunit vaccines, are being pursued. Several novel

approaches are being investigated. These include DNA-based and RNA-based approaches,
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replicating, and non-replicating vector approaches. 13 Several vaccine candidates have completed

phase 3 trials.6 These include such as Moderna Inc (Biomedical Advanced Research and
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Development), Pfizer Inc (BioNTech SE), and Sinovac Research and Development (Table 2).1,6

Curcuma longa
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Curcumin or diferuloylmethane with chemical formula of [1,7-bis(4-hydroxy-3-

methoxyphenyl)-1,6-heptadiene-3,5-dione] and other curcuminoids compose the main

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phytochemicals of Curcuma longa L.24 Curcuma longa L. belongs to the family Zingiberacea

This preprint research paper has not been peer reviewed. Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3748111
 with common name of turmeric. It is spice both for vegetarian and non-vegetarian. It also has

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digestive properties.25 Curcuma longa is a yellow chemical compound especially on the root of

the plants. Cucurmin has such as antiAlzheimer,26 anti-ageing,27 antibacterial,11,27

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anticancer,26,28,29 and antiprozoa,27 (Table 3). Curcumin is abundant in Asian countries. It has

been used worldwide. These include China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan,

Thailand, and the United States.34

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Curcumin is available in several forms. These include capsules, cosmetics, energy drinks,

ointments, soaps, and tablets. The United States FDA has approved curcuminoids as “Generally

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Recognized As Safe” (GRAS), and good tolerability and safety profiles have been shown by

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clinical trials. It is even at doses between 4,000 and 8,000 milligrams per day and at doses up to

12,000 milligrams per day of 95% concentration of three curcuminoids: curcumin,

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demethoxycurcumin, and disbemethoxycurcumin.30

Rajagopal et al.9 concluded that from the docking study, the chemical constituents of

Curcuma longa demonstrated better arrangement at a dynamic site. The in silico structuring
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strategy embraced in their investigation helped for recognizing some lead molecules and

furthermore may somewhat clarify their useful impact for further determinations like in vitro and
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in vivo assessments.9 Consuming turmeric regularly may be a useful remedy for preventing the

COVID-19.9,36
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Dietary administration of curcumin with dose of 150 milligrams per kilogram per day

decreased the protein level of AT1 receptor and enhanced the expression of AT2 receptor/ACE2.
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It also resulted in the attenuation of myocardial fibrosis in a rat model of angiotensin II infusion.

An oral dose of curcumin up to 8,000 milligrams per day was safe, acceptable and effective in
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humans. A dose of 500 milligrams, that was taken two times a day during 30 days, is safe37 “A

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 case study” in my institution in June 2019 succeeded to treat gastritis (stomach inflammation)

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using curcumin. It was own experience. An oral dose of curcumin up to 20 grams (about as big

as a thumb), that was taken two times a day during five days (or up to a week) treated the

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disease. Blood type of the patient, who was a 61-year-old man, was type O. Blood pressure was

110/70 mmHg. He was in chronic gastritis. To treat this disease, he took turmeric mixed with

water. To prepare drug for this disease, he cleaned, peeled the curcumin, and mashed it. Then, he

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added about 300 milliliters water (1 glass) and bring to a boil until about 250 milliliters, filtered,

and drunk it. Until now, the patient continued to drink this twice a week (one glass at a time) on

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a regular basis. This dose can also be used two times a week for preventing covid-19. If infected

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with COVID-19, patients can take it two times each day for at least three days. However, this

finding still needs further investigations. Curcuma longa is anti-hypertension; but it can cause
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blood pressure to drop. In addition, Curcuma longa is anti-degenerative on eyes and anti-dengue

(Table 3).

Turmeric in combination with vaccines

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People, who have taken Curcuma longa twice a week for health need or as spices for

food preparation, can also be vaccinated with emergency vaccine(s) for COVID-19. It can help
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protecting healthy people from COVID-19. If infected, patients can take Curcuma longa two

times a day for at least three days for treating the disease. People, who have not yet taken
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Curcuma longa for daily needs, can take it two times a day for at least three days, and then take

it once a day two times a week. These findings still need further evaluations.
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Turmeric in combination with vaccines such as Pfizer BioNTECH and Sinovac can

improve immunity against SARS-CoV-2. For example, in Indonesia efficacy of Sinovac vaccine
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This preprint research paper has not been peer reviewed. Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3748111
 is about 63.5%. It suggests that consuming turmeric regularly can help improve immunity

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against COVID-19.

Treatment

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Use of drug(s) can help treatment of COVID-19 (Figure 1). Drug(s) can include such as

Curcuma longa and remdesivir. Other drugs are such as chloroquine/hydroxychloquine,9

dexamethasone,11 and litonavir/ritonavir.38 Shanmungarajan et al.32 suggested that curcumin may

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be a candidate compound for treating SARS-CoV-2. It can repair damage in lungs32 and can

prevent the development of hypertension.31. Curcuma longa can protect various organs (Table

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3).

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The United States FDA approves remdesivir for treatment of COVID-19. In patients with

severe COVID-19, remdesivir reduced the time to clinical recovery. It significantly reduced the
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time to recovery compared to placebo. Ten days versus 15 days was the median time.12

Curcumin alone may treat COVID-19. It can also be used in combination with other

drugs or candidate drugs. For example, it can be used in combination with remdesivir.
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Combination of these both drugs can accelerate the cure of COVID-19. However, this hypothesis

needs further investigations. In case of schistosomiasis, Kura et al.40 suggested that prevention
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(vaccination) in combination with mass drug administration (MDA) using praziquantel can

achieve the WHO goals for eliminating schistosomiasis.40

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Conclusions

The SARS-CoV-2 causes COVID-19 pandemic. To control COVID-19, diagnosis has an

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important role. Diagnosis techniques can include RT-PCR and SHERLOCK. Drugs for this

disease could be Curcuma longa and/or remdesivir. Both can help eliminate COVID-19. For use
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of Curcuma longa in combination with other drugs, it needs future investigations. Curcuma

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This preprint research paper has not been peer reviewed. Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3748111
 longa is safe and effective. Many countries have used Curcuma longa for daily needs. These

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countries include such as China, India, Indonesia, and the United States. Other drugs may be

such as chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine and dexamethasone. Emergency vaccines may also be

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used in combination with Curcuma longa for protecting from COVID-19.

Funding

This study received no funding from any funding agency.

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Acknowledgement

Exclusively, M. Nelwan performed research and manuscript development.

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Conflict of interest

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I hereby declare that I have no conflicts of interests regarding the content of this article.

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International 2014 April 29; 2014(186864), 12 pages. doi:10.1155/2014/186864.

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25. Gupta A, Mahajan S, Sharma R. Evaluation of antimicrobial activity of Curcuma longa

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rhizome extract against Staphylococcus aureus. Biotechnology Reports 2015 Feb 18; 6: 51—

55. doi:10.106/j.btre.2015.02.001
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26. Valizadeh H, Abdolmuhammadi-Vahid S, Danshina S, Gencer MZ, Ammari A, Sadeghi A,

Roshangar R, Aslani S, Esmailzadeh A, Ghaebi M, et al. Nano-curcumin therapy, a

promising method in modulating inflammatory cytokines in COVID-19 patients.

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International Immunopharmacology 2020 Otc 8; 89: 107088.

doi:10.1016/j.intimp.2020.107088.
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27. Marbawati D, Umiyati SR. Effects of curcumin and pentagamavunon-0 against dengue virus

infection in vero cells; an in vitro study. Procedia Environmental Sciences 2015; 23: 215—
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221. doi:10.1016/j.proenv.2015.01.033.

28. Kali A, Bhuvaneshwar D, Charles PMV, Seetha KS. Antibacterial synergy of curcumin with
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antibiotics against biofilm producing clinical bacterial isolates. Journal of Basicand Clinical

Pharmacy 2016; 7: 93—96. doi:10.4103/0976.183265.

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 29. Bielak-Zmijewska A, Gabrowska W, Ciolko A, Bojko A, Mosieniak G, Bijoch L, Sikora E.

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The role of curcumin in the modulation of ageing. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019 March 12; 20: 1239.

doi:10.3390/ijms20051239.

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30. Hewlings SJ, Kalman DS. Curcumin: a review of its’ effects on human health. Foods 2017

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31. Shanmugarajan D, Prabitha P, Kumar BRP, Suresh B. Curcumin to inhibit binding of spike

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to explore curcuminoids against novel SARS-CoV-2 targets. RSC Avd. 2020 Aug 8; 10:

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exerts its anti-hypertensive effect by down-regulating the AT1 receptor in vascular smooth
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muscle cells. Scientific Reports 2016 May 5; 6: 25579. doi:10.1038/srep25579.

33. Morais ER, Oliveira KC, Magalhães LG, Moreira ÉBC, Verjovski-Almeida S, Rodrigues V.

Effects of curcumin on the parasite Schistosoma mansoni: a transcriptomic approach.

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doi:10.1016/j.molbiopara.2012.11.006.
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34. Wang N-P, Wang Z-F, Tootle S, Philip T, Zhao Z-Q. Curcumin promotes cardiac repair and

ameliorates cardiac dysfunction following myocardial infarction. British Journal of

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Pharmacology 2012 July 14; 167: 1550—1562. doi:10.1111/j.1476-5381.2012.02109.x.

35. Huang K, Shi C-M, Min J-Q, Li L, Zhu T, Yu H, Deng H. Study on the mechanism of
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curcumin regulating lung injury induced by outdoor fine particulate matter (PM2.5).

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 36. Soni VK, Mehta A, Ratre YK, Tiwari AK, Amit A, Singh RP, Sonkar SC, Chaturvedi N,

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Shukla D, Vishvakarma NK. Curcumin, a traditional spice component, can hold the promise

against COVID-19? European Journal of Pharmacology 2020 Sep 12; 886: 173551.

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treatment optionagainst COVID-19. Food Sci Nutr. 2020 Aug 11; 8: 5215—5227.

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Schistosoma mansoni with or without mass drug administration. Vaccine 2020 May 14; 38:

4370--4386. doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2020.04.078.
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Figures

Figure 1. Schematic prevention and treatment of COVID-19 using Curcuma longa, drugs such
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as remdesivir and hydroxychloquine, and vaccines.

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 Figure

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Healthy people

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infected people

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Prevention: infected people
Turmeric or People with
Vaccine(s) COVID-19

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er Treatment:
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Turmeric and/or
Remdesivir,
Chloroquine or
Hydroxychloroquine,
Litonavir/ritonavir
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tn

Healthy people
Dead people, if any
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 Table

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Table 1. Important diagnosis tools of COVID-19
Tools time references
Kilic et al.5

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DETECTR 30 minutes
ddPCR 60 minutes Li et al.14
Nan et al.16
Kilic et al.5
ELISA 2 to 5 hours Kilic et al.5

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MinION 6 to 10 hours Nan et al.16
sequencing
RDT < 15 minutes Kilic et al.5

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RT-LAMP 15 to 60 minutes Kilic et al.5
El-Azisi and

er Stockhand15
Li et al.14
Nan et al.16
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RT-NEAR < 15 minutes Kilic et al.5
RT-RPA 30 minutes Kilic et al.5
RT-qPCR 2 to 4 hours Kilic et al.5
STOP < 70 minutes Kilic et al.5
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Kumar et al.18
DETECTR = DNA endonuclease-targeted CRISPR
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transporter; dd = digital droplet; ELISA = enzyme-linked

immunoabsorbent assay; LAMP = loop-mediated
isothermal amplification; NEAR = nicking endonuclease
amplification reaction; PCR = polymerase chain
reaction;
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qPCR = quantitative PCR; RPA = recombinase

polymerase
amplification; RT = reverse transcription; STOP =
SHERLOCK testing.
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 Table

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Table 2. Vaccine candidates of COVID-19
NCT number manufacturer references
NCT04324606 University of Oxford Poland et al.6

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NCT04336410 Inovio Samrat et al.1
NCT04447781 Pharmaceuticals,
International vaccine
Institute
Samrat et al.1

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NCT04334980 Symvivo Cororation
NCT4352608 Sinovac Research Poland et al.6
and Development
Co, Ltd

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NCT04368728 BioNTech SE Poland et al.6
Pfizer Inc
NCT04400838
NCT04405076
NCT04437875
Moderna Inc
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University of Oxford

Gamaleya Research
Poland et al.6
Poland et al.6
Poland et al.6
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Institute of
Epidemiology
NCT04445389 Genexine Consortium Samrat et al.1
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tn
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 Table

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Table 3. Effects of Curcuma longa
Effects references
AntiAlzheimer Valizadeh et al.23

iew
Rajagopal et al.9
Antiaging Rajagopal et al.9
Antibacterial Marbawati and
Umiyati24

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Moghadamtousi et al.21
Gupta et al.22
Anticancer Marbawati and
Umiyati24

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Kali et al.25
Anticoagulants

Antidengue
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Marbawati and
Umiyati24
Marbawati and
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Umiyati24
Antidiabetic Marbawati and
Umiyati24
Rajagopal et al.9
Shamunagarajan et al.28
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AntiEbola,
hepatitis, HIV,
HSV, IAV
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(influenza)
Antihypertensi Yao et al.29
Aniinflammatory Rajagopal et al.9
Antiprotozoa Marbawati and
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Umiyati24
Antischistosomiasis Morais et al.30
Antivirus Marbawati and
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Umiyati24
Moghadamtousi et al.21
Cardiac repair Valizadeh et al.23
Wang et al.31
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Gastroprotective Rajagopal et al.9

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 Hepatoprotective Kali et al.25

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On degenerative Hewlings and Kalman27
eye condition,
kidney, pain

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On lung injury Huang et al.32
Potential therapy Zhu et al.34
for asthma

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tn
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