Dexamethasone is normally used to reduce inflammation in diseases such as arthritis, allergic reactions and asthma.

Trial results announced on Sunday from Oxford University showed that the widely used drug reduced death rates by around a third among the most severely ill coronavirus patients.

South Africa's ministerial advisory committee said that administering 6mg of dexamethasone intravenously for 10 days may be considered for COVID-19 patients who are on ventilator support.

The committee has also advised that the steroid be considered for those who needed high flow nasal oxygen or non-invasive ventilation.

The drug's benefits have not been seen in patients with less serious symptoms.

The committee has stressed that the results from the study, known as the recovery trial, were preliminary and that critical information would be needed to provide definitive guidance.

Clinicians have also been urged to refer to guidelines on dexamethasone's contraindications and adverse effects.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has welcomed the initial trial results, which have not been peer-reviewed.

WHO director Tedros Ghebreyesus said they were looking forward to the full data analysis in the coming days.

The UK's health ministry said the drug had been approved for use in the country's health service and that 200,000 courses of the treatment had been stockpiled.

Eyewitness News