Dexamethasone ameliorates severe pneumonia but slightly enhances viral replication in the lungs of SARS-CoV-2-infected Syrian hamsters

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)has resulted in more than 230 million cases and over four million deaths worldwide.Furthermore,multiple emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants have shown enhanced infectivity,transmissibility,pathogenicity and ability to escape neutralization by vaccine-induced humoral immunity[1].The antibody resistance of SARS-CoV-2 variants constitutes a challenge for current vaccines and therapeutic antibodies.No specific antiviral is currently available for coronavirus in humans[2].Although remdesivir was approved by the FDA for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection,the therapeutic effect is limited,particularly for critical cases with severe pneumonia.