| Autor: |
Shahrin L; Dhaka Hospital, International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr, b), Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh.; Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr, b), Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh., Mahfuz M; Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr, b), Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh., Rahman MW; Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr, b), Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh., Hossain MR; Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA., Khandaker AM; Department of Nutrition, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA., Alam MA; Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr, b), Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh., Osmany DMMF; Department of Cardiology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh., Islam MM; Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr, b), Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh., Chisti MJ; Dhaka Hospital, International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr, b), Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh.; Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr, b), Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh., Ahmed CM; Department of Cardiology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh., Ahmed T; Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr, b), Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh. |
| Abstrakt: |
Considering that it has been more than 24 months since SARS-CoV-2 emerged, it is crucial to identify measures that prevent and control pathogen transmission in workplace settings. Our aim was to report results of a hospital-based program that delivered hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) tablets as COVID-19 prophylaxis to the frontline healthcare workers (HCW)s who cared for COVID-19 patients and to evaluate the efficacy of HCQ. Setting and participants: Quasi-experimental, controlled, single-center study. The included participants were doctors, nurses, health workers, cleaning staff, and non-healthcare supportive staff. The main outcome was contracting COVID-19 anytime during the period of taking the prophylaxis, confirmed by RT-PCR. A total of 336 participants, without any clinical evidence of COVID-19 and without any known contact with family members, were included in the trial; 230 were assigned to HCQ and 106 declined to take any drug. Results: Among the participants, 43 (18.7%) in the HCQ group and 11 (10.4%) participants in the control group developed COVID-19. For the evaluation of side effects, we evaluated 12-lead ECGs of both groups at the baseline and after 4 weeks to monitor QTc interval. A total of 91% (198 of 217) participants in the prophylaxis group and 92% (11 of 12) in the control group had a QTc < 45o msec, which is within normal limits. Conclusions: Although the number of symptomatic infections in health personnel was lower in the control group, the difference was not statistically significant. However, in the absence of any effective pre-exposure prophylaxis medicine for COVID-19, practicing proper infection prevention and control (IPC) and vaccination is the only way forward. |
