Introduction
thrombotic eventsMany
MAY, VIRUS, SARS-COV-2 INFECTION, SECONDARY INFECTION
The novel corona virus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic affected more than 575 million people worldwide with more than 6.3 million loss of life, as of 2nd August 2022When the study was carried out, there were no definitive therapeutic drugs available for the treatment of COVID-19. COVID-19 patients used to be managed with symptomatic and supportive care only, which includes mechanical ventilation, antibiotics for secondary infection, anti-inflammatory or immune-modulators for the hyperimmune response, and blood thinner to combat thrombotic eventsMany drugs, Ribavirin, Lopinavir, Remdesivir, Molnupiravir, ChloroquineHydroxychloroquine sulfate (HCQ), a chloroquine analog, was explored both for treatment as well as prevention of COVID-19 because of its potential anti-viral propertiesInitially, in March 2020 and subsequent revision with supporting evidence in May 2020, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) advisory endorsed HCQ prophylaxis for the individuals at risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection, which included all asymptomatic health care workers (HCW) involved in suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patient-care and all asymptomatic household contacts of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 casesBut there were contradictory scientific evidence to prove or disprove the efficacy of HCQ as post-exposure chemo-prophylaxis for the prevention of COVID-19 in individuals at risk for SARS-CoV-2 infectionHousehold individuals in direct contact with COVID-19 patients are at extreme risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection. HCW represented a large part of the sample in the majority of the concluded studies and there were still limited clinical trials regarding the HCQ prophylaxis for the prevention of COVID-19 in non-HCW individuals who were at risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Through this RCT we made an effort to evaluate the efficacy of HCQ as PEP for the prevention of COVID-19 in asymptomatic household individuals in direct contact with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases, who were not HCW. As a research institute of national interest, it brought us enormous scope to generate such strong evidence which could be utilized in reforming nationwide and global guidelines for the battle against COVID-19 pandemic.