A Study on Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) as prophylaxis among Health care worker (HCW) for SARS -Co V-2 infection

ABSTRACT

Background:The present world is experiencing COVID-19 pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coro- navirus (SARS-CoV-2), which has been confirmed in nearly 5.6 crores cases and 13.4 lakhs deaths worldwide. The majori- ty of COVID-19 infections are asymptomatic or mild symptomatic, however a considerable part of infected persons re- quires hospitalization. As there is no definitive treatment, prevention and control of infection is the key to fight against this infection. In India a significant proportion of healthcare workers (HCWs) are getting affected and on March2020, ICMR recommended the use of Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) as prophylaxis for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Some observational studies support the anti-viral activity of HCQ but still there is no extensive work on HCWs that evaluates the prophylac- tic potential of HCQ against SARS- CoV-2 infection. This study evaluated the potential role of HCQ as prophylactic drug among COVID-19 affected and non-affected individuals. Methods:We have conducted a cross-sectional study in a tertiary care hospital, Kolkata from July 2020 to Novem- ber2020 where 199 HCWs were interviewed using structured questionnaire related to HCQ intake, dose and duration, side effects, signs and symptoms, COVID 19 test report, duration of illness etc. Results:Among 199 HCW, 90(45.22%) HCW took HCQ prophylaxis and among them 62% were the COVID19 negative which also reflects its prophylactic efficacy. We have also evaluated the role of HCQ for various clinical symptoms and found around 34% HCQ non exposed COVID positive individuals encountered shortness of breath whereas only 14% HCQ exposed COVID positive patients encountered the same. In case of chest HRCT scan data, the study found signifi- cant lung involvement for HCQ non exposed individuals whereas the other group rarely developed any involvements. Conclusions:There is statistically significant protective role of HCQ for COVID-19 (OR=0.51724, 95% CI=0.292-0.914, p- value=0.023). Further study with more clinical and preclinical data will help to explore the potential prophylactic role of HCQ.