ABSTRACT
Background: The novel coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) started in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. No specific drug has been accepted for COVID-19 treatment up to now. Favipiravir as an antiviral drug affects RNA viruses like influenza and Ebola. Accordingly, the aim of this study is the evaluation of favipiravir's effect on COVID-19 outcomes. Method: This is a randomized controlled study including 97 patients with COVID-19 randomly allocated into favipiravir or control groups. The primary outcomes were improvement of clinical manifestations and atrial oxygen saturation (SpO2), and the secondary outcome was the length of hospitalization. Results: Clinical manifestations recovery of COVID-19 patients was better in the favipiravir group, and the mortality rates were less than in the control group (P = 0.0001 for both). The level of blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) was significantly higher in the favipiravir group (P = 0.0001). The mean lymphocyte count was lower in the control group (P = 0.004). In addition, levels of blood urine nitrogen (BUN) were higher in the favipiravir group (P = 0.033). The length of hospitalization was similar in both groups (P = 0.586). Conclusion: Favipiravir can be effective for clinical and laboratory improvement of COVID-19 patients, and it is a promising drug for decreasing of mortality rate in these patients.
ABSTRACT
Background: According to the contagious ability of the new virus, SARS-CoV-2, characterization of viral shedding duration in the period of infection is highly valuable in terms of providing quarantine guidelines and isolation policies. Therefore, we aimed at viral shedding determination in 58 COVID-19 confirmed Iranian subjects in different stages. Methods: 58 COVID-19 confirmed Iranian subjects including 21 outpatients and 37 inpatients were investigated. The analytical data and clinical properties were documented in the standard questionnaire. The RT-PCR tests were done two and three weeks after the symptoms initiation. Results: Viral eradication occurred in 44.8% two weeks after illness initiation whereas in 71% who achieved a negative PCR test in the third week. Moreover, prolonged viral shedding was observed in hospitalized cases in comparison to outpatients. Almost 30% of patients continued viral shedding three weeks after disease initiation. Conclusion: A longer duration of viral shedding in hospitalized cases rather than outpatients was observed in this study. The results similar to other investigations call into question if the current policies are enough to prevent the viral spread or not. This study should be done on a larger sample to provide an appropriate time in isolation policy.
