S’pore Study Finds That Medicine for Malaria & Sore Throat Cut Risk of COVID-19 Infection in Crowded Spaces by 50%

By
Avery
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Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine. Or COVID-19.

Not anymore, as it would seem. (Though, we’d point out, getting vaccinated is still by far the most effective way to prevent COVID-19.)

A team of National University Health System (NUHS) researchers have concluded that two commonly available drugs are moderately effective in preventing COVID-19 infections in high-density settings, TODAYonline reports.

S’pore Study Finds That Medicine for Malaria & Sore Throat Cut Risk of COVID-19 Infection in Crowded Spaces by 50%

The two drugs, oral hydroxychloroquine and a povidone-iodine spray, are shown to reduce infection risks by about 50%, a significant effect in high-transmission settings susceptible to the formation of large infection clusters.

(Yep, that’s the miracle drug Trump touted last year without evidence. Maybe he’s a prophet or something.)

The drugs are used to treat malaria and ameliorate sore throat symptoms respectively. They were picked because their effects primarily target the oropharyngeal space—the area of the throat behind the mouth—which is believed to the key entry point of the coronavirus.

The team believed that povidone-iodine, in particular, is able to create a more hostile oropharyngeal space to the coronavirus.

The study took place at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic last year in May, and involved 3,037 migrant workers from Tuas South Dormitory, when it was “still in the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak”, according to Associate Professor Raymond Seet of the National University Hospital (NUH).

The two drugs were compared to the effects of vitamin C, zinc, and an anti-parasitic drug called ivermectin, but none of the alternatives produced effects statistically as significant.

The findings of the study can prove pertinent in future outbreaks in high-density settings, including recurrences of dormitory outbreaks here in Singapore. 

Since both drugs are readily available and safe for use, they can be easily administered to achieve at least some degree of infection prevention.

Medicines & COVID-19?

Besides these two drugs, a host of drugs are being investigated for their effectiveness in fighting COVID-19, with varying results.

The most widely discussed among them is the antiviral drug Remdesivir, originally designed to fight hepatitis C. 

In May 2020, the US Food and Drug Administration granted the drug an emergency use authorisation as a hopefully useful tool against the raging pandemic, and around 50 countries, including Singapore, have since followed suit.

The World Health Organisation (WHO), however, issued a conditional recommendation against the use of the drug last November, indicating insufficient evidence for its effectiveness. 

According to Harvard Medical School, anti-inflammatory drugs like dexamethasone can also be effective to combat severe COVID-19. These drugs alleviate the immune system’s easily fatal overreaction that can sometimes result from an infection.

The nature of these drugs as steroids, however, poses risks for other potent side-effects, including a bacterial or fungal superinfection, according to CNA.

The use of monoclonal antibodies also attracted attention following Donald Trump’s (suspiciously) swift recovery from the coronavirus last year, and has been authorised for emergency use in some countries. However, the effectiveness of these therapies remain under debate, and may exacerbate more severe cases.

Feature Image: Vergani Fotografia / Shutterstock.com (Image is for illustration purposes only)

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Avery
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