Does Hydroxychloroquine Before & During Patient Exposure Protect Healthcare Workers From Coronavirus?
Status:
Terminated
Trial end date:
2021-03-31
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization declared SARS-CoV-2 (commonly called
COVID-19) a global pandemic. As in any pandemic, maintaining the health and safety of the
healthcare workforce is of great importance as health care workers (HCW) remain a critical
line of defence against the spread of COVID-19 and play a vital role in the recovery of those
already infected. Frontline HCW, such as those in the emergency department (ED), are at high
risk of contracting COVID-19 due to their close proximity to patients who may have the virus.
The impact of frontline HCW becoming ill and thus unable to go to work is equally high, and
of grave risk to the function of the healthcare system and the ability to minimize the impact
of the current pandemic. This study aims to evaluate whether hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), a
well-tolerated drug typically used in the prevention of malaria transmission and rheumatic
disease, taken before and during exposure to patients with COVID-19, is effective at reducing
COVID-19 infections among ED health care workers.