The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has recommended the use of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) for asymptomatic frontline workers, such as surveillance workers deployed in containment zones and paramilitary/police personnel involved in COVID-19-related activities, in its revised guideline for the use of prophylaxis released on Friday evening.
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The previous advisory issued on April 23 provided placing the high-risk population (asymptomatic healthcare workers involved in the care of suspected or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) cases and asymptomatic household contacts of laboratory confirmed cases) under chemoprophylaxis with HCQ.
The Ministry has noted that studies on the prophylaxis of the SARS-CoV-2 infection at the ICMR has found there is a significant dose-response relationship between the number of prophylactic doses taken and frequency of occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in symptomatic healthcare workers tested for infection.
Another investigation from three Central government hospitals in New Delhi indicates that among healthcare workers involved in COVID-19 care, those on HCQ prophylaxis were less likely to develop infection, compared with those who were not on it.
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The benefit was less pronounced in healthcare workers caring for a general patient population.
An observational prospective study of 334 healthcare workers at the AIIMS, out of which 248 took HCQ prophylaxis (median 6 weeks of follow-up) in New Delhi also showed that those taking HCQ prophylaxis had lower incidence of infection than those not taking it, the guideline noted.
