Covid-19 treatment: Kerala study shows major gains from HCQ, Azithromycin!

The state medical board of Kerala have conducted its first ever clinical management study of patients infected with the novel Coronavirus and the results show what led to decline in fatality rate as well as severity of situation in the state.

The WHO on June 17 said the decision was made based on evidence from the Solidarity Trial, UK’s Recovery trial and a Cochrane review of other evidence on HCQ.

Coronavirus in Kerala: The state medical board of Kerala have conducted its first ever clinical management study of patients infected with the novel Coronavirus and the results show what led to decline in fatality rate as well as severity of situation in the state. The study revealed that the early administration of drugs hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and azithromycin has been beneficial in treating COVID-19 infection and improved the chances of patients getting better, according to a report by the IE.

The study was done taking in account 500 cases that were reported till the first week of May. Out of the total, three deaths were reported and around 95.8 per cent patients had mild symptoms. Further, it was noted that 18 per cent patients had comorbidities as well. In fact, patients having moderate to severe symptoms were quite less too. Now what led to quick recovery and decline in severity of the infection?

The report highlighted that in Kerala, the early admission of confirmed COVID-19 infected patients and administration of HCQ and azithromycin contributed in preventing the progress of the deadly viral infection. Citing the study, the report said that these drugs helped in high risk groups, thus, lowering the fatality rate in Kerala to some extent. Moreover, it added that the testing was done within 1.7 days (mean average) of arrival symptoms and 3 days for hospitalisation.

The administration of azithromycin along with HCQ, according to the study, also cut down the average stay in hospitals, from 14.45 days for those patients who were not given these drugs to 13.5 days for those who were treated with the combination of the two drugs.

It is to note that earlier, the World Health Organisation (WHO) had withdrawn trials of HCQ for treating patients as the initial results indicated that HCQ is not contributing in reduction of the mortality rate. With this, there is also speculation that ICMR may also remove HCQ from the Coronavirus treatment protocol.

Meanwhile in Kerala, 8,930 cases have been reported for the Coronavirus infection where 4,458 cases are still active and the death toll has reached 34.