Highlights:
- Povidone-iodine throat spray and oral hydroxychloroquine help curb the spread of Covid-19
- The two drugs protect the throat from the entry of the viruses
- This can help cut the transmission rates in a meaningful way
The two drugs were chosen because they are easily available, said Seet, adding that they protect the throat, the "key entry" for viruses. A The findings are published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases, the report said.
"We concluded that povidone-iodine throat spray was associated with a statistically significant reduction in infection by an absolute risk of reduction of 24 percent while oral hydroxychloroquine was associated with a statistically significant reduction in infection by an absolute risk of reduction of 21 percent," lead author Raymond Seet, Associate Professor at the NUH was quoted as saying.
However, the researchers stressed that the drugs are not meant to be used for Covid-19 prevention in the general community if it is a lower-risk setting, the report said.
"This is a very simple intervention with virtually minimal side effects where we could actually cut the transmission rates in a meaningful way," Mikael Hartman, Associate Professor from the NUH was quoted as saying.