Nitazoxanide as an early treatment to reduce the intensity of COVID‑19 outbreaks among health personnel

Abstract

The use of nitazoxanide has previously yielded successful results <em>in vitro</em> against the coronavirus. The aim of the present study was to examine the efficacy of the use of nitazoxanide at an early stage among healthcare workers exhibiting symptoms of COVID‑19. This was a prospective study carried out in 2020. Healthcare personnel who presented with COVID‑19 symptoms, in different 3 hospitals were invited to take Paramix (nitazoxanide), 500 mg orally, every 6 h for 2 days and then 500 mg twice a day for 4 days. To compare the hospitalization percentage, a group of healthcare workers with a respiratory viral infection without COVID‑19 criteria were also followed‑up. Over a period of 3 months, 150 healthcare workers (111 women and 39 men) presented respiratory symptoms with COVID‑19 criteria (mean age, 36±10.6 years; range, 18‑68 years). Only one female medical doctor, one nurse and one male from the auxiliary services had to be hospitalized and one death was registered It was thus concluded that nitazoxanide yielded successful results <em>in vitro</em> against previous coronavirus and may prove to be useful against SARS‑CoV‑2 as an early intervention to avoid complications, decreasing the expected number of hospitalizations among infected healthcare workers.