IMPORTANCE: The emergency of COVID-19 requires the implementation of urgent strategies to prevent the spread of the disease, mainly in health personnel, who are the most exposed and has the highest risk of becoming infected with the SARS-COV-2. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the protective effect of the combination Ivermectin - Iota- Carrageenan, intensive treatment with repeated administration in oral- and nasal-spray, respectively, as a prophylaxis treatment prior to exposure to SARS-CoV-2, in health personnel at Public Healthcare Centers. PARTICIPANTS, DESIGN AND SETTING: Randomized controlled 1-1 clinical trial in Personal Health, n = 234. The subjects were divided into experimental (EG)and control groups (CG). The EG received Ivermectin orally 2 drops of 6 mg = 12 mg every 7 days, and Iota-Carrageenan 6 sprays per day for 4 weeks. All participants were evaluated by physical examination COVID-19 diagnosed with negative RT-PCR at the beginning, final, and follow-up of the protocol. Differences between the variables were determined using the Chi-square test. The proportion test almost contagious subject and the contagion risk (Odd Ratio) were calculated using software STATA. The level of statistical significance was reached when p-Value \< 0.05.
The subjects were divided into experimental (EG: n=117; 39.6 +/- 9.4 years old, 65F) and control groups (CG: n=117; 38.4 +/- 7.4 years old, 61F). RESULT: The number of subjects who were diagnosed with COVID-19 in GE was lower, only 4 of 117 (3.4%) than subjects in CG: 25 of 117 (21.4%) (p-Value = 0.0001). Twenty patients had mild symptoms (n= 4 in EG, n= 16 in CG), the proportion test was p-Value = 0.001. Six subjects were moderate, and 3 with severe diagnostics, all them in CG. The probability (Odd Ratio) of becoming ill with COVID-19 was significantly lower in EG with values of 0.13 (CI = \[0.03, 0.40\]; p-Value = 0.0001), this value (\<1) indicates a protective effect of the Ivermectin / Iota-Carrageenan in the EG. Logistic regression test demonstrated that prophylactic in EG is independent of the patient's preexisting variable comorbidity was 0.11, CI= \[0.04, 0.33\], and p-Value= 0.0001. On the other hand, this variable was 2.78 CI= \[1.19, 6.48\], p-Value = 0.018 in CG. Also, we found that when increase the age variable, also increases contagious risk for Covid-19 in all subjects 0,93 CI=\[0.88, 0.98\], p-Value= 0,0012. CONCLUSION: The intensive preventive treatment (short-term) with Ivermectin / Iota - Carrageenan was able to reduce the number of health workers infected with COVID-19. This treatment had an additional effect in preventing the severity of the disease, since most of the patients who received the treatment were mild. We propose a new therapeutic alternative for prevention and short-term intervention scheme (intensive) that is of benefit of the health worker in this pandemic accelerated time. This treatment did not produce lack of adherence or adverse effects. Trial Registration: CEI (in Spanish: Comité de Ética en Investigación de la Dirección de Investigación del SI.PRO.SA, in English: Research Ethics Committee /Health Research Directorate) file number 52/2020.
The EG received Ivermectin orally 2 drops of 6 mg = 12 mg every 7 days, and Iota-Carrageenan 6 sprays per day for 4 weeks.
San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina