As the novel coronavirus pandemic continues to affect the wholeworld, a French researcher has reported the successful trial of a new treatmentline for COVID-19, with early tests suggesting it can stop the virus frombecoming contagious in just six days!
Professor Didier Raoult from the l'Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire (IHUMediterranee), put up a video to explain the trials that were heldearlier this week.
Raoult, an infectiousdiseases specialist, was tasked by the French government to research onpossible treatments for the novel coronavirus disease.
According to the professor, the first COVID-19 patients he treated with drug chloroquine saw rapid and effective speeding of their healing process, and a sharp decrease in the amount of time they remained contagious.
Chloroquine—which is normally used to prevent and treatmalaria—was administered via drug Plaquenil.
"We included everyone who was in agreement to be treated,which was almost everyone. Two towns in the protocol, Nice and Avignon, gave usinfected patients who had not yet received treatment," Raoult was quotedas saying by connexionfrance.com.
According to the media report, the treatment was offered to 24patients, who were among the first to become infected in the southeast ofFrance, and who had voluntarily admitted themselves to hospital for theprocess.
Patients were given 600mcg per day for 10 days. They wereclosely monitored, as the drug can interact with other medication, and causesevere side effects in some cases.
Chloroquine phosphate and hydroxychloroquine have previouslybeen used to treat coronavirus patients in China, in ongoing COVID-19 clinicaltrials. Kaletra, a US-based antiviral drug used to treat HIV, is anothermedicine that is being tested in the fight against the deadly virus.
