JOIN USHIV drug combination found effective on COVID-19 infected British national in Kerala
A COVID-19 infected British national in Kerala, who was given HIV drugs, has now been tested negative for the coronavirus.
The British national was on the news, recently, as he tried to flee from a Munnar tourist spot to Dubai and was off-loaded along with 17 other tourists in the last minute on March 15. Six others in the group were also tested positive for coronavirus.
Doctors at the government medical college hospital in Kochi, where the British nationals are under treatment, said on Wednesday that the patient, aged above 60, responded well when he was given a combination of Ritonavir and Lopinavir drugs used for HIV, on the third day, and he was tested negative.
The drug combination was tested as per the directive of ICMR. It was for the first time in India that such a combination was being used for COVID-19 treatment. A coronavirus infected in Jaipur was also reportedly given the drug combination. The combination was also reported to be used in China, said doctors at the medical college.
Health department sources said that as per the ICMR guidelines the HIV drug combination could be used only on those aged above 60 and having acute respiratory issues like lung infection. No other Covid infected in the state fall in this category.