The Zambia Ivermectin Trial for the Treatment and Prevention of COVID-19

With the onset of global pandemic of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the sharp rise in infection and mortality rates, efficient management of the current medical emergency has become an absolute priority. A lot of resources have been directed to developing a comprehensive therapeutic approach to preventing and curing this disease, and this has mostly been in western countries. However, lack of definite treatment, high number of infected people, limited capacity and the impact of COVID-19 on existing health infrastructure has left biomedical researchers and clinicians faced with the mammoth task of providing appropriate clinical care solutions and strategies with favorable cost-benefit outcomes, which can help in both curbing the disease and treating patients. To meet this challenge, repurposing of available drugs has become vital. Evidence from several recent clinical trials on the effects of available therapeutic clinical drugs and vitamin supplements on mortality rate and other clinical outcomes associated with COVID-19 are promising, however, the efficacy, safety, and appropriate dosing of therapeutic clinical drugs such as ivermectin, remain largely unevaluated in Sub-Saharan Africa. The investigators propose to evaluate and compare the efficacy of ivermectin in the management of Covid-19.