Control of COVID-19 Outbreaks in Long Term Care
COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2
About this trial
This is an interventional prevention trial for COVID-19 focused on measuring COVID-19, Long-Term Care Home, Favipiravir, Chemoprophylaxis, SARS-CoV-2
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
Inclusion criteria for LTCHs:
- LTCH in Ontario with >80% of residents being adults ≥65 years of age.
- Residents are or can be routinely assessed at least daily by staff.
- LTCH has not previously had a unit enrolled in this study.
Outbreak of COVID-19 declared on at least one nursing unit, requiring all of the following:
- ≥2 to ≤4 residents who develop PCR-confirmed symptomatic COVID-19 infection on the same unit within ≤ 7 days at the time when the outbreak is identified as eligible.
- ≤21 days from symptom onset in the index case at the time when the outbreak is identified as eligible.
- Cumulative attack rate in residents on the affected unit since the beginning of the pandemic ≤25% at the time when the outbreak is identified as eligible.
- ≤20% of residents with microbiologically confirmed COVID-19 or line-listed as a presumptive case in a COVID-19 outbreak and not tested for COVID-19 in prior outbreaks within the last six months.
- Nursing unit with ≥16 and ≤32 residents.
- Nursing home agrees to work with study coordination to minimize the number of persons who provide care on the unit.
- Mechanism exists for delivery of medication and recording of administered medication for all residents.
- ≥80% of residents on outbreak unit are eligible and they or their substitute decision makers consent to participate in the study.
- Written informed consent of Medical Director, Administrator and a delegate of the Residents' Council of the LTCH for LTCH to be included in the cluster trial.
Inclusion criteria for LTCH residents:
1. Informed consent from resident or substitute decision maker (SDM)
Inclusion criteria for LTCH staff:
- Expected to work at least two 8-hour shifts, or the equivalent time (16 hours on the unit) during the outbreak period.
- Informed consent.
Exclusion Criteria:
Exclusion criteria for LTCHs:
- Inability to deliver medication to consenting residents within 96 hours of identification of the outbreak.
- Inability to define a physically separate unit with ≤32 residents.
- Any of facility management, medical advisory committee or resident council do not approve participation.
Exclusion criteria for LTCH Residents and Staff:
- Pregnancy (females < 55 years of age require a negative urine pregnancy test at enrollment, and either menopause or two concurrent reliable methods of contraception need to be confirmed)
- History of abnormalities of uric acid metabolism, other than gout.
- History of hypersensitivity to remdesivir or favipiravir
- Previous diagnosis of hepatic cirrhosis
- Current use of the following medications, which cannot be discontinued for the duration of the study: pyrazinamide, hydralazine, more than 3000 mg of acetaminophen per day
Sites / Locations
- Mount Sinai Hospital
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Experimental
Placebo Comparator
Chemoprophylaxis
Placebo
Participants of LTCH units allocated to the chemoprophylaxis arm receive favipiravir for 25 days. Residents in the LTCH unit diagnosed with COVID- 19 at enrollment will be offered treatment with favipiravir for 14 days.
Participants of LTCH units allocated to the control arm receive placebo for 25 days. Residents in the LTCH unit diagnosed with COVID-19 at enrollment will be offered treatment with placebo for 14 days.