Background: The first case of a corona virus 2019 (COVID-19) infection in a Sri Lankan was reported on March 11, 2020. The situation in Sri Lanka changed with the rapid increase of personnel contracting COVID-19 in a Naval base camp that housed more than 4000 people. This provided a unique opportunity to study the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) for post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), while taking stringent, non-pharmacologic, public health measures to prevent spread. Our aim is to study the effectiveness and safety of HCQ for PEP among naval personnel with exposure to COVID-19 positive patients. Methods: /design: This is a placebo-controlled, randomized, clinical trial carried out in the Naval base camp and quarantine centers of the Sri Lanka Navy, Ministry of Defense, Sri Lanka. Navy personnel who are exposed to a patient with confirmed COVID-19 infection but test negative for the virus on reverse, real-time polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) at recruitment will be randomized, 200 to each arm, to receive HCQ or placebo, and monitored for the development of symptoms or rRT-PCR positivity for severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus for 14 days. Discussion: This trial will provide high-quality evidence of the effectiveness and safety of HCQ as PEP for COVID-19. The study design is unique due to the circumstances of the outbreak in a confined area among otherwise healthy adults, at a relatively early stage of its spread. Trial registration: This trial was registered in the Sri Lanka Clinical Trails Registry (SLCTR) – SLCTR/2020/011 on 04.05.2020 (https://slctr.lk/trials/slctr-2020-011)
Hydroxychloroquine for Post-Exposure Prophylaxis of COVID-19 among naval personnel in Sri Lanka: study protocol for a randomized, controlled trial