The unique daily routine that has prevented an Australian professor from contracting Covid-19
- Prof Don Campbell uses heparin-based nasal spray
- He believes it has protected him from catching virus
A medical professor has managed to avoid Covid throughout the entire pandemic, which he believes may be due to a simple nasal spray he uses every day.
Professor Don Campbell, the Director of Northern Health’s Hospital Without Walls program in Victoria, has sprayed a solution of the drug heparin into his nose every morning and night since May, 2020.
Heparin is an anticoagulant that is used to prevent blood clotting, strokes and heart attacks, but Prof Campbell says when it’s used via a nasal spray, it was perfectly safe and wasn’t able to be absorbed by the body as a blood thinner.
‘We were not looking for a solution to our Covid pandemic from the nose, and yet everyone who’s in healthcare knows it is a nasal infection, it infects your nose first,’ the professor told 3AW.
Professor Don Campbell, (pictured) the Director of Northern Health’s Hospital Without Walls program in Victoria, has sprayed a solution of the drug heparin into his nose every morning and night since May, 2020
‘My simple thought was if it’s a nasal infection, why don’t we stop the nose from getting infected.’
Heparin had already been found to block influenza in laboratory settings.
‘I just thought why don’t you spray heparin in there, it will bind and stick like mud to a blanket to the (Covid) protein spike and stop it from proliferating,’ the professor added.
The hope is that the heparin will coat the Covid protein spike, which is responsible for infection, and stop it being transmitted to humans.
A heparin-based nasal spray is not available to be bought, with Prof Campbell concocting his own solution.
He also brings a bottle of it if he’s going to crowded places such as sports matches or shopping centres.
Since incorporating the spray into his routine, he has remained free from Covid-19, common colds, as well as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza infections.
Prof Campbell is now asking volunteers to participate in a study to test the effectiveness of heparin on Covid infections (pictured woman wears face mask at Sydney shopping centre)
Prof Campbell and a team of researchers from The Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, University of Melbourne and Monash University are now asking volunteers to participate in a study testing the effectiveness of heparin on Covid infections.
‘Recent studies suggest it binds the COVID-19 virus and may reduce the virus’ ability to enter cells,’ the study explains.
‘We believe heparin may be able to treat people with early COVID-19 infections and prevent infection amongst their close household contacts, helping to reduce the spread of the virus.’
The study requires one Covid-positive person from a household, along with a family member who is not infected.
For the study, 400 households are needed in total.
Participants will be given a nasal spray, either heparin or a saline-based solution acting as a placebo.
They will then use the spray three times a day, for ten days.
The hard part for researchers is now finding participants, given many now don’t bother testing themselves for the virus.
Those with the virus need to alert researchers within 72 hours of testing positive.
