AS HAYFEVER season makes its unwelcome presence felt, sufferers may find some solace in the fact that they may be less susceptible to COVID infection.
German doctors have revealed that azelastine antihistamine nasal spray can help prevent COVID, and lessen symptoms in those who contract the disease.
The team recruited 450 healthy adults aged 18 to 65, nearly all of whom had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Half the participants took a single puff of azelastine 0.1% in each nostril three times a day, while the other half took a placebo, and all were tested at least twice a week for COVID.
By the end of the two-month trial, just 2.2% of those using the azelastine spray had tested positive, compared to 6.7% in the placebo group.
In addition, those using the spray took longer to get infected, were positive for fewer days and experienced fewer symptoms than those in the placebo group.
The finding wasn't a complete surprise, with previous studies having shown that the drug has antiviral properties.
"Together, these results suggest that azelastine may provide meaningful protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection," the study authors wrote in JAMA Internal Medicine.
The researchers are calling for studies to look at whether the spray can also protect against other respiratory viruses, such as RSV.
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