In the middle of the preventive measures to combat the Coronavirus, which has been causing uncertainty across the world including India, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has, on Monday, recommended the drug used for malaria to treat the high-risk Coronavirus cases in the country.

According to ANI, the National Task Force, that was installed by the ICMR, to combat the global pandemic in the country has recommended the use of 'hydroxychloroquine' drug to treat the patients affected by the virus. This drug has been commonly used to treat malaria infections and for treating autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, which is a chronic inflammatory disorder that affects many joints, including those in the hands and feet.

The National Task Force for COVID19 constituted by Indian Council of Medical Research recommends the use of hydroxychloroquine for treatment of COVID19 for high-risk cases pic.twitter.com/xEIWkzPufu

— ANI (@ANI) March 23, 2020

The recommendation from the Indian Task Force has come at the crucial time when the nation has been witnessing soaring high cases due to the epidemic. As of Monday noon, India has reported with 425 positive cases for the virus in its territory and of these 425, seven people have died across the country. The Indian government has been imposing severe restrictions to avoid mass gatherings of the people and unnecessary travels with the view of curbing the spread of the virus from getting rampant.

ICMR has released an advisory on Monday in which it has stated that the council has placed asymptomatic healthcare workers who treated the suspected and confirmed cases of the Coronavirus and the household contacts of such patients under the category of High-risk population. The council has further stated that a total of 18, 383 samples from 17,493 individuals were tested on March 23, 2020.