The local study is part of a larger effort investigating whether a nasal spray containing the antiseptic Betadine (povidone-iodine) can kill coronavirus in the nose on contact. If it works, Domb said, the product could become an extra layer of protection against coronavirus, to be used in addition to hand washing, wearing masks in public and social distancing from others.
Two-thirds of the study participants will receive the treatment. The rest will receive a placebo, a substance that has no therapeutic effect and is used as a control in testing new drugs.
Participants in the Redding study will go on to self administer five days of nasal sprays at home, according to a promotional notice from Stanford Medicine.