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The United States sent 2 million to Brazil. dose of COVID-19
The White House announced Sunday that the United States had delivered 2 million to Brazil. doses of the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) to combat an outbreak of coronavirus infection COVID-19, although it has not been shown to be effective in treating the new disease.
“HCQ will be used as a preventive measure to help protect Brazilian nurses, doctors and health professionals from the virus. It will also be used as a medicine to treat infected Brazilians, “the statement said.
According to him, the United States will soon send 1,000 lung ventilators to Brazil, the current epicenter of the pandemic in South America, where nearly 500,000 have been confirmed. cases of new coronavirus infection.
“We are also announcing a joint research project between the United States and Brazil that will include randomized clinical trials,” the document added.
US President Donald Trump actively advocates the use of HCQ. This medication has been used for decades to treat malaria, as well as autoimmune disorders, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Trump previously said that he himself uses HCQ as a preventive measure against coronavirus infection.
Randomized clinical trials (RCTs), considered the “gold standard” for clinical trials, have so far found no evidence that HCQ is an effective treatment or prevention tool for COVID-19.
Furthermore, some experts fear that the drug may even worsen the condition of patients infected with coronavirus.
An article published in The Lancet last week concluded that treating such individuals with hydroxychloroquine and a similar formulation of chloroquine did not improve their well-being and could increase the risk of heart rhythm problems and death.
However, that study was not a RCT, and more than 100 doctors and researchers have already questioned the patient database on which the authors base their findings.
The United States has allowed the use of HCQ in emergency care for COVID-19 patients if cardiac function is closely monitored.
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has asked doctors not to prescribe the drug in bulk or outside of several ongoing clinical trials.
Like Trump, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is a supporter of HCQ. The Brazilian leader even fired two health ministers who did not agree with his desire to expand the use of the drug.
Although almost 30,000 died of coronavirus in Brazil. Bolsonaro speaks out against the quarantine “tyranny” and calls for the country’s soccer season to resume.
The American pandemic claimed more than 106,000 lives. lives: the highest number of victims of COVID-19 in the world.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said last week that it was freezing HCQ trials in patients with COVID-19 amid growing concerns, including a study published by The Lancet, that the drug was not safe to use.
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