Brazil supports HCQ though WHO suspends human trials

On Monday Brazil’s health ministry Brazil's health ministry said that it would not change its recommendation to treat Coronavirus with hydroxychloroquine, despite the World Health Organization issuing order to suspend trials of the drug over safety concerns.

Like US President Donald Trump, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has supported the supposed benefits of hydroxychloroquine and a related drug, chloroquine, against the COVID-19 disease.

However, studies have shown that the drugs actually increased the risk of death due to the disease which resulted in WHO suspending a worldwide clinical trial of hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment.

"We're remaining calm and there will be no change  to the Brazilian guideline issued last week” , health ministry official Mayra Pinheiro told a news conference.

Studies in China and France showed that the drugs hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine might be effective in battling the coronavirus disease which led to governments buying the drugs in bulk. Trump even said that he took hydroxychloroquine last week as a preventive measure and had completed his course of treatment on Sunday.

Questioning the authenticity of the studies which showed the harmful effects of the drugs Pinheiro said ,"It wasn't a clinical trial, it was just a data set collected from different countries, and that doesn't meet the criteria of a methodologically acceptable study to serve as a reference for any country in the world, including Brazil."

US death tally crosses 20,000 mark with 532 new deaths

The US death toll stands at 20000 with 532 new deaths on Saturday surpassing Italy for the highest in the world.
New York remains deep in crisis, while 24 residents of an Indiana nursing home hit by COVID-19 have died. Nursing homes in Iowa reported 14 deaths. Chicago's Cook County has set up a temporary morgue that can accommodate up to 2000 bodies.
The ourbreak’s centre of gravity has been shifting from China to Europe and now the United states, which as of now has the highest no. of confirmed cases and a death toll higher than that of Italy.

“Don’t do silly things,” said Domenico Arcuri, Italy’s special Commissioner for the virus emergency. “Don’t go out, continue to behave responsibly as you have done until today, use your head and your sense of responsibility.”

On Saturday New York reported 783 more deaths which increased the total no. of deaths to 8600. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that the daily no. of deaths is stabilizing but stabilizing at a horrific rate.