US sends 1000 ventilators and 2 million doses of hydroxychloroquine to Brazil

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Trump announced the U.S would be sending ventilators and hydroxychloroquine to Brazil as a preliminary treatment against COVID-19.
• The U.S and Brazil will also partake in a joint effort to curb the spread of coronavirus, develop a vaccine, and conduct trials to discover a cure.
• Brazil is currently second to the U.S in terms of the total number or COVID-19 cases with almost 500,000.

On Sunday, the Trump administration said the U.S. is to send around 2 million vials of the malaria drug, hydroxychloroquine, and at least 1,000 ventilators to Brazil as the Latin American nation continues to battle the coronavirus outbreak.

In a shared statement, the Trump administration and the Brazilian government said the hydroxychloroquine would serve as a precautionary medicine for doctors, nurses, health-care workers, and Brazilian citizens who will be infected with the virus.

“Going forward, the United States and Brazil will remain in close coordination in the shared fight against the coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing regional response to safeguard public health, further limit the spread of the coronavirus, advance the early development of a vaccine, and save lives,” the statement reads.

It was also reported that President Donald  Trump and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro had communicated twice about the pandemic since March.

While hydroxychloroquine, malaria and lupus drug,  were not yet proven to be a treatment against COVID-19,  the U.S  president, and the White House have frequently been promoting its use.

It was only this month when Trump himself said that he was taking the pill to prevent having the virus.

However,  Trump administration coronavirus taskforce well-known member,

Dr.  Anthony Fauci, told CNN last week, as he also did many times,  that the drug does is not yet recognized as COVID-19 treatment.

Other health specialists have also repeatedly cautioned the use of hydroxychloroquine for its probable side effects, such as the risk of having an irregular heartbeat with regular use.

An earlier study, which analysis was published last week,  found out that out of 96,000 COVID-19 patients observed, those who were administered with the drug had a higher possibility of dying than individuals who did not take the medication.

Following the release of the findings, the World Health Organization (WHO) momentarily halted its clinical tests of the pill as a coronavirus cure.

Currently, Brazil is facing a grim milestone this month, with nearly 500,000 people tested positive with the virus. These numbers also make Brazil only behind the U.S, which now has exceeded 1.7 million confirmed cases.

According to the tracker from Johns Hopkins University, the coronavirus death toll in Brazil has reached almost 27,878.

Source: The Hill