US sends 2 million doses of antimalarial drug to Brazil to help fight coronavirus

The United States has sent 2 million doses of the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine to Brazil to help it fight the new coronavirus, the White House said on Sunday.

"The United States Government has delivered two million doses of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) to the people of Brazil", a statement issued by the US and Brazil read.

The US and Brazilian government said the medicine would be used preventatively to protect Brazil’s nurses, doctors, and health care professionals against the virus as well as a therapeutic to treat Brazilians who become infected.

US President Donald Trump said earlier this month he was taking daily doses of the drug, despite its unproven efficacy against the COVID-19 disease.

As of 31 May, the US has confirmed more than 1,760,000 cases of the novel coronavirus and 103,700 fatalities related to the disease, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention shows. According to the latest count of the Brazilian Health Ministry, there are nearly 500,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and almost 29,000 disease-related deaths in the country.

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