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France halts use of hydroxychloroquine on Covid-19 patients

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A vendor displays hydroxychloroquine tablets at a pharmacy in Amritsar, India, in April.
A vendor displays hydroxychloroquine tablets at a pharmacy in Amritsar, India, in April. Narinder Nanu/AFP/Getty Images

French doctors have been banned from prescribing hydroxychloroquine to Covid-19 patients, the government ruled Wednesday.

The French Health Ministry revoked its authorization for the drug to be given to those with coronavirus, saying that the scientific data available at present does not provide sufficient “evidence of a benefit” to support its use. 

Data considered by France’s High Council for Public Health found evidence to suggest a link between the use of hydroxychloroquine and “cardiac toxicity,” particularly when used in combination with the azithromycin – an antibiotic used to treat chest infection and other types of infection, according to a Health Ministry statement.

It added that the benefits and risks of this treatment may be reassessed in the future, as new data from clinical research emerges. 

Some context: The announcement comes after the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday said it had temporarily halted the study of hydroxychloroquine as a potential Covid-19 treatment in its Solidarity Trial, due to safety concerns.

The WHO’s decision was made after an observational study, published in the medical journal The Lancet on Friday, described how seriously ill Covid-19 patients who were treated with hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine were more likely to die or develop irregular heart rhythms.

“Our data has very convincingly shown that across the world in a real-world population that this drug combination, whichever way you slice it or dice it, does not show any evidence of benefit, and in fact is immutably showing a signal of grave harm,” said Dr. Mandeep Mehra, the study’s lead author.

Premier League soccer clubs voted Wednesday unanimously to return to contact training as England’s top flight competition moved closer to restarting. 

In a statement shortly after all 20 clubs met via video conference, the Premier League said: “Squads are now able to train as a group and engage in tackling while minimizing any unnecessary close contact.”

The statement continued:

“The Premier League’s priority is the health and wellbeing of all participants. Strict medical protocols are in place to ensure the training ground is the safest environment possible and players and staff will continue to be tested for Covid-19 twice a week.” 

Last week clubs returned to training in small groups without contact and under strict health protocols.

There have been no Premier League matches since early March because of the coronavirus pandemic and 92 matches remain. 

People hold a minute of silence for the victims of Covid-19 in Madrid, Spain, on Wednesday, May 27.
People hold a minute of silence for the victims of Covid-19 in Madrid, Spain, on Wednesday, May 27. Manu Fernandez/AP

The novel coronavirus has infected more than 5.6 million people globally. If you’re just joining us, here are the latest developments:

  • Global death toll passes 350,000: At least 350,876 people have died from the disease, according to data from John Hopkins University. The US remains the country with the highest number of cases and deaths. The UK has the second highest number of deaths.
  • New Zealand now has no Covid-19 hospital patients: There are still 21 active cases in the country, but those affected are not being treated in hospital, according to New Zealand’s Director-General of Health.
  • South Korea’s nightclub cluster grows: At least 259 cases have been linked to a cluster in a Seoul district known for its nightclubs. The district may also have given rise to a second cluster, which authorities are now racing to contain.
  • Spain begins 10 days of mourning: The country held a moment of silence on Wednesday to honor those who have died of coronavirus. The silent tribute marked the start of a period of national mourning.
  • Mothers in the UK hit hard by layoffs: Mothers in the UK are more likely than fathers to have quit or lost their job, or to have been furloughed, since the start of the country’s lockdown, according to a new report.
  • UK leader’s popularity falls: Boris Johnson’s poll numbers have dropped sharply following a scandal over his chief aide’s travel during lockdown. Johnson has refused to sack his adviser.
The Statue of Liberty is seen behind refrigeration trucks that function as temporary morgues for coronavirus victims at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal in New York City on May 25.
The Statue of Liberty is seen behind refrigeration trucks that function as temporary morgues for coronavirus victims at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal in New York City on May 25. Noam Galai/Getty Images

The number of people dying each day in the United States since early April has been consistently more than 10% higher than in previous years, according to a new report from the Health Care Cost Institute in Washington. 

The institute connects this rise in daily deaths to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Health Care Cost Institute, an independent nonprofit research organization, based its report on data from obituaries for all deaths due to any cause, not just Covid-19.

To better understand the number of daily deaths happening in the United States during the pandemic, researchers at the institute compared the daily count of deaths for each day this year with the average number of deaths on each day for the years 2014 through 2019. Those estimates for daily deaths are reported at the national and state level, and for New York City.

New York City, widely held as the epicenter of the pandemic in the United States, experienced more than double the typical daily deaths every day since the end of March,” the Health Care Cost Institute noted on its website.

“By mid-April, we begin to observe a decline in daily deaths in some areas such as New York and New Jersey; daily deaths continued to rise in other states such as Illinois, Massachusetts, and Maryland,” the Health Care Cost Institute said. “We will continue to monitor these trends and many others as the data is updated each week.”

The institute’s new data, updated weekly, aggregates information on daily deaths in the United States using obituaries from online newspapers, funeral homes, online memorials, direct submissions and other sources through a health data system called Datavant.

US health agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tend to rely on death certificate data to track daily deaths..

Despite using a different primary source of death data, the Health Care Cost Institute said it fonds similar results to CDC estimates of excess deaths.

“We hope that this analysis serves as a research resource to those seeking to better understand the effect of COVID-19 on all-cause mortality,” the institute said.

A minute of silence is held to honor coronavirus victims during a plenary session in the Congress of Deputies in Madrid, Spain, on Wednesday, May 27.
A minute of silence is held to honor coronavirus victims during a plenary session in the Congress of Deputies in Madrid, Spain, on Wednesday, May 27. Eduardo Parra/Europa Press/Getty Images

Spain held a moment of silence at noon on Wednesday (6aET) to honor those who have died of coronavirus.

Live images broadcast on Spanish television channels showed businesses, markets, streets and the country’s parliament at a standstill.

The silent tribute marked the start of 10 days of national mourning, during which flags will fly at half-staff on all government and public buildings.

At least 27,117 people have died of coronavirus in Spain since the pandemic began, according to the country’s Health Ministry.

Yamaha Corporation
Yamaha Corporation

With fans barred from stadiums due to coronavirus restrictions, sporting bodies around the world are grappling with how to create atmosphere at matches — and the makers of a new app think they have the answer.

The “Remote Cheerer powered by Sound UD” system is made by Yamaha and broadcasts cheers, boos and chants from users’ homes to the stadium via the internet, according to a press release.

Fans tap buttons on an app to make their feelings known through speakers placed around the stadium, replacing the usual crowd noise.

Users can choose which area of the stadium their noise is broadcast from, and there are separate zones for each team to make the atmosphere as realistic as possible.

Read more here.

Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank (ECB), speaks to the media at the ECB headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, in March.
Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank (ECB), speaks to the media at the ECB headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, in March. Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images

The eurozone economy will shrink by 8% to 12% in 2020 because of the coronavirus, European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde has said.

Lagarde said the economic impact of the virus would fall between the economic impact of the virus.

She said the bank’s “mild” scenario, which estimated negative growth of 5%, was “already outdated.”

Lagarde added that she was not too concerned about rising debt levels, saying there would not be a new euro crisis. She highlighted the importance of liquidity and said what the debt is spent on is what will be important.

“The ECB’s mission is to first of all be the custodian of this phenomenal asset that we have in common, the euro, our currency,” Lagarde said at a European Parliament youth event.

“The mission of our founding members was price stability, that’s our primary mission.”

Mothers in the UK are more likely than fathers to have quit or lost their job, or to have been furloughed, since the start of a government lockdown designed to stop the spread of coronavirus, a study from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has found.

“Mothers are one-and-a-half times more likely than fathers to have either lost their job or quit since the lockdown began,” the study states.

“In all, mothers who were in paid work in February are 9 percentage points less likely to be currently working for pay (either remotely or on-site) than fathers.”

The IFS found that women were also more likely to have increased domestic responsibilities during the lockdown.

“Mothers are doing paid work during 2 fewer hours of the day than fathers, but they do childcare and housework during 2 more hours each,” the report notes.

“Mothers combine paid work with other activities (almost always childcare) in 47% of their work hours, compared with 30% of fathers’ work hours.”

The data indicates that the difference between the work patterns of men and women in households with two opposite-gender parents, has grown since before the crisis. 

According to the study, “in 2014/15, mothers were in paid work at 80% of the rate of fathers; now this is 70% of the fathers’ rate. Mothers in paid work used to work an average of 73% of the hours that fathers worked; this has fallen to 68%.”

“Mothers and fathers used to be interrupted during the same proportion of their work hours; now mothers are interrupted over 50% more often.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street on May 20, in London.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street on May 20, in London. Leon Neal/Getty Images

Boris Johnson’s popularity has fallen dramatically in the aftermath of a political scandal involving his chief aide Dominic Cummings, according to British political polls. The UK government’s popularity has also fallen.

Cummings has been heavily criticized after British newspapers revealed that he travelled 260 miles across England with his family, to stay near his parents during the coronavirus lockdown.

He has refused to apologize or resign. Cummings said that his wife had fallen ill, that he was concerned that he too would become unwell, and that no one would be able to look after their young child.

Johnson has refused to sack his aide, but polls also show that a majority of the public believe Cummings should resign.

Two-thirds of British adults responding to a poll for the Daily Mail, published Wednesday, said Cummings should resign. Around the same number of adults believed the UK leader should fire his aide.

A poll by SavantaComRes, published Tuesday, also suggested Johnson’s personal popularity had fallen by 20 points in four days.

The opposition Labour Party appears to have benefited from the scandal. A poll for The Times out Wednesday showed the gap between Johnson’s Conservatives and Labour closing by nine points; while another by Survation showed it closing by five. Both polls still show the Conservatives as more popular than Labour.

Meanwhile, UK Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said the government would not review fines imposed on people traveling during the lockdown for childcare purposes, during an interview with the BBC’s Breakfast show on Wednesday.

 Health Secretary, Matt Hancock had suggested that was a possibility on Tuesday, in response to a question from a member of the public.

“No there isn’t going to be a formal review,” Jenrick said, adding that it was “for the police to decide whether to impose fines under the law.”

“They have the guidance that we’ve provided, and the national police chiefs have provided their own guidance which does give officers a degree of discretion to use their common sense again reflecting the fact that all of our circumstances are different,” he said.

“Dominic Cummings didn’t break the guidelines; the police, as far as I’m aware, haven’t chosen to impose a fine on him.”

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