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Hydroxychloroquine, a drug used to treat malaria, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis, does not have an effect on the recovery rate among coronavirus patients, according to a preliminary study. The drug had previously been touted by President Donald Trump as a potential “game-changer.”
The study sponsored by the New York State Department of Health looked at 600 patients at 22 hospitals to determine what impact the drug could have. Unfortunately, those who took hydroxychloroquine were no more likely to survive COVID-19 than the patients who did not.
“We don’t see a statistically significant difference between patients who took the drugs and those who did not,” David Holtgrave, dean of the University at Albany School of Public Health, said, via CNN.com.
While the initial study showed the drug to be ineffective, further testing is needed.
The coronavirus mainly comes from animals and a majority of those who were infected early either worked at or frequently visited the Huanan seafood wholesale market in Wuhan, according to The Guardian. The virus is similar to Severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (Mers).
The Wuhan coronavirus is transmitted from person to person through “droplet transmission.” That means an infected person can pass the virus by sneezing or coughing on another person as well as by direct contact.
While a majority of the cases have been detected in the United States and China — with more than 50,900 deaths in the United States — it has now reached many countries around the world. It has also been confirmed in Italy, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and many other eastern countries.
