May 20, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Trump says he plans to stop taking hydroxychloroquine "in a day or two"

Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

President Trump said on Wednesday that he plans to stop taking hydroxychloroquine as a defense against the novel coronavirus when his regimen finishes "in a day or two."

Why it matters: The FDA warned last month that the antimalarial drug appears to cause some serious and potentially life-threatening side effects in coronavirus patients.

Flashback: On Tuesday, when pressed on the FDA's warning, Trump responded by attacking a non-peer reviewed study that found an increased risk of death associated with patients who were only treated with the antimalarial drug — calling it a "false study."

  • Trump said on Monday that he had been taking hydroxychloroquine for "about a week and a half."

Go deeper: Trump dismisses FDA warnings about hydroxychloroquine

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Rashaan Ayesh
Aug 9, 2020 - Health

Ex-FDA head: U.S. will "definitely" see 200,000 to 300,000 virus deaths in 2020

Former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb said on CBS News' "Face the Nation" that the coronavirus death toll in the U.S. will be "definitely" somewhere between 200,000 and 300,000 by the end of 2020.

Why it matters: "Whether we're closer to 200,000 or closer to 300,000 depends on what we do now and how it evolves," Gottlieb warned on Sunday as the U.S. surpassed five million confirmed coronavirus cases.

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Caitlin Owens
19 hours ago - Health

How to do smarter coronavirus testing

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

With testing once again a huge vulnerability to America’s coronavirus response, public health officials are calling for a revamped strategy that features the use of more tests, even if they're imperfect.

Why it matters: The system is overwhelmed by the demand for tests, and yet prolific testing is key to identifying asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic coronavirus cases. Experts say the solution is smarter testing — which doesn't require perfect accuracy.

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Axios
Updated 1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 11:30 p.m. ET: 20,014,574 — Total deaths: 734,755 — Total recoveries — 12,222,744 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 11:30 p.m. ET: 5,089,416 — Total deaths: 163,425 — Total recoveries: 1,670,755 — Total tests: 62,513,174 — Map.
  3. Politics: Trump claims he would have not called for Obama to resign over 160,000 virus deaths — House will not hold votes until Sept. 14 unless stimulus deal is reached.
  4. Business: Richer Americans are more comfortable eating out.
  5. Public health: 5 states set single-day coronavirus case records last week — A dual coronavirus and flu threat is set to deliver a winter from hell.
  6. Sports: The cost of kids losing gym class — College football is on the brink.
  7. World: Europe's CDC recommends new restrictions amid "true resurgence in cases."
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