Covid-19 Pandemic
 Here’s the latest news: Agencies continue working with WHO amid Trump threats U.S. still unprepared for future pandemics, CDC head says German economy set to shrink 7% despite recovery A pandemic of politics Two weeks ago, it looked like we had a clear indication on hydroxychloroquine’s safety. Analysis of the medical records of 96,000 Covid patients showed that those treated with the drug and a related antimalarial were at higher risk of death and heart abnormalities than people who hadn’t received them. It wasn’t a gold standard trial – a prospective, unbiased comparison to a placebo – but the Big Data looked convincing, and researchers cautiously backed away from adding more subjects to their trials. Now, the study that raised the concerns has been retracted after questions arose about the integrity of the medical records database, profiled in a story by Bloomberg’s Helene Fouquet and Robert Langreth. That threatens to tarnish The Lancet, a trusted medical journal that published it, and the researchers who worked on the report.  Photographer: Christopher Occhicone/Bloomberg Photographer: Christopher Occhicone/Bloomberg It also lengthens the political shadow over the role of science in the pandemic. Ever since U.S. President Donald Trump called the decades-old pill a “game-changer,’’ it’s become a lapel pin for supporters. The U.S. purchased millions of doses, and regulators quickly approved it for emergency use – then cautioned it should only be used in hospitals and clinical trials. Believers rushed to get doses, depleting supplies for those who take the drugs for proven uses in malaria, one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, along with lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. Politics keeps coloring the response to the pandemic. Every question from the source of the virus to whether people should wear masks into grocery stores has taken on tinges of red and blue. As Bloomberg’s Marthe Fourcade and Michelle Fay Cortez report, that’s leaving doctors adrift, having to make treatment decisions for deathly ill people without sound, impartial data. “It makes no sense in the middle of a pandemic that we aren’t laser-focused on learning as quickly as possible,” said Peter Bach, director of the Center for Health Policy and Outcomes at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. “It’s frustrating. It matters. There are people dying.’’—John Lauerman Listen up Latest Podcast: Will Protests Spread the Virus? Bloomberg’s Michelle Cortez spoke to scientists about the possibility. What they have to say is not reassuring.  What you should read Covid Sends Expat Workers Home The coronavirus has taken the sheen off a globe-hopping lifestyle. Will Handshakes Survive the Pandemic? Physical greetings have periods of decline. They don’t tend to last. Singapore Considers Virus Wearables for All Partial lockdown measures for schools and offices being eased. France Beefs Up Pandemic Job Support Loss of a generation to unemployment feared after the coronavirus. Fauci, U.S. Virus Task Force Sidelined Task force meetings have slowed, experts rarely speak publicly. Know someone else who would like this newsletter? Have them sign up here. Have any questions, concerns, or news tips on Covid-19 news? Get in touch or help us cover the story. Like this newsletter? Subscribe for unlimited access to trusted, data-based journalism in 120 countries around the world and gain expert analysis from exclusive daily newsletters, The Bloomberg Open and The Bloomberg Close. Follow Us Get the newsletter You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg’s Coronavirus Daily newsletter. Unsubscribe | Bloomberg.com | Contact Us Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington, New York, NY, 10022 |
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