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A study published in the International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents estimates the number of deaths caused by offlabel (without medical evidence) use of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) during the first wave of the pandemic at 17,000, collecting data from just six countries. The figures do not include Brazil and India, where use of the drug was widespread.
Accordingly Epidemiologist Denise Garrettan expert with extensive experience in infectious diseases and global health who spoke exclusively to The antagonist: “The indiscriminate use of hydroxychloroquine during the pandemic without solid scientific evidence of clinical benefit led to this tragic consequences.”
For the Brazilian doctor, vice president of the Sabin Vaccine Institute in Washington, “irresponsible prescribing of the antimalarial drug, even without evidence of clinical benefit, resulted in a possible loss of nearly 17,000 lives in six countries.”
This grim scenario highlights the urgent need to make medical decisions based on highquality scientific evidencein order not to endanger lives and avoid similar tragedies,” he concludes.
The study was conducted using data from Belgium, Turkey, France, Italy, Spain and the United States. The researchers stressed that the figure of 17,000 deaths in these countries may be underestimated.
The Covid19 CPI concluded that the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID19 poses a risk Big mistake by the Bolsonaro government. The drug has no proven effectiveness in treating the disease and, on the contrary, may be harmful to health. The CPI report recommends the Bolsonaro government be held responsible for promoting the use of HCQ. The then Attorney General of the Republic, Bolsonaro's ally Augusto Aras, shelved the CPI report.
On her Xprofile, exTwitter, Denise Garrett published:
The use of hydroxychloroquine during the 1st wave of COVID19 resulted in around 17,000 deaths! I repeat: 17,000 deaths.⚰️💀And that only in 6 countries, excluding Brazil and India, where its use was widespread. https://t.co/fMYfjBBHyp
— Denise Garrett, MD, MSc (@dogarrett) January 5, 2024