Fauci: Hydroxychloroquine ineffective as COVID-19 treatment
by Don Jacobson & Danielle HaynesBass Pro Shops marketing manager David Smith (R) carries a box of donated face masks into Mercy Health in Chesterfield, Mo., on May 13. The company is donating 1 million FDA-approved ASTM Level 1 Procedure Face Masks to healthcare workers and first responders working on the front lines of the pandemic. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License PhotoMoveOn.org holds a protest calling attention to the Trump administration's handling of the coronavirus response on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on May 13. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License PhotoSigns are seen in front of the U.S. Capitol during the protest. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License PhotoSupporters cheer as buses circle on the National Mall as motorcoach operators rally for federal financial aid for their industry in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License PhotoA bus is seen passing through trees on the National Mall. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License PhotoA popular trail along Lake Michigan remains closed during the pandemic in Chicago on May 12. Photo by Kamil Krzaczynski/UPI | License PhotoThe U.S. Navy Blue Angels air demonstration teams perform a salute to healthcare workers and others battling the coronavirus during a flyover of Chicago. Photo by Kamil Krzaczynski/UPI | License PhotoDrivers line up in the drive-through to order at a Steak 'n Shake restaurant in Overland, Mo., on May 12. Steak 'n Shake has announced it will permanently close 57 restaurants after net sales continue to drop. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License PhotoEight-year-old Kayden Tree grimaces as a swab is inserted into his nose by nurse Nellie Smith (L) and Ebonie Hearn during a COVID-19 test at a CareSTL testing site in St. Louis, Mo., on May 11. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License PhotoIt was the first dedicated pediatric COVID-19 testing site in north St. Louis. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License PhotoA group of volunteers wait to place bananas in vehicles in line at the drive-through food distribution sponsored by Feeding South Florida of Boynton Beach in Florida on May 9. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI | License PhotoA volunteer walks to place milk in a vehicle. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI | License PhotoVolunteers Steve Lolley (R) and his daughter Claire take a break as they wait to load boxes of food into waiting cars in O'Fallon Park in St. Louis on May 9. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License PhotoA B-2 Spirit stealth bomber flies over Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis on May 8. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License PhotoStylist Chrissy Whitley trims the hair of customer Mark Nolting at JF Hair Company in Union, Mo., on May 6, while wearing a face covering. The salon reopened two days earlier after being closed since March 23. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License PhotoJF Hair Company reopened May 4 after being closed since March 23 following a decision by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson to close non-essential businesses due to coronavirus fears. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License PhotoA traffic sign on Route 28 with the city skyline in the background displays the social distancing message in Pittsburgh. Photo by Archie Carpenter/UPI | License PhotoThe Clemente Bridge is empty during rush hour during the stay-at-home order in Pittsburgh on May 5. Photo by Archie Carpenter/UPI | License PhotoThe Duquesne Incline climbs Mount Washington with a message to wear masks in Pittsburgh. Photo by Archie Carpenter/UPI | License PhotoA man barbecues in a tent camp that has been set up for the homeless in downtown St. Louis on April 30. The tent camp has been in place for several weeks prompting St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson to order the homeless be moved on May 1, due to unhealthy conditions and the danger of coronavirus spreading among the 50-plus tent sites. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License PhotoJim LeGrand Jr. weighs ground meat at his store, LeGrand's Market, in St. Louis on April 29. A run on meat during the coronavirus outbreak, due to meat processing plant shutdowns, has national suppliers warning of a looming meat shortage. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License PhotoEmployee Donna Cox stacks toilet paper onto a table at LeGrand's Market. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License PhotoMaryland has postponed its primary election until June due to the pandemic but still held the special election for the 7th District. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License PhotoA voter is reflected in a protective plastic barrier in preparing to cast a ballot. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License PhotoA voter casts a ballot in special election for Maryland's 7th Congressional District to choose a successor to the late Rep. Elijah Cummings in Baltimore City, Md., on April 28. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License PhotoRev. Dr. Earl Nance, Jr. (R), tells parishioners to stay at home, as Reverend Darryl Gray (L) listens during a press conference in St. Louis on April 28. Black clergy and civil rights groups around the country are pushing back on the reopening of states.The NAACP, the National Urban League, National Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and the Progressive National Baptist Convention are among groups supporting the clergy's "stay at home" message. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License PhotoMedical staff wave their white towels as The CAREavan pulls into Mercy Hospital for a visit with caregivers, in Creve Coeur, Mo., on April 27. Each night at 7 p.m. in neighborhoods, grocery stores and hospitals, the group, along with St. Louis civic, sports and business leaders, have been rallying to thank workers on the front lines of the coronavirus. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License PhotoJeanie White carefully sews elastic bands into a face mask at Trophies T's and More in Union, Mo., on April 27. The t-shirt making company has switched to making face masks full time due to the coronavirus. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License PhotoProtesters call on churches to reopen as they gathered for a "Rhode Islanders against excessive quarantine" protest in reaction to the state's mandatory stay-at-home order at the Rhode Island State House in Providence, R.I., on April 25. Photo by Matthew Healey/UPI | License PhotoA volunteer puts eggs into other packaging in the food loading area during a free food giveaway in Alton, Ill. on April 24. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License PhotoShoppers are required to wear face coverings at Walgreens in Washington, D.C. on April 24. Photo by Tasos Katopodis/UPI | License PhotoBare shelves show where toilet paper was sold at at Walgreens in Washington, D.C. The store is limiting sales to two packs of toilet paper per customer. Photo by Tasos Katopodis/UPI | License PhotoRegistered nurse Wendy Gould inspects a N95 face mask that has been sanitized in a special trailer at Saint Louis University Hospital in St. Louis on April 23. As a result of using UV light exposure to N-95 masks for 10 minutes, the masks are able to be utilized for up to five additional shifts. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License PhotoHouse Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., struggles to put his face mask on after speaking during an enrollment ceremony for HR 266, the Paycheck Protection and Health Care Enhancement Act on April 23. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License PhotoSpeaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif, wears a scarf as a mask to protect against COVID-19 as she passes a bust of President Abraham Lincoln upon arriving at the U.S. Capitol on April 23. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License PhotoA building across the East River from Manhattan known as the One South First (1S1) lights its windows in the shape of a heart for Earth Day on April 22. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License PhotoSt. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson, (L) bumps elbows with director Kendra Holmes, getting a tour of a new coronavirus testing center at Affinia Health Care, in St. Louis on April 22. The new testing center is placed in a low-income neighborhood, where people without cars can walk-up for a COVID-19 test and not have to be in a car. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License PhotoJJ Hofman, 6, tries to snag a roll of toilet paper with a claw machine in Chesterfield, Mo., on April 22. With toilet paper in short supply, the boy's father, James, purchased the machine, replaced stuffed animals with toilet paper and charged neighbors $5 for three tries. The family raised $400, contributing to the Chesterfield Police Department for coronavirus related expenses. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License PhotoBicycles outnumber cars on Pennsylvania Avenue, which runs between the White House and the U.S. Capitol during the normal business lunch hour on April 22. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI | License PhotoA beer distributor is not delivering but rather taking back all the unused kegs and bottles of beer that a closed downtown Washington, D.C., restaurant and bar can no longer use on April 22. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI | License PhotoIn this mural by Hijack, a duo goes COVID-19 busting, armed with hand sanitizer, a vacuum cleaner and lots of toilet paper in Los Angeles on April 19. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License PhotoA customer is served at an outdoor fruit market in the Chinatown section of Manhattan on April 21. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License PhotoA protester holds a sign standing in front T & S Live Poultry as PETA holds a protest urging closures of live-animal markets to stop animal-borne diseases from spreading in New York City April 21. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License PhotoNurses hold photos of fellow nurses who have died of COVID-19 during the protest. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License PhotoNurses hold a protest at the White House to call attention to healthcare workers nationwide who have been infected with COVID-19 and demanding the Trump administration provide more protective gear. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License PhotoPeople wears masks as they sit on a bench in downtown Annapolis, Md., on April 20. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License PhotoWilson Barmeyer, musician and attorney, holds a porch concert to help raise money for COVID-19 relief for Bread for the City, a group that helps feed and cloth those in need, at his home in Washington, D.C. on April 19. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License PhotoNeighbors gather to hear Barmeyer's porch concert, which was also live streamed. The show raised over $5,500.00. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License PhotoPresident Donald J. Trump holds up swabs during the coronavirus pandemic briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing room at the White House on April 19. Trump touted the administration's efforts to increase production of swabs using the Defense Production Act. Photo by Stefani Reynolds/UPI | License PhotoThe Rev. Bob Evans talks to photos of his parishioners during his Sunday service at the Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Maryland Heights, Mo., on April 19. Since members cannot attend in person due to the pandemic, Evans asked for his church to send in photos of themselves receiving over 500 photos from his 1,500 membership. The photos are taped to the pews where the family sits, while he preforms the weekly service via Facebook Live. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License PhotoA protester holds a sign out of a sunroof during a protest to reopen Maryland and end the stay-at-home order near the state Capitol in Annapolis, Md., on April 18. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License PhotoA parade of vehicles drives up to Barnes-Jewish Hospital for the first Rise Up for Heroes initiative in St. Louis on April 18. People are asked to salute the front-line healthcare workers each night at 7 p.m. in neighborhoods and residential areas. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License PhotoSt. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson speaks during the first Rise Up For Heroes event. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License PhotoA driver gives the thumbs-down to a face mask during the car protest to reopen Maryland. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License PhotoDrivers circled Annapolis hoking their horns and calling for Gov. Larry Hogan to end the stay-at-home order. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License PhotoLara Deily, manager of the Board Room, waits for walk-by customers. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI | License PhotoPatrons wait for their orders from the Board Room in Washington, D.C. on April 17. Many restaurants and bars in D.C. have closed while others find creative ways to stay in business during the pandemic shutdown. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI | License PhotoWorkers open the first batch of Anheuser Busch hand sanitizer after it arrives at a distribution center in St. Louis on April 17. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License PhotoMissouri National Guard members wait for instructions at a overflow morgue in Earth City, Mo., on April 17. The Dignified Transfer Center, built in just 10 days, is a 29,000-square-foot overflow morgue built to provide relief to hospitals, morgues and funeral homes. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License PhotoA jogger runs past Sunnyvale Post-Acute Center in Sunnyvale, Calif. Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License PhotoTulips are in full bloom as a visitor relaxes in Forest Park in St. Louis, Mo., on April 16. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License PhotoPedestrians wear protective masks while they cross a quiet Brooklyn Bridge in New York City on April 15. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License PhotoPlayground equipment is closed off to children to help stop the spread of COVID-19 at a park in Tacoma Park, Md., on April 15. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License PhotoParamedics and EMT healthcare workers from around the country assemble for a meeting among a large group of ambulances at Fort Totten Park in Queens on April 14. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License PhotoPeople wait in line to enter a supermarket wearing protective face masks and practicing social distancing in New York City on April 14. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License PhotoBrad Baker, executive vice president of Husky, demonstrates the gas pump nozzle that his company normally makes and the ventilator prototype they hope to produce, in Pacific, Mo., on April 13. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License PhotoPastor Justin Arender delivers his Easter service at the Faith Baptist Church in St. Charles, Mo., on April 12. The church held a parking lot service, keeping parishioners in their cars, listening to music and a sermon, honking their horns for approval. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License PhotoA mural urges residents to stay home in Los Angeles. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License PhotoShoppers, mostly masked, keep several feet apart while buying produce at farmer's market on Alemany Boulevard in San Francisco on April 11. Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License PhotoFree warm vegetarian meals are distributed to the public at the Khalsa Care Foundation amid the coronavirus pandemic in in Los Angeles. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License PhotoGuests pass by 7-year-old Cooper Newman's house in cars to wish him happy birthday in Creve Coeur, Mo., on April 10. Family and friends practiced social distancing by staying in their cars to say hello and some dropping gifts at his feet. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License PhotoVenus moves behind One World Trade Center while its spire is lit in blue in New York City on April 9. Over 150 buildings all over the country lit up at the same time in solidarity with the hospital workers and first responders fighting COVID-19. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License PhotoA patient is moved out of Gateway Care & Rehabilitation Center, a skilled nursing facility in Hayward, Calif., on April 9. Over 30 patients have tested positive for COVID-19 along with over 20 staffers. Several patients have died. Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License PhotoA volunteer packs a box of food to be distributed to people in need at the Capital Area Food Bank in Washington, D.C., on April 9. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License PhotoWorkers with the nonprofit group SWBID pick up food to distribute to those in need from World Central Kitchen's makeshift distribution site at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. on April 9. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License PhotoPeople enjoy the warm weather on the National Mall during the coronavirus pandemic in Washington, D.C., on April 8. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License PhotoA woman walks in Times Square wearing protective goggles, latex gloves and a face mask in New York City. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License PhotoA pink supermoon rises behind the Empire State Building with a light display lit in red to honor emergency workers fighting coronavirus. Throughout the COVID-19 battle, the signature white lights on the building been replaced by the "heartbeat of America," along with a white and red siren to honor emergency workers. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License PhotoVice President Mike Pence (R) and coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx (background) listen as President Donald Trump delivers remarks on the pandemic at the White House in Washington, D.C. on April 7. Photo by Jim Lo Scalzo/UPI | License PhotoA woman walks on an empty street that is usually very busy at the Wharf in Washington, D.C. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License PhotoWorkers set up standing positions on the sidewalk at the D.C. Fish Market, after customers refused to follow social distancing guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic, at the Wharf in Washington, D.C. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License PhotoA park worker and two joggers maintain their social distancing amid the city's and statewide efforts to control crowds at Bellevue Park in Los Angeles. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License PhotoShoppers and workers at the Hollywood farmer's market comply with Mayor Eric Garcetti's orders to the extent that they can in Los Angeles on April 5. The Hollywood market allowed only 200 shoppers at at time, entering at a single point of entry. On a normal Sunday, a spokeswoman said, "There would be as many as 7,500 shoppers." Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License PhotoParishioners utilize the option of drive-through communion at the Godspeak Calvary Chapel in Thousand Oaks, Calif., on Palm Sunday to kick off Holy Week. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License PhotoWorkers from Woodard Cleaning Services perform Pathogen Control at the St. Louis Fire Department headquarters on April 5. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License PhotoHila Revilla of Queens cries as workers from the The Humane Society of New York arrive from inside to take and euthanize her 17-year-old dog, Bambi, in New York City on April 3. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License PhotoWhite House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx speaks during a news briefing on March 31. Photo by Chris Kleponis/UPI | License PhotoThe scoreboard welcomes an empty Busch Stadium on what should be opening day of the 2020 baseball season in St. Louis on April 2. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License PhotoHealthcare professionals with Children's National Hospital collect samples for COVID-19 testing at a facility on the campus of Trinity Washington University in Washington, D.C., on April 2. Photo by Sarah Silbiger/UPI | License PhotoDr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, attends the daily coronavirus briefing at the White House on April 1. Photo by Oliver Contreras/UPI | License PhotoResidents of a Mission District neighborhood hit the streets for a short, socially distanced dance party in San Francisco on April 1. Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License PhotoNorth Capitol Street leading to the U.S. Capitol is nearly empty on April 1. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License PhotoA customer waits on lines painted to encourage social distancing while waiting to check out March 31 at a Whole Foods Market in Silver Spring, Md. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License PhotoMedical kits are packed by sailors from Camp Lejeune, N.C., on March 18. The kits include hand sanitizer gel, surgical masks, disinfectant wipes, latex gloves, sphygmomanometers, stethoscopes, thermometers and isolation gowns. Photo by Cpl. Rachel K. Young-Porter/U.S. Marine Corps | License PhotoSailors assigned to the hospital ship USNS Mercy treat a patient from Los Angeles medical facilities on March 29. Photo by MC2 Erwin Jacob Miciano/U.S. Navy | License PhotoA medical worker puts his head down after bodies were carried away at Brooklyn Hospital Center in New York City on March 31. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License PhotoA body wrapped in red fabric is rolled to a hearse by medical workers wearing protective masks, equipment and garments as protection from COVID-19 contamination at Brooklyn Hospital Center. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License PhotoA COVID-19 testing machine is seen alongside President Donald Trump as he speaks at a briefing on the coronavirus March 30. Photo by Michael Reynolds/UPI | License PhotoA woman enters a coronavirus screening site at FedEx Field, home of the Washington Redskins, in Landover, Md., on March 30. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License PhotoThe USNS Comfort will be ready to take in patients within 24 hours. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License PhotoA COVID-19 quarantine for homeless people is operating in a cluster of RVs at Dockweiler State Beach in Los Angeles on March 29. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License PhotoA pedestrian crosses California Street in San Francisco on March 29. The city has shut down cable car service and ordered residents to shelter in place. Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License PhotoA view down an empty Las Vegas Boulevard during the closure of hotels and casinos along the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas on March 29. Photo by James Atoa/UPI | License PhotoA member of the Rhode Island Army National Guard waits to talk to visitors with New York license plates at a rest area in Richmond, R.I. on March 27. The state police and National Guard are helping to enforce a mandatory 14-day quarantine for all visitors from New York. Photo by Matthew Healey/UPI | License PhotoNewly erected hospital rooms are sectioned off with white curtains at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City on March 27. The center is being converted into field hospitals to test and possibly treat cases of COVID-19 infections. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License PhotoMembers of the Rhode Island Army National Guard record information from arriving travelers inside Providence Train Station in Providence, R.I., on March 27. Photo by Matthew Healey/UPI | License PhotoA man walks in an uncrowded Central Park. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License PhotoTourists take pictures on Twin Peaks in San Francisco. California is under a stay-at-home order except for essential needs such as grocery shopping. Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License PhotoMedical staff collect samples from a patient at a COVID-19 testing site at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, N.J., on March 23. This image has been altered to protect personal information. Photo by Master Sgt. Matt Hecht/U.S. Air National Guard | License PhotoVolunteers pack food supplies for shut-in seniors at a St. Louis area food bank in Bridgeton, Mo., on March 23. The food bank is supplying two months of seniors' boxes in a single delivery to limit the risk of social exposure. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License PhotoCars queue for drive-up testing. Photo by Peter DaSilva/UPI | License PhotoA man has his temperature checked by an emergency medical technician at a triage station in Hayward, Calif., on March 23. Photo by Peter DaSilva/UPI | License PhotoMembers of the media space out around uniformed members of the National Guard. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License PhotoThe Jacob Javits Convention Center is set up to be turned into a field hospital for coronavirus patients in New York City on March 23. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License PhotoPolice deny vehicle and pedestrian access to the cherry blossoms at the National Mall. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI.. | License PhotoThe 110 Harbor Freeway in Los Angeles on March 22 at a time when traffic would normally be heavier and weekdays be bumper-to-bumper. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License PhotoPresident Donald Trump, surrounded by members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, is seen in a reflection as he delivers remarks on the pandemic in the press briefing room of the White House on March 22. Photo by Jim Lo Scalzo/UPI | License PhotoA message on a board outside of the West Middle School greets drivers as they pass in Ballwin on March 22. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License PhotoA pigeon takes flight over other birds on a street nearly empty of pedestrians and traffic along Fifth Avenue in New York City. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License PhotoWilma Grove (L) uses a cellphone to talk to her children, Judy Kekich and Ed Grove, during their visit to Delmar Gardens on the Green in Ballwin, Mo., on March 21. The family has been forced to visit their 100- year-old mother every day from the outside due to coronavirus concerns. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License PhotoNew Jersey Army National Guard medical personnel assist at a COVID-19 testing site at Bergen Community College in Paramus, N.J., on March 20. The testing site, established in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, was staffed by the New Jersey Department of Health, the state police, and the National Guard. Photo by Spc. Michael Schwenk/U.S. Army National Guard | License PhotoA customer leaves Gioia's Deli after being told the store has closed for the day, in St. Louis on March 20. All restaurants and bars have been ordered to operate as carry-out only with reduced hours. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License PhotoChris Taylor, vice president of listings and services at the New York Stock Exchange, slams the gavel when he alone rings the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange on March 20. The NYSE will close the floor and move temporarily to fully electronic trading on March 23. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License PhotoRivian Robinson holds up a sign for her son, St. Louis firefighter Gavin Alfred, to see as he walks across a parking lot after graduation ceremonies in St. Louis on March 20. Robinson and all family members of the 40 graduates, were unable to attend St. Louis Fire Department graduation ceremonies because of social distancing guidelines. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License PhotoA shopper leaves a Costco Warehouse in Alexandria, Va., on March 20. Shoppers are continuing to buy in bulk as COVID-19 spreads across the United States. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License PhotoVery light traffic is seen from the Red Line Train at San Francisco International Airport on March 19. Minimal passenger traffic is arriving or departing SFO as the Bay Area starts a three-week shutdown. Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License PhotoOfficers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations screen international passengers arriving at Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Va., on March 13. Photo by Glenn Fawcett/U.S. Customs and Border Protection | License PhotoMisook Choe, a labo manager with the Emerging Infectious Disease branch at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, Md., conducts studies on the coronavirus on March 3. Photo by USAMRDC/UPI | License PhotoA man walks on Haight Street past a boarded up business in San Francisco on March 18. San Francisco was under a "shelter in place" order, with exceptions for grocery shopping. Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License PhotoA passenger is seen in a metro car at Farragut West Metro Station in Washington, D.C. amid low ridership from coronavirus precautions, on March 16. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License PhotoSeats in the Brady press briefing room at the White House are marked with signs to maintain social distancing. Photo by Oliver Contreras/UPI | License PhotoCommuters walk in a scarcely populated Grand Central Station terminal during the morning rush hour on March 16 in New York City. Over a million New York City public school children are staying home with the first day of closure of public schools. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License PhotoShoppers are met with long lines, empty shelves, food, water and other essential shortages at a Smart & Final store in Inglewood, Calif., on March 15. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License PhotoA shopper at this Sam's Club store looks over a nearly bare meat counter in Maplewood, Mo., on March 15. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License PhotoAdventurous skiers start the climb up Mount Werner at Steamboat Springs, Colo. Some went 100 yards, and some climbed to the top of the mountain in order to ski down at the closed resort. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI | License PhotoA new hand-sanitizing station is ready for use as international travelers depart Los Angeles International Airport on March 14. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License PhotoShoppers purchase toilet paper at a grocery store that was running low on meat, canned goods, paper items, bottled water, bread and other staples during panic buying in Frederick, Md., on March 14. Photo by David Tulis/UPI | License PhotoStacy Loggins, supervisor of janitorial services, wipes down a metro bus that has just come back for the day in St. Louis on March 13. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License PhotoWorkers in protective suits check ID of patients arriving by car at New York State's first drive-through coronavirus mobile testing center at Glen Island Park in New Rochelle, N.Y., on March 13. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License PhotoPurple ribbons hang outside the Young Israel of New Rochelle synagogue in New Rochelle. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License PhotoThe cruise ship Grand Princess is seen 15 miles off the California coast as it waits to enter San Francisco Bay in San Francisco on March 9. The ship was being held in quarantine with 21 diagnosed cases of COVID-19 aboard. Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License PhotoNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci speaks to reporters at the White House on April 16. File Photo by Chris Kleponis/UPI | License PhotoHydroxychloroquine has been used as an anti-malarial drugs for decades and is sometimes used to treat lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. File Photo/UPI | License Photo
May 27 (UPI) -- Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday that hydroxychloroquine, a drug President Donald Trump said he has taken to ward off the coronavirus, is not an effective treatment based on the latest scientific data.
Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, made his most definitive statement yet against the drug once touted by Trump as a possible treatment.
"The scientific data is really quite evident now about the lack of efficacy," Fauci, the White House's top infectious disease expert, said.
His statement comes on the heels of France banning the drug altogether Wednesday and the internationally respected science journal The Lancet publishing a 96,000-patient study that concluded hydroxychloroquine had no effect on COVID-19.
France's decision was published in the country's official legal journal, ending the drug's use as a weapon in the pandemic just weeks after French epidemiologist Dr. Didier Raoult recommended it as a key tool against the coronavirus disease.
Tuesday, the French High Council of Public Health and National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products said hydroxychloroquine has shown higher rates of death and cardiac arrhythmia in COVID-19 patients.
French Health Minister Olivier Veran ordered the assessments last weekend after the study in The Lancet. The study also reported increased death rates and irregular heartbeat among COVID-19 patients treated with hydroxychloroquine.
The World Health Organization said Monday it paused medical trials involving the drug.
On Wednesday, Mike Ryan, the executive director of WHO's emergencies program, said there's no evidence hydroxychloroquine and related drug chloroquine work to treat COVID-19.
"There is no empirical evidence at this point that these drugs work in this case either for treatment or for prophylaxis," he said. "We do not advise the use of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine for the treatment of COVID-19 outside randomized control trials or under appropriate close clinical supervision subject to whatever national regulatory authorities have decided."
Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine have been used as anti-malarial drugs for decades and are sometimes used to treat lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.
Trump and others have said hydroxychloroquine could be a potential treatment for COVID-19 or to prevent infection. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and American Heart Association, however, have warned that using it without medical supervision can lead to a greater risk of cardiac arrest.
