Immune To COVID? New Study Suggests Why

The Food and Drug Administration on Monday withdrew emergency use authorization for hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine to treat coronavirus patients.

"In light of ongoing serious cardiac adverse events and other potential serious side effects, the known and potential benefits of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine no longer outweigh the known and potential risks for the authorized use," the FDA said in a news release announcing the decision.

The ruling applies to drugs in the Strategic National Stockpile. They'll no longer be distributed to state and local health authorities for use against the coronavirus, according to the Associated Press.

Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine remain available and are approved to treat or prevent malaria. Hydroxychloroquine is also approved to treat autoimmune conditions like lupus. U.S. doctors could still prescribe them for COVID-19 — a practice known as off-label prescribing, the AP reported.

President Donald Trump repeatedly promoted the antimalarial drug as a way to prevent or treat COVID-19. He said he took a course of it after two aides in the White House tested positive for the coronavirus.

Within weeks of the FDA's original emergency use authorization, the agency warned the drugs could cause heart-rhythm problems. It said hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine should be used only in a hospital setting or in clinical trials.

"We’ve made clear throughout the public health emergency that our actions will be guided by science and that our decisions may evolve as we learn more about the SARS-CoV-2 virus, review the latest data, and consider the balance of risks versus benefits of treatments for COVID-19," Dr. Anand Shah, FDA deputy commissioner for medical and scientific affairs, said in a statement. "The FDA always underpins its decision-making with the most trustworthy, high-quality, up-to-date evidence available. We will continue to examine all of the emergency use authorizations the FDA has issued and make changes, as appropriate, based on emerging evidence."

The U.S. has recorded more than 2.1 million infections from the new coronavirus and 115,862 deaths, according to data tracked by Johns Hopkins University. Worldwide, nearly 8 million people are known to have been infected with COVID-19, and at least 434,430 have died.

Latest Developments

United States:

-Several players with the NFL's Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to CNN.com. The players were not at the teams' facilities, the report added.

-Los Angeles County officials surveyed 2,000 restaurants over the weekend and concluded that some 50% were violating social distancing orders, according to L.A. Times reporter Colleen Shalby.

-North Carolina State University announced that all students, faculty and staff will be required to wear face coverings on campus in any buildings used for university programs, according to WRAL.com. Exceptions will be made for private offices and dorms when only the residing students are present, the report added.

-At least 42,000 workers remain stranded on cruise ships without paychecks, some infected with COVID-19, three months after the industry shut down, the Miami Herald reported. Many Caribbean countries have refused to allow the ships to unload workers so they can fly to their homes, the Herald reported.

-U.S. Rep. Tom Rice, a Republican from Myrtle Beach, announced on Facebook that he, his wife, Wrenzie, and their son Lucas contracted COVID-19. Rice said Lucas had the worst case of what he called "Wuhan Flu." All three are recovering.

-South Carolina recorded its highest number of new COVID-19 cases in one day on Sunday: 840. The state is now logging almost six times as many cases each day as it did when it began reopening, the New York Times reported.

-Alabama reported more than 1,000 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, the most in one day since the pandemic began. It was the fourth consecutive record after 888 cases on Saturday, 859 cases on Friday and 848 cases on Thursday, according to state data.

-A coronavirus outbreak at Graystone Baptist Church in Lewisburg, West Virginia, has grown to 28 cases, Gov. Jim Justice said. It marked the fifth virus outbreak involving a West Virginia church. Similar church outbreaks have occurred in Boone, Hampshire, Jefferson and Marshall counties, according to the AP.

-Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said if COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the city, he would consider reinstating restrictions or imposing new rules, like requiring people to wear masks all the time, not just inside, CNN reported. "If we get to the point where the virus is overwhelming our health care system, and it's pretty clear that we're not able to control it through all the measures we put in, where people aren’t listening to them, then of course we will have to reverse ourselves," Gelber told the news channel Monday. "Which is why we're telling people now follow these instructions."

-The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is pushing next year's Oscars ceremony to April 25 from Feb. 28 because of the coronavirus pandemic, the New York Times reported. The eligibility window for films was extended to Feb. 28, 2021, instead of Dec. 31.

Worldwide:

-Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization, said more than 100,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus have been reported globally each day in the past two weeks. It took over two months to record the first 100,000 cases, the AP reported.

-Part of Beijing was locked down as the government rushed to contain a new outbreak of coronavirus infections that are traceable to the huge Xinfadi food market in the southern part of the city.

-Internal borders in Europe began to reopen to travel on Monday, but each country has its own set of rules for allowing in visitors.

For the latest coronavirus information in your county and a full list of important resources to help you make the smartest decisions regarding the disease, check out our dedicated COVID-19 page.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.