New York sees more than 1,ooo deaths; patients administered malaria drug

New York/Washington: The number of deaths in New York state due to the coronavirus outbreak has crossed the 1,000 mark, with Governor Andrew Cuomo warning that thousands of people will pass away before the crisis ends in America’s current COVID-19 epicentre. Deaths due to the virus outbreak in the state sharply rose from 728 to 965 in just one day. At 237, this was the largest single-day increase in number of deaths since the virus outbreak began here.

Meanwhile, malaria medicine Hydroxychloroquine is being administered to 1,100 coronavirus patients in New York, President Donald Trump said, exuding confidence that the drug, touted as a “game-changer” by him, might give some incredible results in the fight against the disease that has infected over 1,45,000 persons in the country. An inexpensive drug widely used since 1955 to treat malaria, Hydroxychloroquine is considered to have relatively harmless side effects. It is being tested out on the COVID-19 patients in New York on an experimental basis, hoping it will give a solution in treating the virus.