President Donald Trump on Sunday announced that the United States would send Brazil 1,000 ventilators and two million doses of hydroxychloroquine.
The hydroxychloroquine will be used as a prophylactic to help defend healthcare workers and a therapeutic to treat infected patients in Brazil, according to the joint statement with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro released by the White House.
Both Bolsonaro and Trump continue touting anecdotal evidence that hydroxychloroquine is useful in the war against the coronavirus, despite widespread criticism from corporate media and the medical community.
The statement noted that the United States and Brazil would work together on controlled clinical trials on hydroxychloroquine to “evaluate the safety and efficacy” of the drug.
“Going forward, the United States and Brazil will remain in close coordination in the shared fight against the coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing regional response to safeguard public health, further limit the spread of the coronavirus, advance the early development of a vaccine, and save lives,” the statement concluded.