Brazil Hits Record High for New Coronavirus Cases; Study: Cancer Patients Given Hydroxychloroquine Combination for COVID-19 More Likely to Die
ROMANS: Coronavirus is spreading quickly across Latin America. Brazil is hitting a record high for new cases in the past 24 hours. The third straight day Brazil has had more than 1,000 COVID-19 deaths. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has more from Rio de Janeiro.</s>NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: Laura, Christine, Brazil's numbers going from very bad to even worse, a record 26,417 cases reported in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 438,000. I should remind you, that isn't probably the full picture, because of the requirements needed here in Brazil to get a coronavirus test that we've heard from so many doctors. The death toll now at 26,000. This adding to the sense really of concern the head of a likely peak in the next week or two. Here in Rio de Janeiro, they said in the last 24 hours, they got to 4,800 dead. That surpasses even China's toll, official toll, reported toll in a country of 1.6 billion and perhaps reflects certainly the crisis may be what Rio is fearing in the weeks ahead. But I'll say, Brazil's number not the entire picture, but certainly, the death toll sadly a reflection of what people are seeing simply happen in health care facilities around here. Other troubling news as well, the IMF reporting a likely contraction of 5.3 percent in the Brazilian economy. At the same time, too, President Jair Bolsonaro, who's quite contrary relaxed, dismissive take on the violence calling it a little flu, many accused of being behind the spread of it here. His approval ratings slipped to some degree. A 5 percent rise in those who disapprove of the job that he is doing, and also too just as we head into the peak of Brazil's major cities, the biggest, wealthiest Sao Paulo, well, that appears now to be easing the lockdown potentially, recognizing perhaps the damage done to their economy for Monday. If you present a plan to the government that can be approved, you may be allowed to reopen, some nonessential shop. So, such a conflicting series of messages here in Brazil, as the numbers continue to horrify -- Christine, Laura.</s>JARRETT: All right. Thanks to Nick for that report on Brazil. Cancer patients treated with a combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin for COVID-19 are more likely to die than those who are not. That's according to "The Lancet" medical journal. The treatment has been frequently touted by President Trump. CNN's Elizabeth Cohen has more.</s>ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's the drug combination that President Trump loves to tout -- hydroxychloroquine plus azithromycin, an antibiotic. Now, another study coming out showing not only does it help, it actually can hurt COVID patients. This was a study of 928 cancer patients who also happened to be COVID. What they found those taking the drug combination were almost three times more likely to die and those taking the drug combination were six times more likely to either die, need a ventilator, get admitted to the ICU or require hospitalization. It's this kind of data that spurred the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health to tell doctors don't prescribe this drug combination to people with COVID unless they're in a clinical trial and you're studying the combination. We should note in the most recent study with the cancer patients, it was published in the medical journal "The Lancet", and very few -- only a few of the patients were in a clinical trial. So, yet more data showing this drug combination appears to be bad news for COVID patients -- Laura, Christine.</s>ROMANS: All right. Elizabeth, thank you for that. The Sesame Street crew will return to CNN for a second town hall on coronavirus. And staying safe this summer, the ABCs of COVID-19 airs Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m. right here on</s>CNN. JARRETT: We can all use a little levity from that. Just hours from now, President Trump is expected to speak with China. More on what his administration has in the works, coming up next.