Coronavirus Watch: Hydroxychloroquine doesn't prevent infection

Hydroxychloroquine, the drug President Trump said he was taking to ward off COVID-19, doesn't prevent coronavirus infection, a new study shows. 

The study by University of Minnesota and published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed hydroxychloroquine wasn't better than a placebo at preventing the development of COVID-19 in someone who was exposed to the virus.

It's Thursday, and this is the Coronavirus Watch from the Paste BN Network. Here's the most significant news of the day, as of 1 p.m. ET:

• About 1.9 million Americans filed initial unemployment benefit claims last week, the ninth straight weekly decline since the tally peaked at 6.9 million in late March. Over the past 11 weeks, 42.6 million workers have sought jobless benefits.
• A vaccine against the coronavirus may not be as simple as one jab and you're immune. It actually might take a two-dose regime, plus a booster several years later.
• More than 1.8 million people have tested positive for the virus in the U.S., and more than 107,000 have died. Worldwide, more than 6.5 million people have tested positive for the virus, and 386,000 have died. See the numbers in your area here.

What we're talking about: The coronavirus pandemic has disproportionately affected communities of color. Here's a list of 100 ways you can take action against racism right now.

Do you have questions about the coronavirus? Submit them through this form. Gary from California asks: After someone recovers from the coronavirus, what are the long-term effects?

Studies have found that damage from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease COVID-19, can affect the lungs, heart, liver, kidneys, gastrointestinal system and even the brain, according to Dr. Greg Poland, director of the Mayo Clinic Vaccine Research Group. People who have recovered from the virus told Paste BN that they were plagued by panic attacks and depression, struggled with memory and vision loss, and more.

The more severe the disease, the more long-term effects a patient may face, Poland said. Researchers are still learning about what those effects look like, but Poland said the most common effect he's seen is fatigue.

"For the first responders in 9/11, it took several years before 9/11 lung was established as a diagnosis," Poland said. "We’re going to see a like scenario of people with more severe disease. ... For a circulating respiratory pathogen, it’s hard to come up with one that can cause as much (long-term) devastation as this does."

As always, thank you for subscribing! We appreciate you trusting the Paste BN Network with this important information.

– Grace Hauck, breaking news reporter, @grace_hauck