Tests of malaria drug hydroxychloroquine as a remedy for COVID-19 — touted by President Donald Trump, who said he was taking it to ward off the virus and that it had “rave reviews” — have been suspended around the world and its use for the treatment of coronavirus has been stopped by  Panama’s Ministry of Health   The World Health Organization stopped the trials after a recent study of 96,000 coronavirus patients, published in the renowned Lancet medical journal. found the death rate for those taking hydroxychloroquine was double that of a control group.

 The WHO also warned against countries lifting lockdowns too quickly, as it could lead to a second peak of infections.