People drinking less in lockdowns

– Three of the four authors behind a large-scale study in The Lancet that raised safety fears over the use of common antimalarial drugs to treat Covid-19 retracted their paper on Thursday, blaming a healthcare company that supplied the dataset.

The study retrospectively analysed about 96 000 patient records, finding that hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine showed no benefit against the coronavirus and even increased the risk of dying in hospital, with heart arrhythmia a particular concern.

The finding led the World Health Organisation to suspend clinical trials into the medicines, but it was soon followed by widespread concern among scientists over a lack of information about the countries and hospitals that contributed data.

Mandeep Mehra, a professor at Harvard University who led the work, along with Frank Ruschitzka of the University Hospital Zurich and Amit Patel of the University of Utah, said: “Based on this development, we can no longer vouch for the veracity of the primary data sources.

“Due to this unfortunate development, the authors request that the paper be retracted.”

They stressed that they had worked “in good faith and at a time of great need...”

– People missing out on drinking in restaurants and bars during coronavirus lockdowns are not entirely making up for it by pouring more at home, a survey of nine countries conducted on behalf of beer, wine and spirits companies showed.

The International Alliance for Responsible Drinking – made up of 12 major alcoholic beverage companies – said its survey of 11 000 people found that 30% were drinking less than before and 11% were drinking more.

The global numbers were skewed by figures from South Africa, which banned alcohol during the pandemic, and Mexico, which imposed tight restrictions on it. In both those countries most people are drinking less and only a tiny fraction drinking more.

But even in other countries, more people said they had cut back on alcohol than increased it.

In France, 29% of people are drinking less and only 10% drinking more. Similar effects, if less pronounced, were observed in Germany, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and, to a lesser extent, the United States. Britain was the exception, where figures were almost the same: 21% drinking less and 19% drinking more, despite the total shutdown of pubs.

When shutdowns began, consumers in many countries stockpiled alcohol along with other goods. Alcohol sales at US retailers shot up by 54% in the week after the country entered a state of national emergency.