Virtually minutes after President Donald Trump announced that he’s taking a prophylactic regimen of hydroxychloroquine and zinc to ward off COVID-19, a media backlash …
Virtually minutes after President Donald Trump announced that he’s taking a prophylactic regimen of hydroxychloroquine and zinc to ward off COVID-19, a media backlash erupted.
Fox News’ Neil Cavuto warned: “If you are in a risky population here, and you are taking this as a preventative treatment… it will kill you. I cannot stress enough. This will kill you.”
Trump said on May 18 that he has been taking the combination for about a week and a half after consulting his doctor; the regimen requires a prescription.
“I think it’s good. I’ve heard a lot of good stories. I’m not going to get hurt by it. It’s been around for 40 years,” the president said, adding that “you’d be surprised at how many people are taking it.”
In March, as the death toll mounted, Trump touted the drugs as a possible COVID-19 treatment as a “game-changer.” He has since been a proponent of the treatment protocol, often saying, “what have you got to lose?”
White House physician Sean Conley released a letter later on May 18 saying the president “is in very good health and has remained symptom-free.”
“After numerous discussions he and I had regarding the evidence for and against the use of hydroxychloroquine, we concluded the potential benefit from treatment outweighed the relative risks,” Conley said.
Trump said he hasn’t experienced any side effects, which can include abnormal heart rhythms, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The president is regularly tested for COVID-19, and so far, all have come back negative.
