Covid-19
President Trump says he’s taking malaria drug in case he gets virus
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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump says he is taking a malaria drug to lessen symptoms should he get the new coronavirus, even though the drug is unproven for fighting COVID-19.
Trump told reporters Monday that he has been taking the drug, hydroxychloroquine, and a zinc supplement “for about a week and a half now.”
Trump spent weeks pushing the drug as a potential cure for COVID-19 against the cautionary advice of many of his administration’s top medical professionals.
Trump says his doctor did not recommend the drug to him, but he requested it from the White House physician.
Trump says: “I started taking it because I think it’s good. I’ve heard a lot of good stories.”
Back on April 30, the Food and Drug Administration cautioned against the use of hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 patients outside of a hospital setting or a clinical trial.
The FDA said it had received several reports of serious heart rhythm problems in patients treated with hydroxychloroquine, often in combination with other medicines. You can find the FDA’s report here.
