COVID-19: Trump Says He’s Been Taking Hydroxychloroquine For Over A Week

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said Monday that he has been taking an anti-malarial drug, hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 preventive treatment in spite of warnings from scientists that the HCQ should be only administered for COVID-19 in a hospital or research setting due to potentially fatal side effects.

Trump told reporters that, "I take a pill every day for about a week and a half now," and further added that he combines this with zinc. When asked why, he replied,"Because I think it's good. I've heard a lot of good stories." Trump said that his doctor didn't recommend the drug to him but he requested it from the White House physician.

The FDA warned health professionals that the HCQ should not be used to treat COVID-19 outside the hospital or research settings due to its side effects. However, Trump dismissed the reports of side effects and said that, "All I can tell you is, so far I seem to be ok." Every couple of days, doctors are testing Donald Trump for obvious reasons. Trump added that, “I don't want to be tested but they want to test me, I've shown always negative."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in an interview asserted that "I would rather say that he, not taking something that has not been approved by the scientists, especially in his age group and in his, shall we say, weight group, which is morbidly obese, they say. So, I think that it's not a good idea."

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer reacted to Trump's comments and said that, "It gives people false hope, has people avoid real medical attention, and can actually cause them trouble. It is just dangerous what he did."

Trump has been repeatedly pointing out the use of the drug HCQ with or without azithromycin for COVID-19 treatment but no studies proved it as safe or effective for preventing or treating COVID-19.

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