Trump's Coronavirus Advice Could Kill Vulnerable People, Warns UK Expert
The British professor said he doesn't recommend the medicine particularly for those people most at risk of severe disease, issuing a strong rebuttal of Trump's suggestion. Chloroquine is absolutely contra-indicated for people who have diabetes and are taking specific anti-diabetes drugs. It also causes problems for people with liver disease and the elderly, that have got poor kidney function."
Thursday 21 May 2020 | 09:01
Live broadcast of U.S. President Donald Trump speaking at a press briefing at the White House in Washington D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)
A British professor has warned that U.S. President Donald Trump's advice about taking an anti-malarial drug to protect against the novel coronavirus "could kill vulnerable people", the British newspaper Liverpool Echo reported on its website.
Trump told reporters on Monday that he has taken hydroxychloroquine which he said could be a potential treatment for coronavirus, on a daily basis, despite warnings that it can cause heart problems.
"A couple of weeks ago, I started taking it," he said. "All I can tell you is, so far I seem to be OK."
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A medical worker takes a swab sample at a COVID-19 drive-thru testing site in Washington D.C., the United States, May 19, 2020. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned in late April against the use of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine for COVID-19 "outside of the hospital setting or a clinical trial due to risk of heart rhythm problems."
"Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine have not been shown to be safe and effective for treating or preventing COVID-19," the FDA said in a release. "They are being studied in clinical trials for COVID-19."
Separately, a study released by the U.S. Veterans Health Administration last month suggested the drug was ineffective in treating patients with COVID-19 and found that the two primary outcomes for patients treated with the drug were the need for mechanical ventilation and death.
