An American died after eating a drug that Trump described as a "very good" treatment for Coronavirus

An American died after eating a drug that Trump described as a "very good" treatment for Coronavirus

The American "NBC" network reported that a woman in Arizona ended up in the hospital while her husband died after taking a dose of a drug used to treat malaria after they heard Trump's talk about it.





US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that the anti-malarial drug currently undergoing treatment for emerging Coronavirus patients may be 'a gift from God', although scientists warn of the dangers of excessive claims about drugs that hasn't been approved yet.





Trump announced last week that his administration was working to expand access to hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine following promising preliminary studies in France and China, studies that found that the condition of patients with Covid-19 improved after using the two drugs.









Many scientists, including the chief infectious disease expert in the United States, Anthony Fauci, has called people to wait until it is confirmed by more comprehensive clinical tests.





But Trump did not show such a reservation during a press conference at the White House on Monday.





"The hydroxychloroquine and the Z-Pak, I think as a combination probably is looking very, very good," Trump said.





"There's a real chance that it could have a tremendous impact, it would be a gift from God, if that worked it would be a big game changer," he said, referring to an example of a patient with the virus who recovered after being treated with that drug.





But the American "NBC" network reported that a woman in Arizona ended up in the hospital while her husband died after taking a dose of chloroquine they were using to treat a fish they raised at home after they heard Trump's talk about it.





"I saw the medicine on the shelf and asked, 'Isn't this the medicine they are talking about on TV?'" The channel quoted the woman, whose name was not mentioned.





"A man died and his wife was taken to hospital in critical condition, both of them in their sixties, after they took chloroquine phosphate, a substance that is usually used in cleaning aquariums," a Phoenix-based health care company called Banner Health said on its website. The company has warned against the general use of the substance to treat themselves as Covid-19 or to ward off infection.









Scientists have criticized Trump for promoting the drugs, which could lead to a deficiency for Americans who need them to treat lupus and arthritis.





On Tuesday, New York will begin clinical trials to treat patients by mixing hydroxychloroquine with azithromycin, an antibiotic used to eliminate a secondary bacterial infection.





Separately, Vice President Mike Pence announced the availability of self-examination devices to detect the disease by taking nose samples this week, relieving the overburdened health system.





Currently, the examination is carried out by a medical team, who must wear protective clothing that is not sufficiently available.





560 died while 44,000 people were infected with the virus in the United States, according to Johns Hopkins University Hospital statistics.





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