President Trump on Monday announced that he has been taking the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine to ward off the coronavirus.
“A lot of good things have come out on the hydroxy. I’m taking hydroxychloroquine. I’ve been taking it. I hope to not be able to take it soon. But I think people should be allowed to,” the president said at the White House during an unrelated meeting with restaurant industry bigs.
The president said he began taking the drug several weeks ago after getting a letter from a doctor extolling its benefits.
“He said out of hundreds of people that he’s treated he hasn’t lost one. All I can tell you is, so far I seem to be OK. If it doesn’t work you’re not going to get sick or die. It’s been heavily tested,” Trump said.
“I’ve taken it about a week and a half now, and I’m still here. I get a lot of tremendously positive news on the hydroxy, and you know the expression I use, ‘What do you have to lose?’ ” he said, reporting he had “zero symptoms” or side effects despite warnings about taking the drug outside of a hospital setting.
The president would not say if other members of his family or administration were taking hydroxychloroquine, but that he had been also been taking zinc supplements as well.
