Once again, President Trump is playing doctor in chief. Once again, his medical judgment is wrong, and the example he is setting by his behavior is worse.
Trump announced that he began taking hydroxychloroquine and zinc to prevent covid-19 after a White House staffer tested positive for Sars-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus. Simultaneously, he and Vice President Pence have consistently ignored the advice of their own experts to wear face masks.
Trump’s confidence notwithstanding, hydroxychloroquine, most often used to treat malaria, has never been shown to lower the rate of transmission of the coronavirus. Nor has it been shown to improve symptoms or speed recovery among those infected. Continue reading.