So, is it effective? Hydroxychloroquine is an anti-malarial drug that has been reported to be effective against the symptoms of the Wuhan coronavirus. Yet, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and one of President Trump’s top officials working to curb the outbreak in the U.S., has warned against saying this is full proof. He’s a professional. This is a new virus. This drug has not been tested in this regard, but thousands of doctors are saying it works.
In Michigan, Democratic State Representative Karen Whitsett contracted the disease and was given the drug. She said she felt relief from her symptoms in less than two hours. She was aware of hydroxychloroquine due to a recent Lyme’s Disease diagnosis but didn’t know it could be used to treat COVID-19. She credits the drug and President Trump for possibly saving her life.
Jackson and Coker, a healthcare staffing firm, did a survey of 1,200 doctors nationwide and found that 65 percent would prescribe the drug to their family if they were infected with the Wuhan coronavirus, with 66 percent saying they would take the drug themselves:
Sixty-five percent of physicians across the United States said they would prescribe the anti-malaria drugs chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine to treat or prevent COVID- 19 in a family member, according to a new survey released today by Jackson & Coker, one of the country’s largest physician staffing firms.
Only 11 percent said they would not use the drug at all.
Meanwhile, 30 percent of the surveyed doctors said they would prescribe the medications to a family member prior to the onset of symptoms if they had been exposed to COVID-19, a highly contagious virus that causes a pneumonia-like infection of the lungs.
“Working in healthcare, we’ve learned the best way to get a candid perspective on treatment options from a physician is to ask: ‘Would you give this to your family?’” said Tim Fischer, President of Jackson & Coker. “Families across the U.S. – and the world really – want to know what they can do to protect and save their loved ones.”
Jackson & Coker conducted the survey of 1,271 physicians from 50 states from April 4 to April 7. It conducted the survey not to influence the debate in treating patients with anti-malarials but to make sure the voice of physicians is represented. It has a margin of error of +/- 3 percent with a 95 percent confidence level of the doctors surveyed.
Maybe in a few more weeks, there can be a definitive declaration that this drug is effective, but there is story after story showing that this drug works. It could be a nice stopgap until we have an official vaccine.
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