Speaker Nancy Pelosi didn’t hold back on Monday. President Trump admitted yesterday that he’s taking hydroxychloroquine to ward off COVID-19. Hydroxychloroquine is a controversial treatment that is potentially harmful to coronavirus positive patients.
During an appearance on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360,” Pelosi spoke out about Trump taking hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for COVID-19.
“I would rather he not be taking something that has not been approved by the scientists, especially in his age group and in his, shall we say, weight group, morbidly obese, they say,” said Pelosi. “So, I think that it’s not a good idea.”
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Pelosi’s comments follow an earlier admission on Monday by President Trump. He revealed that he’s been taking hydroxychloroquine for a week and a half now. One of his personal valets recently tested positive for the virus. As a result, Trump is seemingly playing it safe. Or is he?
“I take it,” said Trump to reporters on Monday. “I would’ve told you that three, four days ago, but we never had a chance, because you never asked me the question.”
Trump has repeatedly pushed hydroxychloroquine as a potential preventative for COVID-19 for the past two months. However, there is no evidence that the drug is effective in treating the virus.
“Here’s my evidence: I got a lot of positive calls about it,” remarked Trump. “So far, I seem to be OK.”
But not everyone shares that sentiment, and many are calling Trump’s decision “reckless.”
“I know him saying he is taking it, whether he is or not, is reckless, reckless, reckless. It gives people false hope, has people avoid real medical attention, and can actually cause them trouble. It is just dangerous, what he did,” said Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer on MSNBC.
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Last month the Food and Drug Administration warned that hydroxychloroquine should not be taken outside of a hospital. This is because of the risk of severe heart rhythm problems.
An analysis was conducted on patients at Veterans Affairs hospitals across the country. As a result, it was discovered that death rates were higher for patients who took the drug than those who did not.
On Monday the White House released a memo from Trump’s physician. It stated that the two discussed using hydroxychloroquine and decided “the potential benefit from treatment outweighed the relative risks.”
Sean Conley, the president’s physician, wrote, “In consultation with our inter-agency partners and subject matter experts around the country, I continue to monitor the myriad studies investigating potential COVID-19 therapies, and I anticipate employing the same shared medical decision making based on the evidence at hand in the future.”
However, Trump’s medical exam last year revealed that he qualifies as obese and that he’s taking medication to reduce cholesterol. Trump also has a common form of heart disease.
Here’s hoping the White House has a really good cleaner service to help keep COVID-19 germs at bay.
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