Fox News' Neil Cavuto hastily warned viewers against using hydroxychloroquine after Trump said he's taking it to prevent coronavirus
Fox News' Neil Cavuto was quick to counter President Trump's comments Monday about the controversial malaria drug hydroxychloroquine after the president said he was taking the medication to ward off the coronavirus.
While Trump, who has long championed the hydroxychloroquine as a way to combat COVID-19 despite a lack of evidence, said he started taking the drug in the last two weeks after hearing some positive reviews, Cavuto wanted to make sure his viewers didn't start taking it just because the commander-in-chief sung its praises.
Cavuto's response to Trump's words were intense — he said that the drug, which the FDA has warned potentially leads to serious side effects, could even prove fatal for "risky" population groups.
"If you are in a risky population here, and you are taking this as a preventative treatment...it will kill you.
I cannot stress this enough: This will kill you."@TeamCavuto warns viewers against hydroxychloroquine after @realDonaldTrump says he's taking it. pic.twitter.com/xAXDQE4ThL
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) May 18, 2020
When it comes to lethality, doctors have said hydroxychloroquine's potentially fatal side effect — irregular heart rhythm — is "rare," but the lack of research on its effect on seriously ill COVID-19 patients remains insufficient. Self-medicating with the drug for COVID-19 has been linked to deaths in recent months.
Over on CNN, Dr. Sanjay Gupta similarly pushed back against Trump's latest foray into the medical world, saying bluntly that the president "shouldn't be taking" the drug.
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