On Tuesday President Trump defended his decision to take hydroxychloroquine as a preventative measure against the coronavirus, saying it's an individual decision but that he believes it provides "an additional level of safety" despite warnings that the drug can cause heart problems.
Trump told reporters after attending a Senate GOP lunch, "I think it gives you an additional level of safety," "But you can ask many doctors who are in favor of it. Many front-line workers won’t go there unless they have the hydroxy."
He added "This is an individual decision to make. But it’s had a great reputation and if it was somebody else other than me people would say, 'Gee isn’t that smart.'"
Trump told reporters on Monday he had started taking hydroxychloroquine, an antimalarial, after championing it as a potential treatment for the coronavirus despite limited evidence from the medical community.
An earlier study of the drug showed no benefit for patients in an analysis of those hospitalized in Veterans Health Administration medical centers. The study, released last month, found the two primary outcomes for COVID-19 patients treated with hydroxychloroquine were death and the need for mechanical ventilation.
More: TheHill.com