Amidst the national tumult over the Coronavirus crisis, one Republican Congressman from Kansas has revealed that he and his entire family are apparently taking the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, which President Donald Trump has dubiously touted as useful against the Coronavirus. Rep. Roger Marshall, who is himself actually an obstetrician, revealed that his family was on the drug in a conversation with the Wall Street Journal shortly after Trump revealed that he too has supposedly been taking the drug for about a week and a half, no matter the dangerous potential side effects, which apparently include heart problems and hallucinations.
Wow. Hydroxychloroquine must be having an immediate effect. https://t.co/qU9i1RzlmA
— Tim Kaine (@timkaine) May 19, 2020
Marshall told the Journal that he was “relieved” to hear Trump’s revelation that he’s been taking the drug considering its supposed potential benefits.
He commented:
‘I would encourage any person over the age of 65 or with an underlying medical condition to talk to their own physician about taking hydroxychloroquine and I’m relieved President Trump is taking it.’
I grew up on a Virginia farm, Mr. President—our potatoes are fine. And as the only medical doctor among our nation's governors, I suggest you stop taking hydroxychloroquine.
Let's all get back to work. https://t.co/eay8saxcK1
— Ralph Northam (@GovernorVA) May 19, 2020
Marshall earned prompt condemnation from a spokesperson for Kansas state Sen. Barbara Bollier, a Democratic doctor who is campaigning for the same open Senate seat that the Republican Congressman is after. In reference to Marshall, the spokesperson noted that it is “potentially dangerous for a physician to promote unproven medicine,” adding:
‘It goes against medical advice from experts. This is not leadership.’
To be clear, taking the drug has actually been connected to dangerous potential side effects, including death. Recent results from the usage of the medication among patients in the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital system revealed that patients who took the drug actually died at a significantly higher rate than those who did not. There has never been any systematic evidence of the supposed efficacy of the drug, but Trump has seemed eager for some kind of “silver bullet” to fix the Coronavirus crisis.
Trump continued this afternoon to baselessly suggest that poor study results on hydroxychloroquine are the result of anti-Trump bias. He said that in "the only bad survey" (?) the drug was given to people who were "almost dead," then added, "It was a Trump enemy statement."
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) May 19, 2020
After the president’s latest revelation that he was supposedly taking the drug, Fox host Neil Cavuto warned viewers:
‘That was stunning. The president of the United States just acknowledged that he is taking hydroxychloroquine, a drug that really is to treat malaria and lupus. The president has insisted it has enormous benefits for patients who are either trying to prevent or already have COVID-19. The fact of the matter is, though, when the president said what have you got to lose, in a number of studies, those certainly vulnerable in the population have one thing to lose: their lives.’
Cavuto cited a number of studies, including the one featuring VA patients, which outlined the potential deadly dangers of the drug.
Cavuto: Trump 'just acknowledged he's taking hydroxychloroquine … The fact of the matter is though, when Trump said what do you got to lose, in a number of studies the vulnerable population have one thing to lose, their lives … I cannot stress enough, This. Will. Kill. You' pic.twitter.com/V5Z2kCcDer
— Lis Power (@LisPower1) May 18, 2020
Trump responded to Cavuto by praising Fox’s late former chief Roger Ailes, who was ousted amidst revelations of the years on end of sexual harassment that he perpetrated.
Trump tweeted:
‘@FoxNews is no longer the same. We miss the great Roger Ailes. You have more anti-Trump people, by far, than ever before. Looking for a new outlet!’
.@FoxNews is no longer the same. We miss the great Roger Ailes. You have more anti-Trump people, by far, than ever before. Looking for a new outlet! https://t.co/jXxsF0flUM
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 19, 2020
The efficacy or lack thereof of the drug in question is not a political game, but that’s the way in which the president continues to treat the lives and safety of Americans.
Chuck Schumer: "Please, citizens of America, don't take hydroxychloroquine as a prevention for COVID. It is not, medical experts have said it is not. Remember, it is risky. The FDA. has said it has risks." https://t.co/9jn3sctmlN
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) May 19, 2020
