Taking Hydroxychloroquine is Personal Decision for Someone to Make - Trump

On Monday, the US President said that he was taking hydroxychloroquine with zinc daily, with his physician's approval, as a preventative measure against COVID-19.

Taking hydroxychloroquine is a personal decision for someone to make, US President Donald Trump said, as quoted by Reuters.

According to the agency, Trump thinks that hydroxychloroquine gives one an additional level of safety.

This comes after Trump's revelation about him taking this drug in order to prevent getting infected with coronavirus prompted much criticism among medical experts and online.

According to the US Food and Drug Administration, hydroxychloroquine should not be used outside hospitals or clinical trials because of serious side effects it may cause. There is not enough scientific evidence to say that hydroxychloroquine can be used as a preventative measure against COVID-19.

U.S. President Donald Trump talks with Will Guidara of the Independent Restaurant Coalition, and his economic advisor Larry Kudlow at the conclusion of a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic meeting with restaurant executives and industry leaders in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., May 18, 2020.

© REUTERS / LEAH MILLIS

Hydroxychloroquine is used in malaria and autoimmune disease treatment. Trump referred to it as a possible "game-changer" in the fight against COVID-19 after some epidemiologists suggested that the drug can be effective against the new virus, if combined with zinc and azithromycin.