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Morning Greatness: Media Pounce on Trump Promotion of Hydroxychloroquine

Good Monday morning.

Here is what’s on the president’s agenda today:

  • The president has lunch with the Vice President
  • 5:00pm Members of the Coronavirus Task Force hold a press briefing

The media is going bananas over Trump’s support of hydroxychloroquine

Hydroxycholorquine, in conjunction with azithromycin (a z-pac) has been shown in some cases to prevent the Chinese virus from advancing. The president was encouraging people to try it, or rather doctors since people can’t go buy the drug duo, They need a prescription. Yesterday at the daily press conference, several members of the press kept sniping at him, saying the drug is “unproven.” Hydroxychloroquine is already used for other things like Lupus and Malaria and it is contraindicated for people with heart conditions but other than that, what’s the issue with trying it? It’s not an expensive drug.

CNN wants you to know: “Experts do not suggest taking hydroxychloroquine as a preventive for Covid-19 because there is no evidence yet to suggest it protects against contracting the virus.” Really? Because it is already being used now…by experts. It’s literally being used. Will it work? I don’t know, I’m not a doctor but it sure looks to be successful in some situations so why is the media freaking out? The FDA has given an “emergency use authorization” and said that “anecdotal reports suggest that these drugs may offer some benefit.”

In a recent French study that supporters of hydroxychloroquine have cited, doctors gave the drug to 26 people with confirmed coronavirus infections, including some with no symptoms. Six also received the antibiotic azithromycin.

Some of the 26 were not counted in the final results because they didn’t complete the study — what’s known as “lost to followup” — but they included three who worsened and were sent to intensive care, one who died a day after later testing negative for the virus and one who stopped treatment because of nausea, the researchers said.

After six days, no patients given hydroxychloroquine plus azithromycin had the virus detected in swabs from the back of the nose, versus 57 percent of those given the malaria drug alone and 12.5 percent of some other patients who received neither drug, according to the study.

Again, I’m not a medical professional, but shouldn’t these decisions be left to doctors?

Some states have outlawed the use of the medicine outside of hospitals but that seems sort of stupid since we don’t want people draining our medical resources by going to the hospital.

Axios reports there was a big fight within the the Chinese virus task force about the drug, “pitting economic adviser Peter Navarro against infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci.” This story is clearly a hit on Navarro.

According to the report, Navarro passed around papers, “And the first words out of his mouth are that the studies that he’s seen, I believe they’re mostly overseas, show ‘clear therapeutic efficacy,'” said a source familiar with the conversation. “Those are the exact words out of his mouth.” Fauci responded “saying that there was only anecdotal evidence that hydroxychloroquine works against the coronavirus.”

Navarro started raising his voice, and at one point accused Fauci of objecting to Trump’s travel restrictions, saying, “You were the one who early on objected to the travel restrictions with China,” saying that travel restrictions don’t work. (Navarro was one of the earliest to push the China travel ban.)

Axios reports, “Eventually, Kushner turned to Navarro and said, ‘Peter, take yes for an answer,’ because most everyone agreed, by that time, it was important to surge the supply of the drug to hot zones.” So what’s the big deal about the drug if they are sending it around to hot zones? It’s so annoying in times of crisis that we have to put up with the media trying get anti-Trump scooby snacks.

Related:
Trump Pushes Lupus-Coronavirus Study, But The Evidence Is Mixed

Miscellaneous Chinese virus links:
Oh. Police arrest hospital aide in thefts of equipment, supplies
Trump: ‘Going to be a lot of death’ in U.S. next week from coronavirus
Jerome Adams Predicts Coronavirus ‘Pearl Harbor Moment’ In Coming Weeks
Dr. Deborah Birx warns hotspots will see a spike in coronavirus deaths over next 6-7 days
Fauci: US is ‘struggling’ to get coronavirus under control and to say otherwise would be wrong
Rep. Devin Nunes on Trump considering second task force to reopen economy
China Says it has Sold Nearly Four Billion Masks Abroad
China Donates 1,000 Ventilators to New York
‘Lost The Credibility’: WHO Faces Mounting Backlash For Running Interference For China
Chelsea Handler Questions if It’s Ethical and Safe to Air Trump Coronavirus Briefings
No parties, no problem: Introverts don’t mind sheltering at home
New York state reports 594 coronavirus deaths in past 24 hours
New York governor sees ‘return to normalcy’ with rapid coronavirus testing
Maryland governor issues emergency order in response to coronavirus spread in nursing homes
Kentucky governor says it’s ‘very hard’ to compete with federal government for medical equipment
Feds send ventilators to coronavirus hot spots around country
J.B. Pritzker Still Blaming Trump For GOP Governors Slow To Enact Stay-At-Home Orders
Trump hits Illinois governor after criticism: ‘I hear him complaining all the time’
Was The Stockpile Shortage Under Obama A Result Of The Tea Party? Not So Fast
Louisiana Church Holds Sunday Services Again Despite Pastor’s Arrest
Cuomo evokes Trump in war with Schumer over coronavirus funding
Judges balk at mass release of California prisoners over virus danger
He doesn’t go in public. Biden: I will wear a mask in public
Wisconsin voters still expected to head to polls Tuesday despite coronavirus
White House: Americans should avoid grocery shopping as coronavirus hits apex
Dr. Anthony Fauci says it’s likely coronavirus will become ‘seasonal’
Fauci said he tested negative for coronavirus Saturday
Trump claims ‘Corrected Fake News’ after Germany backtracks on ‘piracy’ claim
Woody Harrelson among stars sharing COVID-19 conspiracy theories tied to 5G
Walmart now limiting how many shoppers can enter stores as part of coronavirus response
Pink says she tested positive for coronavirus and is now negative, pledges $1M to crisis
AG William Barr expediting release of vulnerable inmates at federal prisons swamped by coronavirus
Where to buy the materials to make masks at home
How safe is your takeout food during the coronavirus pandemic?
Clyburn says House committee on coronavirus stimulus spending will not look at past: ‘The crisis is with us’
Nebraska docs urge statewide coronavirus stay-at-home order, predict thousands of cases have gone undetected
Amid coronavirus, George W. Bush’s 2005 pandemic warning resurfaces, may underscore slip-ups by successors
Pentagon mandates all workers wear face coverings to protect against coronavirus
Gimme a break. Companies are making their own safety rules as the federal government stands aside
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson admitted to hospital
Rural hospitals rely on big-city safety nets. Coronavirus means there may be no one to save them
If you want to shut everything down for safety reasons, don’t be surprised about lost jobs. A mounting casualty of coronavirus crisis: Health care jobs
HIT PIECE U.S. ‘wasted’ months before preparing for virus pandemic

Other morsels:
Outgoing U.S. intel watchdog fired by Trump says he acted appropriately
Good, glad this guy was fired. Trump defends decision to fire Ukraine watchdog Michael Atkinson, despite bipartisan concerns
Buh bye. Former intelligence community watchdog addresses recent firing
Esper: Dismissal of aircraft carrier commander an ‘example of how we hold leaders accountable’
AGs Give Conflicting Views On Future Of Antitrust Probe Targeting Google As States Respond To Virus Spread
Two knifed to death in France in what police are investigating as terror attack
Russian man allegedly shot, killed 5 neighbors because they were talking too loudly, reports say
Yikes. Tiger at NYC’s Bronx Zoo tests positive for coronavirus

And that’s all I’ve got, now don’t go to the grocery store!

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About Liz Sheld

Liz Sheld is the senior news editor at American Greatness. She is a veteran political strategist and pollster who has worked on campaigns and public interest affairs. Liz has written at Breitbart and The Federalist, as well as at PJ Media, where she wrote "The Morning Briefing." In her spare time, she shoots sporting clays and watches documentaries.

Photo: (Photo by Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images)

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