A Democratic state representative from Detroit, Michigan, Karen Whitsett, says hydroxychloroquine saved her life after she contracted COVID-19.
She also praised Republican President Donald Trump, who first touted the drug’s efficacy in the treatment of the deadly virus.
Whitsett, an African-American legislator, said she tested positive for the virus on Monday, April 6 but started to take hydroxychloroquine based on doctor’s advice on March 31.
The state rep said on March 18 she began to experience symptoms such as shortness of breath, swollen lymph nodes, headache and what felt like a sinus infection and visited the doctor alongside her husband.
However, she said that less than two hours after commencing treatment with the anti-malarial drug, she began to feel relief, although she still experiences headaches.
She said she had been taking the drug, which became popular for treating malaria, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, with antibiotics.
Whitsett noted that she was aware of the efficacy of the drug after suffering from Lyme disease in the past but would not have known about its usefulness in treating COVID-19 and doubted if the doctor would have prescribed it if President Trump had not frequently praised the drug.
“It has a lot to do with the president … bringing it up,” Whitsett said. “He is the only person who has the power to make it a priority.”
Asked whether she thinks Trump may have saved her life, Whitsett said: “Yes, I do,” and “I do thank him for that.”
The state legislator disclosed that her husband’s COVID-19 result was being awaited.