Whenever President Trump mentions hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for COVID-19, the media freaks out.

It is an odd thing to watch.  Whenever President Trump mentions hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for COVID-19, the media freaks out.  Trump has never said hydroxychloroquine is a cure.  Trump has never said hydroxychloroquine is a proven treatment.  Trump has never said hydroxychloroquine is safe and 100 percent effective.  What Trump has expressed is hopeful optimism the hydroxychloroquine could be a “gamechanger” and help save many, many lives.  So why is it that with some indication that hydroxychloroquine might help some patients that are dying from COVID-19, news organizations continue to jab at Trump whenever he says their latest trigger word – hydroxychloroquine? 

In today’s New York Times Editorial this misleading headline is found – Ignoring Expert Opinion, Trump Again Promotes Use of Hydroxychloroquine.   ‘Expert Opinion’ sounds official.  We all love those expert opinions, do we not?  It does make you wonder which experts though.  It’s sort of like those 4 out of 5 dentists recommending Crest toothpaste.  What do the 1 out of 5 dentists recommend?  That’s 20 percent of the dentists out there.  What are they brushing their teeth with if not Crest?  These are the things that make you wonder.

As we all know, there is an expert opinion to be found on both sides of every debate.  In courtrooms across America, expert opinions shape decisions made by judges and juries.  Often times, two experts provide testimony that contradicts each other.  They both make compelling arguments and offer scientific evidence.  At the end of the day, the judge or jury members side with the most likable, attractive, or most trustworthy presenter.  It’s a hell of a way to decide a defendant’s fate, yes? 

The New York Times subtitle reads:  The president’s advocacy of the anti-malarial drug has created tensions in his administration, and fears among doctors that it could unnecessarily expose patients to risks.  And they wonder why President Trump distrusts them as much as they despise him!  On numerous occasions, speaking about the potential of effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine, Trump has said, “What do you have to lose?”  If you have COVID-19 and cannot breathe on your own – if you’re on a ventilator in a medically induced coma, what do you have to lose?  But why would you consider hydroxychloroquine? 

Hydroxychloroquine, the common brand name is Plaquenil, is used to prevent or treat malaria.  Combined with other drugs, it is also used to treat lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis.  So why has Trump repeatedly mentioned this drug as “…we’re looking at it very closely”?  And why has India reduced U.S. bound shipments of hydroxychloroquine by nearly 50 percent?  Does India know something about hydroxychloroquine’s effectiveness in treating COVID-19, or is it just counting on demand to rise worldwide, regardless of effectiveness, and see this as an opportunity to raise prices? 

Trump interrupts when reporter asks Fauci about hydroxychloroquine.  That’s a USA Today headline posted a few hours ago on their website.  Fauci has become a familiar face at the President’s daily COVID-19 press conferences.  Anthony Fauci is an immunologist and Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.  When a reporter asked Fauci about hydroxychloroquine, Trump interrupted, “He’s answered that question 15 times.” 

Actually, Fauci has probably been asked questions about hydroxychloroquine 100 times in the last 3 weeks.  He is asked this question because activist, liberal reporters know that Fauci is not in harmony with Trump’s opinion of hydroxychloroquine. When Trump says he is hopeful about hydroxychloroquine and Fauci says he has yet to see enough scientific evidence that hydroxychloroquine is an effective treatment for COVID-19, those opposed to everything Trump spasm some more. 

What makes him think he knows more than this doctor? 

Trump has blood on his hands! 

45 lied, people died. 

Trump should be tried for ‘crimes against humanity’ over hydroxychloroquine.

…ad nauseum.

Let’s assume for a moment that the headlines from the left and Never Trump crowd are correct.  Let’s go with ‘What S. Korea got Right’ from the National Review.  Or maybe we should work with ‘How S. Korea Triumphed and the U.S. Floundered’ from The Nation.  Better yet, Time offers this great advice – ‘What the U.S. needs to do Today to Follow South Korea’s Model for Fighting Coronavirus. 

Yes, clearly you can see that the media is impressed with the expertise in which the South Koreans have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Now here are some real experts to be found to guide the United States back to health.  Forget Fauci and Trump.  It’s well past time to listen to Kwon Jun-wook, Deputy Head of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

During a March 12, 2020 press briefing, Kwon Jun-wook announced that South Korean disease experts have begun recommending the combination of an antiviral and anti-malaria drug for COVID-19 patients.  The antiviral medication recommended is Kaletra, an anti-HIV medication that includes the drugs lopinavir and ritonavir.  The anti-malaria drug the South Korean immunology experts recommend to be taken with Kaletra is called hydroxychloroquine.  As previously mentioned, hydroxychloroquine is sold under the brand name Plaquenil. 

The experts in South Korea, the shining example of how to deal with a pandemic, recommended on March 12, 2020, that hydroxychloroquine along with an antiviral medication be prescribed to COVID-19 patients. 

The South Korean experts recommend hydroxychloroquine to be part of a COVID-19 treatment plan.