There Is No Known Cure For COVID-19, And People Are Overdosing Because Of False Information

An Arizona man died right after ingesting chloroquine phosphate, an aquarium cleaner, soon after he and his spouse confused it for the medication known as chloroquine, per NBC News. The partner, who was not named, is reportedly in important condition.


The couple determined to use the cleaner as a form of self-medication in a try to prevent contracting COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus. The partner told NBC News that she was cleaning a pantry while she saw the bottle they had once used to tidy a koi pond. The word "chloroquine" registered with her after they had watched press conferences in which President Donald Trump touted an anti-malarial medication as a potential therapy for people presenting COVID-19 indications, based on limited and anecdotal feedback.


"I saw it sitting on the back shelf and thought, 'Hey, isn't that the stuff they're talking about on TV?'" The woman told NBC News. She added that she and her partner, who were both in their 60s, were "afraid of getting sick."

Shortly right following the Arizona couple ingested the cleaner on March 23, they presented indications of being poisoned. "I began vomiting. My hubby began developing respiratory problems and wanted to hold my hand," the woman mentioned. On the 911 call, she added she "was having a hard time talking, [and] falling down." Her hubby died shortly right after they were rushed to the hospital.

Simply put, no one should ingest any medicine or chemicals before first consulting their doctor. However that hasn't stopped two illegal narcotics — chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, which CNN notes is an analog of the former medication — from coming to the forefront of the national conversation, and even earning potentially dangerous air time at the president's press conferences.


On March 20, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, mentioned there was no evidence that hydroxychloroquine would be used as a prophylactic to prevent COVID-19, an infection for which there really is no known cure or vaccine. Trump later called hydroxychloroquine a potential "game changer" on Twitter, in a post that has since been retweeted over 100,000 times. As BuzzFeed News reports, the trials that may be suggesting such therapy have been heavily contested by experts.

In a statement, Dr. Daniel Brooks, the medical director of Banner Poison and Drug Data Center in Arizona, cautioned against self-medication. "Given the uncertainty around COVID-19, we understand that folks are attempting to find new ways to prevent or treat this virus, however self-medicating isn't the way to do so," he said.

There have been at least two additional fatal overdoses by people taking hydroxychloroquine in recent days, BuzzFeed News reports, both in Nigeria. The country's center for infection control has since issued a statement that self-medication can be harmful and even deadly.

Moreover, the false theory that the medication form of chloroquine would be used as a COVID-19 prophylactic is already impacting people who have been prescribed the medication to treat their lupus. According to ProPublica, people who never have lupus have been cleaning pharmacies out of their stock, which puts the 1.5 million Residents of the
U.S. Who do have it at risk.


"For several people with lupus there really are no alternatives to these medications. For them, hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine are the only techniques of preventing inflammation and infection activity that can lead to pain, disability, organ damage, and other serious illness," the Lupus Foundation of America said in a statement. "An increase in lupus-related infection activity not only significantly impairs the health and excellent class of life of people with lupus although will also place further strain on health care providers and systems in a time of crisis."


One emergency room nurse with lupus told ProPublica that she believes Trump's statements have led to the hysteria and shortage. Whenever the president stands on the stage and he makes uninformed statements that are not backed by science and are not vetted by professionals who have expertise in that area, he leads an entire massive country to think what he says is true,” she mentioned. “You have people running around thinking there’s a cure for coronavirus, that there’s medicine."


According to the Center for Infection Control, the best way to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus is to practice social distancing, wash your hands well and often, and avoid leaving home in the event you feel sick. Doctors propose you schedule a telemedical appointment with a professional before heading to an emergency room or hospital.