President Donald Trump told reporters the nation has ordered ‘millions’ of units of the drug ‘cloroquine’ that he said he has a ‘feeling’ will be effective against the coronavirus.
‘We ordered them. We have millions of units ordered,’ Trump said, name checking the German manufacturer Bayer, which he called a ‘great company.’
‘Millions of units are ordered and we’re going to see what happens,’ Trump said.
Trump and health officials referenced the drug yesterday as among those having promising potential to alleviate those suffering from the coronavirus – although Trump was immediately contradicted on claims that it was ready for use.
With major parts of the nation including California and New York now on lock-down to stem the spread of the virus, Trump was upbeat on the prospects for the drug, which has been on the market for years as an anti-malarial medication.
‘People may be surprised,’ Trump predicted. ‘That would be a game-changer.’ He said the FDA is ‘working on it right now.’
President Donald Trump said the nation has ordered ‘millions’ of units of an anti-malarial drug that could be used against the coronavirus, saying he has a ‘feeling’ about it
‘I sure as hell think we ought to give it a try,’ said Trump.
‘I feel good about it. It’s all it is. Just a feeling you know? Smart guy. I feel good about it, and we’re going to see,’ said Trump, who does not have a medical or research background.
He sparred with an NBC News reporter who asked whether Americans should feel scared and he was trying to show progress and providing them false hope and providing a ‘positive spin.’ Fauci has said there is no magic drug.
‘I would say that you’re a terrible reporter, that’s what I’d say,’ Trump erupted. ‘I think it’s a very nasty question.’ He scolded the reporter: ‘The American people are looking for answers and they’re looking for hope. And you’re doing sensationalism,’ Trump said.
He wagged his finger for emphasis and said: ‘That’s really bad reporting.’
‘Let’s see if it works. I happen to feel good about it. Who knows? I have been right a lot. Let’s see what happens,’ Trump said.
Trump was vague when asked later if it was for use on the general population or in clinical trial setting. ‘We’ll use it on people that are not doing great,’ he said.
‘You know the expression. What the hell do you have to lose?’ said Trump, using a line he has offered at his campaign rallies.
‘We’ll use it on people who are not doing great,’ he said.
Trump lashed out at NBC’s Peter Alexander who asked if he was giving Americans ‘false hope’ with optimistic statements
‘It is not a brand new drug that’s just created that has an unbelievable monumental effect that’ll kill you. We’ll know very soon,’ the president said at the daily coronavirus briefing Friday.
‘Trump’s optimism was immediately tempered by Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, even as he stressed the two were not that far apart.
‘There is really that much of a difference of what we we’re saying,’ Fauci said.
‘The president feels optimistic about something, his feeling about it. What I am saying is that it might be effective. I’m not saying that it isn’t. It might be effective,’ said Fauci.
‘But as a scientist and as we are getting it out there, we need to do it in a way as while we are making it available for people who might want the hope that it might work, you are also collecting data that will ultimately show that it is truly effective and safe under the conditions of COVID-19. So there really isn’t [a] difference, it’s just a question of how one feels about it.’
‘Fundamentally I think it probably is going to be safe, but I like to prove things first,’ he said. ‘It really is a question of not a lot of difference. It’s the hope that it will work versus proving that it will work. So I don’t see big differences here,’ Fauci said, getting a remark of approval from President Trump.
Fauci also cautioned in response to a question that the drug was not known to be effective against SARS. ‘The information you’re referring to is anecdotal, it was not done in a controlled trial so you can’t make a definitive statement about it,’ he said.
‘It was fairly effective against SARS,’ said Fauci.