After Husband Dies, Woman Warns Against Drug Trump Touted As ‘Encouraging’ Against Coronavirus

An Arizona woman and her husband ingested a chemical touted as “encouraging” by President Donald Trump in order to prevent the possibility that they’d contract coronavirus — with disastrous and heartbreaking results.

The woman’s husband died as a result of their precautionary efforts. The woman herself remains in critical condition, Business Insider reported.

The amount of chloroquine they both took is unknown, and the version they were able to obtain was not necessarily for medical use, but for cleaning fish tanks. Still, it’s clear they were motivated to take the chemical by the president’s glowing words about it.

“It has shown very, very encouraging early results, and we’re going to be able to make that drug available almost immediately, and that is where the FDA has been so great,” Trump said last Thursday. “It’s gone through the approval process. It’s been approved.”

The drug, in fact, had not been approved for use against coronavirus, a point the woman and her husband had been aware of. But due to the president’s words, they felt it was safe to use.

Woman in ICU: "Trump kept saying it was basically pretty much a cure."
NBC: "What would be your message to the American public?"
Woman: "Oh my God. Don't take anything. Don't believe anything. Don’t believe anything that the President says & his people…call your doctor." https://t.co/C8EiTQQ3r1 pic.twitter.com/UAOXBNsS4t

— Vaughn Hillyard (@VaughnHillyard) March 24, 2020

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“You know, they kept saying that it was proved for other things, you know. Trump kept saying basically it was pretty much a cure,” the woman said in an interview with NBC News’ Vaugh Hillyard.

The woman and her husband were “very” concerned about the possibility of contracting COVID-19, which has infected tens of thousands of Americans across the country so far. “We were just getting really worried,” the woman added.

As for a message to the American people that the woman had, as a result of this catastrophic and overwhelming moment in her life? “Don’t believe anything the president says, and his people, because they don’t know what they’re talking about,” she said.

“And call your doctor” if you’re worried, she added.