State Rep. Karen Whitsett
President Donald Trump, who continues to tout the use anti-malaria drug to treat Covid-19, praised a Detroit lawmaker who publicly expressed gratitude about the president and the drug, hydroxychloroquine, for saving her from the virus.
On Tuesday, Trump called Democratic State Rep. Karen Whitsett a "great woman" during his daily press briefing.
Trump said Whitsett was no "fan of mine but she’s a fan of mine now."
Whitsett credited Trump for touting hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malaria drug, which she says saved her in a battle with the coronavirus, the Detroit Free Press reported Monday.
Whitsett tested positive and started taking hydroxychloroquine March 31. Her doctor prescribed it after both she and her husband sought treatment for a range of symptoms.
She said she would not have known to ask her doctor about the drug had she not heard Trump touting it.
"It was less than two hours" before she started to feel relief, the paper reported. She said she had been experiencing shortness of breath, swollen lymph nodes and sinus discomfort. She still has headaches.
Some have criticized Trump for repeatedly promoting the use of hydroxychloroquine along with the use of in combination with the antibiotic azithromycin. Some scientists and doctors have warned not to put too much hope in the drug until more data is gathered, and that it can pose dangers to some patients.
Henry Ford Health System has launched a major clinical test with health care workers and first responders to see if the drug will prevent them from contracting the virus or at least make symptoms milder.
