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Family of New York woman blames hydroxychloroquine combo for fatal heart attack
Unpacking this tragedy is dismaying because it contains so many of the fears that have been frequently articulated by scientists, medical organizations, physicians, pharmacologists, and also frequently dismissed.
She was prescribed the medications after a phone consultation with her doctor, and was not administered a COVID-19 test. Her family said they were "handed over like cookies."
The major worry is that she's not a unique case.
Last month an ardent Trump supporter on here was the first to have made me aware of another physician in NY, in an insular Hasidic community, proudly claiming that he had treated hundreds of patients with HDQ, with no hospitalizations. I showed him the formal rebuke letter from his own community's health commission, synagogue, other local physicians, and leaders who described his claims as fabrications, and ones that were detrimental to that community, so they pleaded with him to stop. This was, as was expected, angrily swatted away as just being "anti-Trump." Soon this doctor gained a cult-like following, the hero of right-wing sites and appearing on Fox News lavishly praising Trump in between gushing about HDQ being a "gift from God." Rudy Guilliani Tweeted that he was up to nearly 700 patients, all successfully treated, and no hospitalizations. Yet there was no evidence provided of those claims -
the doctor has published no data, described no study design, and reported no analysis, so it's all based on his word, which has been called into disrepute by those who know him. He only practices by telemedicine since he's self-isolating at home due to being in remission for lung cancer, so as with this woman he's not performing an adequate physical exam first. If he actually had that many patients, on his own, in that short of a time frame, it would be virtually impossible to get a detailed medical history or to do an adequate follow-up. He's stated nonchalantly that the majority of the patients prescribed this medication for COVID-19 had not been tested for COVID-19. This area has the largest percentage of people living below the poverty line in the United States, making it far less likely that anyone who did need to be hospitalized would be considering that many could fear expenses.
Unpacking this tragedy is dismaying because it contains so many of the fears that have been frequently articulated by scientists, medical organizations, physicians, pharmacologists, and also frequently dismissed.
A New York woman with coronavirus symptoms died last week after being prescribed a drug cocktail with known cardiac side effects, and family members say she was not tested for COVID-19 or for heart problems before receiving the medication.
The family’s experience suggests that at least some physicians are prescribing hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin — drugs President Donald Trump has promoted to treat the coronavirus — outside of hospital settings, underscoring why major medical organizations including the American Heart Association have issued warnings about the drug’s potential to trigger heart arrhythmia in some patients.
She was prescribed the medications after a phone consultation with her doctor, and was not administered a COVID-19 test. Her family said they were "handed over like cookies."
The major worry is that she's not a unique case.
Last month an ardent Trump supporter on here was the first to have made me aware of another physician in NY, in an insular Hasidic community, proudly claiming that he had treated hundreds of patients with HDQ, with no hospitalizations. I showed him the formal rebuke letter from his own community's health commission, synagogue, other local physicians, and leaders who described his claims as fabrications, and ones that were detrimental to that community, so they pleaded with him to stop. This was, as was expected, angrily swatted away as just being "anti-Trump." Soon this doctor gained a cult-like following, the hero of right-wing sites and appearing on Fox News lavishly praising Trump in between gushing about HDQ being a "gift from God." Rudy Guilliani Tweeted that he was up to nearly 700 patients, all successfully treated, and no hospitalizations. Yet there was no evidence provided of those claims -
the doctor has published no data, described no study design, and reported no analysis, so it's all based on his word, which has been called into disrepute by those who know him. He only practices by telemedicine since he's self-isolating at home due to being in remission for lung cancer, so as with this woman he's not performing an adequate physical exam first. If he actually had that many patients, on his own, in that short of a time frame, it would be virtually impossible to get a detailed medical history or to do an adequate follow-up. He's stated nonchalantly that the majority of the patients prescribed this medication for COVID-19 had not been tested for COVID-19. This area has the largest percentage of people living below the poverty line in the United States, making it far less likely that anyone who did need to be hospitalized would be considering that many could fear expenses.
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