Coronavirus: Brazil’s president bets on drug that can kill, to save people from Covid-19
- President Jair Bolsonaro is a strong advocate for the malaria drug chloroquine as a possible remedy for Covid-19
- Brazil has emerged as the latest flashpoint in the pandemic and might soon trail only the United States in number of cases
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro neatly sums up how thoroughly politics has hijacked the debate over using malaria drugs against the new coronavirus: “Right-wingers take chloroquine”.
The far-right leader made the remark Tuesday, a day before his government recommended widespread use of chloroquine and a less-toxic derivative, hydroxychloroquine, to treat Covid-19 even in mild cases, despite questions about their safety and effectiveness.
The “Tropical Trump”, as Bolsonaro has been called, shares his US counterpart’s enthusiasm for the two drugs, as well as his tendency to disregard scientific evidence that contradicts him.
Based on preliminary studies in China and France – and, apparently, a heavy dose of hope for something other than economically painful lockdowns to contain the pandemic – Trump and Bolsonaro have been touting chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine as potential wonder drugs against Covid-19, despite scientists’ insistence that further testing is needed.
Trump even revealed Monday he has been taking hydroxychloroquine daily as a preventive measure.