A New York Democratic city council member says hydroxychloroquine saved his life after an almost fatal crash with COVID-19 in March.
Paul Vallone, who represents the northeast of Queens, took the drug along with a standard flu Z-pack, and came back from the edge almost immediately.
‘I could not breathe, very weak, could not get out of bed. My doctor prescribed it. My pharmacy had it. It was that day and within two to three days I was able to breathe, ”Vallone told The Post. “Within a week I was back on my feet.”
Although Vallone went public with his diagnosis of coronavirus in a April 1 Twitter post, saying he had ‘mild symptoms’, his actual condition was significantly worse. Vallone’s first prognosis was particularly grim, as he also suffers from sarcoidosis, an autoimmune system that attacks his lungs.
“We were in panic mode when I came down because I did not have much immune response,” he said. “I needed something to stay alive.”
Hydroxychloroquine “worked for me.”
Vallone’s brother Peter, a former city councilor and current city judge in Queens, was also converted after his brother’s illness.
‘I think all those doctors who prescribe it are good. This drug is already on the market and the patent is up so it is cheap. It will not be a new medicine. So much money this medicine does not want to be used. Always follow the money, ”Peter Vallone said in a May 12 Facebook post, sharing a link to a NYU study to support the drug.
“[It] save my life, ”Paul Vallone said in the comments.
Hydroxychloroquine, a Malaria medication that has been on the market since 1955, came back into the spotlight this year as a potential pandemic miracle cure. President Trump has often prescribed the drug and even took it for a while to help the virus recover – and has therefore been criticized.
‘You’ll be amazed at how many people take it, especially the frontline workers before you catch it. The frontline workers – many, many are taking it, “Trump said in May.
The drug has proven controversial. In June, the Food and Drug Administration declared hydroxychloroquine “probably ineffective in treating # COVID19.”
Scientific studies on the effectiveness of the drug are mixed.
Paul Vallone, however, remains grateful for the president’s advantage.
‘At that moment there was only fear and panic, he was hoping for a possible treatment when there was none. With my sarcoidosis and then my COVID symptoms, it saved me in principle. For that, my family will always be grateful, ‘he said.
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