I agree with you sir. From what little I know, which isn't much, there are some logics to why HCQ might work. Let's not get emotional and debate its efficacy based on politics.
Let's be honest. That's the ONLY reason its efficacy is debated. People wouldn't even remember its name at all were it not for that. Liberals would rather see people die than see it be effective after Trump's initial endorsement.
I wonder if hydroxychloroquine was administered to Herman Cain, Mr 999, before he passed. Dr. Stella Immanuel endorses it.
The funny thing is, Trump did mention several times he took Zinc too, yet it is always left out of the criticism.
Effective March 27, the Georgia Board of Pharmacy issued an emergency rule restricting the dispensing of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine unless the prescription includes a written diagnosis consistent with the evidence for its use, which would include prescriptions written for the treatment of lupus. The rule also prohibits pharmacists dispensing more than a 14-day supply of either medication, and no refills are permitted without a new prescription. However, neither provision applies to patients who were already established on either medication prior to the effective date of the rule, March 27, 2020. Prior to the issuance of the emergency rule, on March 22 the Georgia Department of Public Health sent a letter to all healthcare providers in the state reaffirming that there is no evidence that hydroxychloroquine is effective in the treatment of COVID-19 and noting that there are no FDA-approved drugs for the treatment of COVID-19.
As per usual both sides are full of shit and have polarized a complex argument. HCQ is a known drug to treat autoimmune disorders and that's why it was highlighted as a potential cure to COVID-19. However, politics or not, the side effects are very real too and were known before corona came around. Both hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin prolong QT interval, so they do contribute to arrhythmias when taken together. There is also a significant risk of permanent retinal damage, including blindness. So the real question is weighing the risk of side effects to risk of getting symptomatic COVID-19. One one hand, one can start taking hydroxychloroquine+azithromycin early and risk cardiac arrest due to ventricular arrhythmia. On the other hand, one can opt to not taking this cocktail and be at more risk of getting symptomatic COVID-19. So it becomes a judgement call that takes into account the age group, cardiovascular health of the patient and other preexisting conditions.
So, due to Cross reactivity by T-cells a cytokine storm ensues which results in the pulmonary damage. If hydroxychloroquine is given early it ameliorates this T cell activity and the storm is prevented. It is an old medicine with a very well known risk profile. All of a sudden we hear about grave risks without any numbers, as usual. As for Mr Herman Caine, he was diagnosed with a Stage 4 cancer back in 2006...