Will hydroxychloroquine help fight COVID-19? This trial is trying to find out – CBS News

Hydroxychloroquine, which is mostly used to tackle malaria, has been championed by President Trump for the medication of COVID-19. But scientific doctors roar or not it’s too early to have confidence certain, and cramped research hang had mixed outcomes. 

Dr. Wesley Self at Vanderbilt University Clinical Heart is main a scientific trial to witness if it indubitably works. “Hydroxychloroquine would possibly well just support prevent the virus from coming into cells in the physique and therefore prevent it from replicating extra or rising at some stage in the physique,” Self explained. 

Tisha Holt, 42, is without doubt one of the most principal of us that enrolled. She’s been in the Vanderbilt ICU for four days. 

She suggested Self that she feels “standard,” and that she has tons of chest tightness and is “very in unhappy health.” 

“I settle on it to work,” Self said. “I gaze that it has promise nonetheless I additionally realize most promising treatment that are at this stage of research invent not finally work.”

The drug would possibly well just elevate the chance of an irregular heartbeat, nonetheless it absolutely has usually been a safe treatment. Docs and patients like Holt don’t know who is receiving the drug and who is getting a placebo — the gold identical old in research. 

“If I will invent something to assist then I settle on to invent it,” Holt said, “and makes me feel greater to assist every other person.”