According to state health officials, around 4,000 gravely ill coronavirus patients in New York are currently being treated with the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine, a drug President Trump believes could be vital in curbing the worldwide spread of COVID-19.
The Department of Health has shipped doses of the drug to 56 hospitals across New York to be used in combination with the antibiotic Zithromax (azithromycin).
The University of Albany’s School of Public Health is responsible for monitoring the drug’s effect on patients.
Clinical trials funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are also being conducted to determine if hydroxychloroquine can block transmission of COVID-19
“If hydroxychloroquine provides protection, then it could be an essential tool for fighting this pandemic,” said the study’s co-principal investigator Anna Bershteyn.