SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
President Donald Trump speaks during his coronavirus task force briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on April 8, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
MSNBC Cuts Into Briefing So Doctor Can Refute Trump's "Mystifying" Claim That Zinc Can Treat Covid-19
"There's no evidence I've seen in the literature suggesting zinc in addition to hydroxychloroquine would be helpful."
Apr 09, 2020
Dr. Vin Gupta, a critical care physician and lung health expert, said Wednesday night that he has seen no evidence to support President Donald Trump's assertion that zinc--paired with other drugs--is an effective treatment for the novel coronavirus.
During a Coronavirus Task Force briefing Wednesday evening, Trump said "you should add zinc" to any COVID-19 treatment regiment, suggesting that medical professionals have recommended the mineral supplement.
"I want to throw that out there because that's where they seem to be having the best result," said Trump, who has faced criticism for recklessly touting unproven coronavirus treatments. "So you add the zinc and the azithromycin, and it's been--we've had a lot of good stories."
MSNBC cut in to the president's briefing to get a response from Gupta, who said he found Trump's comments about zinc "mystifying."
"There's no evidence I've seen in the literature suggesting zinc in addition to hydroxychloroquine would be helpful," said Gupta, referring to an anti-malaria drug that Trump has repeatedly promoted during briefings and on Twitter.
Watch:
\u201cWATCH: Dr. @VinGuptaMD responds to President Trump recommending zinc to treat coronavirus.\n\n"The comments about zinc were mystifying. There's no evidence I've seen ... suggesting zinc in addition to hydroxychloroquine would be helpful."\u201d— Meet the Press (@Meet the Press) 1586384652
It's unclear where Trump got the idea that zinc could serve as an effective coronavirus treatment, but the claim has been making the rounds in viral Facebook posts and in right-wing media outlets like The Blaze.
In a column for Fox News last week, Dr. Manny Alvarez, an OB-GYN, echoed Gupta's warning that there is no evidence showing zinc can combat COVID-19.
"Clearly, zinc has not shown to kill any common cold viruses, so therefore when it comes to the coronavirus, at the present time one has to be careful in thinking that zinc supplements can be the silver bullet that we are all looking for," Alvarez wrote.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Dr. Vin Gupta, a critical care physician and lung health expert, said Wednesday night that he has seen no evidence to support President Donald Trump's assertion that zinc--paired with other drugs--is an effective treatment for the novel coronavirus.
During a Coronavirus Task Force briefing Wednesday evening, Trump said "you should add zinc" to any COVID-19 treatment regiment, suggesting that medical professionals have recommended the mineral supplement.
"I want to throw that out there because that's where they seem to be having the best result," said Trump, who has faced criticism for recklessly touting unproven coronavirus treatments. "So you add the zinc and the azithromycin, and it's been--we've had a lot of good stories."
MSNBC cut in to the president's briefing to get a response from Gupta, who said he found Trump's comments about zinc "mystifying."
"There's no evidence I've seen in the literature suggesting zinc in addition to hydroxychloroquine would be helpful," said Gupta, referring to an anti-malaria drug that Trump has repeatedly promoted during briefings and on Twitter.
Watch:
\u201cWATCH: Dr. @VinGuptaMD responds to President Trump recommending zinc to treat coronavirus.\n\n"The comments about zinc were mystifying. There's no evidence I've seen ... suggesting zinc in addition to hydroxychloroquine would be helpful."\u201d— Meet the Press (@Meet the Press) 1586384652
It's unclear where Trump got the idea that zinc could serve as an effective coronavirus treatment, but the claim has been making the rounds in viral Facebook posts and in right-wing media outlets like The Blaze.
In a column for Fox News last week, Dr. Manny Alvarez, an OB-GYN, echoed Gupta's warning that there is no evidence showing zinc can combat COVID-19.
"Clearly, zinc has not shown to kill any common cold viruses, so therefore when it comes to the coronavirus, at the present time one has to be careful in thinking that zinc supplements can be the silver bullet that we are all looking for," Alvarez wrote.
Dr. Vin Gupta, a critical care physician and lung health expert, said Wednesday night that he has seen no evidence to support President Donald Trump's assertion that zinc--paired with other drugs--is an effective treatment for the novel coronavirus.
During a Coronavirus Task Force briefing Wednesday evening, Trump said "you should add zinc" to any COVID-19 treatment regiment, suggesting that medical professionals have recommended the mineral supplement.
"I want to throw that out there because that's where they seem to be having the best result," said Trump, who has faced criticism for recklessly touting unproven coronavirus treatments. "So you add the zinc and the azithromycin, and it's been--we've had a lot of good stories."
MSNBC cut in to the president's briefing to get a response from Gupta, who said he found Trump's comments about zinc "mystifying."
"There's no evidence I've seen in the literature suggesting zinc in addition to hydroxychloroquine would be helpful," said Gupta, referring to an anti-malaria drug that Trump has repeatedly promoted during briefings and on Twitter.
Watch:
\u201cWATCH: Dr. @VinGuptaMD responds to President Trump recommending zinc to treat coronavirus.\n\n"The comments about zinc were mystifying. There's no evidence I've seen ... suggesting zinc in addition to hydroxychloroquine would be helpful."\u201d— Meet the Press (@Meet the Press) 1586384652
It's unclear where Trump got the idea that zinc could serve as an effective coronavirus treatment, but the claim has been making the rounds in viral Facebook posts and in right-wing media outlets like The Blaze.
In a column for Fox News last week, Dr. Manny Alvarez, an OB-GYN, echoed Gupta's warning that there is no evidence showing zinc can combat COVID-19.
"Clearly, zinc has not shown to kill any common cold viruses, so therefore when it comes to the coronavirus, at the present time one has to be careful in thinking that zinc supplements can be the silver bullet that we are all looking for," Alvarez wrote.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.