So, where are the claims from Dr Oz and Donald Trump coming from? Trump's originates directly with Dr Oz, because he's the President's advisor. And Dr Oz found a French study that he considered compelling, which saw 6 patients treated with hydroxychloroquine (combined with azithromycin) test negative for COVID-19 after just 6 days of treatment. Which, you have to agree, sounds truly impressive. And the study was clinical, even if not randomised.
However, there's one fundamental issue with the study's credibility: the number of patients when the study began wasn't 6 at all. Despite Dr Oz's claims it was never “6 tested and 6 cured”. Its authors have successfully downplayed the fact that by day six of the trial one person was already dead, another had to stop taking the drug due to very bad reaction and 3 more were in far too poor shape to even be tested for COVID-19. In reality these health outcomes have so far proven no better than... no treatment at all. If any, it's only anecdotal proof that hydroxychloroquine could potentially work. It is tested in labs worldwide as a possible immune system modulator, however no study so far has delivered results that would support claims of the drug working. In fact, other scientists are ending up with opposite results.
