KUALA LUMPUR, March 24 – In an attempt to avoid coronavirus infection, a senior couple from Arizona in the United States ingested chloroquine phosphate, causing the man’s death.
The couple consumed a parasite treatment liquid for fish, which is categorised as toxic. The chloroquine found in the chemical was not the medication form of chloroquine, which is used as a medication for malaria in humans.
“We were afraid of getting sick,” the man’s wife, who is in critical care, said to NBC News.
The couple decided to ingest the chemical after watching US President Donald Trump’s briefings on television, where he spoke on the potential benefits of chloroquine.
“I saw it sitting on the backshelf and thought, ‘Hey, isn’t that the stuff they’re talking about on TV?’,” the woman was quoted as saying.
Dr Daniel Brooks, medical director of Banner Poison and Drug Information Center, said in a statement: “Given the uncertainty around Covid-19, we understand that people are trying to find new ways to prevent or treat this virus, but self-medicating is not the way to do so.”
The Covid-19 global pandemic has infected 33,404 people in the US and taken 400 lives as of yesterday.
