A Texas doctor has treated 39 patients in a senior home with hydroxychloroquine after 56 residents came down with Covid-19 and says they are all doing well and on the mend.
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Here’s more from WFAA:
What happened at a Galveston County nursing home over the last week was one of the first big tests of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 patients in Texas.
“I thought the risk of seeing 15% of that nursing home die was just not an acceptable,” said Dr. Robin Armstrong, MD, medical director at The Resort at Texas City.
Fifty-six residents at this senior facility in Galveston County contracted the novel coronavirus. Dr. Robin Armstrong said 39 of them gave him permission to treat them with hydroxychloroquine pills.
“Most of the patients have done well. And, you know, and I think that that is suggestive that the medication is helpful,” Armstrong told WFAA.
But notice that Armstrong qualified his answer by saying “most of the patients.”
“Well, I would say I would say all the patients have done well,” Armstrong added.
On Sunday, those 39 patients finished five days of treatment with hydroxychloroquine. Dr. Armstrong said no one experienced any side effects.
“We’ve got one patient now that kind of goes back and forth,” said Dr. Armstrong, “He’s an older gentleman, but we’re kind of nursing him through the process, but he’s getting better.
Two patients receiving hydroxychloroquine have had to go to hospital for unrelated conditions, Armstrong disclosed; a woman had a fall and a man got dehydrated in his room because he was not eating and drinking.
But for the first time since this treatment began, many of those who have recovered from the virus have been able to go outside and get some fresh air over the last 48 hours, Armstrong said.
It turns out the doctor is a supporter of President Trump and says he doesn’t think we’d be having this conversation about hydroxychloroquine if it weren’t for the president advocating for it.
He didn’t say why the other patients didn’t want to use hydroxychloroquine, but it matters little at this point. Having a 100% success rate is something to cheer about, especially in a senior home.
If you want to hear more from Dr. Armstrong about these patients, including his use of Azithromycin and Zinc along with the hydroxychloroquine, listen to this podcast below: