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)
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.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
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.