Trump taking malaria drug to protect against coronavirus

Donald Trump has said he is taking a malaria drug to protect against coronavirus, despite warnings from his own government that it should only be administered for Covid-19 in a hospital or research setting due to potentially fatal side effects.

The president told reporters he has been taking hydroxychloroquine and a zinc supplement daily “for about a week and a half now”.

He spent weeks pushing the drug as a potential cure for Covid-19 – against the advice of many of his administration’s top medical professionals.

The drug has the potential to cause significant side effects in some patients and has not been shown to combat coronavirus.