I think it's too bad that this drug has been so politicized. It's really unfortunate that its two original and most prominent champions are people that are so disliked. So many people spoke up (maybe prematurely) against it in a knee-jerk reaction to its advocates. Now many act as if they're more concerned about being right to ridicule the claims all along, than they are about whether the drug is actually helpful in fighting COVID-19. Which, for the rest of us without a stake in their stupid political feuds, is all that matters. And because of this idiotic battle of the egos we could be passing on something useful.
So here we all are, hanging by the edge of our seats, waiting for definitive proof that HCQ does not help in fighting COVID-19 and we keep getting these half-assed reports, seemingly more aimed at pushing a narrative than to present (or eliminate) an option in a fight.
One of the latest examples is the account of Rita Wilson (wife of Tom Hanks) who survived what seems like a difficult case of COVID-19 and shared her experience with the media: she felt very tired, extremely achy, uncomfortable, didn't want to be touched, on the ninth day her fever climbed up to 102 and she had chills like she'd "never had before" (her words), she lost her sense of taste and smell. Then she was given chloroquine, her fever broke (it's not clear how long after). She goes on to warn against the "extreme" (her word) side-effects she attributes to chloroquine: she was completely nauseous, she had vertigo, she could not walk and her muscles felt very weak. She then concludes that although her fever broke after been given chloroquine, she doesn't know if it helped or if it was just time, which is fair. What do you imagine the headline for that story should be? Well, to save you the trouble, most read like this Rita Wilson warns against "extreme" side-effects of chloroquine.
Are HCQ/CQ effective? We're still sitting here like idiots not knowing. If they are, should they be taken carelessly? Definitely not, we already got that, thanks, but that is not the point. We can't afford to have an "all or nothing" mindset with these drugs as we did with masks. Simply proclaiming that HCQ is useless because it is shown not to reduce viral load is just the best way to pass on some other ways it might be helping. If it is shown to have other palliative effects that actually help patients in their fight, such as reducing inflammation or helping cope with high fever long enough for your immune system to do the job, it's not nothing. It's information. It's an option.