Politics

United Kingdom Reportedly Buying Millions Of Doses Of Hydroxychloroquine After Trump Say’s He’s Taking It

(Photo by Steve Parsons-WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Christian Datoc Senior White House Correspondent
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The United Kingdom is moving to buy millions of doses of hydroxychloroquine following President Donald Trump’s announcement that he is taking it as part of a daily anti-coronavirus regimen.

The Guardian reports that the U.K. has included contracts for 16 million doses of the drug as part of a £35 million preventative stockpiling measure. The contract is an “open offer” and allows for flexibility regarding the “alternative strengths of tablets.” (RELATED: Trump Will Sign Executive Order Rescinding And Waiving Regulations In Attempt To Aid Economic Recovery)

HERTFORD, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 04: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson shakes hands with US President Donald Trump onstage during the annual NATO heads of government summit on December 4, 2019 in Watford, England. France and the UK signed the Treaty of Dunkirk in 1947 in the aftermath of WW2 cementing a mutual alliance in the event of an attack by Germany or the Soviet Union. The Benelux countries joined the Treaty and in April 1949 expanded further to include North America and Canada followed by Portugal, Italy, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. This new military alliance became the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). The organisation grew with Greece and Turkey becoming members and a re-armed West Germany was permitted in 1955. This encouraged the creation of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact delineating the two sides of the Cold War. This year marks the 70th anniversary of NATO. (Photo by Steve Parsons-WPA Pool/Getty Images)

HERTFORD, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 04: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson shakes hands with US President Donald Trump onstage during the annual NATO heads of government summit on December 4, 2019 in Watford, England. (Photo by Steve Parsons-WPA Pool/Getty Images)

On Monday, Trump announced that he had been taking hydroxychloroquine once daily for roughly a week and a half, despite the drug’s true efficacy as a coronavirus therapy remaining unknown. Some media reports have even claimed that Trump’s vocal support for the drug has made some scientists wary of testing it on coronavirus patients.

“A lot of good things have come out about the [hydroxychloroquine],” he told reporters gathered in the White House cabinet room. “You’d be surprised at how many people are taking it, especially the front-line workers before you catch it. The front-line workers — many, many are taking it. I happened to be taking it. I happened to be taking it. Hydroxychloroquine. Right now, yeah. A couple of weeks ago, I started taking it.”

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“If it is not good, I will tell you right,” he continued. “I’m not going to get hurt by it. It has been around for 40 years.”

“I’ve taken it for about a week and a half now, and I’m still here.”

Trump had frequently voiced his support for hydroxychloroquine’s efficacy as a coronavirus therapy throughout much of the pandemic but has scaled back praising the drug in recent weeks, instead focusing on his administration’s vaccine initiative, Operation Warp Speed. The president recently tapped Moncef Slaoui, the former head of GlaxoSmithKline’s vaccines division, to oversee the initiative. Four-star Army General Gustave Perna will serve as Warp Speed’s number 2.