Laboratory medicine

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A 52-year-old man from Florida claims an anti-malaria drug promoted by the US President Donald Trump saved him from coronavirus.

Rio Giardinieri told a media outlet he struggled to manage and cope with the "horrendous" symptoms for over a week after contracting COVID-19. He suspects he caught it at an unnamed conference he attended in New York. He also said the illness made him sleep 15 hours a day when he usually slept five hours a night.

He said he drove to Joe DiMaggio hospital in South Florida where he was diagnosed with COVID-19 and pneumonia. Doctors had him admitted to the ICU and put him on oxygen.

After a week in the ICU, medical health experts told him there was nothing left for them to do. Rio said he had prepared himself and his family, saying his farewells to his wife and their three kids.

However, a dear friend sent him an article about hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug that has been used since 1945. The drug has been used as a treatment option for coronavirus patients overseas.

Giardinieri reached out to an expert on infectious disease. The doctor gave him warnings, saying the drug had never been proven in human trials. He eventually got the doctor to authorize the treatment which was given to him half an hour later.

Rio recalled feeling like his heart was "beating out of his chest" an hour after the drug he had received the drug. Healthcare workers put him under observation.

"When I woke up in the morning, I woke up like nothing ever happened," he said.

Doctors who treated him said the episodes he had were related to his body fighting off the virus. Rio, however, believes it was the drug that saved his life.

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Clinical studies conducted overseas proved the drug was successful in eliminating the virus. It has yet to receive approval from health officials.

Several people across the country have come forward, calling the drug a "miracle."

President Donald Trump has publicly promoted the drug last week, saying it is a "game-changer." Experts say more study was needed before the drug could be called a solution. Despite warnings, several infected patients, including Rio Giardinieri, credit their recovery to the medication.

Margaret Novins

Margaret Novins, a resident of New Jersey, said she began feeling ill on March 8. She recalled being unable to breathe a week later. Doctors initially diagnosed her with pneumonia before she got her results on March 19 which confirmed she was positive for the new coronavirus. She was immediately categorized as 'critical' and administered the anti-malaria drug. She said she woke up the next day feeling 'fantastic.'

Daniel Dae Kim

Lost actor Daniel Dae Kim, 51, took to Instagram on Saturday evening saying he believes the hydroxychloroquine drug was the reason why he did not need hospital treatment.

In his seven-minute video, he shared the 'drug cocktail' his personal physician gave him which included Tamiflu, Azithromycin, a Glycopyrrolate inhaler, and the anti-malaria drug.

The demand for malaria drugs such as chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine have surged, leading to a shortage as COVID-19 rages on.

Researchers continue to look for existing treatments and experimental ones. New York and other states announced they will start hydroxychloroquine trials on Tuesday.