When Wendy Lanski tested positive for COVID-19 in March, her doctors did what many physicians recommended. They prescribed her hydroxychloroquine and an antibiotic. Lanski has finally recovered from the disease, but now she’s on a heart monitor for a rapid heart rate that developed soon after she left the hospital.
“I've asked every doctor under the sun—pulmonary cardiologists, internists—is it the COVID or is it the drug? And you know, nobody knows the answer.”
In Lanski’s specific case, she might not ever know what’s behind her recent heart troubles. But for everyone else worried about whether or not it makes sense to risk taking the drug, there’s increasing clarity. A new study from The Lancet of COVID-19 patients who were prescribed hydroxychloroquine shows an increased risk of death and cardiac troubles, and no improvement from the symptoms of COVID-19.