Originally Posted by pondering_it_all
Columbia University study of hydroxychloroquine use in hospitalized patients found no benefit.
Two problems:

!) They only gave this antiviral to patients when they were full of virus enough to be hospitalized. Oh, they were nice enough to not count patients who died within 24 hours! This is WAY too late to use an antiviral. Not surprising at all that it didn't work. Doctors do the same stupid thing with Tamiflu.

2) No mention in the abstract of Zinc. One of the biggest benefits of HCQ is that it's a zinc ionophore, and zinc blocks viral replication. But I guess doctors think of zinc as a mineral, and therefor only important for deficiencies.

There's been studies with non-hospitalized patients in earlier phases of the infection that also did not benefit of HCQ.

What is the evidence that zinc helps? Any studies?

Please take COVID-19 seriously; don't panic but don't deny it; practice social distancing (stay 6ft from people); wash your hands a lot, don't touch your face, don't gather with too many people, so that you help us contain it.