Teenager in Florida Died After Taking Hydroxychloroquine for Coronavirus

The coronavirus health crisis began six months ago in the city of Wuhan in Mainland China. During this time period, there have been various clinical trials and research for developing a treatment or vaccine for the disease. Even though none have been successful till now, many drugs including hydroxychloroquine for coronavirus were deemed as the ‘ultimate cure’ and even endorsed by government officials.

To this day, the medical community is still emphasizing the adverse effects of taking hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of coronavirus. The popularization of medicines without evidence has negatively affected the progress of the health crisis. Health experts fear that people taking hydroxychloroquine or any other drug for COVID-19 can cause other issues.

For instance, hydroxychloroquine is known for its harmful effects on heart health. Many studies linked the use of the drug to the development of arrhythmia or irregular heartbeat. In addition, people buying the drug without a prescription can create difficulties for those who need it for certain health conditions.

A report on hydroxychloroquine sales showed that the market demand for the drug significantly increased. This happened right after the president of the US, Donald Trump popularized the drug. Ever since then, people with medical conditions such as Lupus are unable to obtain hydroxychloroquine due to shortages in the market.

Even after continuous warnings from health agencies including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, hydroxychloroquine’s sales remain to be high. Now, the recent case of a seventeen-year-old girl from Miami, Florida, has highlighted the negative impact of taking the drug without prescription once again.

Read also: Florida Opens Schools Amidst High Coronavirus Threat 

The teenager, Carsyn Leigh Davis, had been infected with the coronavirus and has passed away a few days after developing severe symptoms and being hospitalized. Since the adolescent was a recovered cancer patient and had an autoimmune disease, experts initially thought the cause of her death was a compromised immune system.

However, a report by a Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner revealed much more about the case. According to the report, Carsyn had contracted the coronavirus from a large church gathering of over one hundred adolescents where social distancing rules were not followed and no one wore a mask.

After developing symptoms of coronavirus, Carsyn’s parents, instead of taking her to a hospital, gave her hydroxychloroquine for at least a week. It was only after severe signs such as difficulty in breathing started to show, that the teenager’s parents decided to see a doctor.

The case of Carsyn has gained popularity last Sunday after Rebekah Jones, who is one of Florida’s leading data scientists publicized the case. In accordance with Jones, Carsyn’s death was preventable, had her parents been more careful.

Not only did Carsyn’s parents took her to a gathering which was practically a hotspot for coronavirus but was also late in getting medical attention. Even after a suggestion for intubation from health care workers, Carsyn’s father only agreed to it after blood plasma therapy failed and the case became very critical.

The treatment of Carsyn’s parents has received severe backlash from health experts in Florida. Not only does the case highlight how using hydroxychloroquine for coronavirus or any other drug can be fatal but shows the irresponsible behavior displayed by residents of Florida.