Sonko Vows to Distribute Trump-Backed Hydroxychloroquine Drug to Treat and Prevent Covid-19

Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has championed the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat and prevent Covid-19 in Kenya.

Sonko through a Facebook post on Tuesday said the drug has been proven to be effective in treating and preventing Covid-19 and his administration is ready to distribute it to Kenyans once approved by the Health Ministry.

He noted that a cousin of his who works at Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) tested positive for the virus and was cured using hydroxychloroquine. 

“This is the reason why no Kenyan should die of Covid-19. I have tried the preventive part of it, which seems to be working for me. My own cousin, who works for KPA, was infected with Covid-19 but got cured after she was put on that same medication,” Sonko wrote.

Sonko further shared a video clip of Dr. Stella Emmanuel, a Nigerian doctor in the US who claims to have successfully treated 350 Covid-19 patients using the anti-Malaria drug.

Dr. Stella added that some of the 350 patients had underlying medical conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and asthma.

She also claimed that she and her colleagues take the medicine and none of them has contracted the disease despite handling Covid-19 patients daily.

Sonko promised to distribute the medicine through his Sonko Rescue Team.

“Once approved by MOH and WHO, my county government shall liaise with the national government and put and out in place a good strategy as to reach out to the larger population who cannot afford the treatment are catered for by the government,” he added.

In March, US President Trump touted hydroxychloroquine and its biochemical cousin, chloroquine as potential “game changers” in the battle against Covid-19. He later announced on national television that he had been taking the drug himself as a preventative treatment.