Daniel Dae Kim credits anti-malarial drug as 'secret weapon' in his coronavirus recovery process
Actor Daniel Dae Kim has revealed that his recovery from the deadly coronavirus has been successful so far and has credited the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine as the "secret weapon" in his recovery process.
The Hawaii Five-0 star took to Instagram late on March 22 and posted a video saying that the drug was part of a cocktail of multiple drugs his physician had prescribed to him. He added that his other medication included an azithromycin Z pack, Tamiflu, and a respiratory inhaler.
“So I won’t say that it’s a cure and I won’t say definitively that you should go out and use it. But what I will say is that I believe that (hydroxychloroquine) was crucial to my recovery. I believe the entire mixture of drugs was crucial to my recovery," he said in the video.
This particular anti-malarial drug surged to prominence last week after President Donald Trump, during multiple White House press conferences, appeared to tout it as a potential cure for novel coronavirus. The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr Fauci, however, was forced to publicly row back Trump's claims that chloroquine offered a potential cure for coronavirus.
"Well add my name to those personal accounts because I am feeling better,” Daniel Dae Kim said. He added that he began taking the drug early in his illness before his symptoms worsened. “One of the reasons I was able to recover quickly I believe is because I was lucky enough to start taking these drugs before my fever got severe.”
The actor, last week, had revealed that he was diagnosed with coronavirus after returning home to Hawaii after filming the TV show 'New Amsterdam' in New York. Kim had posted a 10-minute video on Instagram to inform his fans about the diagnosis, saying he had developed a scratchy throat while flying back to Hawaii to be with his family after filming on the series, which was halted due to the pandemic.
Although the star does not require any hospitalization yet, he continues to remain in isolation from his family until March 23, reports state.
Kim, concluded his March 22 video, saying that he does not want to politicize the issue and wants people to focus on their well being. "I won’t be addressing the politics of this issue in posts like this anymore,” he said. “Except to say this: my political beliefs may not be the same as yours. But especially in times like this, what’s most important is that we put people over politics and take care of one another.”
The actor had slammed the term "Chinese virus" — used by the President — saying he had gotten it from America. "Yes, I'm Asian," he said in a video last week. "And yes, I have coronavirus, but I did not get it in China. I got it in America — in New York City. Despite what certain political leaders want to call it, I don't consider the place where it's from as important as the people who are sick and dying.”