Schuylkill County Coroner: “I Would Not Hesitate” to Take Hydroxychloroquine to Treat COVID-19

Schuylkill County Coroner Dr. David Moylan says he “would not hesitate” to take hydroxychloroquine if he were afflicted by COVID-19.

“Not for a New York minute,” Moylan told Sam Lesante during a recent airing of The Sam Lesante Show.

Moylan appeared on the show to discuss how Schuylkill County is handling the coronavirus pandemic. And he didn’t mince words with the host, who several times tried to get him to take the bait and react in a partisan manner.

Lesante leans conservative politically and Moylan ran as a Republican in 2019 for the office of Schuylkill County Coroner. But Moylan’s answer to that question and many others didn’t come from a position of politics. Instead, he leaned on his and his wife’s medical expertise. The Coroner, who’s also an oncologist, is married to Dr. Denise Moylan, a pulmonary specialist.

Schuylkill County Coroner Moylan Says He “Would Not Hesitate” to Take Hydroxychloroquine to Treat COVID-19

Moylan and Lesante were discussing the latest data from Schuylkill County regarding the pandemic and its impact here.

Then the topic of treatment came up and Moylan asked rhetorically, “Now, how do you treat this damn thing?”

Moylan went over the often-repeated treatments suggested by nearly every health professional: rest, hydration, self-isolation, and acetaminophen for a fever.

He added, “When this first came on the scene back in March and April, my wife Dr. Denise Moylan, who is a lung specialist, said this Plaquenil (the brand name version of hydroxychloroquine) … should work.

“She even sent a letter to President Trump” to relay her belief, Moylan said of his wife.

Moylan said he hoped early studies on the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine being conducted in France at the start of the pandemic would concur with his wife’s belief. The Coroner cited the work of French doctor Didier Raoult, who conducted a study on more than 3,700 patients and the effectiveness of the drug that’s become somewhat controversial.

“I had great hope for this,” Moylan said. “It did not pan out. I don’t know why it did not pan out. But there were a lot of political maneuverings going on.”

Moylan believes the reason Raoult’s work was not lauded by many others in the medical community is because his was not a randomized study.

Controversy Over Hydroxychloroquine

The whole controversy over hydroxychloroquine in the treatment of COVID-19 began when President Donald Trump suggested it may work in eliminating the virus for some people infected. The mainstream media mangled his words, as they often do, and said he was pushing the drug and even suggested he had some financial stake in its use, despite the drug being very inexpensive, especially compared to other pharmaceutical treatments.

Potential Vaccine

Moylan, in addition to his belief in hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin (brand name: Zithromax or Z-pack), said he’d line up to get a potential vaccine if and when it’s approved.

Moylan Avoids Politics in Interview

As noted, Lesante appeared to try to get Moylan to express his political feelings about the pandemic response. But the local Coroner refused to take the bait. His comments, especially on using hydroxychloroquine, were presented from the perspective of being a medical doctor … who just happens to be married to a doctor, too.

In fact, during the course of the 26-minute show, Moylan admits the virus is highly contagious.

One part of the interview that’s likely to alarm liberals, however, is Moylan calling it the “Wuhan Chinese virus” several times. He said, as many know, that viruses and diseases are named based on their geographic origin, referencing names like Lyme disease, MERS, and Ebola.

“This is the Wuhan Chinese virus,” Moylan said. “Straightforward, nothing political about it.”

To watch the full episode of The Sam Lesante Show featuring Schuylkill County Coroner David Moylan, watch the embedded video below. In it, you’ll see:

• Schuylkill County coronavirus data
• Moylan’s close connection with CDC Director Robert Redfield

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