Would be better to have a statistician (someone who analyzes data) over a medical doctor (someone who treats patients). First, other variables covary. Off the top of my head, the countries that restrict it are first-world, and the HCQ countries are not. First world countries may be more rigorous in how they test and classify Covid deaths. It could also be first-world countries instituted aid packages that financially incentivized hospitals to classify deaths as Covid (and that's why we see car crash victims being classified as Covid deaths if they test positive post-mortem). Then there is the combination of increased testing, the incentivization, and the fact some if these tests are notorious for false positives (giving a positive result when the person doesn't have Covid).
Then there are the randomized trials that showed somewhat discouraging results for HCQ. If the effect in the data presented in the graph above are real, then how are they using HCQ differently than in the trial studies?
Geographic location may covary as well. Vitamin d deficiency may predict severity of symptoms as the nonHCQ countries tend to be in colder climates with less sun exposure (sunlight spurs natural vitamin d on the body)
There is some evidence that HCQ would work as a preventative measure if taken with zinc as it shows some effectiveness when taken early in the illness. So it might be advisable for a vulnerable person (elderly person on poor health) to take it during and after going to an event that will expose them. However, if the person is already severely ill, then remesivir appears to be the better option as while it does have some pretty significant side effects, it does appear to reduce mortality in controlled studies.The short answer is we still don't know.
Keep in mind that none of this matters for most people as the virus has a mortality rate that is effectively zero for those under 45 and damn close to zero for those between 45 and 70. For them, the symptoms tend to range from mild to moderate (like a cold or mild flu). So, if you are in this group, get your exercise and some sun exposure and that should be all the protection you need against Covid.
Would be better to have a statistician (someone who analyzes data) over a medical doctor (someone who treats patients). First, other variables covary. Off the top of my head, the countries that restrict it are first-world, and the HCQ countries are not. First world countries may be more rigorous in how they test and classify Covid deaths. It could also be first-world countries instituted aid packages that financially incentivized hospitals to classify deaths as Covid (and that's why we see car crash victims being classified as Covid deaths of they test positive post-mortem). Then there is the combination of increased testing, the incentivization, and the fact some if these tests are notorious for false positives (giving a positive result when the person doesn't have Covid).
Then there are the randomized trials that showed somewhat discouraging results for HCQ. If the effect in the data presented in the graph above are real, then how are they using HCQ differently than in the trial studies?
Geographic location may covary as well. Vitamin d deficiency may predict severity of symptoms as the nonHCQ countries tend to be in colder climates with less sun exposure (sunlight spurs natural vitamin d on the body)
There is some evidence that HCQ would work as a preventative measure if taken with zinc as it really shows some effectiveness when taken early in the illness. So it might be advisable for a vulnerable person (elderly person on poor health) to take it before during and after going to an event that will expose them. However, if the person is already severely ill, then remesivir appears to be the better option as while it does have some pretty significant side effects, it does appear to reduce mortality in controlled studies.The short answer is we still don't know.
Keep in mind that none of this matters for most people as the virus has a mortality rate that is effectively zero for those under 45 and damn close to zero for those between 45 and 70. For them, the symptoms tend to range from mild to moderate (like a cold or mild flu). So, if you are in this group, get your exercise and some sun exposure and that should be all the protection you need against Covid.