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Arizona Man Dies After Attempted Self-Medication For Coronavirus

Banner Health hospital is warning people against self-medicating to prevent or treat the coronavirus after a man ingested chloroquine phosphate and died. 

Chloroquine is a malaria medication that President Trump recently touted as a possible treatment for the coronavirus.

Banner Health says an Arizona man recently died and his wife is in critical condition after the couple ingested chloroquine phosphate, an additive commonly used at aquariums to clean fish tanks.

In a statement, Dr. Daniel Brooks, Banner Poison and Drug Information Center medical director, said he is strongly urging the medical community to not prescribe chloroquine to any non-hospitalized patients.

A Banner spokesperson said patients self-medicating could inadvertently jeopardize their health.

→  Read The Latest News On The Coronavirus Disease

Jimmy Jenkins was a producer and senior field correspondent at KJZZ from 2014 to 2021.