Man who survived COVID-19 says anti-malaria drug saved his life: 'I didn't believe I was going to be here by the morning'

Diagnosed with pneumonia and coronavirus, Rio Giardinieri, 52, was admitted to the ICU at Joe DiMaggio hospital in South Florida. After more than a week without showing any improvement, doctors told him there was nothing more they could do. Desperately ill, Giardinieri started saying his "goodbyes" to family and friends.

That's when a friend told him there was a potential "cure" for coronavirus, an anti-malaria drug called hydroxycloroquine. Though doctors at the hospital said they couldn't prescribe hydroxycloroquine, they put Giardinieri in touch with an infectious disease doctor who authorized the use. The next morning, he says he woke up feeling "absolutely perfect."

Giardinieri joined Glenn Beck on the radio program Tuesday to share his remarkable story and to weigh in on why he thinks information about this promising treatment for COVID-19 isn't being made more readily available.

"I'm not a scientist. I'm not a doctor. I can just tell you how I feel. And I know that I was not doing well. In my mind, I didn't believe I was going to be here by the morning," Giardinieri said. "I don't know what else to attribute [for recovery] but that medicine ... and it's not just me that it's worked for. There're many people this has worked for. So, you know, I certainly understand the hospital's position. They may not be too happy about me telling the story. But the facts are the facts."

Watch the video below to catch more of the conversation:

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