Canadian health authorities have issued an alert about a drug widely touted by US President Donald Trump warning that "Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine can cause serious side effects. These medications should only be used under a doctor's supervision," the Canadian Public Health Agency said in an update released on its site on Saturday, April 25.

"Health Canada is concerned that some people may purchase chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine directly and use it to prevent or treat" COVID-19, the agency added, noting that these medications can cause "serious heart rhythm disturbances."

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) issued a similar warning on Thursday about these medicines.

Trump’s latest venture into treatment for coronavirus came at a Friday press conference when he floated the idea of injecting Lysol and ultraviolet light, which led to an alert from the CDC. the Lysol company, scientists, and doctors across the USA.