More than 100 Americans have died after taking hydroxychloroquine in a misguided effort to treat or prevent coronavirus so far this year, a new report reveals?

In the first six months of 293 people died after taking hydroxychloroquine, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's review of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) adverse events reporting system. .

Much like public health experts use the number of 'excess' deaths to estimate how many people died of coronavirus but have not yet been counted, the Sentinel looked at data on those other 218 deaths. .

The reason 'more than half' of those people had been taking hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine was COVID-19. .

It comes after the overwhelming majority of big, credible studies on using the malaria drug to treat coronavirus showed - despite Trump's repeated optimism over it - that it offered no benefit to people with the viral infection. .

More than 100 people died after taking hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19, an analysis of adverse event data from the FDA reveals.

When early studies suggested that hydroxychloroquine might have antiviral effects and improve recovery and survival odds for infected people, President Trump raved that it was safe - a conclusion he drew based on the fact that the drug is FDA-approved. 

President Trump has urged people to try hydroxychloroquine to treat coronavirus, asking 'what do you have to lose' (file) 

On Sunday, Admiral Brett Giroir said on Meet the Press that he 'can't recommend' taking hydroxychloroquine for coronavirus treatment or prevention 

If patients continue to be given the unproven drug to treat coronavirus, an excess of dangerous side effects or deaths linked to it seems doomed to persist, so it will be in the hands of providers to protect their patients. 

We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline