Raoult, a prominent virologist, has caused controversy within the French scientific community for insisting the anti-malaria drug chloroquine can beat the novel coronavirus.
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French President Emmanuel Macron went to Marseille, southern France, on Thursday to meet with professor Didier Raoult, an infectious diseases specialist who has become a controversial figure in France amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Raoult, a prominent virologist, has caused controversy within the French scientific community for insisting the anti-malaria drug chloroquine can beat the novel coronavirus.
Macron met Raoult at the Mediterranean institute of infection in Marseille. His visit was not announced in advance, the French presidency said.
The meeting lasted 3,5 hours and quite unusually, the press was not allowed to attend.
Macron intends to consult a number of doctors before his TV address on the coronavirus pandemic, planned for Monday at 20:00 EST, the French Elysée Palace said.