You are correct about HCQ + zinc. And who was part of the deceit? None other than the Gov of New York. Cuomo sabotaged the use of hydroxychloraquine when New York State received a large quantity and permission to run a trial early in the pandemic. He would only allow it to be given to people who were hospitalized, maybe even in the ICU, IIRC. No one had said that hydroxychloroquine +3 works at that stage. If given early in the disease progression, it seems to have a very positive effect.
The NIH structured the VA study on HCQ and they did the same thing. Gave it only after server damage was done and without zinc.