President Trump has doubled down on his belief that Hydroxychloroquine is effective against Covid19. There appears to be no proven medical data to support his belief. Hydroxychloroquine is used to treat Lupus patients. The drug has serious side effects for some people and at least a couple have died taking too much or without a doctor’s prescription. Just learned the FDA has issued emergency approval for doctors to prescribe Hydroxychloroquine for Covid19 patients.
We’d all like to find a quick cure for Covid19 and numerous drugs are being evaluated with the plasma treatment, based on blood from persons who have recovered from Covid19, being tried on a few actual patients. I have a close relative with terminal lung cancer and we have tried some off-label drugs. I understand the desire to try unproven treatments.
So what of Presidential leadership in this situation? How to provide hope without raising unrealistic expectations? I would talk, or better ask those with more knowledge to talk, about all the research being done to find a cure and ask that research be accelerated. I cannot place my personal belief about a silver bullet above that of all the medical professionals.
Also in the news this morning, Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly has said the captain of the aircraft carrier was “naive or stupid” in asking for help with a Covid19 outbreak on his ship. Sailors live in very close quarters with specific duties that do not allow social distancing. Chain of command is very important in the military but the captain was not wrong in concern for the health of his crew. At most, some corrective discipline after the fact might be appropriate. The Navy is removing all the sailors from the ship. In my opinion Secretary Modly is more concerned about how this is playing in Washington.
