Mormad said:
True, but the governors aren't making decisions unilaterally. They're taking advice from the best sources they have (CDC, NCDHHS, doctor panels, etc). There are reasons to restrict these drugs for the time being. That said, this is all fluid and rapidly changing.
The FDA has said the drugs can be used to treat coronavirus and are approved for off-label use. Dr. Birx clearly said this days ago. The government should not be inserting itself between a doctor and patient, particularly at the state level. As long as the governors are not restricting the use, it is okay.
Recent reports in the media indicate that several tests are in route that will allow physicians to tell in minutes (versus days) if a person is infected with the virus. One test from Abbott Labs was approved by the FDA last night and it can diagnose a person in less than 30 minutes from the time the test is administered. The lock-downs were put in place, since we did not have a reliable way to test if people have the virus and quarantine those affected people. We now have tests coming on line in the next few weeks that will solve this issue.
At some point, hopefully in the next month, the government needs to begin a shift from a lock-down stance to a Test and Trace approach. The NC government needs to be making plans for this now and they need to begin communicating their plans and next steps to the public. You can not tell people to stay in place for weeks and not communicate a plan. Ultimately, people who have had the virus and recovered and people who do not have the virus and are not in a high-risk group should be able to return to work and lead a normal live. This should be possible starting in May and the government needs to communicate next steps.
If other states begin implementing Test and Trace and freeing up restrictions, NC will have to do so quickly. People will not continue to stay in lock-down mode in NC when they see SC, Kentucky, and Tennessee opening back up. So far, I have been disappointed with the leadership in the NC government to communicate what is next.