A Journal of the Plague Year

Steampunk coronavirus selfie.

It feels like a corner was turned today.

Dr. Fauci, who was the pessimist at Trump’s press conferences on the pandemic, is now quoted as saying "I know we'll be successful in putting this down now, but we really need to be prepared for another cycle."

This looks like a backhanded admission that the hydrochloroquine treatment works. It also looks like he has reason to believe the virus is seasonal, and will naturally begin to abate, as flu viruses often do, as summer approaches. Perhaps the thesis that the virus needs a narrow band of temperature and humidity to spread was at least partly right.

Although abating for summer is only temporary relief, it does buy us a bit of time to be better prepared in the autumn.

The Oxford study, suggesting that the virus is significantly less deadly than we thought, is also getting widely circulated. It does not sound right to me, but perhaps I am missing something. Others who presumably understand better than I do are impressed.

Perhaps the reason Fauci and others in government have been downplaying hydrochloroquine is because they did not have enough of the drug. Since it was already available on prescription, people could pressure their doctors, producing a possible run on the drug. And they felt they needed the limited supply to protect health care workers. Just like with face masks.

India has now banned exports of the drug.

They would not do this if it were not effective.

Same for Nevada suddenly banning the drug’s use for COVID-19.

They are worried about protecting limited supplies.

Unfortunately, India is a major world source for generic drugs. We have to hope there are sufficient production facilities closer to home.