Apparently, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), that has long been charged with the safety and efficacy of drugs and devices now also controls who can prescribe drugs. I was under the mistaken impression that in our highly rule based society you would need to pass a law to allow that to happen. Passing laws , of course, can be a long, messy, process that involves having to convince constituencies, and ruling by executive order is just way more efficient apparently.
Given how unknowable and unpredictable this virus remains nearly three years following its appearance among humans, isn't it natural for me as a patient to want to have as many weapons in my arsenal as possible when it comes to fighting this thing? Just as prevention involves masking AND distancing AND hand-washing (to create multiple layers of defense), why can't the cure involve vaccination AND antivirals? After all, no doctor denies her patient Tamiflu just because they received a flu shot!
Given how unknowable and unpredictable this virus remains nearly three years following its appearance among humans, isn't it natural for me as a patient to want to have as many weapons in my arsenal as possible when it comes to fighting this thing? Just as prevention involves masking AND distancing AND hand-washing (to create multiple layers of defense), why can't the cure involve vaccination AND antivirals? After all, no doctor denies her patient Tamiflu just because they received a flu shot!