President Donald Trump has authorized an Food and Drug Administration emergency use authorization to treat COVID-19 with convalescent plasma.
Will Humble, the former Arizona Department of Health Services director, has concerns.
Humble says plasma may be useful in lessening the severity of the illness when applied very early on. But he is concerned about what the FDA emergency order leaves out
“You don’t have as much robust data coming in because it’s not required to collect and report that data as part of an emergency use authorization protocol," Humble said.
This means there will be less information to analyze whether or not the treatment is effectively working. Arizona’s infection rate has been going down in the last couple of weeks, with the R-Naught number being at 0.82. Humble says anything below a one, indicates the slowing of the spread of COVID-19.
However, Humble says these numbers do not mean Arizona should loosen or reverse restrictions. He warns, especially, that if the honor system is used to keep businesses in line like it was in May and June, the state will be in for another round of COVID-19.
