Much has been written about the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine, for example here.  We now have indications that recent restrictions on it caused the second wave of COVID-19 in the United States.

On 15 June 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revoked emergency authorization for hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 patients.  Dr. Harvey Risch, epidemiologist, recently pointed out that this caused people who were not hospital patients to be denied access to this drug.  Sure enough, 15 June was the start of the second wave of COVID-19 cases.  The second wave had twice the first wave's high for peak cases at 60,000 per day.  Better yet (for the Democrats), they can now brag that the peak cases came in late July instead of early April.  Since people in hospitals still got this drug, the number of cases increased a lot, but the number of deaths increased only a little.  This is apparently the FDA's idea of being humane.

Does hydroxychloroquine work?  As of August 2020, there were about 175,000 COVID-19 deaths in the U.S.  Contrast this to 62,550 deaths in India, where hydroxychloroquine is manufactured and recommended for use.  With populations of 328 million in the US and 1,352 million in India, the number of COVID-19 deaths per million is 528 for the U.S. and 46 for India.  In malaria-infested countries, where hydroxychloroquine is greatly needed, the numbers are even better.  In Nigeria, 1,011 people have died from COVID-19.  Its COVID-19 deaths per million is 4.9.  Similar numbers can be found from the America's Frontline Doctors Summit.

The major problem is not that the FDA made what appears to be a no-brainer error.  It is that someone in the Deep State chose to withhold a needed medicine for political reasons.  From the previous paragraph, it appears that 99% of the U.S. COVID-19 patients could have been saved.  If so, then 173,000 people died to increase the probability that President Trump will lose the upcoming election.

Why does Dr. Anthony Fauci not suggest using hydroxychloroquine?  Fauci's excuse is that there is no double-blind study supporting it for COVID-19.  COVID-19 is new, so how could there be a study?  What should one do when there is no time for a study?  A Dr. Fauci example of what to do is from 1987.  There was a drug, Bactrim, that could have helped against AIDS.  Dr. Fauci used the double-blind study excuse to prohibit the drug.  By the time there was a study, two years later, 17,000 people died who probably would have survived.  This makes a total of 190,000 dead patients for Fauci.

Part of the problem with Bactrim is the same problem that hydroxychloroquine has.  Neither has a patent anymore.  They can be produced cheaply, so there is nobody who stands to make a big profit selling them.  These drugs do not have an advocate.

In defense of Dr. Fauci, I do not believe he is being political.  He lives in the world of medical research.  For researchers, a cure must be proved before it is declared a cure.  The only acceptable proof is a double-blind study.  Only organizations with a lot of money can afford to do such a study.  This process takes years.

In contrast, your doctor's motive is to help the patient.  If this means he uses a drug that is not FDA-approved for that purpose, he does it.  This is called using a drug off-label.  He also makes adjustments to the prescription.  For example, some doctors prescribe hydroxychloroquine with zinc and Zithromax.  We would be in a lot of trouble if doctors could not do this.

Common sense says that when you have no time for a study, you do your best with what you have.  As an example of doing things right, Dr. McCoy from the television show Star Trek was faced with this situation on many occasions.  He did his best with great success.  (It helped to have the script-writers on his side.)  For the Star Trek fans, I list the episodes in which McCoy found a miracle cure and immediately tried it out:  "Miri," "The Naked Time," "The Deadly Years," "Wink of an Eye," "Journey to Babel," "Plato's Stepchildren," and "The Tholian Web."

I predict that in the twenty-third century, Dr. McCoy will be born, come up with a hydroxychloroquine-based cure for COVID-19, and implement it right away.  Until then, we must all wear a mask.