The Wall Street Journal - 07.04.2020

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. **** Tuesday, April 7, 2020 |A

THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

“There have been cases that

show there may be an effect,

and there are others to show

there’s no effect,” he said. “So I

think in terms of science, I

don’t think we could defini-

tively say it works.”

At the briefing later that

evening, a reporter asked Dr.

Fauci for his view on whether

there is evidence hydroxychlo-

roquine helps treat coronavi-

rus. The president interrupted

Dr. Fauci said the

data on the drug’s

effectiveness was ‘at

best, suggestive.’

Nimble maneuvers by the
Federal Aviation Administra-
tion have managed to keep the
nation’s air-traffic control sys-
tem open, despite coronavirus-
related problems at nearly half
of all centers handling high-al-
titude flights.
In the past three weeks,
nine of 22 such locations have
been affected by employees
testing positive for Covid-19,
along with more than 26 other
federal traffic-control facilities
that were closed temporarily
or otherwise affected. But by
embracing novel staffing ar-
rangements, establishing spare
airport towers wherever feasi-
ble and relying on swift clean-
ing procedures across the
board, the agency has limited
disruptions, according to an
FAA document and govern-

BYANDYPASZTOR ment and industry officials.
One important strategy the
FAA has relied on, some of the
officials said, is designating
core groups of controllers at
each site to work together on
the same shift for five days,
and then take time off simul-
taneously. The goal is to re-
duce spread of the contagion
to members of those specific
teams in the event someone
tests positive.
Such safeguards make it
easier to identify controllers
who might have been exposed,
and reduce impact on facilities
when employees need to self-
quarantine. Technicians who
maintain and repair traffic-
control equipment have em-
braced the same phased staff-
ing principle while relying on
bare-bones crews.
In cooperation with the
union representing controllers,

Novel Tactics

Keep Control

Centers Open

the FAA has determined mini-

mum daily staffing levels in

light of reduced traffic and so-

cial-distancing guidelines, ac-

cording to a memo that was

distributed at the end of

March and reviewed by The

Wall Street Journal. When one

shift ends, the goal is to en-

sure priority information is

passed on “while minimizing

contact with employees on

other shifts and crews,” the

memo said.

Teams are usually sched-

uled to report over five-day

work stretches and can be

placed on administrative leave

to guarantee full paychecks,

according to the memo.

The FAA hasn’t detailed the

number of controllers off the

job due to the pandemic. It

has said contingency plans are

in place to shift duties among

facilities and that its commit-

ment to safety hasn’t wavered.

An estimated 70% plunge in

overall commercial flights has

allowed the FAA to reduce

staffing levels nearly every-

where, which also makes it

easier to alert and isolate em-

ployees who might have been

infected by co-workers.

At the end of last week,

government data showed

flights were down by 65% or

more at six of the nation’s 10

typically busiest airports.

A plane left Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Monday. A plunge incommercial flights has allowed the FAA to reduce staffing levels.

ANDREW HARRER/BLOOMBERG NEWS

negotiate trade deals, Mr. Na-

varro responded: “Touché.”

The president’s repeated

comments and tweets about

chloroquine and hydroxychloro-

quine have spurred concerns

about further straining the sup-

ply of the drugs, which are al-

ready in short supply. After Mr.

Trump first endorsed the drugs

in March, pharmacists received

an influx of prescription orders

from doctors, according to

pharmacists and state officials.

Since then, at least 20 states

implemented emergency re-

strictions or guidelines to pre-

vent hoarding of the two drugs

for treatment of the new coro-

navirus, an effort to preserve

supplies for autoimmune pa-

tients who rely on the medi-

cines to remedy ailments such

as lupus and arthritis.

before he could answer. “Do

you know how many times he’s

answered that question? Maybe

15—15 times,” Mr. Trump said,

pointing at the reporter. “You

don’t have to ask the question.”

Mr. Navarro, speaking on

CNN on Monday, acknowledged

media reports that he had

clashed with Dr. Fauci at a task

force meeting on Saturday.

Asked about Dr. Fauci’s com-

ments warning about the lack

of evidence for the drug’s effec-

tiveness, Mr. Navarro said the

doctor could “speak for him-

self,” but added: “I have two

words for you: Second opinion.”

“My qualifications, in terms

of looking at the science, is that

I’m a social scientist. I have a

Ph.D.,” Mr. Navarro said. Asked

by the CNN host whether he

would want medical doctors to

proven to treat Covid-19, but

doctors and scientists are

studying their use. Several

studies in a limited number of

patients in France and China

have provided early signs the

drugs may work in helping re-

lieve symptoms. But public-

health officials and some doc-

tors caution that most of the

studies that have produced re-

sults were too small to prove

the drugs are safe and effective.

Inside the White House, the

president’s own advisers have

sparred over the promotion of

the drug treatments, including

a debate in recent days be-

tween trade adviser Peter Na-

varro and Dr. Fauci. On Sunday,

Dr. Fauci said the data on the

drug’s effectiveness was “at

best, suggestive” in an inter-

view on CBS.

itive for Covid-19, the disease

caused by the coronavirus, be-

fore giving them the drug.

“If you’re a doctor, a nurse, a

first responder, a medical per-

son going into hospitals, they

say taking it before the fact is

good,” Mr. Trump said of hy-

droxychloroquine on Sunday,

flanked by two doctors in his

administration—Anthony Fauci

and Deborah Birx—who haven’t

supported the push for broad

use of the drug. “What do you

have to lose?”

The president advised Amer-

icans to consult their doctors

before taking hydroxychloro-

quine and azithromycin, an an-

tibacterial drug that some doc-

tors have also prescribed to

coronavirus patients.

None of the drugs the presi-

dent mentioned has been

President Trump in recent
days has begun urging even
those without symptoms of the
new coronavirus to take a com-
bination of antimalarial and an-
tibacterial drugs to combat it,
defying the advice of public-
health experts as his own ad-
visers debate the effectiveness
of the drugs.
In White House briefings,
the president said he might
take the antimalarial drug, hy-
droxychloroquine, and sug-
gested health-care workers—
whether they have symptoms
or not—should consider taking
it before treating coronavirus
patients. Some states are spe-
cifically asking pharmacists to
make sure a patient tested pos-

BYREBECCABALLHAUS
ANDJAREDS.HOPKINS

President’s Promotion of Certain Drugs Defies Experts

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