by Mason Hofer, Blue Ink
As coronavirus progresses, people have decided that the only way this will stop is if an effective treatment or vaccine is released. On Monday, April 13, South Dakota became the first state to take that step and begin testing a treatment called hydroxychloroquine. Governor Kristi Noem announced this during her statement on Monday.
South Dakota, especially Minnehaha County, is getting hit by COVID-19 very hard. As of April 16, there were over 1000 confirmed cases in Minnehaha County alone.
"From day one, I've said we're going to let the science, facts, and data drive our decision-making in South Dakota," Noem said in a statement. "Throughout last week, I communicated with White House officials to let them know that South Dakota's medical community was ready to step up and lead the way on research efforts.
"I made direct requests to President Trump and Vice President Pence to supply us with enough hydroxychloroquine so that it could be made available for every hospitalized person the state may have as well as for those healthcare workers on the frontlines and those in the most vulnerable populations," Noem said.
Sanford Health and Avera Health will be taking part in this.
As of right now, this is the only FDA approved form of treatment for COVID-19. So, researchers are really hoping this works.
Although this medicine has proven to be very effective when used as an anti-malaria drug, it does have some pretty serious side effects. It can cause health issues including cardiac arrhythmias, seizures, dermatological reactions and hypoglycemia.
Although the drug does have some negatives, many have floated about this being the drug that can put an end to the pandemic, including President Donald Trump.
