Dear AAPS Virginia Members and Friends,
Delegate Dave A. LaRock has introduced a good resolution, HJ 5002, that will be heard in the Virginia House of Delegates Rules Committee on Thursday morning, August 27, 2020, at 9am (agenda).
The resolution contains the following provisions:
RESOLVED, That the General Assembly encourage that hydroxychloroquine should be made available for treating COVID-19 in the Commonwealth, both prophylactically and as therapy immediately after confirmed or suspected exposure to COVID-19, by physicians providing patients with informed consent concerning the particular regime of hydroxychloroquine to be prescribed; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates transmit a copy of this resolution to the Virginia Department of Health, requesting that the agency further disseminate copies of this resolution to their respective constituents so that they may be apprised of the sense of the General Assembly of Virginia in this matter.
Members of the public can sign up to testify virtually or provide written comments using the following link:
https://hodspeak.house.virginia.gov/submit_testimony?meeting_id=8667
Please visit the above link. If you can testify remotely, please check that box, otherwise check the box for submitting a written comment.
In the “topic of interest” box enter “Support for HJ 5002.”
To help you get your comment started, here is a suggestion for text you can copy (please feel free to modify and personalize):
I am writing today in support of HJ 5002.
Evidence clearly supports the use of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) for early treatment and prevention of COVID-19.
In just the last week, for example, studies from Spain, Belgium, Italy, and the U.S. have been released that show HCQ-based treatment saves lives and reduces hospitalizations. New data from France indicates that HCQ can be effective in saving lives in nursing home residents with COVID-19. In India, HCQ is regularly used for prevention of COVID-19 based on peer-reviewed evidence of fewer cases in health workers who take the drug for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
In addition, significant research demonstrates that this drug — which has been safely used for other conditions for more than half a century — is also safe when used to treat COVID-19 on an outpatient basis.
Links to these studies, and others, can be reviewed at http://c19study.com/.
Please stand with patients by passing HJ 5002. Help increase access to options for inexpensive treatment that has the potential to keep Virginians out of hospitals and save lives.
Thank you for speaking out!
If you submit a comment or plan to testify, please consider emailing a copy to AAPS at [email protected].
