Joe Doakes from Como Park emailed (late last week):

On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control recommended elderly patients stock up on medicine in case the virus causes a supply chain disruption.

I called my pharmacy to stock up. The insurance company won’t let me, it’s too early, I still have pills left.

Yes, but I’m trying to get ahead of the supply chain disruption. I need a refill now. Plus stay on my existing refill schedule. This 30 days supply is just to put in the back pocket for emergencies

The doctor is reluctant to write the prescription, since I already have one and an additional 30 days supply now does nothing to solve the supply chain problem, it’s simply empties the warehouse and moves the problem forward in time.

The experts recommend it, she doesn’t want to write it, he doesn’t want to pay for it, and they don’t want to fill it.  Gee, I can’t imagine why the public is confused about who to believe, and in a panic over what to do about it.

Looks like I’m going online. How do you spell metformin in Mexican?

Joe Doakes

While some of the administration’s moves on regulation over this past few days have, perhaps helped this, the bureaucracy – private and especially public – has not covered itself in glory so far during this crisis.