[vikramkr]

Looks like there are a lot of companies deploying clinical trials to test existing antivirals already.

The NIH and all are likely already researching this strain, and importantly they're also funding labs in universities nationwide (since there's no reason to expect that a team of scientists who come up with the insights needed to find a cure would happen to already work for the government).

The government tends to be really good at getting things with clearly defined goals done, and they're good at rapidly scaling any work that needs massive funding an institutional support. But finding a cure for a viral infection is more of a creative task (and not a task that is important enough to be worth it likely - vaccination and preventative measures are probably more important and more feasible to implement since they don't necessarily require a scientific breakthrough).