You might have seen a video going around recently showing representatives of a group called “America’s Frontline Doctors” giving a news conference on the steps of the Supreme Court building. Or maybe you haven’t. Because the extremely-viral video, viewed over 17 million times in 8 hours, has been removed from Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
In the video, we hear doctors from across the United States sharing with us their experience in treating COVID-19. Many of them claim that the combination of hydroxychloroquine, antibiotics and zinc has proven to be an effective treatment and preventative for the virus. This has been branded as “fake news” and censored by the social media platforms. I was watching a follow-up video where those same doctors were addressing the censorship of their message when it was abruptly cut off by the Facebook moderators.
If you’re interested in seeing the video, you can find it on Breitbart. I know what you’re thinking. Breitbart is a right-wing Web site. True, but I’m not asking you to believe the video, just to watch it. Why should you watch it?
That’s for you to decide. But I can tell you why I watched it. I watched it because someone told me that I couldn’t. People at Facebook, Google and Twitter decided that I shouldn’t be allowed to even view the video. So, of course, I had to.
The doctors are proposing a combination of readily-available drugs that costs a few pennies per dose to manufacture. They claim that they have been treating patients using these drugs with great success and that the message the American people have been given over the past few months does not paint an accurate picture of what’s really going on. They advocate that schools be reopened as soon as possible. This, apparently, is something we’re not allowed to consider.
These doctors had nothing to personally gain from the press conference. In fact, they’re putting a great deal at risk. Some of them work for high-profile hospitals and universities and will likely lose their positions because of their participation.
On the other hand, there are people and companies that have a great deal to lose if cheap drugs are effective. There is very little money to be made manufacturing a drug that has existed for decades. But the federal government is handing out billions of dollars to develop an effective treatment/vaccine.
COVID-19 testing is a multi-million-dollar business. There are undoubtedly people trying to make sure testing remains relevant as long as possible.
Additionally, there are a great number of “experts” and politicians who have a lot to lose reputation-wise if it were ever proven that there was a treatment available all along. I tend to think that many of them could be prosecuted for the destroying the economy and for allowing people to die. That is, if what America’s Frontline Doctors are claiming is true.
Hydroxychloroquine is not a harmful drug. Some lupus patients have been taking it for decades. In many countries, it’s an over-the-counter medicine used as a treatment for malaria. Zinc is found in every single Flintstone’s vitamin as well as most other multivitamins.
The only reason why hydroxychloroquine became politicized is because President Trump said it was a good thing, and there are many people who are automatically against anything he says.
I know that many of the actions taken by the so-called experts have made no sense to me. I’ve never believed that we’re getting the whole story. I also believe that money and power are two very big motivators and that anytime either are in play we need to take a careful look at what’s happening.
Are America’s Frontline Doctors right? Is there a better way to treat the disease? I’m certainly not qualified to say. But I can say that they have a huge amount of combined experience treating the virus and should at least have a seat at the table. What they have to say shouldn’t be dismissed outright simply because of the potential for political or financial gain.
Twitter, Facebook and Google shouldn’t be allowed to decide what I get to hear. Even if what the doctors are claiming is only partially accurate, it could still have a huge impact on how long this whole thing lasts. But, unless they’re allowed to share their message, we’ll never know.
Here’s some extra credit info for reading this far: Be sure to watch the video until the very end. After the official press conference, one of the doctors explains why losing your sense of smell and taste are signs you might have the virus. That never made sense to me before, but it does now.
