Spreadsheet for Joseph’s Penny
January 21, 2023 1 Comment
My Experience Trying to Tell the World About Hydroxychloroquine
January 18, 2023 Leave a comment
My journey began in early March 2020, when reports first began surfacing that Hydroxychloroquine may be a potential treatment for Covid-19.
I began to post the reports on my Facebook feed….
03/18/20
New study looks promising in the treatment of Cov19. Nothing like a little good news!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/186Bel9RqfsmEx55FDum4xY_IlWSHnGbj/view
3/19/20 On this date I messaged a pharmacist friend of mine….
- Me – Hi ya…quick question…is cholorquine something the pharmacy keeps in stock or would it have to be ordered in? Just read the latest released study on it with respect to Covid19 and it looks extremely promising…US is evidently going ahead with it as treatment….so I is just curious as to availability for anyone on the island if someone does come down with it. E
- Pharmacist friend– Hi! Yes it is available. Interesting. Usually used for malaria. I’ll have to read up that. Thanks!
- Me -https://www.mediterranee-infection.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Hydroxychloroquine_final_DOI_IJAA.pdf
http://www.mediterranee-infection.com
Me too…sounds like the US is going to be doing that asap…running controlled study with Covid patients…
Here’s another – 100 Chinese patients – https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/bst/advpub/0/advpub_2020.01047/_pdf/-char/en
http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp
03/19/20
President Trump announces the FDA will fast-track approval of unproven coronavirus treatments, including chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine.
“The nice part is, it’s been around for a long time, so we know that if it — if things don’t go as planned, it’s not going to kill anybody,” Trump says at a task force briefing.
The drugs are already in short supply in the U.S., as word spreads of their potential benefit to COVID-19 patients. Manufacturers say they are ramping up production.
3/20/20
- Pharmacist friend- “Chloroquine is suddenly not available to retail pharmacies. I’m thinking the government has redirected all stock to hospitals. That’s good news if it works.”
- Me -“I’m guessing Canada and the US are working very closely together on strategy. The sooner they can get more test results the better.”
3/24/20
- Me – “Hi. Just came across this.” (letter from Dr. Zelenko)
- Pharmacist friend – “Oh God! What drivel! I can’t believe people fall for this.”
03/24/20
Following up on the post regarding Hydroxychloroquine from 5 days ago.
Updates –
- Hydroxychloroquine is now being suggested for “INVESTIGATIONAL USE: For the treatment of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection” Source – https://www.elsevier.com/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/990729/Hydroxychloroquine-Drug-Monograph_3.17.2020pdf.pdf
- Data published online March 17, 2020, in the International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents, shows that patients who were given 200mg HCQ, three times/day for 10 days, had significant clearance of the SARS-CoV-2 viral load in the nasopharynx compared with non-treated controls, and that effect was enhanced when azithromycin was added. Of 46 patients, 26 were treated with HCQ vs. 16 controls. While six patients in the HCQ group were lost to follow up, 70% of patients treated with HCQ were clear of their virus at day six vs. 12.5% of controls. When azithromycin was added, 100% of patients treated with the combination cleared their virus vs. 57.1% of patients treated with HCQ only.
- An in vitro cell culture experiment, published by a Chinese team led by Xueting Yao, M.D., of Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China, in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, March 9, 2020, tested the pharmacological activity of chloroquine vs HCQ on Vero cells infected with SARS-CoV-2. Results showed HCQ was more potent than chloroquine at inhibiting the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Based on physiologically based pharmacokinetic models, a loading dose of 400 mg HCQ orally twice per day on day one followed by 200 mg twice a day on day 2 through day 5 is recommended.
- The March 18, 2020, MMWR Report early release data confirm ages 19 and younger are at lower risk, while those ages 65 years and older are at high risk if exposed to this virus, Dr. Fallon Friedlander, notes.
“I think their findings substantiate a risk that has been downplayed previously: Yes, 80% of deaths have occurred in those >65, but that means that the 20% of deaths occur in those 20-64 years of age,” she says. “We need to share that info with those found partying and ignoring social distancing protocols. Members of this age group must be aware they can get sick, and they can spread disease to others, even if they aren’t feeling so bad.”
“While the literature cited suggests there may be utility of hydroxychloroquine in both post-exposure prophylaxis and therapy of active disease,” says Ted Rose, M.D., “Keep in mind this treatment has not been verified in a rigorous randomized controlled study. Prevention of spread is still paramount.
“At this point in time, social distancing is the most effective way we can combat the spread of COVID-19,” he adds. “Any way you can contribute to that concept will be of value, including reducing the number of patients coming for face to face office visits. Postpone elective procedures, delay return visits for stable established patients, and practice teledermatology in any way and as often you can.”
Dr. Fallon Friedlander adds, “Amidst all these fears, there is some good news. The FDA’s approval of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine for research and compassionate use identifies off-label options involving these two relatively innocuous drugs. Preliminary trials utilizing these antimalarials with azithromycin suggest that this combination therapy may provide even more hope. As Dr. Rosen points out, this does not diminish the importance of evaluation.”
Finally, in the commentary, Dr. Martin says, that based on the data, if confronted with patients with COVID-19, he would administer HCQ 200 mg TID for 10 days. Regarding HCPs working on the “front line” treating hospitalized patients, based on available studies, he is recommending prophylaxis with HCQ 200 mg BID indefinitely until the pandemic is over. Current studies are underway looking at HCQ prophylaxis. Additionally, and based on influenza data, supplementing with Zinc and treating with Zicam intranasal spray several times daily with the goal of minimizing nasopharyngeal colonization might be worth considering. - “Here we propose an old drug chloroquine (CQ) to be urgently repositioned as an ideal antiviral prophylactic against COVID-19. CQ has ability to block viral attachment and entry to host cells. Its proven clinical efficacy against a variety of viruses including COVID-19 and its current deployment in COVID-19 therapeutic trials strengthens its potential candidacy as a prophylactic. Furthermore, CQ has a long safety record, is inexpensive and widely available. Here we reviewed CQ’s antiviral mechanisms, its laboratory efficacy activity against COVID-19, as well as CQ’s pharmacokinetics in its established use against malaria and autoimmune diseases to recommend safe and potentially efficacious dose regimens for protection against COVID-19: a pre-exposure prophylaxis of 250-500mg daily and post-exposure prophylaxis at 8mg/kg/day for 3 days.” https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202003.0279/v1
- We the undersigned agree with New Jersey State Senator Joe Pennacchio that all levels of government should work together to ameliorate the COVID-19 pandemic by developing an early treatment to minimize the effects of the virus and reduce its communicability by decreasing viral shedding with the use of Hydroxychloroquine:
Anika Ackerman MD
Urology
Joseph Addeo MD
Oncology
Munir Ahmed MD
Orthopedics
Niran Al-Agba DO
Pediatrics
Frank Alario MD
Internal Medicine
Sharon Carswell MD
Family Medicine
Kimberly Corba MD
Family Medicine
Doug Crane MD
Internal Medicine
Madeline Danny DO
Family Medicine
Philip DeFina PhD
Neuroscientist Clinical Research
US ARMY Intel
Anthony Dippolito MD
MBA General & Colorectal Surgeon
John Eck MD
Family Medicine
Josephine Feingold MD
Emergency Medicine
Ken Fisher MD
Family Medicine
Chris Garofalo MD
Family Medicine
David Gee MD
Family Medicine
Helen Gelhot MD
General Surgery
Eric Gerwirtz MD
Anesthesiology
Yvette Gozzo MD
Pulmonology
Karladine Graves DO
Family Medicine
Wayne Graves DO
Emergency Medicine
Lee Gross MD
Family Medicine
Avinash Gupta MD
Cardiology
James Halper MD
Neuropsychiatry & Internal Medicine
Scott Hardiman MD
Otolaryngology
Kris Held MD
Ophthalmology
Travis Hendricks MD
Infectious Disease
Bindukumar Kansupada MD
Cardiology
Cameron Knackstedt DO
Family Medicine
Herbert Kunkle, Jr MD
Orthopedic Surgery
Steve Kupferburg MD
Otolaryngology
Lee Kurisko MD
Radiology
Guru Lamba MD
Hematology Oncology
Katarina Lindley DO
Family Medicine
Jennifer Lorine DO
Family Medicine/Neuromuscular Med OMT
Lee Merritt MD
General Surgery, US Navy
Winslow Murdoch MD
Family Medicine
Katherine Newland MD
Emergency Medicine
Lisa Norberg DO
Family Medicine
Fred Notarnicola MD
Internal Medicine
Sheila Page DO
Neuromuscular & Skeletal, AAPS President Texas
Kirit Kumar Pandya MD
Urology
Prashant Parikh MD
Primary Care
Philip Pattison MD
Gastroenterology
Danae Powers MD
Anesthesiology
Lee Pressler MD
Urology
Samuel Putnam MD
Interventional Radiology, US Army Flight Surgeon
Raj Raval MD
Physiatrist, Interventional Pain
Luis Rodriguez Jr MD
Interventional Radiology
Scott Roethle MD
Anesthesiology
Sohayla Rostami DO
General Surgery Resident
James Rowsey MD
Ophthalmology
Christine Saba PharmD MD
Pediatrics
Vinod Sanchetti MD
Internal Medicine
Nikki Silverstein MD
Ophthalmology
Marilyn Singleton MD JD
Anesthesiology
Pat Smith MD
Gynecology
Reed Smith MD
Internal Medicine
Douglas Spiel MD
Interventional Pain Radiology
Joel Strom DDS
Dentist
James Thomas MD MBA
Interventional Radiology, Naval Flight Surgeon
Teresa Thomas MD
Internal Medicine
Josh Umber MD
Family Medicine
Kip VanCamp DO
Interventional Radiology
Craig Wax DO
Family Medicine
Vicki Wooll MD MPH
Family Medicine, Epidemiology
Marlene Wust-Smith MD
Pediatrics
Source – https://www.insidernj.com/…/top-doctors-join…/
It is early days, but, there appears to be both growing support for the trials being conducted, and, some preliminary positive results.
Let’s see what happens over the next couple of weeks…this is a developing story. Fingers crossed…
One last note…if you’re going to comment, please keep politics out of the thread.
3/25/20
- Pharmacist friend – Sorry, that didn’t come out right. First, anyone could have written that letter. Second, if this is a legitimate document, one rogue doctor – or even 100 – deciding to prescribe medicine without credible scientific evidence, does not mean that it is the right thing to do. Maybe it will be. And I truly hope that the science can prove that this is the right thing to do as rapidly as possible. But the doses required to treat Covid are approaching a level of toxicity that could be lethal in certain individuals. For example, people with underlying heart conditions and diabetes would experience heart failure at these doses. Even at low doses those medicines can be lethal. The cure could be more deadly than the disease. Both the College of Physicians and the College of Pharmacists are directing pharmacists to refuse to fill Rx’s of these drugs if we see them being prescribed for “self”, “spouse”, or “office use”. Not all doctors practice true Evidence-based Medicine and this is where we get disasters like “Vaccines cause Autism”. Unfortunately, science takes time. I’m sure that every brain available is putting every effort into finding answers, and these are the kind of times when breakthroughs do occur. Let’s all just keep a cool head and trust science.
- Me – That’s what I’m hoping for…the totality of 21st Century technology, science and medicine being applied. Fingers tightly crossed…
03/28/20
Update on Hydroxychloroquine – looking promising. https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/03/huge-second-french-study-by-dr-raoult-finds-hydroxychloroquine-and-azithromycin-helped-every-patient-in-study-group-of-80-minus-one-video/
03/28/20
Warning – There are preliminary indications that use of Hydroxychloroquine may actually exacerbate TDS(Trump Derangement Syndrome), including the likelihood of symptoms worsening for the next 7 months.
TDS sufferers are recommended to self-isolate from MSM and social media to reduce negative reactions which include, but are not limited to, high blood pressure, irritability, and flustering.
It is estimated as many as 50 million may be negatively affected in the USA alone.
03/31/20
Good news updates on hydroxychloroquine:
https://www.trustnodes.com/2020/03/29/italy-finally-starts-mass-treatment-with-hydroxychloroquine
https://www.physiciansweekly.com/hydroxychloroquine-azithromycin-for-covid-19-new-clinical-trial-results/
https://techstartups.com/2020/03/28/dr-vladimir-zelenko-now-treated-699-coronavirus-patients-100-success-using-hydroxychloroquine-sulfate-zinc-z-pak-update/
https://www.wsj.com/articles/an-update-on-the-coronavirus-treatment-11585509827
04/02/20
Today’s Hydroxychloroquine update –https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/apr/2/hydroxychloroquine-rated-most-effective-therapy-do/
04/04/20
More good news. https://techstartups.com/2020/04/01/hydroxychloroquine-game-changer-beginning-end-coronavirus-pandemic-infectious-disease-specialist-dr-stephen-smith-says/
04/08/20
Update on hydroxychloroquine…Found a site that is posting reports about its use worldwide…Still looks very promising. – https://twitter.com/niro60487270 NOTE – ACCOUNT SUSPENDED ON TWITTER
04/09/20
Imagine if someone announced they had found a cure for the majority of cancers, and, that the cure was being utilized worldwide right now with amazing results, saving thousands of lives.
That analogy is what appears to be happening right now with hydroxychloroquine and zypak in the treatment of Covid19.
Country after country the reports are starting to come in – France, Turkey, Malaysia, New York, China, Italy….
The next couple of weeks will tell whether HCQ is the game changer.
04/09/20
How much better is the mortality of the cohort at Raoult’s Mediterranee Infection, where they treat with Hydroxychloroquine + Zypak, than other places?
At last count, Mediterranee Infection, has treated 2197 covid-19 patients with HCQ + AZ for at least three days, with 9 deaths. 0.04%
https://scontent.fyvr3-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/92376161_10156844310116786_7689652014455717888_n.jpg
04/09/20
The hits just keep coming – https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/coronavirus-turkey-hydroxychloroquine-malaria-treatment-progress
04/19/20
More Good News on Hydroxychloroquine Treatment
Professor Paolo Zanotto on the new Brazil study results:
Of the 224 (who refused treatment, control group), 12 were hospitalized (5.4 %) . And of these 12 hospitalized, 41% died (5 people).
Of the 412 (receiving HCQ), 8 were hospitalized, zero deaths.
04/28/20
More good hydroxychloroquine news – https://www.indiatvnews.com/science/hydroxychloroquine-has-90-chance-of-helping-covid-19-patients-us-doctors-body-612577
04/29/20
Only a 90% chance of helping? I’ll take that any day of the week… https://aapsonline.org/hcq-90-percent-chance/
05/13/20
Russia (145m people) has the 3rd highest number of Covid cases: 232,000. It has adopted hydroxychloroquine by decree on April 16. https://bit.ly/2Wr0kfv
If HCQ is therapeutically active, a trend break in clinical outcomes should be visible by now. Here it is. Anecdotal still?
05/15/20
New Hydroxychloroquine vs Azithromycin vs Standard of Care (SOC) study…looking good for HCQ and Az… https://www.medrxiv.org/…/2020.05.05.20088757v1.full.pdf
05/17/20
Me – Post on Facebook – Looks relatively promising, doesn’t it? “Russia adopts hydroxychloroquine 6 weeks after Morocco and Turkey. Same action. Same result. France as an illustrative no-action baseline. More data points in that chart than in all HCQ clinical trials combined.”
05/20/20
Me – Post on Facebook -Just saw a PSA which stated,
“Here’s a simple test to see if you are being brainwashed by fake news, conspiracy theorists, or mainstream media.
Has the use of hydroxychloroquine and zinc as a prophylactic treatment for early stage symptoms of Sars-Cov-2 :
(a) now been shown worldwide to be extremely effective, and is being recommended by many doctors? or
(b) dangerous, even with a doctor’s prescription, to anyone who is stupid enough to use it, or stupid enough to suggest using it to help block the virus?
Make a note of your answers for future reference.”
05/24/20
Hydroxychloroquine treatment about 3 times more effective in preventing death and cuts hospital stays in half. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32418114/
05/25/20
As anyone who has been following my posts for the past couple of months, you will know I have expressed support for the use of hydroxychloroquine in conjunction with zinc.
HCQ is the transport vehicle for getting zinc into cells where it stops the viral replication of Sars-Cov-2.
Timing – The use of HCQ and zinc works well at first onset of symptoms and prior to the onset of severe symptoms. That time window is in the first 5 days. After the onset of severe symptoms (and hospitalization) convalescent plasma therapy appears to be the best treatment.
In the last couple of days WHO has announced pausing HCQ trials worldwide due to concerns over side effects as published in Lancet.
I just took a look through the study (see below) and did a word search for “zinc” in the paper. Zero results.
I then looked for the dosages of HCQ used – all between 596mg and 795mg.
The recommended HCQ dosage by those having success with the virus is 200mg of HCQ twice a day for a total of 400mg. Thus, the trial amounts of HCQ are 50% to 100% higher than recommended. In other words, the side effects which are being reported are evidently likely a result of taking too much.
WHO decided why the dosages in the trials were prescribed to be so high, and why was zinc not included?
Its like these trials were specifically designed to fail and to suggest that HCQ’s side effects are due to HCQ and not the dosages given, nor the time frame administered.
THELANCET.COM
http://www.thelancet.com
https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0140-6736(20)31180-6&fbclid=IwAR3Xn_7Ug2QK9vI6XofSjrAjFkWx5oVxgNooLBxiNveVjFsIxelS3t_yi9M
06/04/20
Lancet retracts fake study on hydroxychloroquine. I’ll bet CNN doesn’t report it…https://twitter.com/TheLancet/status/1268613313702891523/photo/1
06/06/20
Blockbuster report on the recent Lancet scandal regarding Hydroxychloroquine. Wake up everyone….
“If this continues, we are not going to be able to publish any more clinical research data because pharmaceutical companies are so financially powerful; they are able to pressure us to accept papers that are apparently methodologically perfect, but their conclusion is what pharmaceutical companies want.” (Dr. Richard Horton)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYgiCALEdpE
06/13/20
In the “Are You F***ing Kidding Me?” category of science, comes this report.
The trial in question was using hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) at a dosage amount which was evidently 6 times higher than the dosage used for malaria (2400mg vs 400mg) on the first day, and then twice the dosage on the following days (800mg).
The standard dosage for lupus patients using HCQ is 400mg. The MAXIMUM dose is 400mg for lupus and 600mg for rheumatoid arthritis.
It appears the study’s authors may actually have mistaken the recommended dosage for hydroxyquinoline (HXQ) with those of HCQ.
A 2400mg dose of HCQ could be fatal.
In addition, the HCQ was not used in conjunction with zinc which has been shown to be extremely effective in other studies with HCQ.
IF the dosage “mistake” is confirmed, the researchers in control should lose their licenses for malpractice. The study has been stopped for unstated “safety concerns.”
This will be an ongoing story…. http://www.francesoir.fr/politique-monde/interview-exclusive-martin-landray-recovery-hydroxychloroquine-game-over-uk
06/15/20
Me – Post on Facebook – Hydroxychloroquine use worldwide stats…a picture tells hundreds of thousands of stories: https://scontent.fyvr3-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/102406767_10157044801661786_2251947441946213601_n.jpg
06/28/20
Hydroxychloroquine update: 49 studies (29 peer reviewed) indicate efficacy of early prophylactic use.
Zinc sulphate is also indicated as a co-factor in successful early treatment. https://c19early.org/
06/29/20
Hmmm…Gilead just announced how much per patient their Remdesivir treatment will cost – $3,120.00
This is compared to hydroxychloroquine, zinc and Azithromycin treatment of less than $50.00.
Big Pharma promoted by Fauci and company…it’s almost as if there’s a financial motive behind hyping Remdesivir while ignoring HCQ cocktail. — feeling thoughtful.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-drug-remdesivir-to-cost-3-120-for-typical-patient-on-private-insurance-11593428402
07/03/20
Update. New study. Hydroxychloroquine plus zinc plus Azithromycin = 5 TIMES FEWER DEATHS if used early when symptomatic.
Anyone listening yet, because everyone should be. https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202007.0025/v1
07/13/20
Interesting….not one single person I know who is prescribing masks for everyone/everywhere has, to the best of my knowledge, posted a single article about the benefits of Hydroxychloroquine/zinc sulfate/Azithromycin cocktail, or Budesonide, or Vitamin D deficiency, or the connection Covid has with blood sugar levels…its almost as if they aren’t interested in a cure or a treatment or boosting their immune systems…they’d rather you just cover your face.
https://scontent.fyvr3-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/109060487_10157119818166786_3237380508385538254_n.jpg
07/21/20
Comprehensive (248 page) report on the early use of Hydroxychloroquine, zinc and Azithromycin for symptoms and prophylaxis in Covid19 patients by Harvard, Yale and New York doctors.
https://files.internetprotocol.co/ebook-covid-19.pdf
07/24/20
Remdesivir fails…Hydroxychloroquine/zinc sulfate/Azithromycin cocktail still the winner.
07/27/20
More good news – Frontline Doctors speak out on Covid, hydroxychloroquine/zinc/antibiotic, etc.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=1376146442759558
07/28/20 –
More Good News on Hydroxychloroquine – https://c19early.org/
07/31/20
More Good News from International Journal of Infectious Diseases – New observational study finds HCQ + AZ associated with a 66% reduction in risk of death as compared to controls; the analysis also suggests a larger effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine in patients with less severe COVID-19 disease.
https://www.ijidonline.com/article/S1201-9712(20)30600-7/fulltext
08/01/20
Quick background on the retracted Lancet study on hydroxychloroquine…
It has yet to be determined if the bogus study was politically motivated…however, the question would be, if not political, why would someone create a shell company to publish BS that arguably could cost people their lives?
https://twitter.com/drsimonegold/status/1289717020548726787
08/03/20
4.6 billion people live in countries where chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine is recommended for Covid19…chances are you are not living in one of those countries…yet.
08/24/20
In the WTF category of “science” comes this alarming report of giving severe symptomatic Covid patients lethal dose levels of hydroxychloroquine. No wonder some people are led to believe its dangerous…It’s the idiot research scientists who designed the study parameters who are dangerous.
https://www.palmerfoundation.com.au/health-impact-news-dr-meryl-nass-discovers-hydroxychloroquine-experiments-were-designed-to-kill-covid-patients-how-many-were-murdered-opinion/
12/16/20
Zinc is the bullet, Hydroxychloroquine or Ivermectin are the guns (transporters). If you only use HCQ you are effectively shooting blanks. The next time someone tells you the efficacy of HCQ has been debunked, ask them if the study(ies) they are referring you to included zinc.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924857920304258
08/31/20
Critique by epidemiologist on the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine.
It is now clear HCQ is a highly effective, cost effective therapeutic agent in the early treatment of Covid.
The question thus becomes why are some government agencies/authorities, supported by MSM “news,” blocking its recommendation/use?
https://www.realclearpolicy.com/articles/2020/08/25/the_tragic_hydroxychloroquine_debate_and_why_dr_fauci_is_like_a_scientist_who_denied_smoking_causes_lung_cancer_575139.html
09/06/20
Good News from Ohio – “In Ohio…a ban on hydroxychloroquine is being reversed….The State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy has reversed a rule that would prohibit the sale of hydroxychloroquine for the treatment or prevention of coronavirus.”
https://medicalfreedompac.com/ohio-hcq-ban
01/31/21
How the Hydroxychloroquine Scandal Wrecked America and the World Along With It
ROGER L. SIMON
January 31, 2021 Updated: January 31, 2021
You don’t have to be Emile Zola to say “J’accuse!”
I accuse—in no particular order—Time’s ‘Person of the Year’ nominee and frequent Wuhan, China visitor/collaborator Dr. Anthony Fauci; the Democrat Party (aka the “party of science”) and their nauseating, self-congratulatory leadership; the mainstream media and all their pompous, even more self-congratulatory “ships at sea” from the New York Times to CNN; Dr. Birx and whatever bureaucrat from the CDC was showing his/her face this week; the endless echo chamber in practically every health department in all fifty states; the foreign health departments that largely echoed that echo chamber; Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York (more of him in a moment); Governor Whitmer of Michigan; that atrocious governor of Nevada whose name I can’t remember or bother to look up…. I could go on… all of whom participated in what has emerged to be what is indisputably the greatest national, no, international, health disaster of our time—the Hydroxychloroquine Scandal.
This shameful distortion of medical science was emblematic of how politics not only crept into the treatment of the CCP virus, it bludgeoned that treatment and resulted in untold thousands, perhaps millions, of deaths while simultaneously making life unbearable for an even greater number across the globe—in fact, for practically everyone.
All of those mentioned above either dismissed or heavily downplayed “hydroxy”—a cheap anti-malarial drug, also used for lupus, that had been around for decades and is known to have minimal side effects—for the treatment of COVID-19.
Why? As most of us are aware, a man they thought an ogre, whom they despised, who knew nothing of science, recommended it—President Donald J. Trump—so it had to be disdained.
And yet hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) apparently did and does work in many instances, if taken early in the illness.
This was known way back in June 2020 when the esteemed British medical journal Lancet retracted its support of a dubious study it had published opposing the use of HCQ.
“We all entered this collaboration to contribute in good faith and at a time of great need during the COVID-19 pandemic. We deeply apologise to you, the editors, and the journal readership for any embarrassment or inconvenience that this may have caused.”
This apology, made eight months ago, was largely ignored by the mainstream media because it didn’t fit their narrative. And, worse yet, it might have benefited the nefarious Trump.
At the same time, many independent doctors were insisting that HCQ was working for them with real patients. They were similarly dismissed by a rabid press that had neither the inclination nor skills to investigate. (Laura Ingraham, to her credit, featured several of these doctors on her cable show.)
Meanwhile, thousands, if not millions, died across the globe who needn’t have.
How many we will never know but it’s a safe assumption a good number could have been spared.
The pervasive use of this drug might not have entirely saved us from COVID, but it could arguably have reduced the pandemic to the level of a bad year of flu.
Whatever the truth, an apposite description for what happened might be outrageous.
And now the equally-esteemed American Journal of Medicine in its January 2021 edition has finally admitted the same thing. HCQ often worked. Immediate administration of the drug while the patient was still at home showed significant benefits, they said.
Where were they during the Year of the Pandemic?
Oh, never mind. Politics is more important. So what if there’s a little collateral damage like a country, a world actually, being locked down with children being kept out of school, economies failing, myriad businesses closing never to return, mass unemployment, and, not surprisingly, a spike in suicides, not to mention illnesses, some terminal, being untreated that normally were?
And, needless to say, when it comes to medical science, what is declared true in the United States has serious ramifications across the globe because “the whole world is watching,” and often imitating, what happens here. Everyone pays attention, unfortunately, in this case, too much attention.
After all, they got to hear quarantine faker Chris Cuomo set things to right, ridiculing the idiocy of hydroxychloroquine on CNN International.
Speaking of which, and speaking of politics bludgeoning medical science, we have new disturbing (to put it mildly) information about his brother, Governor Andrew Cuomo, the man who paraded himself daily and endlessly, with constant media fawning, on television as the savior of New York, possibly the nation.
We now learn this mega-narcissist was all the while underplaying—by roughly fifty percent—the nursing home deaths for which he was at least partly responsible. And we were so informed by a Democrat New York State Attorney General, of all people. (Unlike the MSM, she should be applauded for having the guts to tell the truth.)
Being a fake must be the family business.
It’s a classic case of “what did he know and when did he know it,” but don’t expect to have an answer to that question any time soon. (Gov. Cuomo, dismisses his AG’s report, pointing his finger, you may be shocked to hear, at the previous administration.)
So where are we? Not in a happy place, I’m afraid, though, thanks to the “election” of Joe Biden, political leaders who previously instituted the most onerous of lockdowns are suddenly lightening up. Your favorite corner Thai place may actually survive. Be pleased about that and try to enjoy the benefits of hypocrisy.
But be extra careful when that so-called “party of science” continues to sell you its bill of science goods as the new administration’s “climate envoy” John Kerry just did, asserting this year’s climate summit in Scotland is the world’s “last best chance” to avert climate catastrophe.
I have a suspicion, as cartoonist Josh wittily observes (check it out here), that there will be many more “last best chances” to come.
Roger L. Simon is an award-winning novelist, Oscar-nominated screenwriter, co-founder of PJMedia, and now, editor-at-large for The Epoch Times. His most recent books are “The GOAT” (fiction) and “I Know Best: How Moral Narcissism Is Destroying Our Republic, If It Hasn’t Already” (nonfiction). Find him on Parler (he hopes again, soon) @rogerlsimon
Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
06/20/22
In March 2020, Apotex Canada donated 2 million doses of hydroxychloroquine to be used in a study of its effect on frontline health workers.
I tried to find the results of the study and couldn’t….until today when I came across this April 2021 report:
“Overall Status: Terminated [Due to unproven issues associated with hydroxychloroquine use and safety, further complicated by media and political misinformation which in effect rendered all global studies on HCQ to stop enrolling participants.]”
So, due to some studies using toxic amounts of HCQ, and the resulting media misinformation that HCQ is toxic (when it has a proven safety record at 400mg/day) the study, and others, were thwarted.
This is how misinformation in MSM, sponsored by Big Pharma, plays a role in keeping Big Pharma in control of the narrative.
I wrote a detailed analysis of HCQ studies, and how “scientists” misused HCQ in many studies, while in others, when combined with zinc supplementation, HCQ was shown to be effective….the devil is in the details.
https://islandstrust.files.wordpress.com/2021/12/hcq-and-zinc.pdf
09/07/22
Its almost as if Big Pharma didn’t want competition and put pressure on the College of Physicians and Surgeons to delicense any doctor who dared saving their patients with either Ivermectin or Hydroxychloroquine (and zinc)….
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35070575/
islandstrust 
