Tom Herrmann’s Other views column (The Observer, Dec. 18, 2021) deserves another view. There is much I agree with, including that the SARS-CoV 2 virus is here to stay and that true learning requires an open mind. There is much I disagree with.

He states that “the FLCCC Alliance (flccc.net) is composed of world-class critical care physicians who have developed protocols for both outpatient and hospital care, refined by treating thousands of COVID patients. However, these doctors are routinely slurred in the legacy press and censored on social media sites.”

The FLCCC Alliance website highlights ivermectin for prophylaxis and treatment of COVID-19 infections. The reason this alliance is not supported is simple; the science supporting ivermectin is lacking, both in quality and quantity.

The Infectious Diseases Society of America (www.idsociety.org) is “a community of over 12,000 physicians, scientists and public health experts who specialize in infectious diseases.” IDSA recommendations for COVID-19 therapies were updated Dec. 24, 2021. With respect to ivermectin use for hospitalized patients, “evidence from (randomized clinical trials) failed to show a reduction or increase in mortality among persons with COVID-19.” Regarding outpatient use, “treatment with ivermectin failed to demonstrate a beneficial or detrimental effect on mortality, avoidance of progression to severe disease, or viral clearance.”

Other reputable professional societies, including the National Institutes of Health reported: “There is insufficient evidence for the COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel to recommend either for or against the use of ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19. (Better clinical trials) are needed to provide more specific, evidence-based guidance on the role of ivermectin in the treatment of COVID-19.”

Herrmann also states, “Some hospitals have actually banned some of the therapies (FLCCC Alliance doctors) recommend.” However, the therapies available at individual hospitals are managed by the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee; there is no requirement to approve ineffective drugs and other treatments. A joint statement between IDSA, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) and the HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA) has recently concluded: “To provide optimal outcomes for infected patients, treatment decisions should be made using evidence-based data and not anecdotal opinions. Efforts to influence clinical practice through lawsuits, including recent cases ordering hospitals to treat COVID-19 patients with ivermectin, could expose patients to serious harm and undermine the evaluation of COVID-19 treatments.”

Herrmann also states, “It is now established that an infected, vaccinated person transmits COVID as well as an unvaccinated individual. (The CDC’s Walensky admitted this in August 2021).” He fails to note the far more important comments from Dr. Walensky: “If you are unvaccinated, you are 10 times more likely to be a case and 20 times more likely to be a fatality; compared to people who are (vaccinated), you are 17 times more likely to be in the hospital.”

An important downside of medical misinformation regarding COVID-19 is the negative impact by misinformed family members on health care professionals who are treating infected patients. A recent post by a frustrated physician announced, “My career of treating patients has ended” (www.reddit.com/r/QAnonCasualties/comments/rakxun/). Here are selected excerpts.

“I dealt with a particularly horrible case. This was a husband and father, 38 years old. A wife, two daughters, one son … none vaccinated. When he was awake, the look of terror in his eyes, the crying, the pain. But the begging, over and over, ‘Don’t let me die.’ And ‘Give me the vaccine.’ … I told him, repeatedly, it was too late for the vaccine. The wife … ordered me to cure him with ivermectin and vitamin C & D. I explained to her, those do not work, they have been extensively studied and the amount of ivermectin needed to treat even mild COVID would kill a human being. Once again, I was told I was ignorant. ‘You murderer! You could have saved him if you listened.’ I vaguely heard the words being screamed about ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine and god knows what else. I started looking for a new job the next day.”

I agree that the SARS-CoV 2 virus is here to stay, but I hope that the medical misinformation that has accompanied this virus will eventually be gone.