Physicians pen letter disputing severity of COVID-19

    Murphy – More than 550 physicians from all 50 states have penned a letter last month that was sent to Vice President Mike Pence and governors across the United States, urgently requesting “that our country’s businesses and schools be allowed to reopen.”
    The letter, which was written by members of the Association of American Physicians & Surgeons and also endorsed by non-physician medical professionals and concerned citizens, has collected nearly 900 signatures. The signees feel that patient access to medical care has been devastated by government lockdowns instituted to combat the coronavirus epidemic.
    “Our patients have suffered needlessly in pain and physical decline with disease progression because of short-sighted government edicts to stop all non-emergency care that is unrelated to COVID-19,” states the letter, which can be read online.
    “Some patients now face inevitable death because the diagnosis and treatments were delayed too long. Too many of our patients have suffered far more from the psychological, physical and economic effects of the shutdown of communities and businesses than the direct impact of COVID-19 itself.”
    Dr. Dan Eichenbaum, an opthamologist who represents District 4 as a Cherokee County commissioner, highlighted the letter during the June 1 meeting of the board of commissioners. He said the memorandum represents true information from “real doctors.”
    “There are two types of doctors,” Eichenbaum said. “There are doctors who practice medicine on patients, and there are government-paid doctors and ivory tower university doctors who practice medicine on books and medical journals, not patients.”
    The letter, dated May 27, includes 10 concepts based on “observable fact and a healthy dose of common sense.” The letter says people can safely live in community with each other because the virus is survivable by greater than 99 percent of those infected. It also states some elected officials and state boards have prevented the use of safe and federally approved medications to treat COVID-19, and physicians are being pressured to count deaths in a way that inflates the infection fatality rate.
    “We cannot reassure our patients and confidently treat the sick when we are using skewed and inaccurate data,” the letter states.
    The physicians further contend that natural widespread immunity to COVID-19 can be achieved safely without waiting for a vaccine.
    “Contracting mild and largely survivable diseases is a natural process of building immunity and strengthens our communities,” the letter states.
    While arguing that mass testing of citizens should not be used to create policy that restricts an individual’s livelihood and freedom to participate in society, the letter also supports the on-schedule opening of public schools this fall.
    “The educational, psychological and social impact of sheltering at home has been devastating,” the letter states.
    “Although many districts have made heroic efforts at teaching online, the lack of routine, isolation and inability to effectively interact with students has been a poor substitute for the schoolroom. Children are the least susceptible to significant COVID-19 disease.”
    The physicians also contend that the national news media has created “crippling fear that has drained the life out of our society” and overwhelmed suicide hotlines with calls.
    Eichenbaum echoed those sentiments.
    “I think it’s very important for everyone in this county to understand that you are not being necessarily fed the truth by the national media,” he said.
    “There is truth, and that is from physicians who are on the frontlines who actually take care of people.”