Dear editor:

As I’m not a journalist, I am unclear as to the responsibility of a newspaper in reporting the truth, especially when it involves a letter to the editor. Since the Tribune did not attach a disclaimer to the letter written by Bob and Linda Graff (Jan. 7 issue,) and because some of their claims may present health hazards to your readers, I am compelled to set the record straight:

To begin with, Covid vaccines did indeed go through clinical trials, and were approved for emergency use when early results showed such promise. That being said, no one (military personnel excluded) was ever mandated to get a Covid vaccine, or any other vaccine for that matter. It may be a reflection of mistrust in government that, according to a white paper in the publication “JAMA Internal Medicine” (July 24, 2023) entitled “Excess Death Rates for Republican and Democratic Registered Voters in Florida and Ohio During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” research found that Republicans died of Covid at a higher rate than Democrats.

I find it ironic that the same people who are rejecting approved treatment for Covid based on a so-called lack of clinical trials, are encouraging the use of non-approved, even de-bunked treatments. A study published in the National Library of Medicine (March 3, 2022) entitled “Efficacy and Safety of Ivermectin and Hydroxychloroquine in Patients with Severe COVID-19: A Randomized Controlled Trial,” came to the conclusion that “In non-critically ill, hospitalized patients with pneumonia secondary to COVID-19, the use of hydroxychloroquine or ivermectin did not decrease significantly the number of hospitalization days, respiratory deterioration, or deaths.”

Further, a letter published in the New England Journal of Medicine in October of 2021 states that after the use of ivermectin in the treatment/prevention of Covid, “...These cases illustrate the potential toxic effects of ivermectin, including severe episodes of confusion, ataxia, seizures, and hypotension, and the increasing frequency of inappropriate use. There is insufficient evidence to support the use of ivermectin to treat or prevent COVID-19, and improper use, as well as the possible occurrence of medication interactions, may result in serious side effects requiring hospitalization.”

Readers, please don’t take medical advice from a petroleum engineer (or an environmental lawyer, for that matter.)

Phil Anthony

Powell