Does the establishment media have any integrity anymore? Did they ever? It seems as though the same people who ad nauseum called for the reigning in of pharmaceutical companies are now the same people playing defense for the biggest of those companies who manufacture the vaccine for the Chinese coronavirus. Funny how things change on a dime...or for a dime.
By now, a lot of you have probably heard of the largely debunked story reported by local Oklahoma outlet KFOR, and subsequently made national news by Rolling Stone, of one "rural Oklahoma doctor" that claimed that there were so many people in the hospital because of overdoses on the prescription drug ivermectin that "gunshot victims were having hard times getting to facilities where they can get definitive care and be treated."
Even Trump/Russia conspiracy theorist and MSNBC host Rachel Maddow tweeted out the story, adding to the fervor:
Now, the first clue people should've taken that the story was most likely a bunch of BS is that it was published by Rolling Stone after it was reported by KFOR, a local TV station in Oklahoma. Rolling Stone did no due diligence in their reporting, nor did KFOR, by taking the word of one doctor and not confirming the story with local Oklahoma hospitals to make sure the "good doctor's" claims checked out.
Also, it probably didn't help that Rolling Stone apparently used a picture from January of people in line for the vaccine for the gunshot victims waiting to get in hospitals story:
As many have now pointed out, the Northeastern Health System (NHS) - Sequoyah in Oklahoma released a statement acknowledging that Dr. Jason McElyea is indeed a doctor within Oklahoma, while also debunking his claims that gunshot victims have had to be turned away because of ivermectin overdoses...which also aren't happening.
Rolling Stone had no choice but to include an "update" in their article, two days after the fact, but posted it with a caveat writing that "One hospital has denied Dr. Jason McElyea's claim." They also noted that neither the hospital that the doctor serves or McElyea himself have responded to requests for comment on the story.
Gee, I wonder why?
Another note from the Rolling Stone article is that they referred to "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast host Joe Rogan as an "anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist."
Pretty sure he can afford a better team of doctors than anyone at Rolling Stone. Plus, he's a healthy, fit guy. So, he wouldn't have the same complications that others with co-morbidities might have with COVID.
My guess is that Rogan didn't just take ivermectin when he contracted COVID just because he's what they call an "anti-vaxxer."
Folks, this is according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) themselves concerning ivermectin overall and its application in treating and/or preventing COVID:
Ivermectin is a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved antiparasitic drug that is used to treat several neglected tropical diseases, including onchocerciasis, helminthiases, and scabies. It is also being evaluated for its potential to reduce the rate of malaria transmission by killing mosquitoes that feed on treated humans and livestock.
Some studies of ivermectin have also reported potential anti-inflammatory properties, which have been postulated to be beneficial in people with COVID-19.
Ivermectin has been shown to inhibit the replication of SARS-CoV-2 in cell cultures.
The media keep referring to ivermectin as a "horse de-wormer," but always neglect to highlight the fact that the creator of the drug, biologist and parasitologist William C. Campbell, and the discovery of ivermectin were honored with the Nobel Prize for Physiology and or Medicine in 2015.
Keep in mind, I am NOT suggesting anyone take ivermectin. But, if you and your doctor determine that - based on your individual case - that it might be beneficial for you to take, then make that decision for yourself after the conversation with your doctor.
All in all, stories like this are what make people not trust a damn thing the media reports to them in the first place. And if McElyea's story really is completely false, please be careful with the doctors you choose to treat you. Who knows what kickbacks some of them get from pharmaceutical companies to push their drugs?