Dr. George Fareed was a keynote speaker for Day 2 of the Re-Open Cal Now Public Policy Conference, speaking on the subject of Science and Treatment for COVID-19. Dr. Fareed practices in the Imperial Valley of California, one of the poorest, and most medically deprived regions in the State. He has been on the frontlines of the virus, treating COVID patients in the flu stage as outpatients, as hospitalized in-patients, and in the ICU.

Dr. Fareed’s background is in virology, with over 30 years of experience treating HIV and other infectious diseases. Dr. Fareed also practices primary care medicine. In November, Dr. Fareed testified before Senator Ron Johnson’s committee advocating for the early treatment of COVID-19.

“Like everything else in medicine, the goal is to treat early — COVID patients are difficult to treat when they get very sick,” he said.

Dr. Fareed and his colleague Dr. Brian Tyson treat COVID patients with a triple Hydroxychloroquine cocktail: HCQ (3200 mg over five days), azithromycin or doxycycline, and Zinc. This is most effective within the first five to seven days of diagnosis. Dr. Fareed’s goal is to prevent hospitalization as much as possible.

Dr. Fareed is also an attending physician at an elderly residence home, where he used this regimen to treat 31 residents who had contracted COVID. Out of the 31 treated, 29 fully recovered. Instead of being thanked for saving lives, the County Health Department censured him.

In his address to the conference, and in our interview, Dr. Fareed used a phrase that I will not soon forget: “The Circle of Empathy.” Dr. Fareed’s passion to save lives, his warmth, and sadness over the 375,000 deaths from the virus—many that could have potentially been saved—puts him squarely in the middle of that circle. Sadly, many of the health bureaucrats and government officials are nowhere near it, and therein lies our problem in combatting COVID-19.

I was privileged to interview the doctor concerning his work.

Watch the Introduction:

Here’s the Full Interview: