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As I wrote earlier this week, the media-driven hysteria over President Trump being prescribed the steroid drug dexamethasone as part of his Wuhan virus treatment plan got out of hand fast.
This misinformation being spread on cable news networks and the social media feeds of “journalists” on this issue was so bad that actual pharmacists pushed back big time against TV “medical experts” who suggested that prescribing it to Trump was “evidence” his condition was far more serious and grave than his medical team had led the public to believe.
Another “medical expert” with a credibility crisis in progress this week is CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who has been a regular fixture on the network since the pandemic started.
As per the norm, Dr. Gupta was on CNN’s “Newsroom” program yesterday to continue armchair QB speculation as to whether or not Trump was actually sicker than what we were being told. At one point during the segment, Gupta referenced dexamethasone and how it supposedly was only given to patients who are “severely or critically ill”:
“What we still don’t know is why these various medications were added, like what triggered that. Again, the steroids, in particular, are a medication typically given to severely or critically ill patients.”
This comment drew almost immediate pushback from pharmacists, other doctors, as well as patients who had received a form of steroids for a past or current and/or ongoing ailment:
THANK YOU AMBER! Another voice of reason. This retweet endorsed by Twitter’s Official pharmacist https://t.co/1VbB9W5b2p
— Matt Dawson (@SaintRPh) October 6, 2020
Not true. I administer steroids daily on all types of patients for all types of conditions. Aslo my dog just got steroids for a skin irritation on his tail. Gupta is a 🦆.
— Paul Bearclaw (@TBearclaw79) October 6, 2020
https://twitter.com/MaxNordau/status/1313538517449007105
I was given steroids for a sinus infection. I was not severely or critically ill.
Gupta lost me when he attempted to analyze Chris Cuomo’s chest x-rays. https://t.co/Se9XUqDgbh
— Sean Agnew (@seanagnew) October 6, 2020
That is 1000% wrong and any physician will verify.
This same course of cortical steroids are regularly prescribed for a broad range of inflammatory conditions.
My father, a physician for over 50 years saw Gupta’s comment and yelled “bullshit” at the top of his lungs.
— MarketRunner (@SWGaspar) October 6, 2020
Dr. Gupta clarified today that he was talking specifically about patients diagnosed with COVID …
Lots of questions about dexamethasone (steroid). Yes, some steroids used for lots of things, even minor skin rashes. For Covid-19, however, dexamethasone only recommended for hospitalized patients on ventilators or requiring supplemental oxygen. Not for mild symptoms.
— Dr. Sanjay Gupta (@drsanjaygupta) October 7, 2020
… but not even that went over well:
SMDH. This really isn't true.
There is one study that says that steroids reduces mortality in severe cases. It did allude to a low probability that it might increase mortality in mild cases, but…they themselves said they didn't know if this was significant. https://t.co/gJdN3oHUZd
— Pradheep J. Shanker (@Neoavatara) October 7, 2020
On the other hand, many countries (including many in Europe, India, Africa) are regularly using steroids in mild cases, quite widely.
To say “its not used in mild symptoms”, even in the US, is 100% false.
Do Better @drsanjaygupta .
— Pradheep J. Shanker (@Neoavatara) October 7, 2020
I’ve just about had it with the “medical experts” news networks bring on to “analyze” Trump’s condition and actions. Instead of giving neutral observations, they come in with an angle to push that – shockingly – just so happens to match right up with what “journalists” on the network say, too.
This isn’t funny. It’s ridiculous and dangerous. This is vital medical information we are talking about here, not a debate about sports stats or what causes rain to fall from the sky. The (deliberate?) misinformation coming from these people has simply got to stop.
Flashback –>> CNN Brings on Dr. Sanjay Gupta to Hype Chris Cuomo’s Chest X-Ray, Ends up Getting Fact-Checked by Actual Radiologists
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