An Oregon doctor and his staff recently dismissed COVID-19 as the “common cold” in an interview that has surfaced online, NBC News reports.
- The doctor said his staff has not worn masks for months during the pandemic.
What happened:
The doctor — Steven LaTulippe — made the comments during a rally called “Stop the Steal,” which was held in support of President Donald Trump.
- “I want to expose what I call corona mania,” LaTulippe said in a video shared on YouTube, according to KGW.
- “I want you to know that I never shut down during the entire COVID season. ... I hate to tell you this, I might scare you, but I and my staff, none of us once wore a mask in my clinic,” he said. “And how many problems did we have in our clinic from that? Zero. Absolutely none.”
The doctor said he has treated about 80 patients with COVID-19. But he was still deemed the doctor who would talk about “myths of COVID,” according to NBC News.
LaTulippe later told NBC News that he does not agree with face mask requirements.
Flashback:
A Salem, Oregon, nurse has been under fire after she mocked coronavirus restrictions in a TikTok video, as I wrote about for the Deseret News. She is seen in the video wearing scrubs and stethoscope.
The caption reads: “When my coworkers find out I still travel, don’t wear a mask when I am out and let my kids have playdates.”
Then, she lip syncs to the song “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” a suggestion that she is the grinch and is spoiling the COVID-19 response.
What the data says:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said about seven studies confirm that face masks have a universal benefit for stopping transmission of the novel coronavirus.
“Each analysis demonstrated that, following directives from organizational and political leadership for universal masking, new infections fell significantly,” the CDC said.