Dr. Rob Davidson: How Fox News' Covid vaccine denialism hurts my patients

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

Tweet text:
Oliver Darcy
@oliverdarcy
ER doctor says he doesn't "blame my patients for their refusal" to get vaccinated.

"I do blame Fox News and other right-wing media outlets for poisoning the minds of millions of Americans with the deceptive propaganda they spray into living rooms 24/7."

Opinion | Shut off Fox News and save lives
Right-wing Covid-19 denialism hit my community hard during the first surge. Now, we’re seeing a new, dangerous anti-vaccine push from these same sources.
nbcnews.com
2:36 PM · Jul 18, 2021

https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/how-fox-news-covid-vaccine-denialism-hurts-my-patients-ncna1274236

In many parts of the country, summer looks relatively normal and safe, thanks to wide acceptance of the Covid-19 vaccine. But that’s not the case for areas that have low vaccination coverage. In those areas, cases are rising again. And as an emergency physician still battling Covid-19 in Michigan, I’m often frustrated by the way the news sources my community watches add fuel to these surges.

A patient walks in, struggling to breathe, complaining of pains and symptoms consistent with Covid-19. We recommend a test. Sometimes the patient declines, saying they don’t care whether they have a disease that not too long ago was the leading cause of death in the United States. When we suggest patients isolate themselves to prevent Covid-19 from spreading, sometimes they refuse. When we tell some patients and their family of a positive Covid-19 diagnosis, the response we get too many times is anger, outrage or denial. Just a few days ago, an older woman came into our emergency department, refusing to follow hospital policy to wear a mask and flatly refusing — like too many people in our community — to get vaccinated.

I don’t blame my patients for their refusal. What breaks my heart, as someone who took an oath to prevent harm, is that my patients choose to abandon the science and evidence that can save their lives. I do blame Fox News and other right-wing media outlets for poisoning the minds of millions of Americans with the deceptive propaganda they spray into living rooms 24/7.

This isn’t just my experience. As executive director of the Committee to Protect Health Care, an organization of medical professionals across the country, I hear stories like these from members every day.

*snip*

[raging moderate]

1. Doctors and Nurses: Unsung Heroes!

Thank you for everything you do! The rest of us stand in awe of you! Hang in there! These people have to wake up some time!

[monkeyman1]

2. maybe the DOJ will step on some toes one these day's ????????

[Unknown Beatle]

3. I blame right-wing media,

but I also blame the brain-dead people that refuse to get vaccinated, because these people also spread misinformation about the covid-19 virus (it doesn't exist, it's mild, etc.) and covid vaccines (people becoming magnetized, tracking device nano-implant, etc).

[tanyev]

4. Then he's more charitable than me.

I understand some vaccine hesitancy, especially at the beginning of this, but we are now over 150 million vaccinated. The death and hospitalization rate of the most seriously affected age groups has plummeted, thanks to widespread vaccination in those age groups. At this point, people refusing to wear masks and get vaccinated are merely being led down a path they'd already chosen.