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To the Editor:

America has the potential for reducing the mortality rate of COVID-19, and not only are the state governments and media suppressing the public’s access to a potentially life-saving medication, but they are also launching a coordinated effort to control all public opinion. For months, studies have shown that Hydroxychloroquine is a safe and effective treatment for COVID. In fact, for many years, HCQ has been used safely to treat lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and malaria. Many countries sold it over the counter prior to spring of 2020. Several studies in the US have shown that the drug is effective, with the most recent positive studies coming in early July from Michigan, New York, Portugal, India, and Brazil. In countries that have easier access to HCQ (i.e. Israel, Poland, Philippines, and Turkey), the mortality rate from COVID is 1/10 that of countries which have restricted access, like the U.S.

Recently, a group of doctors led by Dr. Simone Gold, a board certified emergency physician and Stanford law graduate, presented scientific evidence that Hydroxychloroquine is an effective treatment against COVID-19. The group’s goal is to inform the public about how they’ve been misled regarding HCQ. One of the doctors, Dr. Stella Immanuel, a Nigerian-based US doctor, has successfully treated more than 350 patients in her Texas clinic with a combination of HCQ, zinc, and azithromycin. As soon as these doctors presented their information at a recent news conference, Dr. Immanuel was attacked for her personal religious beliefs by the media in an attempt to destroy her credibility. Perhaps her personal beliefs are strange to most Americans, but her medical record is intact and her treatment protocol has been successful. Within a short time, the video of the conference was removed by Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Squarespace. This violation of free speech is frightening. What has happened to America? Our country has stopped people from assembling in person so they are all “assembling” online. And now they can’t even have a voice online because it’s being censored.

I encourage you to do the research on Hydroxychloroquine and ask yourself why the media and state governments are so adamantly vilifying it. Don’t we all want to find a treatment for COVID, or does this transition into the “new normal” have more nefarious implications? We are losing our freedoms, folks. Whether you agree with what these doctors are saying or not, we need to stand up for our First Amendment rights. Free speech is being banned very quickly, and once we’ve lost it, we’ve lost our country.

Susan Stroud

Southern Shores

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