Fact-checking a video of doctors talking about coronavirus, hydroxychloroquine

A video that was viewed or shared by millions of people on social media shows a group of doctors calling for the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19, despite warnings from public health experts. 

The clip shows members of a newly created group called America’s Frontline Doctors at a press conference outside the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. "We’re here because we feel as though the American people have not heard from all the expertise that’s out there all across our country," said Dr. Simone Gold, the founder of America’s Frontline Doctors, in the video.

President Donald Trump retweeted clips from the summit before Twitter removed versions of the video. Facebook and YouTube have also worked to remove versions of the video from their sites, although several clips of the 40-plus-minute event were still circulating on Facebook. 

Tea Party Patriots, a conservative group that is part of a coalition to end state lockdowns aimed at preventing the spread of the virus, organized the press conference. Republican Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina introduced the doctors at the beginning of the video. Breitbart, a conservative news site, recorded the event.

Many of the doctors’ claims contradict recommendations from public health organizations and experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The video is the latest example of coronavirus misinformation that is packaged as facts to counter more official narratives. 

PolitiFact fact-checked several of the video’s most misleading and inaccurate claims below.

This is False.

First, there is no known cure for COVID-19. Supportive care, such as rest, fluids and fever relievers, can assuage symptoms.

Second, in spite of Immanuel’s anecdotal evidence, hydroxychloroquine alone or in combination with other drugs is not a proven treatment (or cure) for COVID-19. In mid-June, the Food and Drug Administration revoked its emergency authorization for the use of hydroxychloroquine and the related drug chloroquine in treating hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

While some studies have found that the drug could help alleviate symptoms associated with COVID-19, the research is not conclusive. Few studies have been accepted into peer-reviewed journals. And large, randomized trials are still needed to confirm the findings of studies conducted since the pandemic began.

Finally, health officials advise everyone to wear masks in public. The reason why has to do with how the coronavirus spreads. When an infected person coughs or sneezes, they expel respiratory droplets containing the virus. Those droplets can then land in the mouths or noses of people nearby.

Since some people infected with the coronavirus may exhibit no symptoms, public health officials say everyone should cover their faces in public — even if they feel well.

— Daniel Funke

These numbers are in the ballpark, but they’re cherry-picked.

According to data from Johns Hopkins University, the fatality rate in Sweden is 55.97 per 100,000 people. The government there did not impose a nationwide stay-at-home order and relied on voluntary social distancing. Meanwhile, the fatality rate in the United Kingdom, which did implement a mandatory lockdown, is 68.95 per 100,000.

But Erickson’s point that nationwide stay-at-home rules have no effect on COVID-19 deaths doesn’t hold up.

As of July 28, the U.K. had the highest coronavirus deaths per 100,000 people in the world. That could be due to a number of reasons — a delayed lockdown, an aging citizenry, population density — but the country’s stay-at-home rules did help flatten and eventually decrease the number of new coronavirus cases and deaths.

Meanwhile, Sweden had a slower growth rate at the start of the pandemic, but it increased substantially in April. As of July 28, Sweden had the eighth-highest number of coronavirus deaths per 100,000 people in the world — a rate that’s several times higher than neighboring Finland and Norway, which both implemented nationwide lockdowns. 

Other European countries that implemented stay-at-home orders earlier than the U.K. saw a quicker slowdown in the number of new coronavirus cases. So did cities in Italy and China that were hard-hit in the early days of the pandemic.

Two articles published by Nature suggest that lockdowns helped slow the transmission of COVID-19.

The first analyzed infection and death rates in 11 European countries through early May. It found that more than 3 million additional people would have died due to the coronavirus if lockdowns were not put in place.

The second article analyzed lockdowns in six countries around the world, including the U.S. It found that stay-at-home measures helped prevent tens of millions of new COVID-19 cases.

— Daniel Funke

This is misleading. In efforts to reduce stockpiling, some states have rules and guidance that restrict the dispensing of chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment. 

In March, before the FDA revoked the emergency authorization of chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine to treat the virus, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered that pharmacists cannot dispense the drugs except when prescribed for an FDA-approved reason. Other states enacted similar rules, including Nevada, Ohio, Texas and Idaho, with exceptions including a written diagnosis consistent with evidence for its use. Shortages were creating problems for  patients who take the drugs for conditions other than COVID-19, such as lupus.

— Sophie Austin

This ignores how the virus spreads. People without symptoms are able to infect others. As early as June, epidemiologists estimated that 25% to 40% of cases were among people who didn’t show symptoms.  

The fraction of tests that come back positive turns out to be an important red flag. Health and Human Services’ Adm. Brett Giroir called it a leading indicator. With rising positivity rates, "we expect hospitalizations to continue to go up," he said. That puts a strain on hospitals and ultimately leads to more deaths.

— Jon Greenberg