UPDATE 4/17/20 5:26 A.M. PST: Oz took to Instagram late last night to clarify his controversial comments, claiming he misspoke. See the video (below)!
“I’ve realized my comments on risks around opening schools have confused and upset people, which was never my intention. I misspoke. As a heart surgeon, I have spent my career fighting to save lives in the operating room by minimizing risks.
At the same time, I’m being asked constantly: how will we be able to get back people back to their normal lives? To do that, one of the important steps will be figuring out, how do we get our children safely back in school? We know for many kids, school is a place of security, nutrition, and learning that is missing right now. These are issues we are all wrestling with, and I will continue looking for solutions to beat this virus.”
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Man, being faced with a global pandemic is really showing us which doctors we can trust, isn’t it?
A while back we told you about how Dr. Drew spent all of February and half of March telling anyone who would listen that COVID-19 was no big deal and pretty much the same as the flu and that if you were under 65, you definitely wouldn’t die. Yeah.
Now it’s mid-April, and we’re well into knowing how incorrect that is — yet another TV doc has found a way to shock people with the hottest of takes.
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Dr. Oz is NOT downplaying the devastating effects of the novel coronavirus, but he is suggesting the cost in lives may be worth it to re-open the country. Specifically children’s lives.
Speaking to Sean Hannity on Fox News on Thursday, Mehmet said:
“We need our mojo back. Let’s start with things that are really critical to the nation where we think we might be able to open without getting into a lot of trouble. I tell ya, schools are a very appetizing opportunity. I just saw a nice piece in The Lancet arguing that the opening of schools may only cost us 2-3%, in terms of total mortality. Any, you know, any life is a life lost, but… to get every child back to school where they’re safely being educated, being fed, and making the most out of their lives, with a theoretical risk on the back side, might be a tradeoff some folks would consider.”
Wow. Wow wow wow. Only SOME of the kids will die, but that’s worth it so they don’t have to face the technical difficulties and awkwardness of getting their lessons on Zoom??
Also, notice how he actually said they’ll be “safely” at school just one sentence after listing the mortality rate?? Downright brazen. Here’s the vid btw:
As a heart surgeon, Dr. Oz promoted hydroxychloroquine for the coronavirus despite fatal heart issues and no evidence it works. Now he thinks only 2-3% of children dying is no excuse not to go back to school. He’s a heart surgeon with no heart. Or soul. pic.twitter.com/uqNskAuua9
— Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) April 16, 2020
And no, we understand he didn’t specifically say 2-3% of the children would die. It’s likely he just meant 2-3% of the population of the country (between 6 and 9 million people), only some of whom would be children. Largely it would be their parents and grandparents who they’d be infecting with the virus when they came home.
See how that’s not really better though?
The backlash was instant. Almost immediately after the statement, “only 2-3%”, “Dr. Oz”, and the word “appetizing” all trended on Twitter, with thousands appalled by the callous prioritizing of the status quo over the value of life.
What would lead a doctor to suggest such an obviously unsafe tradeoff? Well, it’s right in line with what a lot of Donald Trump‘s most ardent supporters have been calling for — re-opening the country and letting the chips, and the bodies, fall where they may.
You may have heard Trump’s phrase parroted a few times: “We can’t have the cure be worse than the problem.”
We don’t know about you, but as much as we hate the idea of being stuck at home for several months IT IS NOT WORSE THAN MANY OF OUR LOVED ONES DYING A SLOW, TORTURED DEATH. The fact we have to state that is sincerely mind-blowing.
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But why would Oprah‘s second favorite TV doc be supporting our POS POTUS’ money-above-all philosophy when his first rule is supposed to be “Do no harm”?
In case you didn’t know, Trump appointed Dr. Oz to his administration’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, so they’re actually pretty tight. The controversial doc has been appearing regularly on Fox News, often promoting the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine as a potential cure. You know, the one Trump has taken to promoting himself, despite pandemic expert Dr. Anthony Fauci pointing out there’s not scientific basis for it. (But Rudy Giuliani does own stock in it. And the company that makes it was one of the ones Michael Cohen confessed paid him to get an audience with the president before he went to prison.)
Apparently Trump has been watching; according to a report in the New York Times, the President told his team of medical experts they should speak to the TV doc. Yeesh.
Oh, BTW — there’s always a tweet…
Remember this, the worst doctors (by far) are celebrity doctors. If you see their names, or read about them in the newspapers, stay away!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 31, 2014
We’re starting to agree with Trump on that one.
[Image via Fox News/YouTube/WENN/Instar.]
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