Dennis Prager Show - Dennis Interviews an ER Doctor ⎜The Dennis Prager Radio Show
Aired: 2020-04-15
Duration: 06:23


=== Baffled By Politicization (05:53) ===

[00:00:00]  I'm totally baffled.
[00:00:01]  At the end of the day, we're supposed to be scientists, and I've never had conversations like I'm having in my entire career.
[00:00:08]  What's very upsetting is people don't realize that they've been politicized.
[00:00:12]  So I've talked to some friends who are more on the left, and I get that they can't see their politics.
[00:00:18]  But I've talked to a lot of people who I think aren't particularly political at all, but they've been so heavily influenced by the media that they'll say things to me like it's not safe.
[00:00:27]  Show me the evidence that it's not safe.
[00:00:28]  It's a straw man to say that it's not safe.
[00:00:32]  It's not a real argument.
[00:00:35]  So as soon as somebody says to me it's not safe, I know that our conversation is over.
[00:00:38]  They don't understand.
[00:00:41]  Well, if it's not safe, have they been baffled by your hospital's turnaround?
[00:00:48]  Right.
[00:00:49]  So, no.
[00:00:50]  I think I find the amnesia very upsetting.
[00:00:53]  The amnesia.
[00:00:54]  What a great term.
[00:00:57]  It's very upsetting.
[00:00:58]  There's so many things about this situation that are so disturbing.
[00:01:01]  I think it bothers me more because of my law background as well, because I see the threat is legal and the threat is not really medical at this point.
[00:01:09]  That's not to minimize anyone's suffering, of course.
[00:01:13]  But we need to look at the facts.
[00:01:15]  We need to make decisions for society based on the facts.
[00:01:19]  So have you seen people...
[00:01:22]  Now, not outpatient, inpatient.
[00:01:25]  The COVID-19 was serious enough for them to be hospitalized.
[00:01:30]  In the last two weeks, are you familiar with any of those patients being given hydroxychloroquine?
[00:01:37]  Yes.
[00:01:38]  No, absolutely.
[00:01:39]  I think it's really standard.
[00:01:41]  And what have the results been?
[00:01:45]  I wouldn't be in a position to say.
[00:01:47]  I really think you have to wait for the data.
[00:01:49]  But of the data that's available...
[00:01:51]  Now, all of it is either beneficial or can't say.
[00:01:57]  Would you recommend it as a prophylactic?
[00:02:04]  That's a really tough question.
[00:02:05]  I'm so glad you asked that.
[00:02:07]  For people to understand how political this issue has become, I absolutely would recommend it.
[00:02:13]  But I can see also holding off to wait to see if you've got any exposure.
[00:02:18]  And I want to point out to your listeners that we don't recommend it prophylactically for healthcare workers.
[00:02:24]  I think it's a good question.
[00:02:26]  But the country of India does recommend it.
[00:02:28]  It's a national policy that healthcare workers should take it.
[00:02:31]  So I want your listeners to understand that there's a big debate out there.
[00:02:35]  You're just not hearing about it in America.
[00:02:38]  Well, they're hearing about it on this show.
[00:02:41]  Exactly.
[00:02:42]  I will tell you that.
[00:02:43]  They're not hearing about it on CNN or the New York Times, which continues to write articles against hydroxychloroquine.
[00:02:52]  This is truly corruption, moral corruption, because the science has taken a back seat to hatred of the president.
[00:03:02]  Right, but I'm most disturbed about the people who don't understand that they've been politicized.
[00:03:07]  So when people are talking about the heart problems with the hydroxychloroquine, I want your listeners to be the first people, you know, lay people to understand.
[00:03:14]  They're going to start hearing about some cases, right?
[00:03:16]  Only because tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of people are now going to be prescribed this drug, maybe more than, maybe even a million.
[00:03:23]  You know, our president ordered 29 million dosages.
[00:03:26]  So, of course, a couple of people here and there will have some side effects just based on the numbers.
[00:03:31]  And I believe that the media will spin that and say, this person died from this.
[00:03:36]  But obviously, you have to look at the numerator and the denominator.
[00:03:42]  Are you alone in your thinking in your hospital among your colleagues?
[00:03:51]  Okay, so this is a good story.
[00:03:52]  I'm not alone.
[00:03:53]  I'm not alone.
[00:03:54]  I would say I'm in the minority.
[00:03:56]  I don't know what it would be like in a different part of the country.
[00:03:59]  But I will tell you that two doctors have come to me to get the COVID test.
[00:04:05]  Both of them said they would absolutely take it.
[00:04:07]  They were upset the test was negative because they wanted to start the medicine.
[00:04:11]  They both had the medicine, and they both wanted to start the medicine.
[00:04:14]  So, you know, I think what people say publicly and maybe what they do privately might be different.
[00:04:20]  Yeah.
[00:04:23]  Will they know that you were on this show?
[00:04:27]  So I'm not sure.
[00:04:29]  Probably someone will say, but I'm not discussing.
[00:04:32]  I think my hospital is actually a very good hospital.
[00:04:34]  I think their response has been really, they've stood up.
[00:04:38]  I don't think they're doing any different than other mainstream hospitals in terms of the hydroxychloroquine.
[00:04:43]  I think they're in the middle of the pack.
[00:04:44]  I really don't have anything against my hospital.
[00:04:46]  They've been very good with the PPE, and they've been treated the nurses very well.
[00:04:51]  So I've got no complaints.
[00:04:53]  My concern is that people have become politicized.
[00:04:56]  And that's okay, but I don't think patients understand this.
[00:04:59]  You know, you read the headlines, and it's not at all being reported in a balanced way.
[00:05:03]  That's right.
[00:05:04]  You know, for example, they're speculating that Trump would make money with hydroxychloroquine.
[00:05:08]  I know, I know.
[00:05:08]  It's mind-blowing.
[00:05:10]  Yes.
[00:05:11]  I'm curious, if you were the advisor to Governor Newsom, what would you say he should do as of May 1st?
[00:05:21]  I think the economy closing was a mistake.
[00:05:24]  I think the economy absolutely should be opened.
[00:05:27]  And I use as supporting data for that, that I think around, it seems to me about 50% of our businesses are open.
[00:05:35]  When you look at the mail and UPS and supermarkets and pharmacies, you know, a lot of businesses are open.

=== Adapting to Reality (00:44) ===

[00:05:42]  We've also had a period of time in America where we've adapted our social behaviors a bit to understand this.
[00:05:48]  So I don't know why you couldn't take that into a work environment.
[00:05:51]  You know, I go to work every day.
[00:05:52]  The nurses go to work every day.
[00:05:54]  So we could adapt, and the harm is very real.
[00:05:57]  As you've talked about, if people are out of work, it leads to all kinds of health and personal issues.
[00:06:03]  Would you go to a restaurant if one were open?
[00:06:07]  So I would.
[00:06:09]  I don't know what he's going to do about restaurants.
[00:06:13]  I'm very surprised this has become as big a political economic problem as it has, because this is a disease that really kills sick patients.