Brazil: A short history of the pandemic
By Dr. Regis Dewes.
In early 2020, alarming news broke about a deadly virus that had originated in China. Harrowing images of overcrowded hospitals and medical staff in hazmat suits dominated the media, while self-proclaimed experts offered bleak advice limited to isolation and paracetamol, and promoted vaccines as the only solution.
The narrative, largely controlled by pharmaceutical interests, included controversial measures such as lockdowns, masks, and the use of Remdesivir. Questions were quickly labeled as “misinformation” by fact-checkers. Universities, instead of fostering scientific debate, passively followed guidelines aligned with corporate interests, reinforcing loyalty to these narratives.
Among the most vocal critics of early treatment for COVID-19 was a cardiologist from USP, who defended the Lancet study as irrefutable evidence against hydroxychloroquine. Presenting it as a “scientific trophy,” he ignored the fact that the study had been unmasked as a major fraud. Interestingly, the doctor, a former editor of the Journal of the Brazilian Medical Association, had already been associated with scientific fraud. In addition, he received financial support from pharmaceutical companies for participating in a study on the drug, consulting services, and lectures, raising questions about conflicts of interest.
Social media influencers such as biologist Átila Iamarino have been widely promoted as credible sources during the pandemic. They have received substantial financial support while advocating strict Chinese-style lockdowns, ridiculing early treatment for COVID-19 and promoting mRNA vaccines, which have been described as almost science fiction breakthroughs.
The pandemic has highlighted the influence of financial interests on science and the fragility of institutions previously seen as pillars of critical thinking.
The Covid doxa , a term used by the French sociologist Laurent Mucchielli, is therefore a narrative that orders the world and gives it a particular meaning as the propaganda, censorship and politicization of Covid have destroyed our intellectual and moral foundations.
The promise of the narrative captured the imagination of regulators and politicians. Its intent was to focus solely on vaccines, excluding any obstacles that might slow their acceptance by the community. On the other hand, doctors who dared to defy these guidelines by trying to treat their patients were ridiculed. Some colleagues mocked them, while others simply ignored their attempts.
Society, out of fear or pressure, faithfully followed what was transmitted on the screen, even if it meant giving up their lives and livelihood.
It was a surreal scenario. The mainstream media, the “ truth checkers ” funded by the pharmaceutical giants, television pundits, some medical societies and social media seemed to be acting in unison: criminalizing anyone who dared to question the official narrative about the pandemic.
It was a time when being on the beach without a mask could result in arrest. Questioning alternatives to the consensus was almost heresy. Medications with the potential to treat patients became the target of relentless attacks. Among them, ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine were the preferred targets. TV experts would get excited at any mention of ivermectin, arguing that it was dangerous, even in the face of studies that indicated otherwise. One article showed that ivermectin had been used in children with leukemia, in doses of up to 10 tablets daily for six months, without significant adverse effects. Another reported a suicide attempt in which the patient ingested 200 ivermectin tablets and survived, without sequelae.
And the data? Ignored. A French study with more than 30 thousand patients revealed that treatment with hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin reduced the mortality rate to 0.8%, compared to 4.89% among those who did not receive the treatment. Even with judicial validation, defenders of the vaccine industry alleged fraud.
The question that remains is inevitable: were they ignoring the facts intentionally or for hidden interests? And so, a virus not only shook health, but also destabilized families, economies and people's very trust in the world around them.
This text was originally published by the brazilian medical group Médicos pela Vida.