Some matters of urgency are most times treated with little or no attention. Some are laughed over and waved off as things unimportant. Or rather, they are handled as issues that should not be taken so seriously. Hence, nobody pays much attention to them until it becomes too late. One of such issues is the claim laid by Dr. Stella Gwandiku-Ambe Immanuel.
Sometime last week, a video clip showing, where Dr. Stella gave a public speech concerning COVID-19, emerged. In this video, Dr. Stella claimed that she has been able to treat “over 350 patients with COVID” and has lost no patient. She said that the medications she used for these patients were hydroxychloroquine, zithromax and zinc. According to her, among her patients were the diabetic, the hypertensive, the asthmatic and the aged (including a 92-year old). Dr. Stella went on to say that there’s no need for facemasks and locking people down because the three mentioned medications can cure and prevent COVID-19. In order words, Dr. Stella has told us to move about our businesses and carry on with our lives without the fear of COVID.
Well, this video has caused another problem that should not be ignored. We all know how things are these days. People are getting tired of keeping measures that will prevent the contraction of coronavirus. These days, we only remember that we don’t have to touch our faces after we have touched them. We have started greeting friends we meet in the street by hugs and handshakes. Most of us only wear masks because we want to avoid police harassment or because we will not be allowed into the building without masks. We actually want to be free. So, unknown to many, Dr. Stella’s speech is a glimmer of hope for many people.
We should note that even though social media platforms have pulled down this video, it will not prevent its circulation. Before it was taken down by these platforms, the video has been moved into people’s media galleries in their phones. Now it is circulated via WhatsApp, Xender, Bluetooth and what have you. I even noticed that Dr. Stella is still releasing more videos to buttress her claims. This is to say that many people must have heard about the “COVID cure”, which can easily be obtained from that drug store across the road. I hope we understand what this means. It is possible that many people have already stocked up their drug cabinets with this “cure” and are now waiting for someone to cough so that the person will be pumped with the drugs. Or worse, they will take the drugs as preventive measures.
The thing here is, either Dr. Stella is telling the truth or she is not. But, her claims should be verified as soon as possible. At least, her claims can easily be verified because she already has the records of people she treated. I believe it won’t be a problem for the right people to access these records to ascertain how honest or not Dr. Stella is.
Unfortunately, the only thing I’m seeing medical practitioners doing right now is trying to debunk Dr. Stella’s claims without giving us facts. Merely telling us that Dr. Stella is a controversial medical practitioner with histories of medical lawsuits or that she is a Paediatrician, who has no authority over the handling of COVID-19, is not enough. We need data; we need facts. Is Dr. Stella saying the truth or not?
