Medical authorities in Oregon have revoked the license of a doctor a month after a video surfaced of him downplaying the coronavirus as a “common cold. “
On November 7, Steven LaTulippe told those gathered outside the State Capitol in Salem at a “Stop the Steal” rally in support of President Donald Trump how he wanted “to expose what I call corona mania.”
Video of his comments were posted on YouTube by the political group Multnomah County Republicans. He told those present that wearing a mask “is a threat to your freedom, a threat to our Constitution. I petition all of you, take off the mask of shame,” erroneously comparing it to a “common cold” virus.
On Friday, the Oregon Medical Board decided to temporarily strip LaTulippe of his right to practice following allegations made against his advice and treatment of patients earlier in the year.
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At the start of July, LaTulippe, who owns South View Medical Arts in Dallas southwest of Portland, allegedly told a patient that those without COVID symptoms should not be tested and that wearing a mask did not prevent the disease’s spread.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has cited seven studies which confirmed that community masking reduced the spread of the coronavirus.
LaTulippe also told the patient not to self-isolate because being around other people would provide immunity from Covid-19, according to the state board’s documents. Three weeks later, LaTulippe terminated the person as a patient when he was questioned about the advice.
The medical board also found that LaTulippe and his staff did not wear masks in the clinic and told patients who did, to remove them. Patients were not screened upon arrival and no hand sanitizer was available in the waiting area.
The board also said that LaTulippe “regularly” tells patients that masks were not effective in stopping the spread of COVID-19 and had claimed that virus particles could pass through surgical masks.
He also advised that it was “very dangerous” for vulnerable patients like the elderly and those with asthma to wear masks because they would increase the body’s carbon dioxide content through the rebreathing of the gas.
The board concluded that LaTullipe’s “continued practice constitutes an immediate danger to the public, and presents a serious danger to the public health and safety.”
This week, LaTullipe told NBC News that he asked patients who think they have the disease to wear a mask in his clinic and that he treats them in a “back room” that’s disinfected. He also defended his comments made at the rally last month.
“I’m very interested in sound medical practice, and I’m interested in good science,” he said, adding “when science and medicine become perverted with corrupt politics, then I’m up for a fight, and that’s what made me go to that rally and say what I said.”
The graphic below by Statista shows the COVID deaths of the elderly in the U.S.
