Doctors become frustrated by COVID-19 misinformation and denial

The unvaccinated man thought he wasn't that sick despite dangerously low oxygen levels. He became so angry at the hospital policy that prohibited his wife from being by his bedside, that he threatened his life.

Dr. Matthew Trunsky did not hesitate to respond: "You are free to leave, but before you get to the car, you will be dead," he stated.

These exchanges are becoming all too common for medical workers, who have grown weary of COVID-19 denials and misinformation that have made it difficult to treat patients unvaccinated during the delta-driven surge.

Six doctors were asked by the Associated Press to share their experiences with misinformation and denial on a daily basis. They also shared their responses.

Patients describe feeling aggrieved by the constant requests for Ivermectin to be prescribed. They also complain that patients are launching attacks at doctors when they are told it is not safe. An Illinois doctor has had people tell him that microchips have been embedded in vaccines to try to overtake people's DNA. One Louisiana doctor showed patients a list containing Twinkies ingredients, reminding them that vaccines are made up of many safe additives that nobody really understands.

These are their stories.

LOUISIANA DOCTOR - "Just stop looking at Facebook"

Dr. Vincent Shaw pulls up the ingredients list and gives a Twinkie to patients who tell him they don’t want the COVID-19 vaccination.

Shaw, a Baton Rouge, Louisiana family physician, said, "Look at that back." "Tell me that you can pronounce every word on the back of this package. I don't have a degree in chemistry, but I do know that it is.

Patients often tell him that they haven’t done enough research on vaccines. He assures them that the vaccine developers have done their research.

There are also fringe explanations. "They're putting in a tracker and it makes me magnet."

He was left speechless by another explanation: "The patient could not understand why they were given it for free because humanity isn't nice, people aren't nice, and nobody would give away anything." There is no inherent goodness in man. "And I didn't have a comeback from that."

Mild cases of illness can make people believe they are immune to natural causes. He tells them, "No, you are not a Superman/Superwoman."

He stated that social media is one of the greatest problems, as shown by many patients who posted their Facebook experiences in making their decision not to get vaccinated. This mindset has led to memes about the thousands of Americans who received their medical degrees from the University of Facebook School of Medicine.