Earlier today, we wrote about Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s public threat against physicians and pharmacists in her state if they dare to prescribe or fill prescriptions for hydroxychloroquine, a drug that’s been used for decades to prevent malaria, and has shown much promise in test trials and in real-life scenarios with patients infected with Chinese coronavirus.
The governor’s radical announcement hit a nerve with a Michigan man who credits the combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin with saving his life after he was convinced he was on death’s doorstep after a serious bout with the Chinese coronavirus.
Michigan resident, Jim Santilli wrote about his miraculous recovery and shares his feelings about Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s decision to punish doctors who prescribe and pharmacists who give prescriptions for hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine to patients. Santilli also explains how Whitmer dropped the ball on testing Michigan citizens with low-cost, rapid response tests that are produced and made available by a Michigan company. Mr. Santilli also points out how Whitmer failed to apply for FEMA funding, yet another critical failure on the part of a governor. Santilli claims the Democrat governor of Michigan should be less concerned scoring political points for her party by “wrongfully pointing the finger at President Trump,” while she’s failing to properly do her job for Michigan residents.
Here is Jim Santilli’s incredible story about how he survived COVID19 at Henry Ford Macomb Hospital, in Clinton Twp., MI. Jim sent me his story via Facebook:
Thank you to everyone for your support and prayers while I was extremely ill and hospitalized due to COVID-19! It truly means the world to me. I am continuing to recover and be treated at home. I’m praying all of you, and your families, remain healthy and safe during this challenging time.
As a COVID-19 survivor who is currently recovering, I believe it is important to share my story publicly so others have hope. The sad reality is Michigan’s Governor, Gretchen Whitmer, is failing the people of the state of Michigan. Rather than leading and making good choices that will help our wonderful people during this horrible COVID-19 situation, she continuously chooses to engage in partisan politics. That must end now.
On March 18th, I had a sudden onset of severe respiratory and cardiac issues. I immediately went to the hospital and they did a COVID-19 test. Despite my test being marked as a priority, I did not receive the test results until the evening of March 22nd. While waiting for the test results in the hospital, my breathing continued to worsen as treatment was received. Without having the COVID-19 test results, the wonderful and hard-working doctors basically have their hands tied as certain medications (i.e. steroids, etc.) can potentially make COVID-19 worse. On the morning of March 21st, I was not doing well and it was a major struggle to breathe. Feeling like I was slowly drowning, I honestly believed I would not live to see midnight. The x-ray that morning also showed my condition was worsening, including some collapsing in the lungs. Luckily, the infectious disease physicians decided to try a non-approved, experimental combination (Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin). This is the same treatment President Donald Trump recently mentioned at a press conference and continues to be attacked for. After my first dose, I had a major improvement. My gasping for air stopped, and I was in tears of happiness due to having hope restored. I finally felt I would beat COVID-19 and it was no longer beating me. On March 22nd, I remained about the same. However, March 23rd brought a significant improvement. I continued to recover and was miraculously able to go home on March 24th to continue the treatment.
There are a few important things I believe the public needs to know. One is the treatment that President Trump recommended worked for me and saved my life. It also appears to be helping others. As a result, I believe we can all have hope! However, I sadly just learned that Governor Whitmer has once again made a terrible decision. According to the Detroit News, her Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs sent a letter threatening all doctors and pharmacists in Michigan who prescribe or dispense Hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19. The letter threatens administrative action against the licenses of doctors who prescribe it. It also instructs pharmacists to ignore physician orders for this medication. This is unacceptable and I’m confident Governor Whitmer, and her administration, will be responsible for many deaths and much suffering. I highly recommend she stop the politics, and not discourage doctors from using treatment they believe may work. It could be a matter of life or death for numerous patients.
As for the COVID-19 testing, we can do better. On March 24th, after hearing my story, a friend recommended I talk to a local company whom she heard had COVID-19 tests. I spoke with ProMed Rapid Testing of Southfield, Michigan. They were kind enough to drop off a sample to my home yesterday. I tried one and had the results in minutes. It showed I had IgG antibodies in my system, which apparently means I had the virus and successfully beat it. I was told these exact tests are being used in 67 countries around the world and they cost under $50. What really upset me the most is they apparently contacted multiple state and regional government and health system agencies over the past month about these available test kits.
I believe Governor Whitmer should’ve taken advantage of these tests rather than sitting and blaming the federal government. In my situation, doctors could’ve had immediate test results so they would’ve known what they were dealing with. These immediate test results are essential to early detection and effective treatment.
I also learned on March 25th, through multiple news sources, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) did not receive a request from the State of Michigan for federal emergency funds. While Governor Whitmer was going on national television to engage in partisan politics, she should’ve been working with her team and had the application submitted long ago. Michigan topped 2,200 cases and at least 43 deaths on March 25th. On that same date, the Governor’s spokeswoman told the Detroit Free Press that state officials were “reviewing and looking into” a request to FEMA. So, while Michigan ranks fifth in the nation for total coronavirus cases, and does need federal assistance, Governor Whitmer failed to complete the process and instead opted to wrongfully point the finger at President Trump.
Overall, the COVID-19 situation should not be about partisan politics. Our elected officials, who work for us, must lead effectively and do what’s in the best interest of all people. Governor Whitmer has not done this. Instead, she continuously makes very poor decisions and puts politics before people. As a COVID-19 survivor, I believe Governor Whitmer needs to start acting in the best interest of the people here in the great state of Michigan. Instead of pointing the finger at others, she needs to look in the mirror. It is not too late for her to set partisan politics aside and start making good choices for us all.
100 Percent Fed Up wrote about Michigan’s new Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who was one of the first governors in the nation to shut down schools and businesses after only two cases of coronavirus had been detected in the state. Many questioned her reaction to the virus. Was she really acting in the best case of all Michigan citizens? What about the economy in Michigan that President Trump and his administration had worked so hard to bring back? Could it survive a shut down of this magnitude?
Michigan citizens were willing to give her a pass, however, saying her draconian measures were in the best interests of everyone living in Michigan to help keep us safe. When Whitmer enacted more draconian measures last week, threatening Michigan citizens with misdemeanors if they’re caught leaving their homes for anything other than essential business, citizens again, questioned her tactics, saying she had crossed the line, but again, they acquiesced, believing that she had our best interests in mind when making the decision to shut down the state for 3 more weeks.
Today, conservative Kathy Hoekstra wrote a scathing op-ed in the Detroit News, revealing that Michigan’s governor may not have our best interests in mind after all. In her op-ed, Hoekstra exposed incredible threats made by the radical governor of Michigan against physicians and pharmacists in her state if they dare to prescribe or fill prescriptions for hydroxychloroquine, a drug that’s been used for decades to prevent malaria.
President Trump was recently criticized by the left for touting the success of the combination of hydroxychloroquine used in combination with azithromycin in coronavirus test trials, during recent press conferences.
An excerpt from Kathy Hoekstra’s Detroit News Op-Ed – Michigan has tested more than 9,100 people for coronavirus by Thursday afternoon. Of those, 6,550 have tested negative and nearly 2,500 tested positive. To date, there are 60 deaths attributed to the coronavirus in Michigan
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs literally threatened all doctors and pharmacists in the state who prescribe or dispense hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19.
The agency’s March 24 letter warns physicians and pharmacists of professional consequences for the prescribing of hydroxychloroquine (and chloroquine). Beyond the rational recommendation against hoarding as production of this medication needs to be ramped up, the letter deviates into open threats of “administrative action” against the licenses of doctors that prescribe hydroxychloroquine.
The letter also instructs pharmacists to ignore physician orders for this medication. Due to the debate over a pharmacist’s right to refuse to fill medications that go against their religious beliefs, this could place pharmacists in the unprecedented position of being told that they must fill prescriptions that violate their “conscience (religious belief)” but must not fill prescriptions to treat COVID-19.
Even worse, the letter indicates health care providers are “required to report” their fellow physicians who are prescribing these medications. This draconian measure carries ominous Gestapo-like overtones of neighbor reporting neighbor to “authorities.”
During a time of crisis, in which physicians continue to see patients despite not having enough protective gear, this threatening, authoritarian stance from our governor is counterproductive at best.
These well-known drugs have very favorable safety profiles. Several small studies have shown significant reduction in viral loads and symptom improvement when combining these medications in COVID-19 patients. Though these studies are small and do not prove efficacy, the results were so promising that the authors of the most famous study concluded:
“We therefore recommend that COVID-19 patients be treated with hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin to cure their infection and to limit the transmission of the virus to other people in order to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the world.”
What makes this directive more of a head-scratcher is that the same day the state issued its threatening nastygram to Michigan’s health care providers, Whitmer’s counterpart in New York started clinical trials of the very same drugs.
With his state now the nation’s pandemic epicenter, and with the blessing and help of the president and FDA, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo brought in 70,000 doses of hydroxychloroquine, 10,000 doses of Zithromax and 750,000 doses of chloroquine.
The implications of Whitmer and her administration’s knee-jerk scare tactics should terrify all Michigan residents. Not only is our state’s top leader threatening the selfless health care workers who are on the frontline trying to save lives, but she’s denying possible life-saving medications to actual COVID-19 victims.
The far-left, first-term governor, Gretchen Whitmer, who was chosen to deliver the rebuttal speech to President Trump’s incredible State of the Union speech in January, is rumored to be Democrat presidential frontrunner Joe Biden’s top pick for vice president. We’ll keep our eye on any new developments.
