A nurse on the front lines of the battle against COVID-19 said Monday morning on MSNBC that President Donald Trump’s insistence on backing an unproven drug to fight coronavirus is irresponsible and dangerous.
Deb Snell, who works as a nurse in Vermont, was asked by host Ayman Mohyeldin:
“There’s obviously been — if you’ve had the time to follow any of the messaging that comes out of the White House, there’s been a bit of a disconnect. What is your message to state and federal leaders who may be watching this and want to hear from somebody like yourself working on the front lines?”
Snell replied:
“First of all, it’s embarrassing that we have a president that’s acting like a snake oil salesman, trying to peddle his cure that is not proven. You need to get supplies to the proper people. you need to get the n-95 masks, you need to get the ventilators to New York City. this is crazy. If the stuff is there, why aren’t we seeing it? Why are you putting more stress on everyone involved by not making sure they have what they need? It’s unforgivable.”
The “cure” Snell referred to that Trump has been pushing at his daily press conferences and via Twitter is the drug hydroxychloroquine, which the president has touted as some sort of miracle drug even though there is scant empirical evidence to support such an assertion. Even top medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci has downplayed the efficacy of the drug.
While Trump continues to peddle unproven drugs, he’s failing to provide ventilators and other badly needed equipment to hospitals that could save lives. He claims that’s because he wants to give the American people “hope” during the crisis. But what good is hope when nearly 10,000 have been lost and many more may perish due to inaction by the administration?
Featured Image Via NBC News
