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In the 11Alive segment, Rich McCormick is criticized by Georgia doctors for spreading misinformation about the pandemic on conservative TV. Among other falsehoods, McCormick claimed that the highly contagious Delta variant had been “blown out of proportion” and “falsely claimed that children are not at risk.” He told disinformation station NewsMax that “By the way, wearing masks has pretty much been debunked” despite “CDC studies that show cloth coverings slow the spread of COVID.” And as 11Alive reports, McCormick also “downplayed the need for newly-eligible teenagers to get vaccines.”
McCormick’s playbook of lying about the disease that has taken the lives of nearly 700,000 Americans is downright dangerous. As retired physician and Georgia State University professor Dr. Harry Heiman put it: “In general, it’s a problem for people to spread misinformation. It’s especially problematic once someone who has a medical degree after their name propagates something with no basis in science.”
More from the segment below:
11Alive: Physician running for congress in GA comes under fire for spreading misinformation
September 30, 2021
By Doug Richards
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“Critics say a physician running for congress in Georgia has spread misinformation on masks and for some COVID vaccines.”
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“Because McCormick is an emergency room physician, he has had a local and national platform for his views on the pandemic.
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“Earlier this month, McCormick told the Gwinnett County Board of Education that masks are ‘actually harmful to school children.’”
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“However, Dr. Harry Heiman, a retired physician who now teaches at Georgia State University, said McCormick’s comments were ‘irresponsible.’ Heiman is among the 154 physicians who, months ago, asked the Medical Association of Georgia to withdraw its 2020 endorsement of McCormick’s candidacy for congress.”
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“‘During a global pandemic, I think it’s critical that he provides the public with science and evidence-based information,’ Heiman said of McCormick.”
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“‘I think the delta variant is being blown out of proportion. We’re not seeing the mortality rate spike. We’re not seeing people hospitalized en masse. We’re not seeing them go to the ICU,’ McCormick told NewsMax on July 8, just weeks before hospitalizations and mortality started to surge.”
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“During the same NewsMax interview, he also falsely claimed that children are not at risk.”
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“Although the pandemic has evolved since then, McCormick’s message about masks has stayed consistent – which troubles other doctors.”
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“In late spring, McCormick also downplayed the need for newly-eligible teenagers to get vaccines, saying on June 8, ‘If a twelve-year-old or fifteen-year-old doesn’t want to get the vaccination, and their parents don’t want them to get the vaccination – who really cares?’ Weeks after his comments, pediatric cases would spike once schools started again.”
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“‘In general, it’s a problem for people to spread misinformation. It’s especially problematic once someone who has a medical degree after their name propagates something with no basis in science,’ Heiman said.”
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“McCormick declined to answer our questions for this story[.]”
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