In an effort to discredit a thoroughly sourced Mercola article on the risks and benefits of Pfizer’s COVID treatment Paxlovid, Factcheck.org goes to great lengths — literally — to prove the pill does indeed prevent deaths or severe illness.
Point by point, Factcheck discounts any possibility that the drug is overhyped and underperforming when it comes to effectiveness. It even uses complete truths cited by Mercola— such as the fact the drug is connected to rebound COVID infection — to “debunk” what is known to be true.
“Drugs do not need to prevent viral transmission to be considered a success ,” the fact checkers say. What, then, is considered “success?”
Apparently, discounting any supporting evidence for the veracity and validity of Mercola’s observations is what Factcheck.org considers “evidence.” While admitting that Paxlovid “is not perfect,” they dismiss portions of Mercola”s supporting evidence as not extensive enough to be useful, and at the same time cite small, observational studies rather than actual clinical studies for their own evidence.
At the end of the nearly 3,000-word “fact” check, they mention that the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which owns COVID shot maker Johnson & Johnson, funds their work, adding a caveat that the foundation has no control over the fact checking group’s work.
SOURCE:
Factcheck.org November 23, 2022