The DOJ Did Not Pass a Law Banning Natural Coronavirus Treatments
The Claim
The Department of Justice recently passed a law that makes it illegal to buy/promote natural coronavirus cures, and the Federal Trade Commision is convicting doctors for promoting these treatments.
News posted on
Emerging story
On April 22nd, the conspiracy theory website Health Impact News published an article that claimed that the Department of Justice had recently decided to ban non-pharmaceutical cures for coronavirus. The article also claimed that a chiropractor in St. Louis is facing criminal charges from the Federal Trade Commission for recommending these cures. The source added that over 3,000 people had died due to coronavirus vaccines.
According to the site’s own metrics, within 20 days the article has gained over 19,000 views. It also has more than 900 shares on Facebook alone. A range of other conspiracy theory websites have reposted the claims.
Social media posts of this article have received dozens of interactions on Facebook and Twitter.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s investigation has discovered that the claims in the Health Impact News article are false.
First, the Department of Justice has not banned natural coronavirus remedies. Health Impact News has attempted to use a Department of Justice press release as evidence that natural coronavirus remedies are being banned. But this press release does not concern the banning of natural coronavirus remedies. Instead, it announces steps that it was taking to combat the deceptive marketing of ineffective coronavirus treatments. The release details that a defendant, Eric Anthony Nepute, had been falsely advertising vitamin D and zinc nutritional supplements as treatments that would prevent and cure coronavirus. Currently, some research conducted by University of Chicago Medicine suggests that vitamin D may protect against coronavirus, but more research needs to be conducted for this to be marketed as a legitimate cure. Additionally, Medical News Today has stated that zinc could have protective effects against coronavirus, but this is also not a certainty.
Zinc and vitamin D supplements are not banned under the law that the DOJ and the FTC are using to charge Eric Anthony Nepute, which is the COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act. In fact, the act does not ban any product. Instead, it prohibits deceptive acts that relate to the treatment of coronavirus, such as advertising unproven cures. As the FTC has stated to news outlets, Nepute has been charged due to his claim that his vitamin D and zinc products were either as effective or more effective than coronavirus vaccines.
Lastly, the claim that over 3,000 people in America have died due to coronavirus vaccines is false. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is closely following instances of death that follow coronavirus vaccinations. To date, the only link between vaccinations and deaths has been detected in a case regarding the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. However, the risk of death is extremely rare and has not yet been proven. To date, there is evidence that three people may have died from causes related to the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. This is significantly lower than the over 3,000 deaths that Health Impact News claims that vaccines have caused in the U.S.
