FACT CHECK: Viral Image Claims To Show Health Care Worker Holding ‘Don’t Let The Democrats Kill You’ Sign

Brad Sylvester | Fact Check Editor

An image shared on Facebook more than 700 times purportedly shows health care workers holding signs that say “Don’t let the democrats kill you” and “Ask for hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin and zinc!”

Verdict: False

The image is photoshopped. The signs actually contain messages encouraging the public to practice social distancing.

Fact Check:

Featured in the viral image are two young health care workers dressed in light blue scrubs and face masks. They hold signs that say “Don’t let the democrats kill you” and “Ask for hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin and zinc!” The image has been photoshopped, however.

NHS Million, an unofficial Twitter account run by some National Health Service (NHS) staff in the United Kingdom, tweeted the original picture on March 19. It shows NHS health care workers holding identical signs.

In the original photo, the identical signs read: “I stayed at work for you. Please stay home for me!” Health care workers around the world have shared photos with similar signs on social media platforms in recent weeks. (RELATED: Viral Image Claims To Show WHO Lockdown Guidelines)

Hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug that has been touted by President Donald Trump to treat COVID-19, is in clinical trials to determine its safety and efficacy. The Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization to authorize the use of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine “for treatment of hospitalized adults and adolescents (weight ≥50 kg) with COVID-19 for whom a clinical trial is not available or participation is not feasible,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The antibiotic azithromycin has been used in combination with hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for the disease caused by the new coronavirus. On Tuesday, a panel of experts convened by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommended against using the combination outside of clinical trials because of a potential increased risk for heart problems, NPR reported.

Zinc is a nutrient that “helps the immune system fight off invading bacteria and viruses,” according to the NIH.

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Brad Sylvester

Fact Check Editor
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