As hundreds of new COVID-19 cases were being reported daily and Bakersfield hospitals were filling to capacity two weeks ago, two local doctors and their Bakersfield marketing representative were in the nation's capital sharing controversial claims about the virus in a video on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court.
The video was retweeted by President Donald Trump and his son, Donald Trump Jr., and spread like wildfire online, garnering millions of views before it was removed by Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for what the social media companies said was spreading misinformation about the coronavirus. It featured a dozen doctors who were part of a group called America's Frontline Doctors, wearing white coats and taking turns promoting hydroxychloroquine for treatment of COVID-19 and downplaying precautions like mask-wearing and shutdowns to stem the spread of the virus. The doctors gave their names but provided few details about where they work.
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