André d’Avila et al. Marco F. Vidal Melo Renato D. Lopes
The behavior of Brazilian sports commentators during the recent COVID-19 pandemic is noteworthy. Day after day, despite social distancing, they continued their television broadcasts to help ease their viewers’ discomfort. For hours, they discussed past games, current problems and the future of the sport. At no time, however, did they make comments on topics outside of their area of expertise. Although they most certainly had an opinion on the seriousness of COVID-19, the merits of social distancing or use of medications popularized by many without scientific evidence, they restricted their commentary to their areas of expertise – sports!
What has been hard to understand is the insistence of some physicians to provide opinions on unsubstantiated interventions for the treatment of COVID-19. Some simply choose medical proselytism. Others may not appreciate the need for proper scientific investigation. Many prefer to omit themselves from any debate. However, the most perplexing type of attitude is simply a reactionary behavior related to the fear of the unknown that is, the combination of desperation and need to provide care for patients, and bombardment of information from social media may bias many doctors to embrace any potential redemptive treatment. Unfortunately, the only disease treated with this approach is the anxiety shared by doctors and their patients.
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