Charles Chamberlain’s letter to the editor of the Tampa Bay Times may at first appear to praise Florida’s new surgeon general for his remarks on the ‘great protection’ that natural immunity provides from been infected by COVID-19.
But upon closer inspection, Chamberlain’s sarcasm and contempt for Dr. Joseph Ladapo, the Sunshine State’s new surgeon general as of September 21, who made waves himself this week after offering the observation that those that have been infected with the coronavirus will develop an immunity to the infection.
‘I am aware that he is correct because of a recent experience with a member of my family,’ Chamberlain writes of the remark Dr. Ladapo made last week.
‘He had a severe infection from COVID-19. He is past that now and is completely immune — not only for COVID-19 but flu and other respiratory infections as well.’
‘Of course, we are burying this family member next week.’
Pictured: Charles Chamberlain’s letter to the editor, which went viral for its sarcastic nature and tone
Dr. Joseph Ladapo, pictured, Florida’s new surgeon general, made waves after saying that those that have been infected with the virus will develop an immunity to the infection
The 81-year-old’s letter quickly went viral on Twitter, despite the fact that Chamberlain doesn’t pay attention to social media, with readers pointing out his sarcasm and dark sense of humor.
He said he was ‘kind of stunned’ after being contacted by a Washington Post reporter, who informed him of the letter’s popularity online.
‘I think when you are addressing foolishness, you cannot respond with a serious argument. The only way you can make people aware of something that is ridiculous is through ridicule,’ Chamberlain, 81, told CNN about his now-infamous September 23 letter.
Chamberlain had written the letter after his son’s father-in-law died of COVID-19 last month, despite the fact that he was vaccinated, according to CNN.
‘Often I’m not angry when I write a letter (to the editor),’ Chamberlain said.
‘But I think this time I really was, because this took out a good friend of mine.’
Meanwhile, Dr. Ladapo has continued to make headlines over his skepticism over coronovirus health measures like mask and vaccine mandates.
He’s also a part of a group of doctors who have expressed support for unproven or disproved prevention methods, including ivermectin, a medication used to de-worm pets and livestock, and hydroxychloroquine, and anti-parasite pill that treats and prevents malaria, as well as lupus and arthritis.
Coronavirus in the US, showing the amount of cases per state
Pictured: The number of US deaths per day in August and September
Chamberlain’s letter to the editor specifically targets Ladapo’s position on the ‘great protection’ that natural immunity provides against COVID-19, which the doctor addressed alongside the Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, in a September 21 news conference.
‘You don’t need to go to medical school to look at the data and see that there’s really great protection’ offered by getting infected with and recovering from Covid-19, Ladapo said.
‘There’s tremendous data that supports the fact that natural immunity protects people from getting very ill, also protects people from being infected again. So that’s what it is, and that’s great.’
Ladapo told the press that ‘vaccines are up to the person,’ while adding that they ‘prevent the risk of serious illness,’ but ‘people get to make the choice about what they want to do with that information.’
Pictured: a mobile COVID-19 vaccine trailer. Dr. Ladapo told the press last week that ‘vaccines are up to the person’ while promoting the natural immunity of those who were infected
Latest US coronavirus numbers, showing over 43 million cases and over 700,000 deaths
While Chamberlain acknowledged that natural immunity does exist, he did take issue with Ladapo’s emphasis of it.
‘To see a person who should give honest advice telling people you can be indifferent to everything we knew of medical practice, that is an absolute betrayal of public office,’ Chamberlain told CNN.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has continued to recommend people to get vaccinated, even if they have already been infected by the virus, noting that while the risk of reinfection ‘is low in the months after initial infection,’ that risk ‘may increase with time due to waning immunity.’
About 70 percent of breakthrough COVID-19 cases resulting in hospitalization were among those 65 years and older, while about 87 percent of breakthrough cases resulting in death were among the same age demographic, the data shows.