Grover Lopez, 58, and a former accountant in the city of Santa Fe held a book in his hands as he began the lengthy 12-hour wait while an IV dripped a toxic solution into his bloodstream — chlorine dioxide and saline. The doctor administering this treatment for Lopez said it “would eliminate the metals… wreaking havoc on his body,” according to a Vice News report. A doctor who didn’t wear a mask posted a sign in her office saying that one was required to “show” authorities. Mr. Lopez, her patient, had become yet another victim to Latin America’s growing battle with the production and propaganda of chlorine dioxide as effective medical treatments. 

As a diabetic patient, Lopez was first reluctant on becoming vaccinated due to an online report he read that stated the vaccine contained graphene oxide, a chemical compound of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. When “chemically reduced,” it can create “the strongest, thinnest, and most conductive material on earth.” However, when cases skyrocketed, Lopez rushed to get vaccinated, and received two doses of the Sinopharm vaccine. Yet at a clinic, Lopez was informed by his doctor that the virus could kill him due to his history with diabetes. His best solution was to be “detoxified,” according to Vice. 

During the treatment, when a metallic odor began emanating from Lopez’s body, is when he believed that the solution was working. Those who reject the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines state that the chlorine dioxide treatments can wipe out the virus inside the body, just as it does on the outside. There is no scientific or medical research data to support these claims. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has gone as far as to say that it can cause “fatal respiratory failure and heart arrhythmia.” Lopez’s doctor even equates COVID-19 vaccines to genocide. 

Rene Soria Saucedo, an epidemiologist in Bolivia mentioned to Vice that “people are looking for easy solutions. It’s a rich field for charlatans… We have enough… with COVID alone, but now… even more complicated cases because people have consumed chlorine dioxide. It’s a burden on the health system…” 

Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s infamous claim that injecting or drinking bleach can aid in COVID treatment by “killing” off the virus caused outrage within communities and among medical professionals. However, the administration of such toxins doesn’t come off as a surprise. Rather, such outrageous propaganda has even allowed those in lawmaking positions to pass bills that enforce the distribution of chlorine dioxide treatments. After former left-wing President Evo Morales resigned following military pressure over election fraud, Former Interim President Jeanine Anez came to power in 2019. When COVID-19 first broke out, Anez enforced such a strict lockdown policy that, according to some critics, people were on the brink of starvation. It was during this time that chlorine dioxide supporters began to emerge. In July 2020, a law was authorized by the Bolivian Senate which would “[approve] the supply and use of chlorine dioxide for the prevention and treatment of COVID,” according to Vice. 

Eva Copa, currently the mayor of El Alto, supervised the passing of this bill as head of Senate and even claimed that she drank chlorine dioxide when she had COVID-19, and it cured her. “[P]eople live hand to mouth working in the informal economy. A day without work is a day without food. In… despair, people will take what they can get. It’s better to regulate chlorine dioxide instead of people buying it on the black market,” said Copa in a Vice News report. Anez’s health minister labeled such information as fraud, and further promised that those who spread this propaganda will be prosecuted with “the full power of the law.” 

What becomes concerning about this conflict is how easily creating and purchasing chlorine dioxide has become for places like universities, and even military academies. An entire income could be spent on the treatments because most in Bolivia make approximately $750 a month. Some doctors, like Grover Lopez’s, charge three installments of $150. It’s difficult to combat those with the rigid mindset that a chemical solution capable of causing death, and radiating a “metallic odor” off the human body, is a more sensible treatment than a vaccine approved by the F.D.A.

The picture becomes crystal clear that the healthcare system in Bolivia remains weak and is not easily accessible to every individual. We must utilize resources and email our senators to push for this discussion to be brought to the table of healthcare crises. Further, stories like this need to be shared across social media to bring awareness on such experiences, and blatant acts of wrongdoing. Healthcare and welfare are natural rights belonging to every individual. A nation has failed to keep its citizens healthy and safe if they have to resort to the next available treatment, if it means killing them.