An interview with Dr. Ann Bukacek, who claims the coronavirus stay-at-home order is too restrictive
Dr. Annie Bukacek, founder of Hosanna Health Care, on Tuesday, July 16, in Kalispell. (Brenda Ahearn/Daily Inter Lake)
Editor’s note: The following is an email interview with Dr. Ann Bukacek, a Kalispell physician and member of the Flathead City-County Health Board. Dr. Bukacek answered these questions prior to a health board meeting this week, which has caused some to seek her removal from the board. The “talk” in the questions is referring to one she gave questioning the accuracy of covid-19 death statistics at the
Dr. Bukacek: Before we get started, you later ask, ”As a member of the city-county health board, do you support the current restrictions?”
I cannot answer that in good faith and want to provide a disclaimer for my answers here today. Any answer I give you will not be done as a member of any health or medical board. They will by my own answer as a simple sovereign citizen and/or as a private practice medical doctor.
Q: In your talk you suggest the death numbers are probably inaccurate, are you also suggesting the test numbers are wrong? Everything I’ve heard so far says they’re probably higher, not lower.
Dr. Bukacek: Death numbers may be reasonably accurate but many of the listed causes probably are not the true reasons.
The CDC encourages IN WRITING medical facilities to list Covid-19 as the reason for death weather testing was positive or not or even untested and when Covid-19 was present at death whether or not it was the actual cause.
Not everybody with Covid-19 dies. Some have no or little symptoms of medical problems. So, no report.
Street people from big cities and older country people who live with limited contact probably are not counted unless over counted for political/financial reasons.
My final answer is that nobody really knows.
As to testing: The USA started with tests showing a large number of false readings, both positive and negative. Yesterday, the U.S. Navy reported concerns about two task groups ready to deploy. They claim insufficient test kits and faulty test kits (showing too many false negatives).
Again the real answer is that nobody knows.
Q: Do you feel the current stay-at-home order is too restrictive?
Dr. Bukacek: Yes, from both a constitutional and medical basis.
Constitutional: I believe that the Constitution is second only to God as a legal authority. Furthermore, I have special concern about what I see as an egregious violation of the First Amendment. That has to stop and NOW.
Health and medical:
The mental health of people without jobs stuck in close-quarter family situations. It’s a recipe for everything from domestic violence to suicide.
The elderly in nursing and assisted living facilities whose mental and physical health would be negatively affected by solitary confinement which is usually only forced upon prisoners for bad behavior.
The community health of people whose non-Covid-19 tests and physically reparative procedures would be adversely affected by the isolation order.
That’s just a few off the list of items that I take into consideration to form my viewpoint.
Q: If so, what should be eased?
Dr. Bukacek: First and now, places of worship, restaurants who can maintain proper social distance and businesses that are not considered vital but can continue to produce in a safe manner. How about including long haul truckers who spend about 8 hours alone in a closed cab elevated above the automobile air vent exhausts. The list is long, time is short.
Q: *As a member of the city-county health board, do you support the current restrictions?
Dr. Bukacek: Answered by disclaimer above
Q: How, in your opinion, should we move back to “normal?”
Dr. Bukacek: What will be considered normal post Covid-19? That being said there should be a steady but good sense march back to as many social and economic pre-Covid-19 positions as we can while taking some, but not excessive risks. We are Americans, after all.
This story has been corrected from a previous version that said Dr. Bukacek was the vice chair of the Flathead County City County Health Board. She is not.