The California Medical Board may discipline a Tehachapi doctor who’s accused of telling a patient falsities about COVID-19 and the coronavirus vaccine, which breaks from a doctor’s proper standards of care, according to an accusation.
The false statements Ana Rebecca Reyna is accused of telling a patient include: COVID-19 vaccines contain fetal tissue, shots would alter his DNA irreparably and they are responsible for a 366% increase in miscarriages, the accusation stated. She also indicated to the patient during his appointment more than two years ago that masks didn’t stop COVID-19 and she got some of her advice from a medical podcast, the accusation added.
Reyna has retired and could not be reached for comment Monday. She told the Medical Board during an interview that she was speaking to the patient “off the record.” It wasn’t immediately clear if she has retained counsel.
“(Reyna) committed an extreme departure from the standard of care by providing advice about COVID-19 that was not accurate, and did not clearly relay to (the patient) that the advice did not comport with the standard of care in the community,” the accusation, released in June, stated.
It started after a patient — who has not been identified in the documents — came to see Reyna in April 2021 over inflammation affecting his toes, the California Medical Board said. He wore a mask while Reyna did not, though it was standard medical practice to wear a mask when seeing patients and was required by a mandate at the time, the accusation added.
“(Reyna’s) failure to wear a face mask during (the patient’s) visit constitutes an extreme department from the standard of care,” the accusation stated.
The patient and Reyna talked about the potential causes of the inflammation, and he told the doctor about working from home because his girlfriend had the flu. The patient then said his workplace required him to quarantine for two weeks if he has been exposed to someone with COVID-19-like symptoms.
“This was met with a lengthy rant by (Reyna) regarding COVID-19,” the accusation stated.
Reyna advised the patient to not get vaccinated, and said the three available shots were gene therapy, the accusation added. She reportedly continued that any information representing that COVID-19 is worse than a common flu is politically motivated, with an intent to negatively impact the “administration” in April 2021.
The Medical Board accused Reyna of telling the patient that she directed her patients to buy veterinary Ivermectin once they displayed COVID-19 symptoms.
The accusation adds Ivermectin can be used for both people and animals. But for people, Ivermectin is only to be used for specific parasitic diseases and not COVID-19, the Medical Board added.
The Ivermectin used by veterinarians has ingredients that haven’t been approved for human use, the Medical Board said.
Reyna also told the Medical Board she had a friendly conversation with the patient, the accusation stated. However, all interactions between patients and doctors must be professional, and therefore her actions reportedly departed from the proper standard of care.
During a hearing, the Medical Board could discipline Reyna in the following ways: revoke or suspend her license; revoke, suspend or deny approving her authority to supervise physician assistants and advanced practice nurses; and order her to pay for the board’s investigation and enforcement.
It was unclear what date Reyna would have a hearing. Her license to practice expires on Oct. 31, 2023.
