Doctor behind viral COVID-19 cure claims still practicing medicine in Texas
HOUSTON (FN) — Nearly five years after she burst into the global spotlight for promoting what health authorities called a dangerous and unproven cure for COVID-19, Dr. Stella Immanuel remains in Houston, Texas, where she continues to practice medicine and preach at a church she founded.
Immanuel, a Cameroonian-born physician and evangelical pastor, became a central figure in one of the most explosive medical misinformation scandals of the coronavirus pandemic when a video of her claiming that hydroxychloroquine could cure COVID-19 went viral in July 2020. The video was amplified by high-profile political figures before being removed by major social media platforms for spreading false information. More about her claims are here
Despite widespread condemnation from medical experts and public health officials, Immanuel has not been charged with a crime and has not lost her medical license. Records show she remains licensed in Texas and is associated with a Houston-area clinic previously known as Rehoboth Medical Center.
At the height of the controversy, Immanuel dismissed vaccines and masks and made a series of outlandish claims, including that illnesses were caused by demonic forces and supernatural entities — statements that prompted renewed scrutiny of how state medical boards regulate physicians who spread misinformation.
In 2021, the Texas Medical Board took corrective action, requiring Immanuel to document informed consent from patients for off-label drug use, rather than suspending or revoking her license. Critics said the move fell far short of accountability.
Public health advocates argue that Immanuel’s continued ability to practice medicine highlights gaps in regulatory oversight during and after the pandemic.
“She wasn’t just another online influencer,” said one Houston-based physician who followed the case closely. “She was a licensed doctor making claims that contradicted every established medical authority — and millions listened.”
Immanuel also leads Fire Power Ministries, a charismatic church based in the Houston area, where she has blended religious teachings with her views on medicine, drawing both devoted followers and fierce criticism.
Social media companies, including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, removed her videos in 2020, calling them a threat to public health. But the controversy cemented her status as a symbol of the pandemic’s misinformation crisis, a period when fringe medical claims collided with politics, faith and fear.
Today, Immanuel keeps a lower public profile, but her case continues to be cited by experts as an example of how quickly false medical claims can spread — and how difficult it can be to hold licensed professionals accountable once the spotlight fades.
