“We are aware of several ongoing, independent clinical trials where LISTERINE® is being assessed in patients with COVID-19. However, the current available data is not sufficient to support a conclusion that the use of LISTERINE® mouthwash is helpful against the COVID-19 virus. Our understanding of the course of COVID-19 disease transmission continues to evolve. Overall, more research is needed to understand whether use of mouthwashes can impact viral transmission, exposure, viral entry, viral load and ultimately affect meaningful clinical outcomes or have a public health impact” said Johnson and Johnson in a statement to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel about Ron Johnson’s moronic assertion that a “standard gargle” of mouthwash kills COVID-19.

There’s one minor issue with this statement: A MAGA anti-vaxxer is going to look at this and probably immediately think “Well OF COURSE Johnson and Johnson would say that! They make more money on vaccines than they do mouthwash!” which would almost certainly take a while to prove or disprove, if it were provable at all without directly contacting J&J to get an answer. But the “appearance” of a “conflict of interest” would still be there, so it probably would’ve been better if the Journal-Sentinel had reached out to Crest and/or Colgate for a statement on the matter.

Even if that wouldn’t have made a difference, why hand the fanboys free ammo? There’s a reason why both we and the Journal-Sentinel did not explicitly name Johnson and Johnson in the headline, because readers – even pro-vaxxers – would likely first believe they’re weighing in on this in their capacity as a manufacturer of COVID-19 vaccines, not Listerine mouthwash.