Some People Who Do Not Trust Vaccines are Turning to Controversial Ivermectin Drug to Treat COVID-19.
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A Bahamian group is advocating the use of Ivermectin to treat COVID-19 patients in the country.
Optimist is offering this alternative treatment for the infectious disease as the government lobbies for more people to become vaccinated.
The group is made up of doctors, medical professionals, pastors and lawyers who have banded together to promote Ivermectin with other therapeutics to fight the disease.
The group said it “has no intention of being political or labeled as antivax but as concerned doctors and citizens who believe greater measures are being called for than the limited vaccine only strategy.”
Vaccine proponents have championed the drug as a “miracle drug” while some health authorities say the promoters of the drug rely on serious errors in a number of key studies to support its use.
What is Ivermectin?
The drug is not new but has been used for centuries as an anti-parasitic medicine for both humans and horses.
Ivermectin for humans are tablets that have been approved at specific doses to treat some parasitic worms, and topical formulas for skin conditions like rosacea and head lice.
The animal formula is as pour-on, injectable and paste, are approved in the U.S. to treat or prevent parasites in animals.
Every version of the drug is being used by some people to treat COVID-19.
Is it approved for COVID-19?
Countries like India and Slovakia have permitted the medication to treat COVID-19.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the USA has not approved or authorized the drug and has stated it has not been shown to be effective or safe against COVID-19.
Clinical trials to evaluate it for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 are still ongoing.
Reports show that taking large doses of Ivermectin is dangerous and has resulted in death in some people.
Why are proponents embracing Ivermectin?
For some reason during the pandemic, anti-vaxers embraced it to fight COVID-19. The frenzy to use it has circulated social media.
It is readily available and inexpensive.
The Bahamian group, Optimist, says it believes a push for the drug, will help to save more lives and keep people out of the hospital. And it is taking a stand against “a mandatory vaccination programme” which it believes impedes constitutional liberties.
