Bad and Unethical "Science" that Took YEARS to Correct

Recently, the paper that claimed hydroxychloroquin was an effective treatment for COVID-19 was FINALLY retracted, 4.5 years AFTER its publication in a supposedly professional science journal published by Elsevier. It was supposedly peer-reviewed... only 36 hours after submission. And who's the owner of the journal? The author of the paper himself, Jean-Marc Lorain. The paper was IMMEDIATELY questioned after its publication, as its timeline made no sense. For the timeline to work, the author must have started the study BEFORE its ethics rules had been approved!  Further more, a study only a year later got the exact opposite result: Use of HCQ lead to INCREASED mortality. Yet the paper remain published with no retraction. In fact, one of the co-authors (the rest requested their names to be removed from the paper) tried to sue the critic. That is, until 4.5 years later... when it was FINALLY retracted. 

This paper was cited by bajillion COVID deniers claiming government were withholding "vital medicine" from the public, which also included horse dewormer ivermectin. People were so desperate for ivermectin (which also had NO effect on COVID-19) they were robbing pet stores and veterinary clinics. What they don't tell you is these COVID denier doctors are actually selling Ivermectric and Hydroxychloroquin on the side and making BIG BUCKS... until exposed by a hacker. 

The only bad and unethical science in recent memory that surpassed this was Andrew Wakefield's bogus vaccine link to autism study. Not only was the data unethically sourced, Wakefield did not disclose he was developing a vaccine himself. THAT paper in the Lancet took a DECADE to be retracted. 

Just because it's published in a journal doesn't mean it's reliable and good science. 

COVIDiocy Busted: Latest and Largest Ivermectin Trial Shows It Has NO Effect Over Placebo

The test was done in Malaysia where 490 COVID patients with mild or moderate symptoms were randomly given either IVM or placebo between May and October 2021 for five days. So what's the outcome? No discernible difference. IVM did NOTHING, as we've told you all along. All those IVM pimps had been lying to you about how "effective" IVM had been. It never was. 

In this study, out of 490 patients, 241 ended up in IVM group, and 249 in placebo control group. 52 in the IVM group and 43 in the control group have their conditions worsened to "severe disease", which defined as blood oxygen saturation falling below 95% without use of supplemental oxygen. Other outcomes, such as requiring ICU, mechanical ventilation, or mortality and adverse events, are also nearly identical. 

And these are the most vulnerable, 50+ years old, with some co-morbidity conditions. I.e. the ones that most need the drug to work. 

And IVM did nothing. 

Younger people who are more likely to survive COVID definitely don't need IVM. 

At least two other trials in 2021 (in Colombia and Argentina) ALSO confirmed that IVM did nothing. 

What else did the trial show? Vaccinated patients have a significantly lower rate of severe disease. And IVM reported 60% of all adverse events, including severe diarrhea. 

The conclusion is undeniable. 

IVM did not reduce risk of COVID progressing to severe status. 

IVM did not reduce risk of hospitalization from COVID. 

IVM did not improve survival rate of COVID. 

This trial is using 0.4 mg/kg of body weight for 5 days. This is actually VERY high, but they can do so because all the patients are staying in the hospital for close monitoring. AND they already suffer from high rate of adverse events. 

Imagine COVIDiots self-dosing at home, under- or over-dosing, and getting the runs (loose bowels). 

All for nothing. 

It does not pay to be a COVIDiot. 

Data COVIDiocy: No, Ivermectin Did NOT Save Uttar Pradesh (India) from COVID-19

Gideon MK, an actual epidemiologist, has written an article on medium on how antivaxxers and IVM pimps such as the FLCCC, desperate to find any evidence to support their use of Ivermectin (IVM) instead of vaccines, had created a myth out of almost nothing. The article is not too long, but in case you need a TL;DR, here's a very quick summary. 

A) FLCCC made a claim that when IVM was included in the treatment protocol in Uttar Pradesh, both case numbers and deaths dropped like a rock. They even made a graph to show it. 

(Those of you who read this blog may notice this is a VERY similar claim used in the "Japan COVID cases fall after Tokyo Medical Association calls for IVM use". )

But what exactly is this "IVM included in treatment protocol"? Turns out, Uttar Pradesh did NOT include IVM in its treatment protocols until AUGUST. Since the "included in treatment" shading started in April, this can't possibly be referring to the official treatment protocol. 

Turns out, there were two separate "test, trace, and treat" efforts by WHO in Uttar Pradesh, Basically, workers went door to door offering tests for COVID, one for adults, and one for kids. If they test positive, they were told to self-isolate and were handed a medical kit. The one for children contained IVM. We don't know what's in the adult version. Based on the test numbers, even if one assumes that EVERYBODY who was tested was handed a kit containing IVM (positive or not, child or not), there are at best 5 million kits containing IVM handed out. Keep in mind that Uttar Pradesh has a population of well in excess of 200 million. Even if we take a conservative number, like 225 million (it could be as high as 250 million), 5 million kits of IVM is enough for just over 2% of the population. It could NOT have caused the sharp drop in both cases and deaths. 

Keep in mind that during most of May 2021, India's vaccination rate is BELOW 10% for even just ONE dose, much less both shots (it's like 3%). Testing efforts can't be much better. 

So the drop in COVID cases and deaths are far more likely result of the lockdown (which started in April 2021) and lack of testing than from IVM treatments. 

What's even more interesting to note is Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) COVID 19 National Task Force OFFICIALLY dropped both IVM and HQL in September 2021 in its treatment guidelines. 

If you read the comments, the IVM pimps went for "pharma shill gambit", i.e. "are you paid by Merck to write this?" While others call out what they see as "bias". 

Frankly, that's just barking up the wrong tree. 

Don't be a COVIDiot like these IVM pimps who sees IVM benefit when there was none. 

Religious COVIDiocy: Televangelist Marcus Lamb died of COVID after sharing conspiracy theories about COVID

Marcus Lamb was CEO of Daystar TV Network, one of the largest Christian broadcasters in the US. He died on November 30th, after being diagnosed of COVID on November 12th. 

Lamb was well known for his homophobic and transphobic views as well as his endorsement of "gay conversion therapy" where homosexuals are subjected to brainwashing and other abuses attempting to "convert" them back to heterosexuals, a practice that was denounced by the UN. 

Lamb was also caught buying a private jet with the Trump Administration COVID business loan called "paycheck protection program", which as the name suggests, was meant to be used to keep people employed. He ended up paying that back almost immediately. 

During COVID times, Lamb featured an antivax panel featuring antivax misinformation superspreaders such as RFK jr ("I am pro safety!"), Sherry Tenpenny ("vaccines makes you magnetic!"), and Ryan Cole (IVM will cure you!). 

It is believed that Lamb treated himself with IVM, HQL, and more. It clearly didn't work. 

His son blamed everything on "the enemy", which is Daystar's euphemism for "the Devil". 

Ironic COVIDiocy: Seven Antivax Doctors Contracted COVID after Attending Antivax Event in Florida

Seven antivax doctors attended an Ocala, Florida "summit" about alternative treatments for COVID, and caught COVID there, yet the organizer denied that the event was a superspreader event, according to The Guardian. 

One of those was Dr. Bruce Boros, 71. He claimed to be taking and prescribing Ivermectin for 16 months, and condemned his own 97-year-old father for getting vaccinated, as well as calling Dr. Fauci a fraud. When interviewed, he claimed he just wanted to help people. 

Remember, folks. Ivermectin is a weak nerve toxin to kill parasites. It has an extremely weak effect on COVID virus. If you take enough to affect the COVID virus, you'd die of IMV overdose first. 

No idea where did these doctors get the idea that Ivermectin is "working all around the world". The only study that showed definite results was withdrawn after people spotted falsified data. 

Don't be a COVIDiot. Just get vaccinated. 

COVIDiocy Conspiracy: No, the new Pfizer Drug Paxlovid is NOT a variation of Ivermectin

Pfizer and other drug makers have been working on a drug to treat COVID and Pfizer just announced Paxlovid is 89% effective in preventing hospitalization if taken soon after COVID symptoms during phase 2/3 trials. It worked so wonderfully, they stopped testing and petitioned the FDA for emergency authorization use. 

This immediately got the antivaxxers up in arms, claiming that Paxlovid is just Ivermectin in a different packaging at 20X the price because both are protease inhibitors. 

I am not going to screenshot the tweets and such, because they are rather silly. But then, it may take some ability to Google (tm) and knowing how drugs REALLY work to understand such comparisons are silly. 

Let me give you an analogy: comparing Ivermectin to Paxlovid is like comparing these two vehicles, but probably not in the way you think:

Yellow: Caterpillar 797F  360 ton truck
White: Chevy Suburban 2.5 ton truck

Now that's how much IVM you have to take in the yellow truck
to equate one dose of Paxlovid (in the Suburban)

It's pretty clear you would never drive the yellow truck on a public road, it'd never fit! 

Yet that's how much Ivermectin you have to give to the patient so enough of it gets to the blood in order to have enough effect on the COVID virus in you, when compared to Paxlovid (with the Suburban acting as a stand-in). 

I am not going to get into the details as to what makes up Paxlovid, the scientific names, and so on. If you want, you can read the better explanation by Orac on his blog Respectful Insolence. This is my summary of it. 

A drug when taken orally has to be able to be digested and absorbed by the body. This is called "bio-availability". 

A protease inhibitor blocks a virus' ability to reproduce using the host's own cells. This protease inhibitor must block as few protease as possible, as not to interfere with host body's own functions, such as digesting protein, yet block the virus' ability to reproduce. With me so far? 

(Side topic: Immune system and vaccines, as well as the monoclonal antibodies treatment, floods the blood with antibodies, which attaches to the proteins of the virus they match to, which prevents the virus from reaching the cells, attaching themselves, and burrowing inside to multiply.)

Pfizer, had actually identified this compound, called PF-07321332, back in the 2000's as part of its effort to find a drug that works on SARS, which is itself derived from another PF-series compound which I won't list, as it's too technical. Read Orac's blogpost if you want the details.  

Ivermectin was discovered in a Japanese pond (on a golf course) by two Pfizer scientists around 1970's.

The two are not related. The only thing they have in common is they are both protease inhibitors, just as both vehicles above are considered "automobiles". They don't even affect the same protein!  

So what's the problem? Bioavailability. Ivermectin, abbreviated IVM from here on, has a safe range of blood concentration of about 20-80 ng/ml. That's nanograms per milliliter. What antivaxxers don't understand about IVM is it's technically a nerve poison. That is how it kills parasites. In the safe range noted above, the human body tolerates it well. If you overdose on IVM, you can suffer "confusion, drowsiness, visual hallucinations, tachypnea (rapid breathing), and tremors", "disoriented and had difficulty answering questions and following commands" (as documented from actual cases of IVM overdose). 

The original study that potentially identified IVM as having an effect on the COVID virus noted that the effect was only achieved with the concentration of the drug in a petri dish in the milligram range. It's 10-20 times HIGHER than it's possible to achieve safely in human blood due to poor bio-availability and side effects. 

Or as one doctor puts it? 

Re: Ivermectin inhibits the same protease Pfizer's Paxlovid does:

Paxlovid works at 3.11nM, IVM at 21uM. 6-12mg IVM gets you ~26nM. Assuming linearity, you need ~6,000-12,000mg IVM to get ~21uM. Thats over the LD50 of 15mg/kg (avg wt), which is over 15 full tubes of horse paste. https://t.co/iAeZrTEfDF

— Avi Bitterman, MD (@AviBittMD) November 20, 2021

That's right, one dose (two pills), vs 15 tubes of horse paste (which will likely KILL you). That's how much IVM you need to take to have the same effect of Paxlovid on the COVID virus. 

Don't be a COVIDiot and believe that Ivermectin is all you need. 

Get vaccinated. 

COVIDiocy Propaganda: How to see through anti-vaxxer attempts to mislead you

Recently someone posted this graph, claiming Ivermectin has stopped the spread of COVID in Japan, so much so they stopped using vaccines altogether. 

COVID-19 in Tokyo - Japan 
Sharp drop after ivermectin recommendation? Really? 

Note that this is a multi-layered lie, and we have to take it apart layer by layer. 

First, is this graph real? 

Answer: Yes, the data seems to be real, and seems to match the official Tokyo Metropolitan Government website's COVID page. 

Did "Tokyo Medical Association" recommend use of Ivermectin? 

Answer: Yes, its chairman Haruo Ozaki did conduct a press conference lobbying for the official Japanese government guidance to include Ivermectin. However, they do NOT represent the Japanese government or even the Tokyo Metropolitan government. They are merely one of the lobbying groups, and a sub-group within the Japan Medical Association, also a lobbying group.

What does the Japanese government say about Ivermectin? 

The official guidance from the Japanese Ministry of Health on Ivermectin, according to AFP, states that "compared to standard treatment and placebo, ivermectin did not reduce deaths, shorten the hospitalization period and improve time of virus disappearance."

The health minister stated in August that they need to see proven effect before any update to the guidance will be issued. 

What about claims that Japan had stopped rollout of COVID vaccine? 

False. Japan continues to use three types of COVID vaccines. 68 percent of Japanese population has had two doses. 

So what caused the drop? 

Tokyo and major cities declared a state of emergency, targeting alcohol sales and crowd sizes at large events. People are voluntarily masking up and businesses adopted anti-infection methods. The emergency measures were not lifted until October 2021. 

It is the lockdown, masking, and vaccination, that caused the drop of COVID cases. 

Who started the lie?

The lie appears to have originated from a conspiracy theorist-oriented "Hal Turner Radio Show" website, which had been fact-checked before by AFP for spreading misinformation. Turner had previously claimed that 50K Chinese soldiers had invaded Maine from Canada in December 2020 and were killed, but US covered it up as an earthquake. Yes, it's as stupidly crazy as it sounds. 

Turner was previously convicted of threatening to assault three federal appeals court judges in 2010 and was banned from radio for 3 years. 

So it was just a big coincidence? 

As they say on CSI, "correlation is not causation". Japan never adopted Ivermectin as treatment, so it can't be the cause of lower COVID cases. And TALKING about ivermectin has no therapeutic effect. 

So there you go. Don't fall for COVIDiot propaganda. 

COVIDiocy Conspiracy: Ivermectin Doctors are Making Big Bucks Off Antivaxxers

The Intercept, a sort of journalistic Wikileaks, has obtained data that shows right-wing doctors are making big bucks out of the right-wingers who were fed anti-vax disinformation. 

According to The Intercept, the group known as AFLDS (America's Frontline Doctors), best known for COVID-19 disinformation since the summer of 2020, referred many people to SpeakWithAnMD.com, a telemed platform based on Cadence Health. Each consultation is $90 for a call, where doctors "trained by AFLDS" prescribe non-sense meds like hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin, and if they got a prescription, they are delivered by Ravkoo. However, many patients paid but never got a callback. 

The data from Cadence Health and Ravkoo was obtained by an anonymous hacker who gave the data to the Intercept. 

The Intercept contacted Cadence Health, and it shut down quickly, claiming unwillingness to be profiting off COVID "quackery". 

It is worth noting that the head of AFLDS, Dr. Simone Gold, was arrested and charged for the January 6th Capitol Insurrection. Gold was well known for stating that COVID is not very deadly, and the COVID vaccine is more dangerous than the disease. Given that over 700000 Americans have DIED from COVID, and unvaccinated are 99% of the recent deaths, this is clearly wrong. 

According to the hacked data given to The Intercept, about 281K people paid 6.7 MILLION dollars in TWO MONTHS (between July and September 2021) for consultations with SpeakWithAnMD.com's "AFLDS trained doctors", and when shown this data, Cadence Health's CEO was flabbergasted, and terminated the contract with SpeakWithAnMD.com immediately. 

The same data also indicated that 340000 prescriptions were filled by Ravkoo between November 2020 and September 2021, worth about 8.5 MILLION dollars. Out of that, 46% were for ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine. NEITHER are valid treatments for COVID, as both are antiparasitic, not antiviral. Another 30% are for zinc or azithromycin, neither of which have an effect on COVID. That's more than 3/4 of all orders. When shown this data, Ravkoo CEO claimed he stopped doing business with AFLDS and SpeakwithAnMD.com at the end of August. When shown data that there are prescriptions from AFLDS in September, the Ravkoo CEO surmised that they are probably refills. 

The Intercept goes into details on the origins of AFLDS (it's funded by pro-Trump ultra-right Tea Party Patriots Foundation to counter FDA's cautious response to COVID), and into more details about how both AFLDS and SpeakWithAnMD's parent company reacted to the leak (by gathering a team of over a dozen lawyers). 

You can read the whole Intercept article here: https://theintercept.com/2021/09/28/covid-telehealth-hydroxychloroquine-ivermectin-hacked/

My thoughts: I was wondering WHY would AFLDS, and its fellow misinformers like FLCCC and BIRD misinform people like that. Turns out, there is a FINANCIAL incentive after all. 

I first encountered FLCCC when one of their doctors prescribed ivermectin to a COVID patient in an Ohio hospital OVER THE PHONE, where he doesn't even have privileges. The hospital refused to fill it, and the patient's wife sued, and a judge actually gave the wife a win, until another judge blocked it. 

What's interesting is FLCCC is NOT willing to stand behind its recommendations. Look at their own disclaimer:

Disclaimer can be summarized as you can't
blame FLCCC if you got sick and/or died

And AFLDS was reported by Time of taking the money and not even giving consultations, in an investigation that predated the hack given to Intercept. 

These people are essentially selling snake oil to fearful people, and using a doctor's white coat to do it. 

Don't be a COVIDiot and get swindled by these crooked quacks. 

Get vaxxed. It's that simple. 

COVIDiocy Highlighted; Antivaxxers Jokes Made it onto Jimmy Kimmel Show

The Jimmy Kimmel Show highlighted the hypocrisy of anti-vaxxers doing everything they can to avoid the most studied topic in recent years: the COVID-19 vaccine, that they are going to extreme measures that are MUCH LESS studied for safety or effectiveness than the COVID vaccines. 

We've previously mentioned Ivermectin, an antiparasitic medicine primarily used on animals, but is also available in reduced strength for human use, mainly for people in third-world countries still in danger of catching parasites. Ivermectin has no known antiviral properties, and COVID is caused by a coronavirus. The FDA and the manufacturer have repeatedly pointed out that Ivermectin doesn't work for COVID and has dangerous side effects, yet the QNuts, including some doctors who claimed to be "experts" on Ivermectin use, continue to push it for COVID treatment. 

And because you used to be able to buy Ivermectin at any feed store, some desperados have resorted to buying the large animal version and tried to calculate a dose safe for human use from it, often with disastrous consequences. There were several cases of overdose in New Mexico, as well as an uptick in calls to the Poison Control hotline regarding Ivermectin overdoses. 

As the mania spread through Qnut communities, actual animal lovers can't get the meds for their animals, that feed stores near Las Vegas are requiring that you show a picture of you and your horse before you can buy the large animal Ivermectin. And thus the Jimmy Kimmel joke: they rather spend hours Photoshopping themselves into a horse photo than get the free vaccine you can get at any local pharmacy.  

Ivermectin desperados may have been making do with Heartgard, a heartworm medicine for dogs or cats, which also has Ivermectin as a primary ingredient. There are unverified stories of people going to veterinary clinics and demanding that they be sold Heartgard. 

Then there's the monoclonal antibody treatment, sometimes called Regeneron. Those are made in a lab, costs a LOT of money, it's considered "investigational", not even experimental. In fact, if you're already hospitalized for COVID, you can't get it. And here again, Jimmy Kimmel pointed out the hypocrisy: anti-vaxxers don't trust the most studied item around the entire world in the past two years: two little shots of the COVID vaccine, yet they do trust being pumped full of lab-created antibodies that requires an IV. 

The anti-vaxxers are irrational. And irrational people do crazy things. And guess who's PAYING for all this? The taxpayers. 

Don't be irrational. Don't be a COVIDiot. Get #vaxxed. 

MORE COVIDiocy: 1 DEAD and 1 Critical of Ivermectin Overdose in New Mexico

 New Mexico officials announced 2 ivermectin overdose cases to the public, that one man is dead, and one man is in critical condition. According to New Mexico Human Services Secretary Dr. David Scrase, while the death is "without firm documentation", a full investigation would take WEEKS and he believes that the cause of ivermectin overdose is "reliable" and putting the warning out in the public, and prevent any further deaths from Ivermectin overdose, is more important than getting the cause of death 100% right 4 weeks later. 

So now it's confirmed, folks. Ivermectin can KILL YOU, esp. if you use the veterinary version meant for cows and horses that weigh several times more than you and have VERY different digestive systems. There is absolutely NO benefit for taking them. The manufacturer said so. The FDA said so. There are NO high-quality studies that show positive results using it on COVID. Only a few people without evidence other than their own rhetoric say it works. 

But by all means, it's YOUR choice. 

Don't be a COVIDiot. 

COVIDiocy Denied: Different Judge Threw Out the Ohio Court Order for Ivermectin Treatment, but Senators Politicize Science

 Previously we reported an Ohio case where a judge agreed with the plaintiff who wanted ivermectin treatment for her husband sick with COVID. The hospital refused. and the wife sued, and won the first round. 

A different judge has reversed the previous court ruling. On Monday, Judge Michael Oster issued an order reversing the earlier decision, citing lack of convincing evidence that the drug could significantly improve the patient's condition. 

What the lawsuit had made clear though:

• the doctor who made the prescription, Fred Wagshul, does NOT have medical privileges at the West Chester Hospital, where the plaintiff's husband is being treated on a ventilator. 
• furthermore, Wagshul, without ever seeing the patient, wrote a prescription for 30 mg of ivermectin for 21 days. For comparison, for deworming a 100 kg human (220 lb) the dosage is a SINGLE 20 mg dose. The medicine has NO demonstratable effect on virus, only on parasites. 

FDA has issued warnings that ivermectin is NOT a valid COVID treatment. But conservative media continued to push it. In fact, two senators went as far as accusing FDA of "being political". Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Senator Rand Paul (R-KY). Mainly because FDA issued warnings about ivermectin when reports surfaced that people are overdosing on ivermectin and ended up calling poison control or visit to the emergency room. 

Johnson reported told NYTimes that he considers FDA stance on approving vaccines and warning about ivermectin to be "all about... the political goal of having mandates", and he claims that he opposes mandates "unless there's some incredibly deadly disease". The only conclusion to be drawn here logically is Johnson does NOT consider COVID to be an "incredibly deadly disease", despite having killed 650K people in the US since 2020 (less than 24 months)

Rand Paul has a similar aversion to inconvenient scientific studies.  According to Paul, FDA doesn't like those who conduct experimental treatments of COVID-19. He basically claimed that ivermectin, similar to hydroxychloroquine, is being ignored because Trump had promoted them and science hates Trump. Given that Paul was once an ophthalmologist, clearly he had forgotten ALL of his medical training, including "do no harm". And since he had claimed that he's keeping an open mind, he must be using "double-speak", where "keeping an open mind" means cherry-picking on what he wants to believe and discarding the inconvenient truths. 

Don't be a COVIDiot. Get vaxxed. 

More COVIDiocy: Ivermectin Desperados Threaten Vet Clinics For Heartgard

 This is not on the news, but the relative of a friend. 

Apparently some guy bullied his way into a veterinary clinic's treatment area demanding access to Heartgard, a heartworm medicine for dogs and cats. 

Why? Its primary ingredient is, you guessed it, ivermectin, the nonsense "wonder" ingredient COVIDiots believe can treat COVID. 

The guy allegedly played the race card, "You won't sell me Heartgard because I'm black."

The clinic called 911, and the crazy guy left before the police arrived. 

No, they won't sell you Heartgard because it's meant for DOGS or CATS. 

Is this sign of things to come: robbery, then armed robbery of veterinary clinics? Smash and grab? Looting?

More COVIDiocy: Ivermectin Overdose Cases in Oklahoma Overloaded Hospitals and Ambulances

 KFOR (Oklahoma) heard from an ER doctor that hospitals and ambulances are overloaded with ivermectin overdose cases, causing a delay of service for other trauma patients. 

In case you need a reminder, ivermectin is generally used to deworm horses and cattle. It is approved for human use, but in a vastly reduced dosage for internal worms and parasites. 

Ivermectin was NEVER approved for COVID. Its manufacturer and FDA says it doesn't work on COVID. So far only ONE RETRACTED study says it works on COVID. It wasn't peer-reviewed or replicated. So there is NO evidence that it works on COVID. 

Yet various antivax groups and even a supposed COVID "crisis" doctor group claimed it works wonders on COVID. 

Previously we've covered a judge who ORDERED a hospital to treat a COVID patient with ivermectin in Ohio. 

Now we are getting reports that rural Oklahoma citizens are self-dosing with ivermectin meant for animals, and many overdosed. Harm includes nausea, vomiting, muscle aches, cramps... for the MINOR cases. One had vision loss. 

And we may not have seen the worst. 

You are not a doctor (unless you are, in which case, ignore me). If you take medicine, you should consult a doctor. Only COVIDiots take medicine recommended by someone over the Internet. 

Don't be a COVIDiot. Get Vaxxed. 

More COVIDiots: can a judge "compel" a hospital to administer something that doesn't work? An Ohio judge just did...

Would YOU decide to take horse dewormer because somebody on the Internet told you it can cure COVID? 

Before you said yes, remember many months ago someone said the same thing about hydroxychloroquine? It was touted by no less than Trump himself. That did not work. 

So why would you expect ivermectin to work? It doesn't either. 

There is ONE study in Egypt with positive results for ivermectin that was NOT peer-reviewed. Then the publisher retracted the paper. Turns out there are SERIOUS problems with the data, where there are signs that data have been copied between patients, among other problems. The entire study cannot be trusted. 

You can guess what the antivaxxers did... Scream "censorship", never mind the details. 

So what is this about a judge? Hold one for one more thing...

Ivermectin CAN be used on humans... for a MUCH reduced dosage... for parasites. It can be used topically for head lice, or internally for "river blindness", and so on. It was so useful, the team that found the human use got the Nobel Prize in 2015. Again, it kills parasites, not viruses. 

Now onto the judge. 

In Ohio, a woman, Julie Smith, has her husband in the ICU for COVID since July 15th, 2021. Julie, found a Dr. Fred Wagshul, supposedly an expert in treating COVID with ivermectin, who was willing to prescribe her husband ivermectin. The hospital refused. Thus the lawsuit. 

We have determined above that most studies regarding ivermectin are either inconclusive or flawed. There is little evidence to suggest Ivermectin can prevent or treat COVID. Yet its proponents continue to claim the proof is "irrefutable" and such that it works. 

Just think about it. Ivermectin has NEVER before been formal trial tested in ANIMALS OR HUMANS for fighting a virus, muchless COVID, until very recently. Suddenly, it works wonders... then THAT study was found to be potentially fraudulent. So what's the conclusion? 

Logically, it should be "I'll have to wait and see, as there's no evidence that it really works. If it worked that well, I'd want to see some MORE proof. Extraordinary claim requires extraordinary evidence."

Indeed, that's the current Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis of ivermectin and COVID conclusion based on all existing studies (will be updated as more studies are performed):

Based on the current very low- to low-certainty evidence, we are uncertain about the efficacy and safety of ivermectin used to treat or prevent COVID-19.

But now, just because some patient asked for this unproven treatment because she shopped for a doctor that will give it to her, does that means the hospital has to provide it? Apparently a judge decided that to be a "yes". Does a judge have the right to decide if a treatment is viable? Or can any patient walk into any hospital and demand a quack treatment just because she found a doctor willing to prescribe it? 

But hold on, it gets worse. 

The dose prescribed was "30 mg daily for 3 weeks". 

So what's a typical ivermectin dose? 

For intestinal deworming, the suggested dose is ONE, repeat ONE ONLY, dose of 200 mcg/kg. Assuming her husband is 100 kg (220 pounds), that's 20 mg dose.

This "doctor" has prescribed a dose 50% over that (30 mg), FOR 21 full days. 

Where did he even get this number? 

There is no science to his prescription. 

And I'll just leave you with this bit of news...

Anti-vax police Captain of Georgia town who touted ivermectin, taken quite a bit himself, and proud of his unvaccinated status, has died of COVID. 

Don't be a COVIDiot. Get vaccinated.