Ivermectin no treatment for COVID

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) - Mackenna LaFond says she noticed the trend about a week ago.

“Walks in and asked if we have any medicine,” says LaFond a clerk at Sierra Feed in Reno. “I say what kind of medicine?” He says, Ivermectin. Told me the whole story; says it cured coronavirus. Came over here and he bought 8 of them,” she says.

LaFond says customers are taking multiple tubes home with them and often ask her how they should take it.

“I tell them every time it is just for animals,” says LaFond. “Even though I know they are going to take it for themselves,” she says.

The signs are clearly marked near the Ivermectin, and LaFond says customers are asked to sign the receipt indicating they understand the Ivermectin sold at the feed store is for horses, not humans. None of that has deterred customers who believe the medication will help them ward off or even treat COVID.

So much so, feed stores are having trouble keeping the medication in stock.

“Well I think Ivermectin clearly falls into the same category as Hydroxychloroquine,” says Dr. Bret Frey, an emergency room physician. “It has not shown any benefit and has shown very likely it can be harmful,” he says.

Ivermectin does come in a human form. But the drug is prescribed at a much lower dose for specific medical conditions. It is effective, but not as a treatment or preventative for COVID. And taking Ivermectin designed to treat parasites in horses can be deadly.

Keep in mind one tube helps treat a horse up to 1500 pounds. And that treatment lasts three to four months. Imagine what it can do to a person weighing 150 pounds who takes it on a regular basis.

Copyright 2020 KOLO. All rights reserved.