As TN and Goa Push Ivermectin for COVID, WHO Scientist Reiterates Opposition
Doctors have said that they are pressured to prescribe the drug to COVID-19 patients even though they are aware that it has no beneficial effect.
A pharmacist holds the anti-parasite drug ivermectin in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, May 19, 2020. Photo: Reuters/Rodrigo Urzagasti
New Delhi: As several Indian states continue to prescribe ivermectin, the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan on Tuesday tweeted that the UN agency recommends against the use of the drug to treat COVID-19 patients except within clinical trials.
Included in the tweet was a press release issued by the company that manufactures the drug, Merck, saying it has not found any evidence to support ivermectin’s use in treating COVID-19.
COVID-19: Why Does Ivermectin Continue To Be Popular? 14/05/2021
A pharmacist holds the anti-parasite drug ivermectin in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, May 19, 2020. Photo: Reuters/Rodrigo Urzagasti
New Delhi: As several Indian states continue to prescribe ivermectin, the WHO’s chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan on Tuesday tweeted that the UN agency recommends against the use of the drug to treat COVID-19 patients except within clinical trials. Included in the tweet was a press release issued by the company that manufactures the drug, Merck, saying it has not found any evidence to support ivermectin’s use in treating COVID-19.
“Safety and efficacy are important when using any drug for a new indication,” Swaminathan said in her tweet.
COVID-19: Queues at Crematoria Again Suggest Inconsistencies in Official Data 14/04/2021
Beds with oxygen support at a quarantine facility for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in Mumbai, April 13, 2021 Photo: Reuters/Francis Mascarenhas
Bengaluru: At the sight of the pile of bodies of people who died due to COVID-19 at a crematorium in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, the relative of one such victim told NDTV that he’d last witnessed anything similar during the 1984 gas tragedy. “In four hours, I have seen 30-40 bodies here,” he added.
But the magnitude of the crisis doesn’t seem to match Madhya Pradesh’s official data. In fact, NDTV reported that there appear to be “major inconsistencies” between official state data of the number of deaths due to COVID-19 and the number of bodies that need to be cremated in line with COVID-19 protocols at designated crematoria.
COVID-19: Queues at Crematoria Again Suggest Inconsistencies in Official Data thewire.in - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thewire.in Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.