B.C. experts call for more to be done to counter COVID-19 misinformation about vaccines, ivermectin
Two Vancouver medical experts are calling for more to be done to counter the spread of COVID-19 misinformation, after a fresh warning was issued about taking ivermectin.
Interior Health shared an image of a flyer seen around Kelowna advertising the sale of the drug, along with illustrations of the virus that causes COVID-19.
Commonly described as a "horse de-wormer," ivermectin has also been approved for treatment of parasitic worm infections in humans in Canada.
Dr. Brian Conway, medical director of the Vancouver Infectious Disease Centre said it’s not an effective or approved treatment for COVID-19 and there have been severe consequences for people who have taken the drug.
“Side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, coma, seizures, people have been hospitalized,” Dr. Conway said. “This drug was never developed as an antiviral.”
A doctor who is alleged to have spread misinformation about ivermectin and COVID-19 vaccines is also set to face a disciplinary hearing by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia.
That move is welcomed by Dr. Susan Kuo, a Richmond family practitioner and a clinical assistant professor at UBC.
“I think the college needs to pursue this,” Dr. Kuo said. “I think it’s important that people are not misled to think that this medication works and I think the college has a duty to pursue people that are trying to say it works.”
Dr. Conway, however, also raised concerns about the lack of awareness of proven, effective COVID-19 treatments that have been authorized by Health Canada and are available in B.C.
“I think we’ve not done a good enough job of making clear that there are preventive measures,” he said. “There are treatments that are proven, that are widely available and people should take advantage of these proven options and not resort to ivermectin.”
Dr. Kuo believes there are also unnecessary challenges in the approved anti-viral treatments. For example, Dr. Kuo said she has seen strong results in prescribing Paxlovid to her patients, but there are restrictions on who can get the drug.
“I feel as a family doctor that my hands are very tied and I wish I could use this on more people because I know this helps,” Dr. Kuo said.
More information on approved treatments for COVID-19 is available online from the BC Centre for Disease Control.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
LIVE B.C. seeks ban on using drugs in 'all public spaces,' shifting approach to decriminalization
The B.C. government is moving to have drug use banned in 'all public spaces,' marking a major shift in the province's approach to decriminalization.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.