Ivermectin saga continues, plus five highlights from ‘Vrye Weekblad’
Here’s what’s hot in the latest edition of the Afrikaans digital weekly
Are you even South African if you are not in a WhatsApp group where people are singing the praises of Ivermectin as a miracle cure for Covid-19?
The scientific and political fight about the approval of the drug for the treatment of Covid-19 is intensifying across the world. And with the third wave on our doorstep in SA and our vaccination programme struggling to take off, groups like AfriForum and I Can Make A Difference (a group of doctors) are demanding that ivermectin be recommended for use against Covid-19 urgently.
The dilemma, says a doctor we spoke to, is that people are desperate. “You can't tell a patient he's uninformed or stupid because he doesn't want to wait for when the vaccine finally arrives. People are dying.” She says she doesn't hesitate to prescribe Ivermectin.
But health authorities and several scientists insist that the drug should not be used for the prevention or treatment of Covid-19.
Prof Francois Venter, one of SA's leading Covid-19 researchers, says proponents of Ivermectin think the drug has near-magical qualities. “They also claim there is an international conspiracy that suppresses their findings. Such preposterous claims need solid evidence, and I have seen very little to convince me,” he says.
The latest study about the drug (it was published in the last week and is still in the preprint stage) found that ivermectin is not a viable option in the treatment of Covid-19 patients. It had no impact on the death toll or length of hospital stay for patients who were mildly ill.
Until there is conclusive proof either way, Venter says the responsible thing to do is to wait.
Read more about the Ivermectin and vaccine saga, and more news and analysis this week in Vrye Weekblad.