In the article “ ‘You can’t fix it with facts’: Doctors share patients’ excuses for covid vaccine refusal” (Oct. 17, TribLIVE), you ask, “How can a patient be in disbelief over the coronavirus, pandemic and vaccine …?” One answer is later in the article, which states the following: “Some have requested ivermectin, the horse dewormer, despite there being no research to support its use in treating covid-19, (Dr. Amy Crawford-Faucher) said.”
I believe that statement adds to the misinformation Americans are being force-fed by journalists who look for shock value, physicians who double as on-air personalities and politicians who will say anything to keep the public in fear. Podcast host Joe Rogan sparred with CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta over CNN host Don Lemon using those same words. Yet, you used the same phrase, “ivermectin, the horse dewormer … .” Did you investigate the facts about this drug, the research, studies and peer reviews about its effectiveness against covid-19? Either you did and ignored it, or you did not.
There are multiple drugs that are used in different forms for both humans and animals. Does anyone refer to amoxicillin as a dog antibiotic? Or tramadol as a cat pain reliever? In my opinion, this was done for cheap shock value. So while you ask why the public questions information about vaccines and drugs used to treat covid-19, you may want to look in the mirror. Until the politicization of this virus is stopped, there will always be those who distrust the medical community, the pharmaceutical industry, the FDA, the CDC and the WHO.
Nancie Pajan
Delmont