Health & Lifestyle

One in 20 Americans treated their Covid with unfounded drugs – and certain news sites may have had something to do with it, survey finds

  • Ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine were used by some to treat Covid
  • But there is no evidence that either is effective against the virus 
  • READ MORE: Get ready for Covid vaccine PILLS!

Approximately one in 20 Americans turned to unproven treatments like ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine to treat their Covid-19 infection. 

A nationwide survey found six percent of respondents reported using either treatment when they had the virus, despite the lack of evidence these medications effectively fight Covid.

Ivermectin is used in humans to treat parasitic worm infections, head lice and rosacea. It was initially touted as a miracle remedy because numerous studies suggested it could beat the virus, but experts criticized the studies as being deeply flawed and unreliable and they insist there’s not enough evidence to say ivermectin has any benefit.

Hydroxychloroquine is used to treat autoimmune conditions and may also be used as an antimalarial drug.

It was briefly authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat Covid, but the approval was revoked a few months later after clinical trials found the medication was unlikely to be effective against the virus and posed serious side effects.

Ivermectin is used in humans to treat parasitic worm infections, head lice and rosacea. It was initially touted as a miracle remedy because numerous studies suggested it could beat the virus

Ivermectin is used in humans to treat parasitic worm infections, head lice and rosacea. It was initially touted as a miracle remedy because numerous studies suggested it could beat the virus

Hydroxychloroquine is used to treat autoimmune conditions and may also be used as an antimalarial drug

Hydroxychloroquine is used to treat autoimmune conditions and may also be used as an antimalarial drug

Americans who said they turned to Facebook, CNN and Fox News for information were more likely to use non-evidence-based treatments for Covid, the survey found

Americans who said they turned to Facebook, CNN and Fox News for information were more likely to use non-evidence-based treatments for Covid, the survey found

As part of the survey, researchers looked at where people got their news and information from and if this had any effect on the odds they used unproven medical treatments for Covid.

It was found that people who endorsed even just one piece of misinformation, 23 percent of participants, about vaccines had ‘a significantly greater likelihood’ of having used a non-evidence-based treatment.

Researchers also found a connection between where respondents got their news from and if they turned to unproven treatments. 

Americans who said they turned to Facebook, CNN, Fox News and MSNBC for information were more likely to use non-evidence-based treatments for Covid, the survey found.

Researchers said: ‘In general, cable news sources regardless of perspective were associated with increased odds for both non–evidence based [treatments] and FDA-approved antiviral [treatments]. 

‘Facebook did not follow this pattern: odds of non evidence based [treatments] but not FDA-approved treatments were markedly greater with Facebook as a news source.’

When it came to political affiliation, conservatives were more likely than liberals to endorse unfounded medications like ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine.

People also more likely to try the unevidenced drugs included those who said they trusted social media, those who scored higher on the American Conspiracy Thinking Scale, and people who said they trusted former President Trump. 

Other factors that indicated increased endorsement of these treatments included, exposure to vaccine misinformation and mistrust in healthcare institutions.

For the survey, researchers from Harvard Medical School and Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, surveyed 13,438 Americans across all 50 states who said they had previously had Covid.

The participants had an average age of 43 years old, and the majority were female.

They were asked whether they used ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine to treat Covid, whether they believed false statements related to Covid vaccination, their trust in various institutions, their conspiratorial thinking and their news sources.

The study was published in JAMA Health Forum on Friday.


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