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Did Ivermectin Lead To an Indian State Becoming COVID Free?

Why do some people believe that ivermectin lead to an Indian state becoming COVID free?

Misinformation about ivermectin as a treatment for COVID is still being pushed on social media.
Misinformation about ivermectin as a treatment for COVID is still being pushed on social media.

The usual suspects…

Did Ivermectin Lead To an Indian State Becoming COVID Free?

Since ivermectin doesn’t actually work to prevent or treat COVID, I’m guessing you have already figured out that it didn’t lead to an Indian state becoming COVID free, right?

The Indian state these folks are talking about is Uttar Pradesh and like the rest of India, they were hit with a Delta variant driven wave of COVID last spring.

“Daily cases skyrocketed from roughly 10,000 in early February to a peak of 414,188 by May 7. But within just a month, cases had dropped nearly 80% to 85,801.”

Delta waves in India and the U.K. have already receded. Could the same happen in the U.S.?

And like the rest of India, COVID cases surged for a few months in Uttar Pradesh and then dropped, as the Delta surge ended.

“In places like Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and the Carolinas, the latest wave appears to be following a similar pattern of a sharp spike followed by steep plunge seen in the United Kingdom, India and other places battered by delta. Epidemiologists say this pattern suggests the virus is rapidly burning through pockets of unvaccinated people before hitting a wall.”

The summer coronavirus surge has started to ebb, but delta’s danger remains

It’s the same pattern that we have seen in the UK and the United States, places where ivermectin is not widely used!

“The Uttar Pradesh state government has initiated house-to-house active case finding of COVID-19 in rural areas to contain transmission by testing people with symptoms for rapid isolation, disease management and contact tracing.”

UTTAR PRADESH Going the last mile to stop COVID-19

Cases did seem to drop more quickly in Uttar Pradesh as compared to some other Indian states, but it almost certainly isn’t because they distributed ivermectin to people. All of the testing, rapid isolation, and contact tracing were likely much more important factors.

“Kerala seems to be paying the price for the relaxations allowed during the Bakrid festival and now Onam amidst a Central team finding lot of loopholes in the contact tracing and containment strategies in the state. Uttar Pradesh on the other hand had kept a weekend lockdown in place since the second wave but has lifted the same in two stages this month given the drastic drop in the cases.”

Tale of Two States: Kerala, Uttar Pradesh Paint A Contrasting Picture of Covid-19

Kerala also relaxed their COVID restrictions earlier than Uttar Pradesh!

It is also important to note that while Kerala has had more cases than Uttar Pradesh and most other Indian states, they have one of the lowest fatality rates!

“All the same, at 0.5%, Kerala still has the lowest fatality rate among all but one thinly populated state. The national figure is 1.4% and it is 1.3% for the country’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh.”

Kerala’s COVID-19 lessons for India and Modi’s government

If ivermectin is so effective, then why is the case fatality rate so high in Uttar Pradish?

Hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin were more widely used in India earlier in the pandemic, but didn't prevent the Delta surge. They have now switched to more evidence based guidelines.
Hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin were more widely used in India earlier in the pandemic, but didn’t prevent the Delta surge. They have now switched to more evidence based guidelines.

And why is ivermectim not included in the latest Comprehensive Guidelines for Management of COVID-19 patients issued by the Directorate General of Health Services of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare in India?

Of course, the answer is because it is not an effective treatment for COVID.

Want to avoid COVID, especially if another variant sparks another surge?

Get vaccinated and protected.

More on Ivermectin and COVID

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