Ivermectin flyers being distributed in Kelowna.
Image Credit: TWITTER/Interior Health
October 02, 2022 - 3:56 PM
The Interior Health Authority is warning residents against the use of ivermectin to treat COVID-19 after flyers were distributed in the Central Okanagan.
Amid the pandemic, claims that ivermectin, a veterinary medicine used to prevent and treat heartworm, can cure COVID-19 have circulated online, prompting Health Canada to warn against its use as Canadian poison centres saw an increase in reports concerning ivermectin last year.
“Ivermectin (veterinary or human versions) is an antiparasitic drug that has not been authorized for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19. Using this product may cause serious health problems,” Interior Health warned in a Tweet posted Sept. 30.
Kelowna’s Michel Lindstrom distributed flyers to some Kelowna residents that say little about the drug, other than it’s the “2015 Nobel prize-winning anti-viral medicine” and how to order it by emailing him, calling himself “ivermectinguy.”
READ MORE: Kelowna man unapologetic about trying to sell ivermectin door to door
While Lindstrom makes no claims in his flyer (as posted by a Reddit user) about the drug being effective against COVID, he was very clear in an email to iNFOnews.ca that he intended it as a medicine for COVID.
“I invested in ivermectin specifically to save lives for anyone suffering from COVID,” he wrote. “I’ve personally witnessed countless reports of all kinds of completely non-related diseases cured as well, which has been a pleasant surprise.”
He claims to have had a 100% success rate in treating people who have COVID-19 with ivermectin.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Carli Berry or call 250-864-7494 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.
News from © iNFOnews, 2022