News anchor claims to be taking ivermectin daily to treat long COVID

Last week, a news anchor said on a podcast that he has been taking ivermectin daily to treat long COVID, despite having spoken out against ivermectin in the past. A video clip from the podcast sparked widespread conversation on social media, with some social media users promoting ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19 and cancer, and others asking the anchor to apologize for previously “shaming” people who refused to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Recommendation: This podcast interview and social media posts about the podcast interview may discourage patients from accepting safe, proven treatments for COVID-19 and long COVID in favor of unsafe, unproven options—especially when a public figure is promoting unsafe, unproven treatments. Talking points may emphasize that ivermectin is only FDA-approved to treat certain parasitic infections. According to the FDA, available data demonstrates that ivermectin is not effective in the treatment of COVID-19, and it is not FDA-approved to treat COVID-19 or long COVID. Additionally, ivermectin does not cure cancer. Taking ivermectin for off-label purposes can result in poisoning. To treat a COVID-19 infection, the CDC recommends antiviral treatments that have been tested, determined to be safe, and proven effective. There is no single treatment for long COVID, but doctors help long COVID patients manage individual symptoms using interventions that have been tested and proven to be safe.