Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
California physician who advised Florida Governor. According to the Tampa Bay Times, Ron DeSantis has recommended ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19.
Ivermectin, an anti-parasitic medication that is commonly used to deworm horses, is not known to be effective in treating COVID-19.
Thursday's health advisory by the CDC highlighted an increase in severe illnesses caused by the drug.
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A California psychiatrist recently advised Florida Governor. Ron DeSantis, a California psychiatrist, has sold ivermectin (an anti-parasitic drug used to deworm horses) as a treatment for COVID-19, despite warnings from US health agencies.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, Dr. Mark McDonald, an LA-based Republican, was selected by DeSantis as part of a closed door panel on masks for schools in July. DeSantis is opposed to schools requiring students to wear masks and has attempted to take funding from districts that do.
McDonald's did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. However, he had tweeted earlier in August that the drug was an "effective safe and inexpensive treatment" for COVID-19. Later, he tweeted that anyone who doubted its use in humans was "ignoramuses." The drug is commonly used to treat horses and other animals. However, it can also be used in treating parasitic infections in people.
Thursday's health advisory by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highlighted an increase in severe illnesses caused by the drug.
According to him, the Tampa Bay Times reported that the US Food and Drug Administration (which has advised against the use of the drug to treat or prevent COVID-19) had downplayed it because it had spent billions to "mass vaccinate" the population.
"If these people are trying to improve public health and make the population well, then why hasn't anyone spoken a word about prevention or making it possible to avoid infection, hospitalization, or death?" In an interview with the Times on Friday, McDonald's said this: "I believe there is a lot dishonesty and cancellation of people that support truth."
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Merck, the drug's manufacturer, stated that there is no scientific basis for the drug and that there is no meaningful evidence that it can be used to treat COVID-19.
The Times reported that McDonald's has also supported other controversial views, such as his opposition to face masks. In February, he shared a Twitter meme calling those who use them "retarded." According to the report, he also compared mask mandates with South African apartheid.
McDonald's has also dismissed the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. He wrote on Twitter that "Immunity can only be achieved naturally and not through an unsafe, experimental vaccine."
Insider was told Saturday by a spokesperson for DeSantis that McDonald's advised DeSantis about "forced masking of schoolchildren" but not about ivermectin.
She added that Dr. McDonald's participation on the school masking panel or testimony at the mask trial did not mean Governor DeSantis endorses or opposes any of Dr. McDonald’s views on other subjects.
McDonald's is also associated with American Frontline Doctors as the Times first reported. This organization was linked by NBC News this week to the spread of ivermectin for COVID-19 treatment.
After several schools defied DeSantis' ban, a judge struck down DeSantis blanket ban on mask requirements. McDonald's stated that requiring students to wear masks at school was child abuse, according to the Tampa Bay Times, which cited video from the meeting.
Lawyers for DeSantis used McDonald's comments at the trial earlier in the week, where the ban was overturned.
Business Insider has the original article.
