Rolling Stone had to retract a false story it published claiming an Oklahoma hospital had been overrun by people who poisoned themselves with the Covid-19 treatment ivermectin, and that that had resulted in gunshot victims and others being turned away or were left waiting for emergency care.
The story was published amid propagandists working overtime to try to controversialize the Covid-19 therapy ivermectin, which public health officials disparage and recommend against, but many physicians and scientists insist is proving highly effective in some cases.
Much of the misleading propaganda implied ivermectin is a horse medicine dangerous to people. It omitted the fact that there is an approved human ivermectin.
After the false story was published, the hospital issued a statement that prompted a correction.
It turns out the one doctor quoted in the story hadn’t worked in the hospital in months, and the hospital had treated no patients related to ivermectin. Additionally, the hospital said, it has not turned away or delayed any patients in the ER.
KFOR News in Oklahoma reported the story but had an uncorrected version still published as of this publication.
Rolling Stone called its correction, which admitted it could not verify the allegations in the original story, and that the hospital had denied them, an “update.”
Many in media and online (including MSNBC, a podcast entitled “No Lie,” Daily Mail, Newsweek, NY Daily News, The Hill, Journalism professor Jason Johnson, Daily Kos and medical professionals) passed along the false report, as detailed in this thread by commentator Drew Holden.
Like two of the Covid-19 vaccines used in the U.S. (Johnson and Johnson and Moderna), ivermectin is not FDA approved to treat Covid-19. Ivermectin is approved to treat parasites. However, so called “off-label” prescription of drugs for other purposes is common –and legal.
