Insider.com
A doctor in rural Oklahoma said the number of people overdosing on the deworming medication ivermectin was so high that emergency rooms were filled to the brim.
The situation is so dire that people with gunshot wounds have to wait their turn to get treatment, Dr. Jason McElyea, an ER physician affiliated with hospitals in Sallisaw, told KFOR, an NBC affiliate in Oklahoma City.
McElyea spoke to the channel this week about the dangers of overdosing on the version of ivermectin meant for use in livestock. He said the hospitals he worked at became overwhelmed after people started taking ivermectin, believing unverified claims that it's an effective COVID-19 treatment.
"The ERs are so backed up that gunshot victims were having hard times getting to facilities where they can get definitive care and be treated," McElyea said.
He added: "All of their ambulances are stuck at the hospital waiting for a bed to open so they can take the patient in and they don't have any, that's it. If there's no ambulance to take the call, there's no ambulance to come to the call."
McElyea said many of his patients were familiar with the drug. "Growing up in a small town, rural area, we've all accidentally been exposed to ivermectin at some time. So, it's something people are familiar with," he said. "Because of those accidental sticks when trying to inoculate cattle, they're less afraid of it."
But McElyea said he'd seen people suffering from the ramifications of taking doses meant for a full-sized horse, including instances of vision loss, nausea, and vomiting.
"Some people taking inappropriate doses have actually put themselves in worse conditions than if they'd caught COVID," he said.
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