Don Lemon couldn’t believe that some people who refused to get a coronavirus vaccine are experimenting with drugs made for livestock, and was outraged at the dangerous misinformation that’s been spreading about vaccines.
For some reason, some people have been purchasing a drug used to deworm livestock called ivermectin from feed stores and taking it because right-wing misinformation fooled them into thinking it provides some kind of protection against the coronavirus — it doesn’t.
The matter came to light last week when Mississippi officials had to issue a statement because at least 70% of recent calls to poison control were from people wrongly ingesting the medicine. At least one person in the state was hospitalized for taking ivermectin.
“It can be dangerous to get the wrong doses of medication, especially for something that’s meant for a horse or a cow,” Mississippi State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs explained to Rachel Maddow last week.
In Idaho, some doctors are actually prescribing the drug made for cattle. The FDA strongly advises against doing anything with ivermectin other than giving it to livestock and said it’s possible to overdose on it since it’s more concentrated because it’s made for, you know, a horse.
Needless to say Lemon was baffled during his Aug. 23 CNN spot to learn people really are willfully taking medicine made for cows in a deeply misguided attempt to avoid getting sick with COVID-19.
“There are people who don’t trust the vaccines,” Lemon said. “But they’re willing to try any wacky, fake cure they read about online or they see in right wing media.”
He continued to question why someone against vaccines and refusing to do the simple act of wearing a mask to prevent themselves from getting sick with the coronavirus would go through extra lengths to, well, poison themselves in an attempt to be immune from covid.
“So let me get this straight,” said Lemon. “Think about this, ok? You won’t get vaccinated. You won’t wear a mask. You said you’re worried about the FDA approval, you don’t know what’s in the vaccine. But you’ll take a drug meant for deworming livestock? Really? You’re gonna trust your health and your life to rumors and misinformation?”
Lemon concluded, “this is just the latest in the hall of shame of covid misinformation.”