Podcaster Joe Rogan says he’s tested positive for covid-19 and claims he’s taking ivermectin to treat it, along with a host of other drugs. Ivermectin has become seen as a wonder drug against covid-19 for right wingers in the U.S., sometimes leading people to buy a livestock version of the drug for themselves, but the FDA warns it’s not helpful for treating coronavirus.
“I got back from the road Saturday night, feeling very weary—I had a headache—and I just felt run down,” Rogan said in an Instagram video describing his symptoms.
“Throughout the night I got fevers, and sweats, and I knew what was going on, so I got up in the morning and got tested, and it turns out I got covid,” Rogan continued in the video which was posted to his 13.1 million followers on Wednesday.
Rogan said he “threw the kitchen sink” at the illness, and proceeded to list the drugs he’d taken, including some that have been shown to work against covid-19, including monoclonal antibodies and prednisone. In fact, President Donald Trump was treated with monoclonal antibodies after he got covid-19 in 2020, shortly before the presidential election, and started knocking on death’s door.
Rogan also listed other non-traditional treatments, like an NAD drip, a vitamin drip, and the ivermectin, which, again, is not recommended for treating covid-19, though it has many other uses. The podcaster said he was feeling lousy on Sunday but has been feeling a little better each day since.
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Rogan has declined to say whether he’s vaccinated against covid-19, but has promoted anti-vaxxer sentiment in the past. As the New York Times points out, Rogan has offered refunds to anyone who bought tickets for his upcoming show in New York after Mayor Bill DeBlasio said that people attending large events would need to show proof of vaccination.
The U.S. has seen a disturbing rise in covid-19 cases over recent weeks, with over 210,000 new cases and 1,932 new deaths on Wednesday alone. While so-called breakthrough cases occur, the vast majority of cases are among the unvaccinated.
The U.S. covid-19 vaccination rate is currently 53%, with the southern states struggling the most at getting their populations vaccinated. Alabama, for example, has just 38.4% of its residents vaccinated and is facing a critical shortage of ICU bed capacity at the state’s hospitals. And it’s expected to get worse as the delta variant of covid-19 rips its way through the unvaccinated population.
Get vaccinated, if you haven’t already. It’s a smarter move than the horse paste.