A Washington doctor has been fined and instructed to undergo education courses after prescribing ivermectin for COVID-19,” according to a report from The Epoch Times.
Dr. Wei-Hsung Lin is to pay a $5,000 fine and participate in three credit hours of continuing education regarding COVID-19.
The doctor prescribed ivermectin to five patients without offering alternative treatments and informing them of possible risks. This includes discussion of COVID-19 vaccines, according to the order.
One woman prescribed ivermectin took the drug for four out of the five prescribed days, claiming she did not see improvement, although she later recovered.
A man was similarly prescribed ivermectin after he and his wife had COVID-19, although they did not ultimately take the drug because they “did their own online research and observed the warnings about ivermectin for COVID-19 as well as the possible negative effects for those with heart conditions,” the order reads.
The order asserts that Dr. Lin engaged “below the standard of care” and acted in “unprofessional conduct.”
Dr. Jane Orient, the executive director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons said, “Ivermectin is an extremely safe drug—much safer than most drugs physicians prescribe without all the ‘informed consent’ discussions demanded here.”
“As to informing patients of alternatives, the reasons patients were calling this doctor was likely that no alternatives were available. It was ‘isolate and go to ER if you get worse.’”
American Faith reported that a U.K. study found that COVID-19 patients given ivermectin recovered faster than those who were not given the drug.
The study involved 2,157 ivermectin recipients and 3,256 patients receiving standard care between June 21, 2021, to July 1, 2022.
Despite patients recovering faster on the antiparasitic drug, the authors concluded that “ivermectin should not be used to treat SARS-Cov-2 infection in the community in high-income countries with a largely vaccinated population.”
