The reason I am writing this post today is that my 92-year-old father, who is vaccinated, recently had a fever and thought he might have Covid-19. I informed him that OTC tests are available, so I ran out and purchased one, and, thank God, he is negative. In the time we were waiting for the results (ten minutes), both he and my mother were wondering what they should do if he did have Covid. 

They watch TV and the news constantly, so why do they not know anything about how important early intervention is? When I asked, they told me that none of the newspapers or news shows talk much about it. This was a shock to me, but admittedly, I don't do either of those regularly. Rather, I seek out any information I may need to help me in my daily life. So I thought I would talk a bit about what the news is apparently not covering. 

India and Covid-19

 Remember back in the spring when India saw a spike in Covid-19? I had not heard anything for a while, so I decided to take a look. I was amazed to discover that an area called Uttar Pradesh (UP) handled two outbreaks differently and stopped them cold for the most part. The story involves:

• A mysterious medication.

• The World Health Organization (WHO).

• A promise to release the findings in a paper which has not been published to date.

India, like most places, has had two significant outbreaks. The first one started at the popular tourist area near the Taj Mahal in May of 2020 and was less severe than in other global regions. The region is known as Uttar Pradesh. The local, regional government provided Ivermectin to treat the sick and to prevent Covid-19 for the rest of the population. They unleashed 70,000 healthcare workers to the area and estimate that they covered 90%. Early intervention with Ivermectin kept the cases low and the deaths even lower. The surge ended shortly after it began. The World Health Organization shared the strategy. 1 Remember, in May of 2020, there was no vaccine.

Delta and Omicron Variants: Don't Worry

The Delta variant started in India. Mutations are regular and rapid for viruses. In a matter of hours, genetic changes ensure viral diversity, partially to evade the host's immune system. But most mutations adversely impact the virus' survival and are removed by natural selection. They rarely impact outbreaks dramatically and are not indicative of outlandish and devastating new viral characteristics. Like bacteria that eventually become antibiotic-resistant, so too can viruses escape our immune system's anti-viral mechanisms. Because numerous genes control the deadliness of viruses, the sudden appearance of a new, more deadly strain is rare. Remember, when viruses kill quickly, they reduce transmissibility because the host is too sick to expose others. Predicting how virulence might evolve is a complicated and perhaps futile task without information on the precise evolutionary forces and selection pressures in operation. 2 

Immune Escape

Having said this, Geert Vanden Bossche warns us that a vaccine that reduces symptoms may pose no evolutionary pressure for a virus to be less deadly. He states in his Open Letter to the WHO, "... viruses ...can easily and rapidly mutate (which is, for example, the case with Coronaviruses); when the pressure exerted by the army's (read: population's) immune defense starts to threaten viral replication and transmission, the virus will take on another coat so that it can no longer be easily recognized and, therefore, be attacked by the host immune system. The virus is now able to escape immunity (so-called: 'immune escape')."

India Round Two

The second wave, the Delta Variant, hit India in April of 2021 and, as Geert Venden Bossche predicted, was six times worse than the first. In Uttar Pradesh, public health workers visited homes there, testing and treating infections immediately. By June 14, 2021, new cases had dropped to 97.1 percent, and the Uttar Pradesh program was hailed as a resounding success by the WHO. You can see in the graph below, the region called Maharashtra to the south did not adopt the same program and did significantly worse. By July, the cases in Uttar Pradesh were down 99%. 3

The WHO Speaks, Sort Of

When the WHO reviewed the stunning results in UP, they only mentioned that the healthcare workers provided a "home healthcare kit" but omitted the contents, which I find a bit strange because the prior year, they were more than willing to disclose that Ivermectin was a big part of the successful intervention. So was there some new wonder treatment? No, in September, Microsoft News reported that Ivermectin was part of the kit. 4

The Evidence Is Not Limited to Uttar Pradesh

Meta-analyses based on 18 randomized controlled treatment trials of Ivermectin in COVID-19 have found large, statistically significant reductions in mortality, time to clinical recovery, and time to viral clearance. Furthermore, numerous controlled prophylaxis trials report significantly reduced risks of contracting COVID-19 with the regular use of Ivermectin. Finally, the many examples of ivermectin distribution campaigns leading to rapid population-wide decreases in morbidity and mortality indicate that an oral agent effective in all phases of COVID-19 has been identified. 5 Here are a few of the study results:

• In a one week study, two doses a week apart lowered the infection rate from 10% to 2%

• Covid-19 patients were given two doses three days apart, and the symptoms went down from 58.4% to 7.4%

• Daily doses of Ivermectin for 28 days resulted in no cases of Covid-19 versus 11.2 % in the control group

• Weekly Ivermectin over a three-month interval resulted in no Covid-19 cases versus cases in 58% of the control group

• Once monthly Ivermectin resulted in a 6.9% infection rate versus 73.3% in the control group

• Eight states in Peru used Ivermectin to reduce Covid-19 deaths between 64% and 91% over a two-month period

• 24 Peruvian states dropped the death rate from Covid-19 down 59% after one month and 75% after 45 days 

Where is The WHO Report on Ivermectin and Uttar Pradesh?

The WHO considers Ivermectin an "Essential Medicine." Ivermectin is effective, safe, and inexpensive. It is not a new and experimental drug with an unknown safety profile. 6 In May, the WHO stated on their India website that it would also support the Uttar Pradesh government on the compilation of the final reports. 7 To date, nothing has been released. Astoundingly, the National Institutes of Health here in the US said, "there are insufficient data to recommend either for or against the use of ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19," and the World Health Organization recommends against its use outside of clinical trials. 8

There is Hope

We are heading back into the Covid-19 season here in the northern US, and it is best to be prepared. Since my parents are well informed but still do not know what to do if they get infected with Covid-19, I thought I would mention a great resource. America's Frontline Doctors believes that the American people have the right to accurate information using trusted data derived from decades of practical experience, not politicized science and Big Tech-filtered public health information. They believe that safe and effective, over-the-counter and prescription COVID preventative and early treatment options should be made available to all Americans who need them. To that end, they provide medical consultation and prescribe both preventive and treatment options against Covid-19. Ivermectin is only one of about two dozen agents that help prevent and treat Covid-19, so you may want to check their website out. There is a ton of potentially useful information there. In the meanwhile, stay as strong and healthy as you can by eating whole foods, getting regular good sleep, and all of the other things I talk about regularly on this site.