COVID-19: Uttarakhand government to distribute Ivermectin tablets among residents

File Photo (Reuters)

Dehradun: With an aim to control the spread of COVID-19, the Uttarakhand government has decided to distribute Ivermectin tablets among residents, an official said on Wednesday (May 12).

Ivermectin is an antiparasitic drug that has been recommended as preventive medicine against COVID by the state-level clinical technical committee.

Similar directions have earlier been issued by Goa and Karnataka governments.

The decision was taken on the recommendation of the state-level clinical technical committee, an order issued by Chief Secretary Om Prakash to all district magistrates said, according to PTI.

The panel has recommended the Ivermectin tablet as mass chemoprophylaxis to effectively control the surge of COVID-19 infection apart from the vaccination drive, the order said.

The 12 mg tablets of the drug will be distributed in a kit to all families through the health department and district magistrates, the order added.

However, the World Health Organisation has warned against the use of the drug.

“Safety and efficacy are important when using any drug for a new indication. WHO recommends against the use of ivermectin for COVID-19 except within clinical trials,” Soumya Swaminathan, WHO chief scientist, said in a tweet on Tuesday.

On Monday, Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said all people above 18 years will be given Ivermectin drug irrespective of their coronavirus status to bring down the number of deaths due to the viral disease.

On Tuesday, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and state's COVID task force head C N Ashwath Narayan said 10 lakh Ivermectin tablets have been procured and their supply will begin on May 14.