Social media users have claimed an Australian doctor recommended the Queen take ivermectin to treat COVID-19.
Dr Mukesh Haikerwal appeared on Channel 9’s A Current Affair on Monday (February 21) to discuss possible treatments following the Queen’s recent diagnosis. But the claim he recommended the 95-year-old take ivermectin is false.
Dr Haikerwal confirmed to AAP FactCheck via email that he never recommended the drug. A representative from A Current Affair (ACA) also confirmed the claim is false, and that an image of the drug was erroneously displayed during a report on the Queen’s condition.
The ACA segment has since been removed from the 9Now website, and a new, corrected version has been uploaded along with an apology and clarification.
But this was not before clips of the original segment made it onto social media. In the clips the ACA reporter says: “Dr Mukesh Haikerwal says a COVID patient the Queen’s age should be isolating and might benefit from new medicines currently approved for high risk patients at Australian hospitals.”
The story then cuts to an image of Stromectol – a trade name for ivermectin – and back to Dr Haikerwal saying: “These tablets or these infusions can make a dramatic difference to their immediate welfare and health and how they feel, but also their long-term benefits as well.”
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