Attendees of Ocala conference where ivermectin was promoted contract COVID-19 – The Ledger

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Several doctors across the nationwho attended aconference in Florida several weeks agowhereivermectin was promoted as treatment against Covid-19 have since contracted the virus.

Dr. John Littell,the Ocala-based family medicine physician who organized the Florida Summit on COVIDat the World Equestrian Center in Ocala on Nov. 6, told The Ledger that one physician got sick and that a "handful of others" had mild cases.

"Only one physician got sick and that's because his father had been ill in the Florida Keys before he came," Littell said. "In each case, everyone is healthy now and back in the saddle and all were given early treatment and ivermectin and the usual combination of therapies."

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Asked if COVID-19 was spread at the conference, Littell said no.

"I sent an email to almost 1,000 people who attended and none indicated any illness afterwards," he said.

Littell is unvaccinated against COVID-19 and believes ivermectin is effective at treating and preventing the virus. He told The Ledger in October that he writes between 20and 40prescription for the parasite drug per week.

His opinion goes against that of leading health agencies.

Theres currently insufficient evidence from clinical trials and observational studies to prove the anti-parasite drugtreats or prevents COVID-19, according to thedrug maker's website, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the World Health Organization.

A top official with the Food and Drug Administration has advised doctors not to prescribe the drug,calling it a potentially tragic mistake.

Littell organized a conference in November that drew doctors across the nation who share his opinion about alternative treatment options.

Some of the doctors at the conference spoke againstthe vaccine, sharing information that federal health agencies deem as false.

Ivermectin was among the talking points.

In Polk County:

At the conference, 71-year-old cardiologist and anti-vaccine advocate Dr. Bruce Boros announced, "I have been on Ivermectin for 16 months, my wife and I. I have never felt healthier in my life," Newsweek reported.

That doctor contracted COVID two days later, according to multiple media outlets.Six other doctors who attended also contracted the virus, according to media reports.

The National Institutes of Health has said that most studies claiming to show Ivermectin's benefits contain "incomplete information and significant methodological limitations, which make it difficult to exclude common causes of bias."

A South Carolinanative, Dustin covers Polk County government and county-wide issues. He can be reached at dwyatt@gannett.com or on Twitter @LLDustin_Wyatt.

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Attendees of Ocala conference where ivermectin was promoted contract COVID-19 - The Ledger