Okay, this is what I thought. It doesn't kill the Covid-19 virus, it inhibits replication. Two different things.
So simplified: A virus isn't even a single cell organism as such. Heck, as far as I know it's still debated whether a virus is even alive. Viruses have been categorized as living organisms, poisons, and biological chemicals, so the best definition is probably an "infectious entity". Like a chemical, it cannot reproduce on its own. Unlike a chemical or poison, it can use living material from a host cell to replicate itself. A virus is nothing more than a very simple strand of DNA and some proteins. The DNA of a virus is far less complex than anything in an animal cell. An animal's cell has thousands and thousands more DNA components than a virus. When the virus infects a cell, it disrupts the cell's normal functions and breaks down the DNA and proteins from the cell and processes them to create more viruses. When the virus has created all the new viruses that it can from that cell, the cell ruptures, releasing all the new viruses to infect more cells, which then create more viruses in those cells, which then rupture to infect more cells, and so on and so on.
Antiviral drugs don't destroy the virus, rather they keep the virus from completing the creation of more viruses by keeping the virus from achieving one portion of the replication process that I outlined above. There are all types of antiviral medications that target various stages in the replication process. For example, some antivirals work by blocking the point the virus needs to attach to the cell, while others keep the virus from "stealing" enzymes it needs from the host cell so that the virus can't create more viruses.
So this ivermectin doesn't kill the virus, it just keeps it from replicating and creating new viruses. If I remember right, to destroy a virus you pretty much have to kill the host cell.
The following link confirmed what I thought. I can't link to the full article even as a member, but I can link to the abstract page which pretty much explains that it acts as an inhibitor:
The FDA-approved drug ivermectin inhibits the replication of SARS-CoV-2 in vitro
The second thing I wondered about after listening to the gentleman in the video was what side effects the drug had:
Side Effects of Ivermectin
As stated in the link:
Q: Is there any danger to humans taking ivermectin?
A: There are approved uses for ivermectin in people and animals but it is not approved for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19. You should not take any medicine to treat or prevent COVID-19 unless it has been prescribed to you by your health care provider and acquired from a legitimate source.
Some of the side-effects that may be associated with ivermectin include skin rash, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, facial or limb swelling, neurologic adverse events (dizziness, seizures, confusion), sudden drop in blood pressure, severe skin rash potentially requiring hospitalization and liver injury (hepatitis). Laboratory test abnormalities include decrease in white cell count and elevated liver tests. Any use of ivermectin for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 should be avoided as its benefits and safety for these purposes have not been established. Data from clinical trials are necessary for us to determine whether ivermectin is safe and effective in treating or preventing COVID-19.
So is this a miracle drug for treatment and prevention? Those side effects have me asking myself whether this is the "miracle cure" the country desperately wants. Will it work in the body? Well according to the doctor above it does, but how long did the test subjects have to take it to receive the benefit? Do they have to take it continuously and often enough at a certain dose to maintain a constant level in the blood to prevent infection, thereby increasing the potential for adverse side effects? Or is it a one dose and you're good for a month type of deal? How much did the test subjects have to take? Is the dosage enough that liver function could be compromised quickly? I'm quite sure I wouldn't take it without a lot more information. There are a lot more questions than answers.
I can identify with TTA, and I can't say I blame him if it seems he ranted a little and got off on a tangent a bit. I have artificial heart valves which can become infected and subsequently damaging the heart or become fatal. I have asthma and smoked for 20 years and have the early stages of COPD, I guess you call it, as well as neurological problems (including seizures) from a stroke and a head injury. I spent from March to November isolated in the house and still ended up catching it during a doctor's visit. I was lucky and my case was mild in spite of my health issues. The doctor told me to be careful but I didn't have to worry so much and I could get out a little bit and go to the grocery store and such as long as I wore a mask and washed my hands regularly, especially after being out. Then the new strains developed and now I've been told to stay home and isolated again because the new strains are worse than the original, so now I'm back to square one. After a while you start getting a little frustrated and a little cranky.
And BTW, I share your feelings about the Fox Network, TTA.
WYite
