Laurence Fox ignores doctor advising him against Ivermectin for Covid-19 treatment

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Laurence Fox has attempted to shut down a doctor who offered him professional medical advice after he contracted Covid-19.

The controversial actor and failed London mayoral candidate tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday (30 January), just days after sharing a photo wearing a t-shirt that read: “No vaccine needed. I have an immune system.”

Palliative care doctor and author Rachel Clarke shared a news story about Fox getting Covid and wished him a “speedy recovery”, while warning that his chosen medication of Ivermectin was not recommended by medical experts.

“It’s important to stress there is no clear evidence that Ivermectin (a horse de-wormer) reduces the risks of catching Covid, or its severity,” Clarke wrote, adding, before adding: “We do have excellent evidence-based Covid treatments, though.”

Responding to Clarke’s tweet, Fox said: “Thank you for your well wishes. Ivermectin is an anti-parasitic drug administered to millions of people each year worldwide. It also has well known anti viral qualities.

“Dismissing it as a horse-dewormer is insulting to the people who rely on it and also the owners of horses.”

The FDA has previously warned that Ivermectin is an ineffective and unsafe treatment for Covid, although it is used in humans for other ailments.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) also recommends “not to use ivermectin in patients with Covid-19”.

It was infamously taken by podcast host Joe Rogan after he contracted Covid-19 in August.

Social media users were left unimpressed by Fox’s comments, with one writing: “Its not dismissing it as a horse-dewormer, it is a horse-dewormer.”

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“But there’s no long term study of its effectiveness against Covid... which, was your argument against getting the vaccine,” another wrote.

Current government guidance to help protect against Covid-19 includes getting vaccinated against Covid-19 (including the booster jab), wearing a mask in busy indoor spaces and regularly testing with lateral flows.