Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe asked residents to quit listening to “social media nonsense” when it comes to gathering COVID-19 information.
Moe made the comments at Thursday’s press conference which was held to announce Saskatchewan’s Provincial Emergency Operations Centre would take over the province’s emergency response to the COVID-19 situation.
Moe proceeded to rattle off some of the latest conspiracy theories he’s heard of.
“For example, this week I’ve read and been talked to by a number of folks that I’m being paid off by the vaccine makers…well nothing could be further from the truth.”
“(Regarding the) latest emergency order that I signed; there’s a rumour that there’s a plot for myself or the Minister of Health to go out and seize people’s cows. Also not true.”
Moe said while these statements are absolutely ridiculous, they would be funny “if the consequences weren’t so serious today.”
Moe didn’t hold back on conspiracy theorists, either.
“Believing in and spreading active anti-vaccine conspiracy theories is actually contributing to people dying from COVID by keeping them from getting vaccinated.”
Moe clarified that the emergency order he signed wouldn’t even give him the capability to seize anyone’s cows.
The premier said he believes it’s fair for MLAs to address these sort of theories on a one-off basis, but ones regarding medical treatments should be addressed by those in the field.
“If people want to use a horse dewormer, for example, or a cow dewormer to treat COVID-19, I’m not sure about the science behind that. A few weeks ago I had asked, there is an opportunity for our medical community to actually step in and explain what a horse dewormer like ivermectin actually is used for and why it might not be quite as effective when it comes to COVID-19.”
Ivermectin has been widely disproven by the medical community as a way of treating humans who test positive for COVID-19.
A joint message from the College of Physicians and Surgeons (CPSS), the Saskatchewan Registered Nurses Association, the Saskatchewan College of Pharmacy Professionals, the Saskatchewan Medical Association and the Pharmacy Association of Saskatchewan said they disapprove the use of ivermectin “for either treatment or prophylaxis for COVID.”
Health Canada has also shared that ivermectin is not authorized to prevent or treat COVID-19 and if used in this case, it may result in “serious health problems.”
“Health Canada has received concerning reports of the use of veterinary ivermectin to prevent or treat COVID-19. Canadians should never consume health products intended for animals because of the potential serious health dangers posed by them,” a statement read.
The human version of ivermectin is authorized for sale in Canada, however only for treating parasitic worm infections in people.
Health Canada warned if people do use the veterinary version of ivermectin, especially at high doses it has the potential to cause serious health problems like vomiting, diarrhea, low blood pressure, allergic reactions, dizziness, seizures, coma and even death.