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A recent story about rural Oklahoma hospitals being overrun with patients overdosing on livestock dewormer has been debunked.
Last week, KFOR reported "Patients overdosing on ivermectin backing up rural Oklahoma hospitals, ambulances," but the doctor interviewed for the story says he was misquoted.
“As the story ran, it sounded like all of Oklahoma hospitals were filled with people who have overdosed on ivermectin and that’s not the case,” Dr. Jason McElyea told News 9. “The cases we are seeing, people who are overdosing on ivermectin, they are taking full strength cattle doses and coming in and that is something that could be avoided.”
KFOR's original story was picked up by Rolling Stone magazine, CNN, MSNBC, BBC, and other media outlets around the world.
McElyea doesn't work for any one hospital in rural Oklahoma, but rather an agency that staffs emergency room. He does have admitting privileges at Integris Grove Hospital in Grove, Oklahoma.
Integris released a statement saying that McElyea doesn't speak for the hospital and that his comments were "misconstrued."
"And while our hospitals are not filled with people who have taken ivermectin, such patients are adding to the congestion already caused by COVID-19 and other emergencies," according to the statement shared by Fox 25.
Rural hospital Northeastern Health System - Sequoyah in Sallisaw also put out a statement saying that is hasn't treated any ivermectin overdoses or have had to turn emergency care patients away.
Doctors across the country are still warning people not to treat themselves for COVID-19 with ivermectin because the livestock-grade formulas are toxic to humans.